msc

Took me a minute of nodding in agreement before I twigged you were talking about the UK, not Alex Salmond!

Clearly a tactical error for Madonna to have punched that reporter wearing a Jim McLean mask back in 2000...

Completely forgot I'd posted he was ill!

Wrote the screenplay for Life and Loves of a She Devil and only survived Fay Weldon by a few weeks. Also wrote that strange First Born miniseries sometimes mentioned on here (Charles Dance and gorillas), and one of the weirder Crackers.

42 Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place on Earth 39 Enya – Orinoco Flow 38 The Bangles – Eternal Flame 36 Black Box – Ride On Time 38 Madonna — Like a prayer 31 Soul II Soul ft. Caron Wheeler – Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) 29 Kylie Minogue – Hand On Your Heart 28 Lisa Stansfield – All Around The World 27 Simple Minds – Belfast Child (Ballad Of The Streets EP) 26 S-Express – Theme from S-Express 26 Tiffany – I Think We´re Alone Now 25 Phil Collins — A Groovy Kind Of Love 24 Kylie Minogue – I Should Be So Lucky 23 Yazz & the Plastic Population – The Only Way Is Up 22 Pet Shop Boys – Heart 18 U2 – Desire 18 Robin Beck – First Time 18 Aswad – Don´t Turn Around 17 Marc Almond/Gene Pitney - Something's Gotten Hold of my Heart +4 14 Jason Donovan – Sealed With A Kiss 14 Jason Donovan - Too Many Broken Hearts -6 12 New Kids on the Block – You´ve Got It (The Right Stuff) 7 Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan – Especially For You Sorry Jason but if I were Kylie in 1989 I'd have dumped you for Michael Hutchence too.

35 Madonna — Like A Prayer 34 Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place on Earth 34 Black Box – Ride On Time 34 Enya – Orinoco Flow 33 The Bangles – Eternal Flame 33 Kylie Minogue – Hand On Your Heart 29 Soul II Soul ft. Caron Wheeler – Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) 28 Lisa Stansfield – All Around The World 25 Simple Minds – Belfast Child (Ballad Of The Streets EP) 24 Kylie Minogue – I Should Be So Lucky 24 Tiffany – I Think We´re Alone Now 24 S-Express – Theme from S-Express 21 Aswad – Don´t Turn Around 20 Phil Collins – A Groovy Kind Of Love 20 Jason Donovan – Too Many Broken Hearts 20 Jason Donovan – Sealed With A Kiss 19 Yazz & the Plastic Population – The Only Way Is Up 18 U2 – Desire 18 Pet Shop Boys – Heart 18 Robin Beck – First Time 16 Marc Almond and Gene Pitney - Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart +4 16 New Kids on the Block – You´ve Got It (The Right Stuff) 15 Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan – Especially For You 15 Sonia – You´ll Never Stop Me From Loving You 14 Wet Wet Wet – With A Little Help From My Friends / Billy Bragg – She´s Leaving Home 12 Glenn Medeiros - Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for you -6 11 Bros – I Owe You Nothing 08 Whitney Houston – One Moment In Time

France hasn't been British for several hundred years now, so, no.

Like these songs better than most of the number ones. London Boys had a better song at the time (Requiem) but were a fun group to find on the Top of the Pops repeats. Then I Wiki'd them and found out both of them died young in a car crash. Bit of a mood whiplash, that!

32 Enya – Orinoco Flow 30 The Bangles – Eternal Flame 29 Belinda Carlisle – Heaven is a place on earth 29 Kylie Minogue – Hand on your heart 27 Madonna – Like a prayer 27 Soul II Soul ft. Caron Wheeler – Back to life (However do you want me) 25 Yazz & the Plastic Population – The only way is up 24 Black Box – Ride on Time 23 Simple Minds – Belfast Child (Ballad of the streets EP) 23 S-Express – Theme from S-Express 22 Phil Collins – A groovy kind of love 22 Tiffany – I think we´re alone now 22 Lisa Stansfield – All around the world 21 Pet Shop Boys – Heart 21 Aswad – Don´t turn around 20 Kylie Minogue – I should be so lucky 20 Bros – I owe you nothing 20 Glenn Medeiros – Nothing´s gonna change my love for you 20 Jason Donovan – Too many broken hearts 20 Jason Donovan – Sealed with a kiss 20 Sonia – You´ll never stop me from loving you 19 Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson & the Christians – Ferry `cross the Mersey 18 Robin Beck – First Time 17 Marc Almond and Gene Pitney - Something's Gotten Hold of my Heart +4 17 Wet Wet Wet – With a little help from my friends / Billy Bragg – She´s leaving home 17 Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan – Especially for you 16 U2 – Desire 16 New Kids on the Block – You´ve got it (The right stuff) 15 Cliff Richard – Mistletoe and wine 10 Whitney Houston – One moment in time 8 - Fairground Attraction - Perfect -6 6 Time Lords – Doctorin’ the Tardis 6 Band Aid II – Do they know it´s Christmas? 2 Hollies – He ain`t heavy, he`s my brother Billy Bragg getting the B side on a popular bands cover of a Beatles song isn't that far off getting to number one via being in Band Aid tbh. There's so many songs I actively dislike left before I worry about the Pet Shop Boys being too popular (blame their competition, not them!) or what not.

I was being deliberately vague on the timeline, ya sods!

It's all a bit pointless to me? If folk like de Havilland or Poitier or Lansbury are loved, and they were, does it matter which Golden Generation of film they belonged to? Especially folk who seemed to have long careers you can't really pigeonhole as being in one era. Imagine the same in 50 years when Hanks, Pitt and Hathaway all start snuffing it.

Glynis was more of a character actress than a star. Which is not to be detrimental to her at all, far from it. The Golden Age seems to shift decades to keep going, as a concept though. Vera Miles also didn't have the career of Grace Kelly - she was punished by the studio systems for not playing the game. Amusingly, that meant she got the role of the sister in Psycho instead of Janet Leigh's part but imo, the sister is a better role (if less famous!).

Well done team!

My introduction to the KLF. And, err, Gary Glitter. The chart progression of Jason Donovan in 1989 is fascinating though. Man really took Kylie dumping him badly.

It's time!

25 Simple Minds – Belfast Child (Ballad of the streets EP) 25 Soul II Soul ft. Caron Wheeler – Back to life (However do you want me) +4 24 Black Box – Ride on Time 24 Kylie Minogue – Hand on your heart 24 Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson & the Christians – Ferry ´cross the Mersey 23 S-Express – Theme from S-Express 22 Madonna – Like a Prayer 22 Belinda Carlisle – Heaven is a place on earth 22 U2 – Desire 21 Yazz & the Plastic Population – The only way is up 20 Tiffany – I think we´re alone now 20 Kylie Minogue – I should be so lucky 20 Asward – Don´t turn around 20 Fairground Attraction – Perfect 20 Wet Wet Wet – With a little help from my friends / Billy Bragg – She´s leaving home 20 Time Lords – Doctorin´ the Tardis 20 Bros – I owe you nothing 20 Glenn Medeiros – Nothing´s gonna change my love for you 20 Phil Collins – A groovy kind of love 20 Whitney Houston – One moment in time 20 Enya – Orinoco Flow 20 Robin Beck – First Time 20 Jason Donovan – Too many broken hearts 20 The Bangles – Eternal Flame 20 Jason Donovan – Sealed with a kiss 20 Sonia – You´ll never stop me from loving you 20 Lisa Stansfield – All around the world 18 Hollies – He aint`t heavy, he`s my brother 17 Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan – Especially for you 17 Band Aid II – Do they know it´s Christmas? 17 Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers – Swing the Mood 17 Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers – That´s what I like 17 New Kids on the Block – You´ve got it (The right stuff) 17 Cliff Richard – Mistletoe and wine 14 Pet Shop Boys – Heart 9 Marc Almond & Gene Pitney – Something`s gotten hold of my heart +4 5 Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers – Let`s Party -6 One of the only decent number ones from the period nearly out there while the fucking Bunny is there...

Excellent all round performance by team Bee Gees imo.

Very frail looking last year. You had me cursing my own idiocy for nowt!

You had me second guessing my own theme team there. Edward De souza present and correct.

Him and Whitehouse keep talking about they've probably only got another 5-10 years left on their fishing show and I keep thinking: "Steady on chaps, you're only in your mid-60s!" I know both have had heart issues but it's not an immediate death sentence, especially if you've changed your lifestyle like Paul Whitehouse has.

Terrible start in life, witnessing her mum being shot dead by a hunter.

60 a-ha – The Sun Always Shines on TV 43 The Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 34 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin 34 Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls 26 Bee Gees - You Win Again +4 26 Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up 23 Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves me) -6 03 Falco – Rock Me Amadeus 03 Madonna – La Isla Bonita No, I'll leave that to the next person!

Whispering Bob was just on the BBC paying tribute to Burt Bacharach, looking and sounding healthier than he has done in a while.

Yeah, I'm afraid this: was grimly premature now, 17 1/2 thousand dead in Turkey alone, up to 20k including Syria, and its the worst earthquake to hit Turkey since 1939. Which was the worst in about a thousand years. Horrible.