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 to 2007 by Siegfried Baboon and Rude Kid. From 2008 to 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: 25th February 2013

Denis, the furnace

Television executive Denis Forman has died. Forman was one of the founders of Granada Television in the 1950s, the northern channel responsible for the likes of 'Coronation Street' and 'World in Action'. He was later chairman from 1974-1987, in which the acclaimed 'Brideshead Revisisted' and 'Jewel in the Crown' were made, not another bloody psychological thriller which seems to the case on ITV these days. Forman was 95.
Moribold Krakatoa’s Playhour has tuned in perfectly to pick up the points...

+ = 8pts

Godfrey to meet God

Just days after the death of 'Roobarb' narrator Richard Briers, the animator of the said children's classic
Bob Godfrey has also cashed in his chips. Godfrey was a pioneering animator, behind the Oscar-winning short 'Great', about the legendary Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Roobarb's distinctive "wobbly" style was caused by the use of marker pens on transuclent plates, giving the cartoon a jittery quality. Godfrey later created the 1980s series 'Henry's Cat', which he narrated himself. Godfrey was 91 and a hit for 5 teams.

(5 teams) = 5pts

Intern Millan

Former cabinet minister, Bruce Millan, has died aged 85. Millan served under James Callaghan and was Secretary of State for Scotland in the late 1970s. He would have been a busy boy, as the first devolution referendum was under his watch. In 1988, Millan left Westminster to become a European Commissioner.
People I Think Might Die In 2013 United get the points.

+ = 9pts

Fade to Gray

Scottish actress Elspet Gray has died. Gray appeared in several TV shows over the years, most notably in 'The Black Adder' as Edmund's mother, who not only gave birth to him illegitimately, but was also a witch! She was also one of the Time Lords in 'Doctor Who'. Gray was known as Lady Rix, as she was married to actor Lord Brian Rix and both were leading patrons for Mencap. Gray was 83 and represented in Scotland for the Death is International theme team.

+ = 9pts

A rolling tomb gathers no moss

Soul singer Damon Harris has passed away after a battle with prostate cancer. Harris had that rare happenstance of getting to sing for his heroes, The Temptations, when they took him on in 1971. One year later, they had arguably their most famous hit, the funky 'Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone'. However by 1975, he was out of the group. He was much admired, particularly by Michael Jackson, who referred to him as "The Voice".
Harris died aged 62. The "usual" suspects picked him meaning that Octopus of Odstock retains his 6 point lead over the legendary Living End as we bolt towards the spring...

(21 teams) = 8pts (2 teams) = 16pts

Latest Stiffs: 18th February 2013

The end of the Good Life for Briers

Venerable comic actor Richard Briers is heading for the big sitcom in the sky aged 79. Briers starred as the draughtsman turned self-sustainable suburbanite Tom Good in 'The Good Life' which was a huge success for the BBC from 1975-1978. He later starred in 'Ever Decreasing Circles' as the pedantic Martin Bryce. But Briers was also an accomplished stage actor, comfortable with Shakespeare (he collaborated on stage and on film with Sir Kenneth Branagh) as well as the likes of Alan Ayckbourn. He also had an unmistakable voice, used famously in the children's cartoon series "Roobarb", where he was the voice of the excitable dog as well as his sneering feline nemesis Custard. Briers was also the voice of the rabbit Fiver in the animated classic
'Watership Down' in 1978. He will be sadly missed. The Forest Lawn Jockeys bag all the points for a unique hit.

+ = 10pts

My Bony

Rock 'n roller Tony Sheridan has died. Sheridan is best known for his 1962 single with the pre-fame Beatles. He met the band in Hamburg, when the young group were booked to perform at the same club The Indra. The collaboration produced a double A single of two old standards ('My Bonnie' and 'The Saints') in January 1962, the first single release of any kind from the Fab Four (although they were credited as "The Beat Brothers"). While they went to greater glory, Sheridan largely remained in Hamburg where he died aged 72.
Newcomer Thomas Jefferson Survives has his third hit of the year.

+ = 10pts

I'm Owen a lot of points to Romancing the Headstone!

In the last update, I revealed that we had out first "unnatural" death of 2013. But it seems now that I was mistaken. Towards the end of 2012, retired horse trainer Owen Brennan went missing. He had suffered a stroke and attendant memory loss. He was finally discovered on 9th January in a river in Derbyshire aged 78. Now it hasn't been confirmed whether he died before or after 01/01/13 (co-incidentially his birthday). But the assumption is that the day he was found was the day he died. The upshot of this is that Romancing the Headstone gain a colossal 26 points for a unique joker, after I was prompted from an email by the interested party.

+ + x = 26pts

Latest Stiffs: 13th February 2013

Reg's a turn up for the books

The DDP's blog-style format celebrates it's first year with a hit for your host. Reg Turnill was the BBC's aerospace correspondent, covering everything from the Moon Landing to Concorde in what was undoubtedly an exciting period in that field. At the peak of the Space Race, Turnill was as familiar a presence as Patrick Moore, who pre-deceased him by a couple of months. Turnill was 97 and the second Reg to go in the last two weeks. A dying breed indeed. Well you don't see many kids called Reginald these days, do you?

+ = 8pts

Grace over fire

A curious one this, the first unnatural death of the year. Grace Sung Eun Lee was an ambitious, high-flying call-it-what-you-will bank manager, who was sadly struck down by a brain tumor. Lee wanted to die but her Korean, christian parents were against the idea. Lee won a court decision in her favour but then changed her mind. Fate though, has intervened and she died aged 28 after her ventilator machine malfunctioned. Hmmm. There was much debate among the deadpooling fraternity as to her obit chances, but the Daily Mail once more proved a saviour, and there's not many times I'll write that! Beacause of the obit uncertainty, just three teams were wily enough to pick up a whopping 15 points each with Very Ill Turned Very Dead moving up to third.

+ (3 teams) = 15pts

ZZ topped!

Table tennis player and unlikely diplomat Zhuang Zedong has died aged 72. In 1971, at the World Table Tennis championships in Japan, an American player, Glenn Cowan, accidentially boarded the Chinese team bus. The Chinese players were reticent about even talking to him, but Zedong, a three-time World Champion, offered the hand of friendship and a silk print. This "ping-pong" diplomacy helped thaw relations between the USA and China at the height of the Vietnam War, leading to the historic meeting between Nixon and Chairman Mao in 1972. Zedong was later sent into exile but his unwitting efforts to alter the balance of the Cold War will not be forgotten. The Living End makes his major move towards the summit once again with a unique hit. Octopus of Odstock though, still holds the lead...

+ = 10pts

Freeborn to die

Make-up artist Stuart Freeborn has passed away. Freeborn was self-taught and had a long career, culminating in creating the look of the Jedi Master Yoda in 'The Empire Strikes Back'. He based Yoda on both himself and Albert Einstein. Freeborn also created the monkey suits for the opening sequence of Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Freeborn was 98 and a unique hit for Star Wars theme team Wretched Hive Of Scum & Villainy. Happy with that he will be...

+ = 8pts

Latest Stiffs: 5th February 2013

Reg Presley: The King of Crop & Roll

Lead singer of 1960s band The Troggs, Reg Presley has passed away. The raucous group's biggest hits in the 60s included 'Wild Thing' and 'With A Girl Like You'. But it was the later success of 'Love is All Around', written by Presley and covered by Wet Wet Wet in 1994 in which he made his dough. Number one in the UK charts for a staggering 15 weeks, the royalties enabled Presley to indulge in his interest in crop circles and UFOs. The Troggs were considered a formative influence on punk rock and their infamous "tapes", in which the band bickered and swore at each other while trying to record was an influence on Spinal Tap. Presley was 71. Octopus of Odstock nets his 4th hit in 5 weeks and has an 11 point lead over Crossing The Styx, who also have a non too shabby 4 hits to their name.

(33 teams) = 7pts (2 teams) = 14pts

A Koch and null story

Former mayor of New York Ed Koch has died. Koch presided over three terms in the 1980s, when the city's crime reputation was at its highest. Although somewhat right-wing for a Democrat, he is credited with turning the city's reputation around and was its biggest supporter. Never shy of publicity either (he hosted a chat show after leaving office), Koch was always ready with a quip, although there was much speculation about his sexuality. Koch was 88. Former runner-up STAB_in_the_DARK has his third hit of the year, a sign perhaps of a return to form?

(5 teams) = 6pts

Andrews live assault

The Andrews Sisters are finally reunited with the death of their youngest member Patty at the age of 94. The sisters' glory years were during the Second World War, with hits such as 'Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree' (unless you're a physicist) and 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B'. They also hob-nobbed with the likes of Abbott and Costello on the silver screen. A popular hit with 41 winning points, just outside the drop forty, as if she'd care now!

(41 teams) = 5pts

Apocalypse Karnow

Just like buses, another hit turns up for Col. Kilgore and his surf party. Stanley Karnow was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, who wrote what many believe to be the definitve history of the Vietnam War in 1983.
The Daily Mail rustled up the obit. While you're there you can check out what celebs are up the duff...

+ = 9pts

List of the Lost - Latest Entrants

Paul Holmes, Giovanni Cheli, Terue Ashida, Lisa Maree O'Hara, Zheng Cao

List of the Missed - Latest Entrants

Peter Gilmore, Gerry Hambling, Richard Artschwager, Ivan Kazanets, Derek Batey, Mindy McCready

Player of the Month - January

Octopus of Odstock - 30 points

Latest News

Adventurer Ranulph Fiennes pulls out of an expedition to Antarctica due to frost bite. You're getting too old for that sort of thing, son. Is Silvio Berlusconi going to win an unlikely election victory? If so, his countrymen/women aint half a forgiving lot! It seems as the timing for Pope Benedict XVI's departure may be shrewd as a crisis develops over "inappropriate" behaviour from one of his cardinals.
There is now an updated Stats & Facts page, updated to the end of last year.

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; None

Further Information

Derby Dead Pool is hosted by The Man In Black with contributions from Big-Iain, Rude Kid, Siegfried Baboon, Octopus of Odstock, WEP 2.0 - World's Eternity Prophet Reloaded and The Grey Horde

Archive

February