Gooseberry Crumble

On this day in the year 2000 the Labour politician Donald Dewar, who was previously Secretary of State for Scotland under Tony Blair and was the inaugural First minister of Scotland and leader of the Labour Party in Scotland at the time of his death, died aged 63 from a cerebral haemorrhage after a fall. He had been First minister since early 1999.

American actor Trevor Donovan celebrates his 44th birthday today His best known role is as Teddy Montgomery on the newer version of Beverly Hills 90210. He has starred in a number of other tv series such as drama comedy Drop Dead Diva, Melissa and Joey with Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, Texas Rising and Days of our lives. He is currently a contestant on Americas Dancing with the stars-their equivalent version of Strictly Come Dancing. In terms of movies he co-starred with Bruce Willis in 2009 film Surrogates and has been cast in a Hollywood silver screen biopic of Ronald Reagan- simply titled Reagan, next year. Trevor has had quite a bit of success in modelling too.

On this day in 1993 british actor and bodyguard John Bindon, who had strong connections and involvement with Londons underworld and gangsters in the 1960s and 1970s, with suggestions by some that Bindon himself was a gangster running rackets died aged 50. He was discovered by director Ken Loach who felt he was the ideal fit for the role of a violent husband in 1967 film Poor Cow . He also had a role in Michael Caine film Get Carter. He dated Vicky Hodge, the daughter of a baronet, which helped give him a route into the British aristrocracy and their social circles. Even travelling to the island of Mustique were he met Princess Margaret. Bindon himself and a number of biographies and books on the era claim he had a brief sexual relationship with Princess Margaret and that relationship and association caused quite a bit of concern among the security services and her royal protections officers. John Bindon had a notorious bad temper and was known to be extremely violent at times.In the late 1970s he went on trial accused of murdering British criminal John Darke. He pleaded self defence saying he feared for his life and the jury was persuaded by this- with a little help from famous actor Bob Hoskins who spoke casual a character witness for him at his trial. The dramatic court case however did damage his reputation in acting/showbiz circles and future acting work became nearly impossible for him to get. At one point he was hired to be the chief bodyguard for Led Zeppelin when they embarked upon their US tour. A number of violent incidents on the tour involving Bindon resulted in the bands manager years later saying hiring Bindon was one of his biggest ever professional mistakes . He became reclusive in his latter years, shunned by many, and died in his London flat reportedly of cancer. Random fact- The size and length of John Bindons manhood was legendary and he reportedly developed a party trick of removing his underwear at parties and hanging 5 half pint glasses of lager from his penis such was its length and strength. A party trick that rumour has it Princess Margaret was most intrigued by when she heard the gossip about it and requested he perform the party trick in front of her for her pleasure and amusement!

On this day 18 years ago in 2004 american actor Christopher Reeve, best known for playing Superman in the movie franchise from the late 1970s to the late 1980s , died aged 52. He had been suffering numerous medical problems and compliance since he was paralysed from the neck down after a horse riding accident during an equestrian competition in 1995 in Virginia. His widow Dana Reeve sadly died less than 18 months after Christopher of lung cancer aged just 44.

Stephen Gately, Irish singer and member of the hugely successful boyband Boyzone , died on this day in Spain in 2009 from an from an undiagnosed heart condition aged just 33. On this day in 2010 australian soprano Joan Sutherland died aged 83 in her home in Switzerland. She was the first australian to win a grammy award.

Former British television presenter Judith Chalmers, best known for presenting holiday and travel show Wish you were here, celebrates her 87th birthday today. Gavin Newsom, the Current Governor of the US state of California and rumoured to be one of the likely future Democrat Partys Presidential contenders or nominees , celebrates turning 55 today.

Michael J Fox trending on twitter after latest public appearance at a Back to the future event.

https://deadline.com/2022/10/nikki-finke-tribute-deadline-hollywood-pete-hammond-commentary-1235139456/ American journalist and blogger Nikki Finke has died aged 68. She was the founder of Deadline news.

On this day in 2006 british professional snooker player Paul Hunter died aged 27 from a rare form of cancer in his stomach. He was a three times snooker maters champion in 2001,2002 and 2004- recovering from a point deficit to win 10-9 in all three victories. In the 2004-04 season he reached a career high of being the number 4 ranking player in the world. In 2016 the masters trophy was renamed the Paul Hunter trophy after the late Yorkshire man. As a result of his good looks Paul Hunter became known as the "Beckham of the Baize"- an obvious reference to the football player David.

American actor Scott Bakula celebrates his 68th birthday today He is best known for his roles in two of televisions most successful Sci fi series- Quantum Leap as Sam Beckett and Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek Enterprise

Ex Scotland youth International player and Dundee United footballer Gavin Stokes has died in a car crash in Glasgow aged 30.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11294613/Rafael-Nadals-wife-gives-birth-Mery-Perello-welcomes-baby-boy-tennis-player.html Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has become a first time father after his wife gave birth to their son.

On this day in 2008, British journalist and News Presenter Bob Friend died aged 70. He was one of the original news anchors on Sky News when it launched in 1989 but he began his career at the BBC as the Northern Ireland correspondent on the Today programme on Radio 4 during a particularly brutal era of sectarian violence. He spent 20 years at the BBC. Apparently Tom Cruise during a brief trip to London watched Sky News, spotted Bob and as a result decided his face fitted so to speak and as a result secured him a number of cameo roles in movies including Mission Impossible and Independence Day. Bob died of a brain tumour.

Oscar winning american actor Matt Damon celebrates his 52nd birthday today. Australian actor Paul Hogan, best known for his Crocodile Dundee movies, celebrates turning 83 today.

Indeed. If he was drunk he may have been careless enough to do something caught on the cctv at the party conference in Birmingham. We shall see.

Do you think he will survive as an mp? I'm surprised Chris Pincher hasn't quit the commons

On this day in 1959 italian american tenor and actor Mario Lanza died aged just 38 from a pulmonary embolism. A popular Hollywood star in the 1940s and 1950s. He started singing professionally age 16 and had a succesful career on stage singing in opera. He performed at the Hollywood bowl in 1947 ,impressed many and was signed up by Louis B Mayer to MGM on a 7 year contract. His first credited film was 'That midnight kiss' in 1949 with Kathryn Grayson and Ethel Barrymore . Other film credits include The Great Caruso (1951), The Toast of New Orleans (1950) and The Student Prince (1954) were he provides the dubbed on singing voice for Edmund Purdom who replaced Mario in the role after he was sacked by MGM.Accounts differ on whether he was sacked for putting on weight and mot being able to fit into his costume or whether it was because of a clash of ideas and personality in a strong series of disagreements. He could be quite passionate about creative artistic differences as well as maybe being a bit of a male diva! Serenade (1956) is another one of his more noted films alas with Warner Bros but his career post MGM never quite hit the same heights overall. For his final film role in 1959 film 'For the first time ' he needed to lose weight His overeating and long struggle with addiction to alcohol was taking its toll. He was put on something called the twilight sleep treatment for weight loss which required him to be immobile and lying down in bed most of the term. This unconventional treatment was doomed to fail and likely lead to the pulmonary embolism that killed him after months struggling with heart issues and pneumonia. His devastated wife committed suicide months after she was widowed.

I loved watching the mens diving in the Commonwealth games on the tv!!

Liverpool England will do a fantastic job and I see lots of random gays all over the UK are putting out feelers and requests for fellow gays to put them up for a couple of nights as hotels for that week suddenly very expensive!! I am now weighing up my options and deciding how hospitable and welcoming I should next May!! Should I let them stay for free if I say yes to the idea? Almost certainly I can't imagine charging anybody but I would have to have terms and conditions all the same....

Bulgarian professional diver Dimitar Isaev, who recently competed in the European Championships, celebrates his 24th birthday today.

Sam Womack starts chemotherapy tommorrow.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11278245/Kara-Tointon-reveals-sister-Hannah-given-birth.html Actors, costars on hit tv show The Inbetweeners and offscreen couple Hannah Tointon and Joe Thomas, have become first time parents.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11284705/Simon-Thomas-announces-wife-Derrina-given-birth-daughter-eight-weeks-early.html British television presenter Simon Thomas has become a father again after his second wife gave birth to their first child eight weeks early.

Hugely successful american stage actress Marian Seldes, who won the prestigious Tony theatre awards five times, died on this day in 2014 aged 86. On this day in 1951 american industrialist and founder of the Kelloggs food manufacturing company Will Keith Kellogg, died aged 91.

English Elite artistic gymnast Courtney Tulloch, who specialises in the gymnastics events rings and vault, celebrates his 27th birthday today. He won two gold medals in the rings at an individual and team level at the past two Commonwealth games. Retired Italian diver and three times Olympic gold medallist klaus Dibiasi celebrates his 75th birthday today. He competed as a diver for four consecutive Olympics starting in 1964.