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: 30th March 2013

[Picture of Richard's Griffiths and E. Grant]

Death takes the full Monty

Rotund character actor Richard Griffiths has died after complications from heart surgery. Griffiths leaves behind a formidable resume of work on both stage, screen and TV. In televison terms he was best known as the detective turned chef Henry Crabbe in the popular 1990s series 'Pie in the Sky'. For young film fans, he was the nasty Uncle Vernon in the 'Harry Potter' series of films. But he's probably best remembered as the queer (in all senses of the word) Uncle Monty in the 1987 cult classic 'Withnail and I'. Monty famously had his eye on Marwood, played by Paul McGann, with predictably tragi-comic results. On stage and screen he was the similarly predatory but sympathetic Hector in Alan Bennett's 'The History Boys', for which he won a Tony award. Griffiths' famous girth was always going to catch up with him eventually but many will mourn this fine actor's passing and consider it rather premature at 65...

(4 teams) = 8pts

One last outpost for Thurlow

Diplomat Francis Thurlow has died. Born of twins, Thurlow worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth office, becoming High Commissioner of New Zealand in 1959. He later had a similar role in Nigeria where a coup d'etat caused him problems. He eventually resided in the Bahamas as Governor, before retiring in 1972.
He died aged 101. Theme team Leading To(o) Dead... have a unique hit.

+ = 7pts

It's a long way down for Lowe

Mountaineer, George Lowe, has died. Lowe was the last surviving member of the team which conquered Everest in 1953. It was Lowe who did the donkey work while fellow kiwi Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay grabbed immortality at the peak. Lowe later made a successful expedition to the Antarctic. He died aged 89. A trio of teams will have hoped not to have peaked too early...

(3 teams) = 6 points

Harvey signs off

Australian political journalist Peter Harvey died on 2nd March aged 68. Harvey first made his name in England, reporting for Guardian newspaper and winning a National Press award in 1973. He returned to Australia to become chief political correspondent for Channel Nine. It was the Guardian who came up with a suitable obit, giving four of the top contenders a boost.

(4 teams) = 8 points

A quick mention (and no pun for obvious reasons) of a Hillsborough Justice campaigner who has died
aged 72. Two teams take the points...

(2 teams) = 7 points

Latest Stiffs: 25th March 2013

Bebo be gone

Cuban jazz bandleader Bebo Valdés has died. Valdés made his name in Cuba in the 1940s before fleeing the country in the wake of the 1959 revolution, eventually settling in Sweden, where he died aged 94.
Gnarlie's Bucket Of Blood picks up all the points...

+ = 8pts

Stevens' Risë and fall

Opera Singer Risë Stevens has died. Stevens performed at the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York for 20 years. Her most notable role was as Carmen, for which she performed on more than 100 occasions. Stevens also dipped her toes in Hollywood but soon returned to her first love. She retired in 1961, saying she wanted to bow out while she still had a fine voice. Certain England footballers ought to take that kind of advice!
Stevens died a few months shy of her 100th birthday.

(6 teams) = 5pts, (1 team) = 10pts

Stuffed Peacock

Actor Frank Thornton has died aged 92. Thornton was a respected "bit part" actor, often as a figure of authority in numerous sitcoms and films, such as 'Carry on Screaming!'. However, he found fame in 1972 as the rather pompous Captain Stephen Peacock, floor manager of Grace Brothers department store, in the hit sitcom 'Are You Being Served?', which was also a surprise cult hit in the USA. Thornton later appeared in an equally long stint as retired policeman Herbert "Truly" Truelove in the long-running 'Last of the Summer Wine', which ended in 2010. Of the main cast of AYBS?, only Nicholas Smith remains "free" for now...

(16 teams) = 5pts, (3 teams) = 10pts

DDP gets a Lynch in

Back on March 11th, Lisa Lynch, a journalist who had written an acclaimed blog on her struggle against cancer, passed away aged 33. For a while it looked as if a legitimate obit would not be forthcoming. However, the Guardian's Society section intervened. And an important hit has proven to be as well, with The Living End taking the lead from Octopus of Odstock. With the last two DDP winner's jokers taken, it's a long battle to the end and with 51 already slain, there could well be a fair few twists and turns before NYE...

(5 teams) = 10pts, (1 team) = 20pts

Latest Stiffs: 17th March 2013

Collier chickens out

Northern comedian Norman Collier has had his mike switched off. Collier's old-school routines of the faulty mike and chicken impression stood him in good stead for a lengthy career in variety and light entertainment. He died aged 87 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. People I Think Might Die In 2013 United gets their 3rd hit of the year.

+ = 9pts

There goes Jack's everything

Country music singer Jack Greene has died aged 83. Greene's biggest hit was 'There Goes My Everything' in 1966, which has been covered over 100 times. Reuters come in with the obit. Theme team Grand Ole Opry XX, of which Greene was a distinguished member of, take the points.

+ = 9pts

No-one's Sary Ieng's gone

Former leader with the notorious Khmer Rogue in Cambodia, Ieng Sary, has died while on trial for genocide. Sary was foreign minister during the time of the "killing fields" and was the brother-in-law of Pol Pot, thus he was right up to his neck in it. Shame he didn't see justice in the end but there you have it.
Sary was 87. It's another unique hit, this time for Toetag4U...

+ = 9pts

Game of Throne over

American tv actor Malachi Throne has passed away aged 84. Throne appeared in many shows but was best known for his appearances in the 1960s versions of 'Batman' and 'Star Trek'. In the former he was the villain False Face. In the latter he appeared in the classic two-parter 'The Menagerie' as Commodore Mendez. He later appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Daily Express come in with the obit. Two theme teams, aptly enough dedicated to the classic Batman and Star Trek 1960s series claim a bonus too, as he died on the 13th.

(2 teams) + = 8pts

Clive alive, no

Former Iron Maiden drummer, Clive Burr, has died after a long battle with MS. Burr joined the heavy metal legends in 1979, playing on their first three albums, before leaving in 1982. He was 56.
Funeral Holmes take the points.

+ = 12pts

Lilian in the field

Wales-born princess Lilian of Sweden has died. Born in Swansea, Lilian Davies met Swedish royal Prince Bertil during World War II. It was a whirlwind romance, but she wasn't allowed to marry one of the heirs to the Swedish phone as she was a divorced commoner. She finally married Bertil in 1976 and they remained married until his death in 1997. Lilian was 97. Say Hello To The Angels doubles up among the 7 winning teams.

(7 teams) = 5pts (1 team) = 10pts

Yet another hit führer consideration

Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist, the last survivor of the "20th July" plot to kill Adolf Hitler has died. Of course, had the bomb plot in 1944 gone to plan, there would have been no survivors, including Hitler. But the briefcase with the device was in the wrong position and the führer survived, albeit until his suicide at end of World War Two. For his part in the plot, von Kleist was sent to a concentration camp. He died aged 90.

(2 teams) = 5pts

Latest Stiffs: 9th March 2013

Death to the Chav

Populist South American leader Hugo Chavez has died after a long battle with cancer. The controversial president of Venezuela was popular figure with his people after his election in 1999, but he proved to be a thorn in the side of the west. Thanks to massive oil reserves, Chavez was able to fund a program of neo-socialist redistribution. But he was not without his enemies, or continual questions about his human rights record as president. Nonetheless, the World has lost one it's more colourful leaders. Chavez was 58 and easily the most popular hit so far, nestled as he is in 5th place in the Drop Forty. For all the busy hits, Octopus of Odstock maintains his lead...

(183 teams) = 9pts (36 teams) = 18pts

Oh Ball's another one's snuffed it!

Trad Jazz pioneer Kenny Ball has played his last note on the trumpet. Ball and his Jazzmen populuarised Dixieland-era jazz in the UK during the period between the rise of Elvis and the emergence of the Beatles. His biggest hit was 'Midnight in Moscow', curiously titled considering the Cold War was going on at the time, but it also turned to be quite a hit with the Russians too! Ball and his band were a popular booking in TV entertainment shows throughout the 1970s and he even entertained during the Royal Wedding in 1981.
He was 82. Theme team This Is Your Death has something to put in their red book...

+ = 9pts

Please don't push up the daisies

The Grim Reaper does not hang about and March starts immediately with a hit, that of actress Bonnie Franklin, who has died aged 69. The redheaded actress starred in the US comedy 'One Day at a Time' from 1975-1984. The series was about a single mother at a time when US television had started to explore it's social horizons and move away from the "Nuclear Family" model for situation comedy. Any doubts about a possible British obit were dispelled by this one from Reuters. Franklin was "one of those" picks which crop up every year which certain teams shrewdly choose to get ahead. However when you've got 54 teams choosing someone like Franklin, then the competition gets that little bit tighter...

(54 teams) = 8pts (11 teams) = 16pts

Latest Stiffs: February round-up

Train robber Bruce stopped in his tracks

The gap in the time between the two months have been filled with a volley of hits. The Man In Black has had other commitments in the last few days, so has only got round to updating now, so here's a rundown of who carked it at the end of last month. Bruce Reynolds was considered the "brains" of the most famous British heist of the twentieth century, the Great Train Robbery. The theft of £2.6m from a mail train in 1963, also featured Ronnie Biggs in a support role, who is seemingly outlasting all his colleagues. Reynolds himself was jailed for 10 years in 1968 for the caper. He died aged 81. GMC Ghost Town nab the booty of points.

+ = 9pts

Van's the man!

I have to admit, that when the name Van Cliburn started trickling in when the entires piled up in December, I was left thinking "Who is Van Cliburn?" As it turns out, Cliburn was another one of those minor victories the USA had over the red menace during the Cold War. Cliburn was a talented classical pianist from Louisiana who won the inaugural Tchaikovsky Prize in 1958 in Moscow. He was later invited to play for 10 US presidents right up Obama and was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003.
Cliburn died from bone cancer aged 78. Another popular hit, Cliburn is at equal 38th in the Drop Forty.

(42 teams) = 7pts (3 teams) = 14pts

It's back to Death Valley for Dale

Actor Dale Robertson has died aged 89. Robertson's speciality was westerns, often playing the strong, taciturn type. He was the lead in several minor films in the 1950s before settling down in TV series such as 'Tales of Wells Fargo' and the anthology series 'Death Valley Days'. Theme team All Quiet on the Westerns Front takes all the points.

+ = 9pts

Alain the organ donor

French organist Marie-Claire Alain has died aged 86. Alain was known for her incredible memory when playing long pieces and had recored the entire output of the legendary composer JS Bach on several occasions.
This obit from the Telegraph means that Something Original has hit the right note.

+ = 9pts

Koop dead, ta

Dr. C Everett Koop, one of the more outspoken members of the Reagan administration, has died. Koop served as Surgeon General during the time when AIDS became promiment in public life. He enraged both feminists and christians over his stance on safe sex and abortion and was against the spread of tobacco, much to the chagrin of the big cigarette companies. He was a familiar looking character, with his beard and stern demeanor.
Koop died aged 96, with two teams playing chicken...

(2 teams) = 5pts

List of the Lost - Latest Entrants

Julien Ries, Jean Marcel Honoré, Theo Bos, Claude King

List of the Missed - Latest Entrants

Paul Bearer, Stompin' Tom Connors, Bobby Smith, Boris Berezovsky, Joe Weider

Player of the Month - February

The Living End - 32 points

Latest News

Nelson Mandela is back in hospital once more with a lung infection. Could North Korea leader Kim Jong-un be making a fatal error as the failed state makes threatening noises towards the USA?
Meanwhile, former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf returns to his home country from self-imposed exile. Dangerous move, or a possible return to the top job?
The Theme Team League is finally up and running...

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; Warning - Dying Can Be Hazardous To Your Health, A Weatherman, 8 Small Parts and a Widow Twanky, 50 Shades Of Grey Skinned Death, Minibus Of Death, This Mortal Coil, There goes another one :) The following are also spamming: Gag Slow And Die

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

March