The Derby Dead Pool

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, then was run from 2003-2007 by Siegfried Baboon and Rude Kid. From 2008-2009, it was run by Octopus of Odstock, but from 2010 onwards it's the turn of The Man in Black to run the DDP.

Latest Stiffs: 24th June 2012

LeRoy draws his last breath

Painter LeRoy Nieman has died. Nieman specialised in sketching sport stars such as Muhammad Ali as well as capturing the action of sports such as athletics. Nieman also made drawings for Playboy Magazine, an assocation that lasted nearly sixty years.
Neiman was 91 and was a unique hit for Keeper Of The Heads who get 8 points.

Death takes the Bate

Veteran actor Anthony Bate, has died. Bate was a regular on televison, appearing in the likes of 'The Avengers' and 'A Touch of Frost' often as a slippery villain. But he's best remembered as Oliver Lacon in BBC's 1979 adaptation of John le Carre's 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'. Bate was 84 and a unique hit for the theme team Morbid Midlands XX. Nine points head down the M6...

The Inability to Mourn (when there are points at stake)

Psychoanalyst Margarete Mitscherlich-Nielsen has passed away at 94. Mitscherlich-Nielsen addressed post-war West German's repressed memories and guilt of the Nazis' evil regime and crimes against humanity. Her book 'The Inability to Mourn' was symbolic in the turning point for Germans to face their past head on.
The Independent oblige with the only British obit. Them team Death Speaks German gain 8 points.

Latest Stiffs: 17th June 2012

Goodbye to the Goodfella

Former mobster Henry Hill has finally been made. Hill was an associate of the Lucchese crime family in New York before becoming an informant for the FBI in 1980. His remarkable story was published as 'Wiseguy' before being adapted for the screen by Martin Scorsese in 1990 as the film 'Goodfellas', which starred Ray Liotta as Hill. The film has been acclaimed as one the finest of its generation and its reputation remains undimmed no matter how many times Channel 5 shows it.
Hill died aged 69 after a long illness. Wikipedia's Random Article launders 11 points, but it could have been more, as Hill died just a day after his birthday. And he wasn't knocked off by the mafia either. And missed out on the 13th bonus by 1 day.

Elinor's deathicit reduction

Political scientist Elinor Ostrom, has died. Ostrom became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2009. She demonstrated that resources such as land and fisheries could be economically managed by local communities and not by either central government or private companies. Ostrom was 78 and was a unique hit for theme team Nobel Loserettes, who get 10 points.

Ann's gone with the wind

Canadian actress Ann Rutherford has passed away. Rutherford was one of the last survivors of the classic 1939 film 'Gone with the Wind', playing Scarlett O'Hara's sister, Careen. She was also a regular in the Andy Hardy series of movies, which starred the redoubtable Mickey Rooney. She was 94. Two theme teams pick up the points. The Pellet with the Poison's in the Flagon with the Dragon! get their first hit of the year, You're Not Acting Like Yourself Today -- Are You Dead? get their 3rd. 5 points to the pair...

Latest Stiffs: 10th June 2012

Ray Bradburied

Renowned sci-fi author Ray Bradbury has died. Bradbury was best known for his 1953 novel 'Fahrenheit 451', a dystopian fantasy which depicts a future when books are banned. It was later made into a film in 1966, directed by François Truffaut. Other works included the short story collection 'The Martian Chronicles' and horror novel 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. In the 1980s, many of his tales were adapted for television.
Bradbury was 91, 16 teams get 5 points each.

Ta-Yahya Boom-de-ay

The continuing US war on terror has claimed another high-profile victim in the form of Abu Yahya al-Libi, al-Qaeda's second-in-command, in a drone attack in Pakistan. Libi moved to second in the terror group's hierarchy after the killing of Osama bin Laden last year. No surprise that this was seen as a "major blow" to al-Qaeda, but they'll simply replace him with someone else and the war goes on...Libi was probably 48 when he died. Clathrate Gun, who's team was converted to a theme (Middle East) take the spoils - an unnatural death as well as a unique hit means 16 points and a move to joint 3rd in the theme team league, now headed by Sing Your Last Song For Me.

Poisoned Challis

Cimenatographer Christopher Challis has died. Challis worked with the legendary team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, albeit in their less heralded years. He later worked on popular hits 'Genevieve', 'Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines' and 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'. Challis was 93 and was a hit for two theme teams - cinema theme team Lights, Camera, Action...Fin: A Rattly Score Of Cinematic Old Puffins and Nervous Nineties (who can work what theme that is yourselves!). 5 points to the pair...

Latest Stiffs: 5th June 2012

Sans Salvadori

Former motor racing driver Roy Salvadori has died aged 90 just weeks after his Le Mans 24-hr race winning partner Carroll Shelby. Salvadori also competed in Formula 1, coming 4th in the World Championship in 1958. He won the Le Mans title with Shelby the following year. This obit from Reuters is enough to ensure former host and 2010 champion Octopus of Odstock gets 8 points. This was the 8-legged one's 5th hit of the year and puts him into the top 20.

Kath dead Joosten time

Character actress Kathryn Joosten wont be snooping next door anymore. Joosten is best known as Karen McCluskey in 'Desperate Housewives' and as Josiah Bartlett's secretary Delores Landingham in 1990s political drama 'The West Wing'. She died aged 72 after an 11 year battle with lung cancer. 2002 champion JoeRam and Harry Patch's Love Child win 7 points each.

Dawson's croak

British-born US actor Richard Dawson has died aged 79. Dawson, who was once married to Diana Dors, was best known for his role as British officer Corporal Peter Newkirk in 1960s WWII-set US comedy 'Hogan's Heroes'. He was also an accomplished game show host, presenting 'Family Feud', which in the UK was known as 'Family Fortunes'. Dawson memorably parodied himself, playing the sadistic host Damian Killian in the cult 1987 film 'The Running Man', starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. One team picked him, You're Dead Now, So Shut Up! who get 10 points. Rather apt that Dawson should become part of a death-based game, eh?

Huxley heads to a brave new world

Nobel prize-winning scientist Andrew Huxley has died. Huxley won the Nobel prize for medicine in 1963 along with John Eccles and Alan Hodgkin for work into nerve impulses. Huxley was half-brother of the famous sci-fi author Aldous and later became an outspoken President of the Royal Society. He was knighted in 1974. Huxley was 94 and was a unique hit for DDP regular The Conqueror Worm who get 8 points.

List of the Lost - Latest Entrants

Paul Pietsch, LeRoy Ellis, Frank Cady, Lina Haag

List of the Missed - Latest Entrants

Andy Hamilton, Nolan Miller, William Standish Knowles, Mukhtar Hussein Afrah, Rodney King, Victor Spinetti, Walter Haefner

Player of the Month - May

Misers - 37 points

Latest News

Conflicting reports over the heath of Hosni Mubarak , with rumours that he is clinically dead. Former commander-in-chief of the IRA (allegedly), Martin McGuinness is to have an audience with The Queen. Aussie broadcaster Clive James denies rumours that he is terminally ill, despite such rumours prompted by comments made by...Clive James! England football legend Sir Bobby Charlton reckons England can win Euro 2012. What happened to "low expectations", boys?

Message to all current competitors: If you haven't been receiving the notification mails that we send out whenever a celeb carks it, please check that we have your current email address (re-send it to us if unsure), your inbox is not full, and our address is not blocked by your mail system. The following teams are currently uncontactable; Jesus Jones, Juicy Janny, Mad Maureen.

Further Information

Who's dead so far | Celebrity picks | Team selections | DDP main page | DDP Archive