Many of its contributors began their professional careers with the magazine including photographers David Steen and Robert Whitaker and writers Quentin Crewe, Sheena Mackay, Neil Aspinall and Michael Aldred.

First published as Fabulous on 18 January 1964, the Beatles appeared on the front cover, espousing the magazine's (then) unique selling proposition: full-colour pinups.

An innovation in the magazine's early years was celebrity guest editors, including Donovan, Cat Stevens, Gerry Marsden, the Kinks and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.

Although its focus was pop music, Fabulous 208 was the first magazine of its type to cover other pop culture genres: fashion, films and television, and this later extended beyond the media to celebrity footballers such as George Best - a trend which was widely emulated in the late 60s and beyond, most notably by the ITV-sponsored Look-In.

After a brief spell as rebranded as Fab Hits it was published for the last time on 27 September 1980, with the Beatles once again on the front cover.