Death happens. Why not make it interesting?
The online competition to guess which famous people won't make it to the end of the current year. If they're elderly, ill, or just live a high-risk lifestyle, stick 'em in your team, and for each one whose death you correctly predict, you'll score points. DDP was dreamt up in Derby, England (hence the name...) by Big Iain back in 1996. Other hosts: Siegfried Baboon and Rude Kid (2003-7), Octopus of Odstock (2008-9), The Man in Black (2010-17), Spade Cooley (2018-19), msc (2020-21), Grim Up North (2020-22), and Reptile (2020-23). Now the Committee of DI (2022), time (2024), and Banana (2023) oversee the biggest deadpool going...
DEATHSTRUCK! The winter bridging 2023-24 is an open season on socially-conscious Normans. Just as Norman Lear from last year’s necrolog brought social issues to the US sitcom, Norman Jewison mastered the craft on the silver screen. The Canuck broke into the industry with a string of fluffy Doris Day comedies before taking on more challenging […]
OFF ZE LIST The last of the beloved Dad’s Army repertoire is off duty. Ian Lavender was the youngest cast member of the classic sitcom by some margin; his “stupid boy” Private Pike beared the brunt of the physical comedy and was devised as asthmatic to give plausible reason for a young member of the […]
A PLACE IN THE SUN, MOVIN’ ON… TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has died aged 50. He had been the longtime host of escapist real-estate fare such as A Place in the Sun and Escape to the Country, making him a recognisable face to people who pay attention to these sorts of programmes. Regardless of how […]
DEAD WHITE AND BLUE All-Murrican country singer Toby Keith has died aged 62. A regular on the country charts with hits like “Red Solo Cup” and “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”, he was known for his carefully considered lyrics that roughly went God God God flag flag flag Dubya Dubya Dubya war war war America America […]
I’LL BE AGROUND Last surviving original Spinner (that’s Detroit Spinners, not the folkies) Henry Fambrough has died aged 85. The group formed in the late 50s and tried their hand at doo-wop and Motown, but didn’t truly hit their stride until refashioning themselves as a Philadelphia soul act in the 70s. The classic “I’ll Be […]
GRAVEYARD FOR THE VALEYARD Respected actor Michael Jayston has died aged 88. He gained early repute for Shakespearean theatre and TV roles, as well as Tsar Nicholas II in Nicholas and Alexandra. A regular face on TV, he was Alec Guinness’s right-hand man in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the Doctor’s dark doppelganger the Valeyard in […]
OUT OF HER MISSOURI Could the funniest US senatorial election be Missouri’s 2000 race? Though I also have a soft spot for the paedo Republican losing Alabama of all places. Anyway, Missouri 2K was a squaring off of two incumbents in what was then a key swing state – Republican Senator John Ashcroft was defending […]
FADE TO GRAY It’s not bandied about nearly as often as pancreatic cancer or glioblastoma, but cholangiocarcinoma (the fancy word for bile duct cancer) is another regular deadpooling ally. One such victim was Stuart Gray, who hailed from a footballing family that included Leeds great Eddie Gray as his father. The younger Gray continued the […]
COUNCIL ADJOURNED Newcastle councillor Jason Smith undoubtedly seemed a nice chap, and didn’t deserve the pancreatic cancer diagnosis that led to his death aged 50. But beyond that there’s little to say about his life. His death was slightly more interesting – local obits were published on the 24th, but none from the BBC, making […]
WHEN YOU’RE A CORPSE YOU’RE A CORPSE ALL THE WAY Broadway actress Chita Rivera has died aged 91. A trailblazer for Latino artists, her first major role as the original Anita in West Side Story remains her best known. She also originated Velma Kelly in Chicago, and won Tonys for The Rink and Kiss of […]
