time

All the wailing and gnashing of teeth - the man was far from perfect. Has everyone forgotten he was a friend of Cilla Black?

I should have qualified this by with "Of the tracks left & of the ones I'm familiar with (16/29)..." Of those 16 tracks, there are only 5 or 6 I'd give houseroom to. Other opinions are available.

Yes, but whether or not it lived up to the hype is debatable.

Its better than most of the other crap stuff.

I finally watched during lockdown 1!

61 No Doubt – Don’t Speak 40 The Prodigy – Firestarter 36 Spice Girls – Wannabe 36 Aqua — Barbie Girl +4 35 Deep Blue Something - Breakfast At Tiffany's 34 Mark Morrison – Return of The Mack 33 White Town – Your Woman 33 Will Smith – Men in Black 33 Olive — You’re not alone 32 Various artists - Perfect day 30 Oasis – Don’t Look Back In Anger 29 Blur — Beetlebum 29 The Verve – The Drugs Don´t Work 29 The Fugees – Killing Me Softly 28 Gina G – Ooh Aah … Just A Little Bit 24 Spice Girls – Mama / Who Do You Think You Are 22 Spice Girls – Say You'll Be There 21 Babylon Zoo – Spaceman 21 The Fugees – Ready Or Not 21 Spice Girls – 2 Become 1 20 Spice Girls – Spice Up Your Life -6 20 The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun 16 The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin´ Beats  16 Eternal & BeBe Winans – I Wanna Be The Only One 14 Spice Girls – Too Much 14 L L Cool J – Ain´t Nobody 11 George Michael – Fastlove 11 Tori Amos ft. Armand van Helden – Professional Widow (It’s Got To Be Big) 05 Michael Jackson - Blood on the Dancefloor 

Ah, you mean Uncle Monty

The Eternal/BeBe WInans one is what I thought it was; Babylon Zoo, I know, the rest, no recollection at all.

54 No Doubt – Don’t Speak 36 The Prodigy – Firestarter 36 Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's +4 35 Oasis – Don’t Look Back in anger 32 White Town – Your Woman 31 Spice Girls – 2 Become 1 31 Spice Girls – Wannabe 30 Olive – You’re Not Alone 30 Mark Morrison – Return of The Mack 29 The Fugees – Killing Me Softly 27 Will Smith – Men in Black 26 Aqua – Barbie Girl 24 Spice Girls – Mama / Who Do You Think You Are 24 Various Artists – Perfect Day 23 Blur – Beetlebum 23 Gina G – Ooh Aah … Just a little bit 23 The Verve – The Drugs Don´t Work 22 Spice Girls – Too Much 22 Spice Girls – Say You'll Be There 22 Spice Girls – Spice Up Your Life 21 Babylon Zoo – Spaceman 21 The Fugees – Ready Or Not 20 George Michael – Fastlove 20 The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun 20 L L Cool J – Ain´t Nobody 20 The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin´ Beats 20 Eternal & BeBe Winans – I Wanna Be The Only One 19 The Prodigy – Breathe 17 Michael Jackson – Blood On The Dancefloor 14 Gary Barlow – Love Won´t Wait 12 Tori Amos ft. Armand van Helden – Professional Widow (It’s Got To Be Big) 11 Gary Barlow – Forever Love 6 Teletubbies – Teletubbies Say `Eh-Oh!´ 6 Oasis – D´you Know What I Mean 5 Boyzone – A Different Beat 0 Take That – How Deep Is Your Love -6 Shallow.

Its 41 years since the death of Belfast-born actor Sam Kydd. Called-up for service during the war, he spent 5 years in a POW camp, experience he put to use post-war when he answered an advert for a film wanting advisers with POW experience. He applied, and as well as advising, was used as a "supporting artiste", which was his first film role - albeit uncredited - "POW in Top Bunk" in 1946's Captive Heart. From then on he became an almost-ubiquitous face in British film and TV (he's said to have appeared in every series of Dixon of Dock Green, and made almost 300 film appearances) appearing with all the familiar stars of the day. He appeared as Mike Baldwin's dad Frankie in Coronation Street, and also appeared in Crossroads. His best remembered role is smuggler Orlando O'Connor in 1960s serial Crane, and its eponymous sequel. He died aged 67, from emphysema, after a lifetime of smoking.

Retired vicar Richard Coles is 61 today.

Does 48 number 1s in two-years imply that there was lots of good stuff around or that most of them were pretty shit bought by people with limited attention spans? FWIW, I know 26 out of the 48. Of those 26 10 are immediate candidates for downvoting (though one has mercifully gone already) 31 The Prodigy – Firestarter 28 Deep Blue Something – Breakfast at Tiffany´s +4 26 No Doubt – Don´t speak 25 Gina G. – Ooh aah ... just a little bit 25 The Fugees – Killing me softly 25 Spice Girls – Wannabe 25 White Town – Your Woman 24 The Prodigy – Breathe 24 Various Artists – Perfect Day 22 Olive – You´re not alone 22 Oasis – Don´t look back in anger 21 Babylon Zoo – Spaceman 21 Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack 21 Will Smith – Men in black 21 Blur – Beetlebum 21 Spice Girls – 2 become 21 George Michael – Fastlove 21 The Fugees – Ready or not 21 Tori Amos ft. Armand van Helden – Professional Widow (It's got to be big) 21 The Verve – The drugs don´t work 20 Gary Barlow – Forever love 20 The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun 20 Spice Girls – Say you'll be there 20 Boyzone – A different beat 20 L L Cool J – Ain´t nobody 20 U2 – Discothèque 20 Spice Girls – Mama / Who do you think you are 20 The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin´ Beats 20 R. Kelly – I believe I can fly 20 Michael Jackson – Blood on the dancefloor 20 Gary Barlow – Love won´t wait 20 Eternal & BeBe Winans – I wanna be the only one 20 Oasis – D´you know what I mean 20 Spice Girls – Spice up your life 20 Spice Girls – Too much 20 Baddiel , Skinner & Lightning Seeds – Three Lions 18 Aqua – Barbie Girl 14 Teletubbies – Teletubbies say `Eh-Oh!´ 14 Puff Daddy ft. Faith Evans & 112 – I'll be missing you 14 George Michael – Jesus to a child 14 Take That – How deep is your love 14 Boyzone – Words 14 Peter André – Flava 11 Peter André – I feel you 8 Elton John – Candle in the wind / Something about the way you look tonight -6 8 Robson Greene & Jerome Flynn – What becomes of the broken hearted etc 7 Hanson – Mmmbop

More dross for the drop.

Humphrey Burton is 92 today (and, astonishingly, doesn't appear to have ever had a mention on these boards apart from mine on his 91st birthday). He was the BBC first head of Music & Arts before a stint with LWT before returning to the BBC. He was responsible for LWT's Aquarius, which was the forerunner to The South Bank Show, and BBC's Monitor, an early Arts programme. He's won 2 BAFTAs and four Emmies and was knighted in the 2020 New Year's honours. He's also the father of BBC classical presenter Clemency Burton-Hill.

Not when it first started, though why he wasn't dropped like Murray and Jacobs when he got 30something is another question (as is why he was given a prime-time Saturday evening kids show)! But then he was still hob-nobbing with the PM in the 80s.

Anyone else sing this in the style of Keith Harris & Orville?

Musician, singer/songwriter & producer Nick Lowe is 74 today.

78 Coolio ft. L.V. – Gangsta’s Paradise -3 65 Livin’ Joy – Dreamer 55 Whigfield – Saturday Night 49 Blur – Country House +4 33 Take That – Back For Good 21 Baby D. — Let Me Be Your Fantasy 8 D:Ream – Things Can Only Get Better 0 Pato Banton – Baby F Off -3

Leroy Raffel, who, with his brother Forrest, founded Arby's in 1964, has died aged 96. I always thought Arby was some sort of play on words for Roast Beef, but apparently its short for Raffel Brothers.

Yep. Tried to 'live chat' with my bank this morning (on account of them having removed most of the branches, and left work-experience kids to staff the remaining). The 'bot-chat' pointed me to the 'Chat With an Agent' button, which didn't exist on my chrome-based browser, but miraculously appeared using MS Edge.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/23/plymouth-council-leader-quits-after-approving-110-trees-being-cut-down

Richard Bingley, Conservative group leader, to step down.

Obituary for TV director/producer/documentary maker Michael Houldey, who's died aged 82, on 10-2-23. Directed 'gritty' documentaries about life in deprived areas or as a trawlerman, as well as travel pieces, relatively 'fluffy' pieces (four series of Airport), the arts, (Edith Piaf, Judy Garland) and also Bamber Gascoigne's The Christians. Did some drama too.

Alexander Cameron Indy link

I've just finished it. Totally underwhelming in my opinion. Coincidentally, the other thing I've just finished watching was also based on a computer game - Gangs of London (S1), which was much more to my taste.