Octopus of Odstock

Lady Helen and Jackie Stewart for their 2023 Christmas picture. Lady Helen in particular looks better than I thought.

Did well to get as far as this late in the year. Sad news, no age at all.

Telegraph has it: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2023/12/20/wilf-lunn-madcap-inventor-tricycles-vision-on-deaf/

Duke of Kent would be a strong bet for Drop 40. I also wouldn't completely rule out someone like Tom Stafford or Franz Beckenbauer making it either.

Add Linda Nolan who said the same thing in 2020!

My wife genuinely thought Mo Moreland and Bella Emberg were one and the same when I told her the news yesterday.

Yes, very slow to navigate between threads too.

Sports wise, who is still awaiting a QO? Sports Personality of the Year's online list of the fallen will be online in about 36 hours

Erin Sullivan dead. https://www.gofundme.com/f/erin-sullivan-end-of-life-costs

Ditto, exactly that. She did well to get this far.

Gordon Jago, George Eastham, Richard Dinnis, Frank Sibley, Frank McLintock, Johnny Giles and John Barnwell also from a very quick search.

Other than the elderly Duke of Gloucester doing a wave of engagements, I'm not sure how much you can really read into this. I know that the minor royals were streamlined out somewhat so that the core team - Anne, Charles and Edward, Camilla, Sophie, William and Kate- were more high profile and busier. I'd say the once prolific Prince Michael only doing one event would be more eyebrow raising based on stats alone.

Her 'tumours have shrunk' and she 'feels good'. https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/linda-nolan-gushes-over-early-31630199 Make of it what you will.

Met Steve last night. He looked extremely well, wouldn't have.thought he was suffering any illness, let alone cancer.

Nick Mason was at the Guild event last night but for the first time he seemed a little bit unsteady and seemed to have a slight tremor. Voice was softer too. I wonder if he has the early stages of Parkinson's

Those who had Junior Mehmood on their DDP shortlist, but wondered about a QO, need wonder no more, not include him as he's dead. https://www.indiaforums.com/article/junior-mehmood-passes-away-after-prolonged-battle-with-stomach-cancer_203125 Looked awful in photos last week.

Currently trying to reduce 39 names to 9 for the final DDP team. So as this is the time to give and not receive: Enzo Osella has dementia. I'm not entirely sure he'll get a QO for DDP purposes, unless the timing works. I don't think Erich Zakowski did end up getting an appropriate QO which for me was a bit of a litmus test. Lord Hesketh is very active at the moment, but he's lost a shedload of weight recently and on Sunday, his clothes were clearly too big for him. No-one's said anything official, but I can't help but think something is awry.

Not only do I remember him at Watford, I met him once or twice through good friends about 7 or 8 years ago. Super proud of his son. Sad news.

Dean Sullivan doing very badly. Dead in fact. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12807269/Dean-Sullivan-dies-aged-68-Brookside-legend-beloved-role-reckless-Jimmy-Corkhill-passes-away-five-years-diagnosed-prostate-cancer.html

Devastating news. The machete coming out was a truly unique sight, barely topped since.

One for consideration, but maybe not just yet... Angela Huth, Land Girls author, has dementia but responding well to a new drug https://www.telegraph.co.uk/christmas/2023/11/26/angela-huth-dementia-alzheimers-drug-memantine-treatment/

There's not a lot extra about his health than earlier in the year, but he does finally reveal how old he is, which helps with DDP selection (52). He's in the final shortlist of 20 that I'm trying to shoehorn in a DDP team that I've already selected 18! 38 in 20 doesn't go...

Or the Sky documentary on his life which didn't feature him talking at all.

Jonnie Irwin Duke of Kent Linda Nolan Rob Burrow George Eastham Shane MacGowan Esther Rantzen Roberta Flack Simon Cowell (wildlife) Franz Beckenbauer Michael Tilson Thomas Nigel Starmer-Smith James Whale Are all famous, solid picks in ill-health. If you want to add an aged sportsman, then Parnelli Jones is getting increasingly frail.

And Ruth Langsford's mother too!