The Dead Cow

Correct! Features in I'm Alan Partridge when Alan plays it to his date Jill on the way to the owl sanctuary. Whenever I hear Gaudete now I can't help but think of that scene.

Maybe another clue is in order, this was the first of only two charting singles for a group whose career spans almost 50 years.

Mind, Mike Oldfield did do another tune which was featured in the sitcom I'm referring to, though not a Christmas carol. Maybe I should clarify, by 'hit' I mean it reached the top 20 of the UK charts.

Aye, but the Simpsons ain't a BBC sitcom Nope, not that

Not quite, obviously fits the former criteria but not the latter, or at least it's not in the sitcom I'm thinking of.

Alright then, I think this one will be rather easy for you lot, but at least it's seasonal. This Christmas carol was a hit in the UK charts in the 70s and it featured in an episode of a BBC sitcom in 1997.

Oh, it must be Zeal and Ardor then, but I don't know which song you're referring to, maybe Devil is Fine?

Oh, it's not Alice's Restaurant Massacree by Arlo Guthrie is it? I was listening to that just yesterday.

Travelling Wilburys - End Of The Line?

Oh, she had a few health issues which left her housebound, 'terminal' celiac disease and numerous mental health problems. The way she ended up going was an unexpected turn of events.

Just noticed Mary Midgley died some weeks back, which I'm sad about, but the consolation is that she may have just handed me the lead here.

Farrakhan

Prunella Scales

Gazza

England 2 - 2 Sweden Croatia 5 - 1 Russia

Uruguay 2 - 2 France Brazil 4 - 3 Belgium

Sweden 2 - 1 Switzerland Colombia 2 - 0 England

Brazil 1 - 2 Mexico Belgium 3 - 0 Japan

Russia 0 - 4 Spain Croatia 2 - 1 Denmark

Nanette Fabray (129 points), Gillo Dorfles (35 points), Oskar Groening (12 points) and Ken Dodd (8 points) also warrant striking out.

France 3 - 2 Argentina Uruguay 2 - 2 Portugal

Serbia 3 - 2 Brazil Switzerland 2 - 0 Costa Rica Senegal 1 -2 Colombia Japan 0 - 0 Poland England 2 - 3 Belgium Panama 2 - 4 Tunisia

Australia 0 - 1 Peru Denmark 1 - 3 France Iceland 2 - 2 Croatia Nigeria 1 - 0 Argentina

I've been listening to Scott Fagan, the very talented yet little known about singer and songwriter who's perhaps better known for being the father of Stephin Merritt. Here he is a couple of years ago looking like Santa and singing like Bowie, but nonetheless putting on an excellent performance.

Saudi Arabia 0 - 2 Egypt Russia 1 - 3 Uruguay Iran 1 - 2 Portugal Spain 5 - 1 Morocco