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Michael Rosen did make a great own this year:

It is sad, expecially for his family. But how many Americans his age or less (absolute number, not percentages) have lost their lives mainly because their President convinced them there was no danger at all? Trying to ridicule the problem is an approach that simply does not work. Everyone could be in danger and statistics won't give your life back. COVID is the kind of stupid virus that fails to kill Saleh Ajeery or Meshulam Soloveitchik and yet kills this guy with no underlying conditions. Vehiculating the message it is just a flu is dangerous (and that's what a big part of GOP did during the past months). You push people not to take precautions and it can ruin their lives. I never missed a day at work since March, I got all possible precautions and never got infected, even using public transport extensively. If everyone had followed rules this would have been a much smaller problem, it is horrible that US government at some point was ouright ridiculing the whole thing. Letlow was a moderate in this sense and should not be derided after death. Whereas average Hermain Cain acted like an utter cunt and lot of GOPs followed his example.

Heinz Maria Lins, german singer, died last Sunday at 104 https://www.br-klassik.de/aktuell/news-kritik/saenger-heinz-maria-lins-gestorben-100.html (in german)

Celebrates 45 years of sobriety: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/anthony-hopkins-sobriety-alcoholism-b1780232.html Presumably not with a drink. Not even some Chianti. *bumped pre-birthday*

Dzhambulat Khatokhov, a 21-year old Russian sumo-wrestler, but mostly notably for being the "World's biggest child" since the age of 3, has died at 21 from kidney problems: https://www.eurosport.ru/sumo/story_sto8048321.shtml Probably also a winner in the "Scrabble deficit" (?) department.

That’s very unlucky, and I don’t see it as some kind of poetic justice from his word. The mortality rate for his age group (20-44) is given as just ~0.1% in U.S. Gov statistics, and that includes those with underlying conditions. The idea that the elderly (60+) and vulnerable should shield whilst everyone else gets on with their lives makes sense to me. We don’t know much about his health record, he would have almost certainly had an underlying condition. Sadly he leaves behind a wife and two young children. The comments on that tweet are absolutely disgusting. I thought the trolls in the UK were bad.

Sorry, should have quoted you. Well, we're off to a flying start.

Me too. Still familiarising myself with the forums, been following the lists since 2007 though.

Adele Rose, writer for Coronation Street, Z-Cars, Bless This House and Byker Grove, has died age 87. Obituaries: The Sun, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror.

Some living suggestions: Donald Pelmear (1924) - Yes Minister, Poirot, Dr Who Morris Perry (1925) - Crown Court, Hound of the Baskervilles Oscar Quitak (1926) - A Very British Coup, Howards End (and shitloads tbh) Lee Montague (1927) - Bergerac June Flewett (1927) - Crown Court (also Clement Freud's widow) Michael Craig (1928) - Triangle, Dr Who (more an old school film actor but done lots of TV and a great actor) Sarah Lawson (1928) - 50s TV regular Gerald Harper (1929) - Adam Adamant Lives (although Wiki now claims a birth of 1931? Either way he counts) Clifford Rose (1929) - Pallisers, Secret Army Damaris Hayman (1929) - Doctor Who Maria Charles (1929) - Corrie, Never the Twain Gary Watson (1930) - Z-cars Una McLean (1930) - Taggart, River City (and Russell Hunter's widow) Trevor Peacock (1931) - Vicar of Dibley June Bland (1931) - Doctor Who (x2), The Doctors, The Newcomers - retired to teach acting James Greene (1931) - Chocky, Moon Stallion (still alive as was in Doctors and others in last few years) Godfrey James (1931) - Emmerdale, Armchair Thriller (retired 20 years ago, *think* still alive) Vivian Pickles (1931) - Uncle Jack, Elizabeth R

Dear Forumers, here is my annual input of likely 2021 names: Imelda Marcos, 92 Isabel Peron, 90 Monica Vitti, 90 Joanne Woodward, 91 Gina Lollobrigida, 94 Mikhail Gorbachov, 90 Milan Kundera, 92 Tippi Hedren, 91 Cloris Leachman, 95 Barbara Walters, 92 Betty White, 99 Jacques Delors. 96 Eva Marie Saint, 97 Irene Papas, 92 Sidney Poitier, 94 Jean Louis Trintignant, 91 Joan Plowright, 92 Leslie Caron, 90 Frank Gehry, 92 Greetings and Houd moed!

Wasn't quite sure where to put this, but thought we were overdue a masterlist for British television actors so went through a list of UK TV shows of the 60s–90s earlier and singled out all the actors turning 90+ in 2021. Vast majority of these names will obit for sure: Arnold Yarrow (wiki, b. 1920) EastEnders; Doctor Who Geoffrey Chater (wiki, b. 1921) One Foot in the Grave; Harry's Game; Z-Cars; Bognor DIED 16/10/2021 Elizabeth Kelly (wiki, b. 1921) EastEnders Nadia Cattouse (wiki, b. 1924) Angels; Johnny Jarvis DIED 29/10/2024 Raymond Mason (IMDb, b. 1924) Z-Cars; The Two Ronnies; The Bill DIED 16/04/2022 Donald Pelmear (IMDb, b. 1924) Doctor Who; Yes Minister Leslie Phillips (wiki, b. 1924) Revolver; The House of Windsor DIED 07/11/2022 William Russell (wiki, b. 1924) Doctor Who; Coronation Street DIED 03/06/2024 Laurie Webb (IMDb, b. 1924) Doctor Who; Hancock's Half Hour Ysanne Churchman (wiki, b. 1925) Doctor Who; The Railway Children DIED 04/07/2024 Michael Godley (IMDb, b. 1925) The Bill, Watt on Earth DIED c. 2024 David Graham (wiki, b. 1925) Doctor Who; Thunderbirds DIED 20/09/2024 Dame Angela Lansbury (wiki, b. 1925) Little Women DIED 11/10/2022 Pete Murray (wiki, b. 1925) Mum's Boys; Happily Ever After Morris Perry (wiki, b. 1925) Crown Court; The Hound of the Baskervilles; The Sweeney DIED 19/09/2021 Thelma Ruby (IMDb, b. 1925) Doctors; Coronation Street; Nicholas Nickleby Peter Thompson (IMDb, b. 1925) Doctor Who; Steptoe and Son; Prisoner: Cell Block H DIED 1999 (D'oh!) Stanley Baxter (wiki, b. 1926) The Stanley Baxter Show; Mr. Majeika James Belchamber (IMDb, b. 1926) The Avengers DIED 26/11/2019 (no announcement, uncovered later) Elizabeth Benson (IMDb, b. 1926) Fawlty Towers, Z-Cars, The Liver Birds Barbara Clegg (wiki, b. 1926) Emergency Ward 10 Leonard Fenton (wiki, b. 1926) EastEnders DIED 29/01/2022 Denys Graham (wiki, b. 1926) One the Line; Lovejoy; The Bill DIED /10/2024 Thea Gregory (wiki, b. 1926) The Scarlett Pimpernel; The Vise DIED 18/12/2022 Doreen Mantle (wiki, b. 1926) One Foot in the Grave; Coronation Street DIED 09/08/2023 André Maranne (wiki, b. 1926) Fawlty Towers; Yes Minister DIED 12/04/2021 Gordon Peters (wiki, b. 1926) Hi-de-Hi!; One Foot in the Grave; Dad's Army DIED 16/06/2022 Oscar Quitak (wiki, b. 1926) Howards' Way; Z-Cars; The Kenny Everett Television Show DIED 31/12/2023 Gudrun Ure (wiki, b. 1926) Super Gran; Casualty DIED /05/2024 June Brown (wiki, b. 1927) EastEnders DIED 03/04/2022 Jeannette Charles (wiki, b. 1927) Q6 DIED 02/06/2024 Robert Crewdson (IMDb, b. 1927) Epitaph For a Spy DIED 07/02/2023 David de Keyser (wiki, b. 1927) Crown Court; Holby City DIED 20/02/2021 June Flewett aka Jill Freud (wiki, b. 1927) Crown Court Frank Mills (wiki, b. 1927) Coronation Street DIED 11/02/2021 Lee Montague (wiki, b. 1927) Bergerac; Minder Neville Phillips (IMDb, b. 1927) Midsomer Murders; Mansfield Park; Rumpole of the Bailey Ernst Walder (IMDb, b. 1927) Coronation Street; Castle Haven DIED 06/09/2021 Joss Ackland (wiki, b. 1928) Z-Cars DIED 19/11/2023 Denise Bryer (wiki, b. 1928) The Adventures of Twizzle, Terrahawks DIED 16/10/2021 Peter Cellier (wiki, b. 1928) Yes Minister; Yes, Prime Minister; Keeping Up Appearances Bernard Cribbins (wiki, b. 1928) The Wombles; Fawlty Towers; Coronation Street DIED 28/07/2022 Anthony Dawes (IMDb, b. 1928) Z-Cars; Who, Sir? Me, Sir? DIED 21/01/2021 Mark Eden (wiki, b. 1928) Coronation Street DIED 01/01/2021 Philip Guard (wiki, b. 1928) Robin Hood, The Other Man DEAD OFF RADAR IN 2024? Sarah Lawson (wiki, b. 1928) Within These Walls DIED 18/08/2023 Ann Morrish (wiki, b. 1928) The Expert; Crown Court; Break Point DEAD OFF RADAR IN 2024? Thelma Barlow (wiki, b. 1929) Coronation Street; Dinnerladies Maria Charles (wiki, b. 1929) Coronation Street; Agony DIED 21/04/2023 Michael Craig (wiki, b. 1929) Doctor Who; Triangle Damaris Hayman (wiki, b. 1929) One Foot in the Grave; Doctor Who DIED 03/06/2021 Jack Hedley (wiki, b. 1929) Colditz; Who Pays the Ferryman?; One by One DIED 11/12/2021 Colin Jeavons (wiki, b. 1929) House of Cards; Epitaph For a Spy John Nettleton (wiki, b. 1929) Yes Minister; Yes, Prime Minister DIED 12/07/2023 Robin Parkinson (wiki, b. 1929) 'Allo 'Allo! DIED 07/05/2022 Clifford Rose (wiki, b. 1929) One by One; Doctor Who; Secret Army DIED 06/22/2021 Patricia Routledge (wiki, b. 1929) Keeping Up Appearances John Woodvine (wiki, b. 1929) Z-Cars Cyril Appleton (wiki, b. 1930) Coronation Street John Cairney (wiki, b. 1930) This Man Craig DIED 06/09/2023 Alan Curtis (wiki, b. 1930) The Saint; Z-Cars; Doctor Who DIED 18/02/2021 Robert Fyfe (wiki, b. 1930) Last of the Summer Wine DIED 15/09/2021 Henry Lincoln (wiki, b. 1930) Z-Cars; Triangle; No Hiding Place DIED 24/02/2022 Una McLean (wiki, b. 1930) Taggart, River City Jeanne Moody (IMDb, b. 1930) Emergency-Ward 10; The Saint Bill Treacher (wiki, b. 1930) EastEnders DIED 05/11/2022 Gary Watson (wiki, b. 1930) Z-Cars; The Avengers; Doctor Who Henry Woolf (wiki, b. 1930) Z-Cars; Doctor Who; Full House DIED 12/11/2021 Denyse Alexander (wiki, b. 1931) Father Charlie; The Bill; Silent Witness June Bland (IMDb, b. 1931) The Newcomers; Doctor Who Claire Bloom (wiki, b. 1931) Brideshead Revisited Sheila Brennan (IMDb, b. 1931) Open All Hours Jeremy Burnham (wiki, b. 1931) United!; The Saint; The Avengers DIED 31/12/2020 Frank Coda (IMDb, b. 1931) Coronation Street; The Bill; EastEnders Maureen Connell (wiki, b. 1931) The Scarlet Pimpernel; The Count of Monte Cristo; Death to the First Lady Kenneth Cope (wiki, b. 1931) Coronation Street; Brookside DIED 11/09/2024 Eileen Derbyshire (wiki, b. 1931) Coronation Street James Greene (wiki, b. 1931) Mapp & Lucia; The Bill; Moon Stallion DIED 05/01/2021 Leon Greene (wiki, b. 1931) Lorna Doone; A Man Called Intrepid DIED 19/06/2021 Patricia Greene (wiki, b. 1931) Doctors Gerald Harper (wiki, b. 1931) Hadleigh; Adam Adamant Lives! Pat Heywood (wiki, b. 1931) Wuthering Heights; Crown Court; ITV Playhouse DIED 26/06/2024 Veronica Hurst (wiki, b. 1931) Dixon of Dock Green; The Flaxton Boys DIED 15/11/2022 Brian Jackson (wiki, b. 1931) Z-Cars; Doctors DIED 02/07/2022 Godfrey James (wiki, b. 1931) The Bill; Emmerdale Farm; Oliver Twist; Armchair Thriller DIED 29/10/2019 (late announcement; date unconfirmed) John Kelland (IMDb, b. 1931) The Idiot Harry Landis (wiki, b. 1931) EastEnders DIED 12/09/2022 James Martin (wiki, b. 1931) Still Game Ellen McIntosh (IMDb, b. 1931) The Common Room; 199 Park Lane; This Man Craig Virginia McKenna (wiki, b. 1931) The Scold's Bridle; The Camomile Lawn Stanley Meadows (wiki, b. 1931) Coronation Street Arthur Nightingale (IMDb, b. 1931) The Bill, The Crown Trevor Peacock (wiki, b. 1931) The Bill; The Vicar of Dibley DIED 08/03/2021 Vivian Pickles (wiki, b. 1931) Birds of a Feather; Uncle Jack Corinne Skinner-Carter (wiki, b. 1931) EastEnders John Swindells (IMDb, b. 1931) Z-Cars Josephine Tewson (wiki, b. 1931) Last of the Summer Wine; Keeping Up Appearances DIED 18/08/2022 Cy Town (IMDb, b. 1931) Doctor Who DIED 26/03/2024 Frank Williams (wiki, b. 1931) Dad's Army; You Rang, M'Lord? DIED 26/06/2022 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ray Austin (wiki, b. 1932) The Avengers, The Saint, Ghost Squad DIED 17/05/2023 Jean Boht (wiki, b. 1932) Bread, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Doctors DIED 12/09/2023 Norman Bowler (wiki, b. 1932) Softly, Softly, Jesus of Nazareth, Emmerdale Sonny Caldinez (wiki, b. 1932) Doctor Who, Sexton Blake and the Demon God DIED 12/04/2022 Antony Carrick (IMDb, b. 1932) Emmerdale, The Brack Report, Doctor Who Roland Curram (wiki, b. 1932) Eldorado, Terry and June Edward de Souza (wiki, b. 1932) The Marriage Lines, After Henry, Coronation Street Vilma Hollingbery (wiki, b. 1932) Grass, The Bill, Doctors DIED 11/09/2021 Elizabeth Larner (wiki, b. 1932) Up Pompeii!, Triangle, The Two Ronnies DIED 11/03/2022 Phyllida Law (wiki, b. 1932) That's Love!, Ffizz, Kingdom Renny Lister (wiki, b. 1932) Coronation Street; Z-Cars; The Doctors [on revision, probably born 1934] Murray Melvin (wiki, b. 1932) The Tyrant King, The Flaxton Boys, Torchwood DIED 14/02/2023 Carmen Munroe (wiki, b. 1932) Doctor Who, Desmond's, General Hospital Brian Murphy (wiki, b. 1932) Man About the House, George and Mildred, Last of the Summer Wine Toni Palmer (IMDb, b. 1932) The Rag Trade, The Bill, Within These Walls William Roache (wiki, b. 1932) Coronation Street Prunella Scales (wiki, b. 1932) Fawlty Towers, Coronation Street, After Henry Johnny Shannon (wiki, b. 1932) The Kenny Everett Television Show, Minder, EastEnders DIED 17/03/2017 (death not spotted until 2024) Jack Smethurst (wiki, b. 1932) Z-Cars, Coronation Street, Casualty DIED 16/02/2022 Gabriel Woolf (wiki, b. 1932) Doctor Who, Market in Honey Lane I haven't included cameos, actors who had a single occurrence or presenters etc. because more use in a list like this if it's extensive rather than exhaustive. As always, additions very welcome.

Have four theories on why this has been a record breaking year: 1. A glut of low hanging fruit - the likes of Douglas, De Havilland and Lynn had been defying the odds for so long and had to go eventually. It won't be so easy to replace them with such well known low hanging fruit next year. 2. Covid - clearly this helped several of the list on their way who may well have otherwise lingered. Sutcliffe (good riddance) and Giscard in particular. 3. Social media - with social media it is undoubtedly easier to study form compared to the pre-Twitter, Facebook, Instagram age therefore there's a lot more information out there to make informed selections. 4. Greater transparency - perhaps connected to point 3, celebrities are generally a lot more open about their health than they were 20 or 30 years ago. Therefore there's less hiding of terminal cancer or Alzheimer's diagnoses. In previous decades, someone similar to say Alex Trebek may not have been so open about their illness. All these factors have combined in my view to make 2020 a perfect storm of sorts.

Some french ideas : Line Renaud (92yo Singer, Actress) Jean-Marie Le Pen ( 92yo, Famous neonazi ) Jean-Paul Belmondo ( 87yo, actor, rival of Delon ) Jacques Delors ( 95yo, Former President of the UE commission ) Just Fontaine ( 87 yo, Footballer, recordman of goals scored in one world cup )

1987: Ozzy Osbourne (1/31)  1989: Frank Bruno, Mike Ditka, Ozzy Osbourne, Brian Wilson, David Jenkins (5/32) 1990: Queen Elizabeth II, Mike Ditka, Rex Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Terry Waite (5/42)  1991: Leo Beenhakker (1/40)  1992: Shaun Ryder (1/37)  1993: Tony Bennett, Henry Kissinger, Ray Kennedy, George Lineker, Jerry Lee Lewis (5/56)  1994: Edmund White, Holly Johnson, Peter Shilton (3/50)  1995: Holly Johnson (1/50)  1996: Mr T (1/50)  1997: (0/50)  1998: (0/50)  1999: Nick Leeson, Carly Simon (2/50)  2000: Louis Farrakhan (1/50)  2001: Desmond Tutu, Liza Minnelli (2/50)  2002: (0/50)  2003: (0/50)  2004: Pervez Musharraf (1/50)  2005: Hamed Karzai (1/50) 2006: Abdelaziz Bouteflika (1/50)  2007: Tim Johnson, Louis Farrakhan (2/50)  2008: Russell Watson, Hamed Karzai, Charles Taylor (3/50)  2009: Pierre Cardin (0/50)  2010: Angela Lansbury (1/50)  2011: Ali Khamenei, Bob Dole, Dick Cheney, Pierre Cardin, Michael Douglas (4/50)  2012: Nigel Lawson, Henry Kissinger, Dick Van Dyke, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (4/50) 2013: Prince Philip, Bob Dole, Henry Kissinger (3/50)  2014: Wilko Johnson, Prince Philip, Dick Van Dyke, Tony Bennett, Ed Asner (5/50)  2015: Prince Philip, Leslie Phillips, Bob Dole, Henry Kissinger, Jake Roberts (5/50)  2016: Prince Phillip, Bob Dole, Prunella Scales, Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Tommy Chong, Leslie Phillips, Sandy Gall, Desmond Tutu, Lester Piggott, Murray Walker, Jimmy Greaves, Paul Gascoigne (13/50)  2017: Prince Phillip, Pierre Cardin, Bob Dole, Jimmy Carter, Leslie Phillips, Betty White, Queen Elizabeth ll, Bob Barker, Ian St. John, Sandy Gall, Pope Benedict XVI, Desmond Tutu, Emperor Akihito (12/50)  2018: Prince Philip, Betty White, Linda Nolan, Pierre Cardin, Bob Dole, Bob Barker, Prunella Scales, Jimmy Carter, Leslie Phillips, Henry Kissinger, Dick Van Dyke, Stanley Baxter, Mel Brooks, Pope Benedict XVI, June Brown, Louis Farrakhan, Ian St. John, Jimmy Greaves, Ronnie Wood, Olivia Newton-John, Joni Mitchell, Paul Gascoigne (21/50)  2019: Prince Philip, Jimmy Carter, Pierre Cardin, Bob Dole, Henry Kissinger, Bob Barker, Murray Walker, Emperor Akihito, Betty White, June Brown, Alan Greenspan, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, Harry Belafonte, Desmond Tutu, Ed Asner, Vanessa Redgrave, Jimmy Greaves, Sidney Poitier, Cleo Laine, Loretta Lynn, Mikhail Gorbachev, Prunella Scales, Larry King, Tina Turner, Shane MacGowan (25/50) Updated for Pierre Cardin. The 2009 list is now extinct.

1.Clarissa Eden 2.Mary Ward 3.Harry Goldsworthy 4.Loretta Ford 5.Prince Philip 6.Baron Shaw of Northstead 7.Hans Pfann 8.Iris Cummings 9.Wayne Thiebauld 10.Lester Wolff 11.Lawrence Ferlingheti 12.Patrick Duffy 13.Song Ping 14.Eddie Robinson 15.Kenneth McAlpine

Louisiana Congressman-elect, Luke Letlow, dead at 41 of COVID-19.

I think it arose when I mentioned Waitrose and LFN accused me of being posh. The last time I went out to the shops I did go into M&S but only to buy a pack of chorizo pigs in blankets which had been highly recommended. They were all right, but I wouldn't bother again. We have an excellent butcher/farm shop out in the wilds a few miles away, which is where I buy anything meaty. Proper bacon cured on site, many kinds of sausage etc. and compares favourably pricewise to supermarkets as well as being way better for quality. Mind you, there is another one in the opposite direction which is outrageously expensive, and they are suspected of getting their meat from the other one and jacking up the prices.

Looked quite frail and elderly last week giving a reading an audience less concert hosted by Katherine Jenkins at the Royal Albert Hall .

Gone for Tom Smith

As has been said, no wonder he has a bad back

..as long as he's wrapped in a blanket..

I love this forum. One hears from the most interesting people. What the hell is wrong with clickable smilies? Perhaps # thought these had homo-erotic connotations?

While we're on the subject... They are seeking to call Kassim Abdool, a former Neverland security guard, to give testimony about a request by Jackson for some vaseline. Seemingly Abdool can testify that he brought the "sweaty" and "aroused" Jackson a jar of vaseline, while he was in his bedroom with Jordie Chandler one evening. From Ken Frost.