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: 5th November 2012

Godwin you! track emperor

Olympic cyclist Tommy Godwin has parked his bike. Godwin won two bronzes at the 1948 Olympic Games in London before becoming Britain's first paid cycling coach in 1964, laying the early foundations for Britain's later domination of track cycling. Fittingly, he carried the torch in his home town of Solihul for this year's successful London games before his death aged 91. Godwin was a unique pick for Grobler's Stiff Ones, who get 8 points and move up into 12th. I will update the player of the month in the next update as I am waiting on a potentially important obit...

Grim gets the itch for Fitch

Racing driver John Fitch has died. Fitch was a fighter pilot in World War Two before entering the world of motor racing. He competed alongside the greats such as Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio for the legendary Mercedes-Benz team in the 1950s. He later developed safety devices for cars. Fitch was the fashionable age of 95 and a hit for theme team Last Trip To The John who get 8 points (The Telegraph date on the obit is most likely a typo as Fitch died on Oct 31 not 13!)

Jacques goes from Dawn to Decaydence

Historian Jacques Barzun is himself now history. Barzun was born in France, but spent most of his life and career in the USA, writing books and essays on the history of western culture and ideas. Barzun was arguably on the other side of the political spectrum to the other major historian who died this month, Eric Hobsbawm. His best-selling book was published when he was 93 - From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life, 1500 to the Present, which was the usual "we're going to hell in a handcart" stuff you'd expect from a conservative historian. Barzun died at the ripe old age of 104. A quartet of teams each get 4 points.

Match duPont

Tennis player Margaret Osborne duPont has died. Osborne duPont was the top women's player in the immediate post-war years when the sport was split between amateurs (who competed at Grand Slams such as Wimbledon and the US Open) and professionals. She was world number one amateur between 1947-1950 and was Wimbledon Ladies Singles champion in 1947, although her real forte was in doubles and mixed doubles of which she won over 30 major titles. She was 94 and a unique hit for theme team Nervous Nineties. 8 points head their way.

Latest Stiffs: 23rd October 2012

Death Means it this time...

Native American actor and activist Russell Means has died aged 72. Means starred in 'The Last of the Mohicans' with Daniel Day Lewis in 1992. Before that he was a leading activist for Native American rights and led an uprising at the location of the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1973, which lasted 71 days. Means had inoperable cancer and turned his back on conventional treatment in favour of Native American methods.
Not surprisingly he died at his home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 7 teams win 7 points each, with Misers moving up to 4th.

USA becomes unMcGovernable

Strangely, there was another famous death in Sioux Falls, that of 1972 US Presidential candidate George McGovern. McGovern was one of the most left-leaning Democrats to stand for the highest office, when he ran against Richard Nixon. The election campaign was a disaster for him, with Nixon winning by a landslide, despite the Vietnam War continuing and whispers of a government-backed break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters...
McGovern was 90 and was a hit for 9 teams who each get 5 points save for The Bedsoring '20's who double up.

Get the tissues out for Kristel

Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel has died after a long illness. Kristel will forever be known as the star of the erotic 'Emmanuelle' film and it's many sequels. She became a sex symbol off the back of the cult 1974 film, however the dreaded ghost of typecasting reared it's head as well as drug issues and her potentially stellar career stalled. She was 60. Two teams, Address Unknown and Zsa-Zsa-ah-ah-ah! Zsa-Zsa-Ooh-la-la! win 8 points each.

Latest Stiffs: 16th October 2012

The Ki(lli)ng Fields

Former Head of State of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk has abdicated from life. Sihanouk first became king in 1941 when Cambodia was still under French Rule. After independence in 1953, Sihanouk abdicated in favour of his father (who was overlooked in favour of his son in 1941), becoming Prime Minister instead. But within five years, Sihanouk was king once more before being overthrown in a coup in 1970. The country soon found itself embroiled in the Vietnam conflict while Sihanouk was in exile in Beijing. In 1975, he was restored to the throne but in name only as Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge ruthlessly set about achieving their Maoist utopia. To cut a long and complicated story short, Sihanouk retuned to power as king for the final time in 1993, abdicating in 2004. He died in Beijing a couple of weeks or so short of his 90th birthday. This left 22 teams breathing a sigh of relief as 6 points head their collective way.
It's been a slow month so far, just 4 confirmed hits more than halfway through the month. There's always a slow month and it looks like October is the one for this year. But with Death, you never know what's around the corner...

The Specter of commitingism

Veteran US senator Arlen Specter has died aged 82. Specter was a Republican senator for Pennsylvania for 30 years, although he would top and tail his political career as a Democrat. One of the US Senate's true mavericks, he was involved in the defeat of Bill Clinton's Medicare policy as well as pushing for the recognition of "Gulf War syndrome" as a legitimate illness. He was a unique hit for The Other Side Of Sunday, who get 9 points.

The Prince and the pauper's grave

Paddy Roy Bates, the pirate radio owner turned head of state, has died aged 91. Bates, a former major in World War Two, formed Radio Essex, which provided 24 hour pop music before such stations were shut down by HM Government in 1967. Bates then seized control of Rough Sands Fort, eight miles of the coast of Essex, declaring the site an independent entity, the Principality of Sealand and himself as its head of state. Sealand has not been officially recognised although it lies outside of UK territorial waters. Bates is a unique hit for theme team Their Royal Deadness or O'Deary Leader, who get 8 points.

Latest Stiffs: 7th October 2012

Death's left with Hobsbawm's choice

Eminent historian Eric Hobsbawm has died. A commited marxist, Hobsbawm wrote many books, largely covering the modern era, encompassing the industrial revolution as well as the major upheavals of the twentieth century, most notably in his famous book 'The Age of Extremes', published in 1991. Hobsbawm was (you guessed it) 95. Two teams, Bladerunner and Body Snatcher's Body-Count each get 5 points.

The only way was SS for Sven

For Danish author Sven Hassel ze vor ist ova. Hassel based his guilty pleasure war novels on his time in the German army during World War II. There was much speculation as to whether much of Hassel's stories were true or not. Still, 53 million books sold, he wasn't complaining at the end of the day. Took a while before an obit was forthcoming, but it came via the BBC's Been and Gone monthly round up of notable deaths. Useful that. Three teams each get 5 points.

King gets that sinking feeling

When former WWII submarine commander William King died on September 21st aged 102, I mistakenly thought he was a missed pick. However, when checking out on a proper missed pick, Antisa Khvichava, I soon realised my error. Waiting for me was this obit from the Telegraph. DDP veteran Inquilinekea/Simfish pick up 7 points.

List of the Lost - Latest Entrants

Carla Porta Musa, Erika Vosseler

List of the Missed - Latest Entrants

Antisa Khvichava, Heriberto Lazcano, Helmut Haller, James Coyne, Edward Donnall Thomas, Hans Werner Henze, William Windom

Player of the Month - September

Baz & Barry's Burial Bonanza - 17 points

Latest News

It's D-Day tomorrow for President Barack Obama as America goes to the polls to elect it's head of state. It could be troubling times for fallen stars Freddie Starr and Gary Glitter in the wake of the Jimmy Savile revelations. Radio DJ Danny Baker is sacked from the BBC again before being reinstated in another show. Again. There are concerns over the health of Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin as he is seen publicly limping. Former X-Factor judge Sharon Osbourne has a double mastectomy to ward off breast cancer. Still leaves her with one tit left to worry about, her husband Ozzy!
Happy Bonfire Night!

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, You're Not Breathing Anymore, D�a De Muertos, Hell To The Chief, The Good, The Bad And Cliff Richard...

Further Information

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