msc

And another 4 years added to that.

That GLOW Netflix series has put most of their big names into the obit frame, which wasn't the case 5 years ago. Also in this case, the acting career helps too.

Also Poirot and one of the most remembered Tales of the Unexpected episodes (Lamb to the Slaughter) as well as a tour of all your 70s and 80s favourites!

I have read a fair few autobiographies, mostly actors or politicians. My main takeaway from these are that seemingly everyone involved in classic Dr Who was a mad shagger*. Denis Norden's book is reassuringly dull as he refuses to say even a slightly cross word about anyone he's ever met. Nicholas Parsons was very luvvie but had a lot of good stuff about working in the shipyards during WW2. Brian Blessed's book is fantastic, the chapter about dying is genuinely laugh out loud stuff, he's one of us. He counters this with a chapter about his mate Peter O'Toole, who he spent decades trying to get on the wagon but failing - this book came out after O'Toole had died. Frazer Hines's is most about his ex girlfriends, all 70000 of them. From other sources, not made up either. Political ones can be a mixed bag. Lord Carringtons is very good for an insight into the formation of Zimbabwe, and other foreign policy intrigues. He also comes across as a down to earth chap, for a Lord. Denis Healey's had an ego and his book is very long (and only goes up to his 70th birthday!) but has some good stories in it. Like, for example, the girls in their uni union saving everyone from Tony Crosland's epicly long debate speeches even then by taking turns to be the one who distracted him by seduction that evening! Tony Blair's on the other hand was a right mess, far too long and attempting to explain his every political decision. Also, he talks about sleeping with Cherie in it. If I were Cherie, I'd have lamped him tbh. Also Shirley Williams book revealed her and the late Antony King were an item for a decade after her husband ran out on her and his first wife died, which was news to me! I'm currently reading Bret Hart's autobiography, which is quite stark about his extensive number of one night stands with fans whilst married. *Despite Tom Baker's attempts at getting off with all of his female co-stars (lamped by Louise Jameson, had a fling with Mary Tamm, married Lalla Ward briefly) and the Peter Davison/Sarah Sutton/Sandra Dickinson thing, the winner for this is clearly Patrick Troughton, who was sleeping with two wives (at the same time, a bigamist), one of his companions, most of his female guest co-stars and consenting adult fans at the same time. He lost a lung to cancer in his 50s, got told to cut down the drinking, shagging and ciggies, only to increase all three and die of a heart attack aged 67, full of booze, seen on camera hours before his death smoking like a chimney, and having allegedly fit in the third in between that and the dying bit too. It's the way he'd have wanted to go!

Point of order, mate, I thought her public image was that of a sod! Although - Ruth Davidson was friendly (and has some sound people backing her as genuine friends) and tried to be helpful on local matters, or at least her team did, Nicola Sturgeon is genuinely good on the street sans camera just chatting to folk (she is also quite clearly very shrewd at reading people - more than most in her party tbh), Tom Harris was a nasty sod with an ego far bigger than his career merited, there are some genuinely nice local MPs/MSPs for the Nats but John Mason certainly isn't one of them, at all, the late Michael Martin was a man with a lot to say but little of substance to mention, and seemed unable to answer school questions - this was when he was Speaker. It's no quite having drinks with Lord Tebbit () but yeah, I agree in general, there's cunts and nice folk across the spectrum.

There is of course an extremely loose link between today's two big deaths. Sidney Poiter/Potter/Harry Belafonte is referenced in the first joke in Only Fools and Horses episode 1, which was set in Peckham, whose MP the last 40 years has been Harriet Harman, wife of Jack Dromey. If someone else loosely linked to OFAH dies this weekend we have the most 3-2-1 clue "rule of 3" ever...

He was in the Shadow Cabinet still. Blimey. And yes, Erdington stayed Labour in 1983, 2010 and 2019. It's pretty safe.

Starmer-Smith.

For the record I am never doubting a @Gooseberry Crumble prediction on here again.

I should taken your advice and stuck him on my DDP team. He did make the shortlist when it had about 100 people on it...

That new Venables doc is a weird one. If as reviews suggest the Venables footage is new he looks great. However I'm pretty sure its at least fifteen years old. That and the continual use of past tense to describe him by his friends. "I was fortunate to have called him a friend" says pal Roy Hodgson. Southgate also talks about how Venables used to be his mentor in his sad Gareth way. This ends with his family saying how they think he'd like to be remembered. Which is, well, yeah...

For more evidence, he's lived a long, happy and lengthy life with hopefully more to come, but just look how much of a meltdown many in the UK will have when Mr Cribbins is no more. General public affection/love always trumps age/expectation in these matters, as it should.

Havant and Bibliogryphon-ville.

I don't know (he left with some secrets of the DDP untold) but I doubt it. Whereas Spade stuck around to agony aunt any question, no matter how dumb.

PS Did Squonk EVER come back to the forum? We chased him away by making him an adjective for being murdered...

Those worried about Squonking should remember this thing has had Rover beating Spade, Willz beating Chorizo, Boudicca go on a 2 or 3 month streak where she didn't concede a single "goal", and deadsox beating DI, DDT and Spade in consecutive months. There isn't a single person on the forum who can't beat any of the others over the course of a single month if the luck of the picks goes in their favour, even if that other person would trounce them over a year long competition. That's imo the beauty of the Cup.

Oh of course I know someone aged 69 whose sudden death would change everything in a year. Putin. Not predicting it, mind you, despite the non-Gorbachev Russian leaders tending to peace out around their 70s. Uncanny, @Toast, I was about to put a "of course they needn't be that age" bit on this but didn't, then seconds later...

Don't worry, Doug Kuzda will show up after his ma before too long.

I've not had any sodding booze yet due to painkillers at the weekend but yeah, I'm more in the school of thought of "could do very well if all the eggs land correctly" - but I also feel like if they'd kept this good tips nose AND gone a little more killer they could have produced a list that would absolute smash the record. Anyhow, it's their list, so be it!

Can't think of anyone aged 68/69 who would be the Bowie equivalent, and I like Midge Ure as much as the next guy...

Showing my alleged hipster card, probably but I'd legit have If I Should Fall From Grace With God in my top ten albums of all time. And in the title track (MacGowans handwritten epitaph from 35 odd years ago), there is a bit of phrasing I love: Bury me at sea Where no murdered ghost can haunt me If I rock upon the waves No corpse shall lie upon me

I mean, with 9 wins in the HOF in 5 years or so, the rest of us are probably lucky Reptile hasn't just swept the board yet! I missed the Hall of Shame before, and that I'd have won last years if not for 3 LOTLs. That's funny. More important, congrates to the Captain.

Watching that Bruno/Tyson documentary from last year and Colin Hart turns up as an audio only interviewee. He sounds like death warmed up, to the point I presumed it was archive audio and went to look for his date of death. Apparently still alive, for now anyhow...

Well, in any given year you'll have a fair few "oh thats a shame" celeb deaths, so its always nice to have a "good riddance" DDP hit.

tbh I thought I'd put Poitier down! Oops. Zeman - there's always someone random off the forum who winds up Drop 40. Bilton was a shock he even made it that far in the first place, so yes, dropping wouldn't shock, unless folk just see "cancer" and keep him. Still, there's always room for surprises. Last year I was legit surprised Gerd Muller made it over Bobby Charlton, mostly as I had been too busy working on DDP stuff to notice the "Gerd Muller is really sick" news stories around Christmas!