Octopus of Odstock

Any news on his health? He's dead. Mystery Writer dies

Kevin Hughes, MP for Doncaster until last year, NUM member & former assistant Government Whip, has died from motor neurone disease, aged 53.

Mileson "recovering" after hospital stay

TF, thank you. I was seriously considering selling my soul to the devil & buying the Daily Wail, but you've saved my soul - this time. Well obviously Dicky O looks older, but yep, I agree he appears to look alright. Alan Freeman, however, looks absolutey shocking. Of course, he looks older than the B & w picture, but he was looking well not all that long ago

Bill Miller, Frank Sinatra's long time pianist, has died, aged 91

Iain, the link you supply says nothing of the sort. His HQ was bombed, and he received some injuries. Bit of a difference between being injured & killed. Bill & Ben were part of your childhood? That would make you about 60. I find that very hard to believe, somehow....

I don't think he'll make 2007. Reason being is that since that interview, news on him has been zilch. Either good or bad news. The same was true of John Spencer, where a GNS brought nothing up on the snooker man until death. I suspect he is in a hospice now. We must remember that he is relatively young and was relatively strong which might mean he would battle this for longer.

Yes, he will. Whether he gets one immediately, like a BBC Obit, I do not know, but he'll definitely get a mention in one of the broadsheets, even if it's just a "Deaths in Brief" for example. Why? Because he's appeared (and made an impression) in some of THE great or popular movies, including It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, It's a Wonderful Life, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, You Can't Take It With You, Mr Deeds Goes To Town etc etc etc Other than that, he's one of the last links with the stars of the Golden Age. There aren't many left who acted alongside Barrymore, Tracy, Stewart, Cooper etc.

Oh, what a tremendous shame. I do hope he gets some media coverage upon his death, it's the least his work deserved. In the I & P thread, we've already mentioned his body of work, but the first paragraph of the obituary sums up part of his legacy: What do the following have in common? Bill and Ben's frequently uttered, indecipherable comment "Flobbadob" in The Flowerpot Men. The blustering Captain Pugwash's "Plundering porpoises! Jumping jellyfish! Harrowing hurricanes!" The urgent, on-the-edge-of-your-seat voice announcing Hergé's Adventures of Tintin. And the Daleks' menacing, robotic exhortation of:"Ex-ter-min-ate! Ex-ter-min-ate!" The voice behind all these television favourites was the actor Peter Hawkins. He was also in my DDP top 30 for next year, as was the aforementioned Mok of Cambodia.

This is my favourite DL thread of all time.

Bergman is one of the most boring persons ever to have existed. Even his current health news is boring. Boring Boring Boring Bergman. Surely a small light-hearted diversion will please a few here before Bergman's boringness bores us and this thread goes back to the bottom of the pile.

Most interesting ie+, most interesting indeed. I will heed your advice. It's clear now that's why my last relationship failed, due to the lack of sashette wearing.

Maybe one was hasty in announcing Carrell's British obit. Not this time. Times Obituary I've emailed the DDP boys, as I had links on the net about those WWI vets as well. So, well done FF & NAP. FF is now, as John Spencer died inbetween my first congratulatory post and this one, well in second place. If Davidson dies soon, FF will take the lead, I think!

Oh, do women go for that these days? Dammit, I've been doing it all wrong. All those trips to the gym & the bank manager for nothing.

I was under the impression young Windsor got his claim in first. He does have age on his side, Banshees has the exoticism & experience, but I have many redeeming qualities in my favour. God knows what they are though

Thanks, CP. Certainly if the man is swimming, he can't be all that frail. He's not ill at all, as far as I can tell by the article. Ford certainly won't drop due to old age - but the risky thing about taking him out of my DDP list, is I can't help feeling that it only needs one major illness or one stroke etc. & that'll do him in. I'll think he beat the Reagan record anyway and we'll see how he's doing in December, I guess.

+ie, Cowboy Ronnie, have you even looked at the links? Having read the entries by Iain (or Gordon Brown's ex fan), it is very clear it is Iain. Just look at the threads he's posted in: Tom Weir Death Prediction of Kenneth Clarke Death of Syd Barrett - identical to the one posted here (and spelt wrong) Predicting Alan Freemans death Prescott and Iain's favourite word "imminent" Posting of Martin Adler's death and so on (including pleas to moderators when someone says something about him, breaking news with no links, appalling grammar, spelling & punctuation.) Full list here. That is so clearly "our" Iain. As Laura says: And those are nicer ones! He's always spouting this really F*****g stupid theories about djs leaving & who he 'feels' might die soon like he knows something about it but it's bullshit every time Iain to a tee. Laura, thanks for this. It's somewhat comforting, yet disturbing, that this isn't the only place Iain Smith spreads his mindless pap. Hmmm.. we both hate Iain, we're both the same age, and you're looking for a fella & I'm single! Perfect match! Oh.. hold on - I don't listen to Radio 1. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? You certainly don't look like a horse, that's for sure......

Isn't Iain Smith the actor who plays Harold Bishop in Neighbours.....? Any chance of a link to the BBC message boards for this initial outburst by the soon-to-be-leaving-here-forever Iain?

As I couldn't find anywhere else suitable to put this: Goughy celebrates 90th birthday Not much on his health, mind, but it seems like the ol' boy can still get out & about, despite being wheelchair bound. He's also attending a wedding this weekend as well.

Reg Varney was 90 on Tuesday (11th). Pulphack, I think you mean Baden-Semper. She's still acting, mostly on stage.

I can't fight (because of my lack of hearing in part of my right ear), but I'd join your campaign in a desk job.

Oh no, that's happened a few times, this year included. In one week in March:- Cutler, Reeve, Ingamells, Fox, Profumo, Milosevic Then April/May:- Galbraith, Roberts, Rukesyer, Woods, Asplund Last year: April - Evans, Mills, Bjelke-Petersen, Smart (the last three ALL ON THE SAME DAY), Albert Nov/Dec - Morita, Best, Burns, Sperber, Mills and so on. 4 in a week's far more common than you think, FF.

I have noted the but I personally thought Near Misses, but I thought, "well, I know who he is, but will everyone else?" and decided it came down to what films people might've seen. With the Bewitched actress, I knew that programme was repeated or seen by a wider range of people. BH's films, maybe not depending on taste. Either way, a shame he's gone. The Halliwell's Film Guide said he was one of THE under-rated actors of all-time, brilliant in a character role but, arguably, wasted there, a la Paul Scofield, another stage giant with slim pickings in film.

Star Crossed, you and I are singing from the same song sheet. Not sure about MPFC. Windsor, I also agree with the gist of the broad outline of your point. I can give a very long, very detailed historical discussion, slightly pro-Arab, about Israel-Palestine, but this isn't the right place, time etc. One thing I DO know, is they sure as hell should not be in Lebanon now. In all this Ariel Sharon post-coma legacy "grief", they seemd to have skimmed over his involvement in the Lebanon conflicts of past, when the Israelis shouldn't have been there either. So if Hezbollah have captured Israeli soldiers on Lebanon soil, they have every right to do so, because what the hell are they doing there anyway?

Why? They shouldn't be in Lebanon or Palestine anyway.