2026

Dead Pool 25th January 2026

Another pointless week flies by. Time to release the Flying Monkeys! The donations page will be open for another week, so if anyone feels benevolent, please do so by the end of next week. Thank you to everyone who has already donated, it is truly appreciated and does keep our Dead Pool going. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Bernadette Hunt, fondly remembered as Falcon from the legendary TV show Gladiators, left a significant sum to her family in her will after sadly losing her battle with cancer in 2023 at the age of 59. The surprising amount she bequeathed has now been revealed, with the formidable gladiator leaving her son and daughter a total sum running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. After debts and costs were deducted, Bernadette’s estate amounted to £293,000 from an original £444,000, according to probate documents seen by the Flying Monkeys. This means her children, Adam and Angel, received nearly £300,000 from her will. She had appeared in every series until its eventual cancellation. Regularly drawing in over 14 million viewers, the original cast quickly became household names, propelling stars like stern referee John Anderson and hosts Ulrika Jonsson and John Fashanu to fame. Throughout her time on Gladiators, Bernadette also appeared on International Gladiators from 1994 to 1995, and took part in three live performances. Her primary events included Joust, Powerball and Tilt. Queen’s iconic track Breakthru served as her signature tune during her time on the programme, and she enjoyed enormous popularity amongst viewers, with countless Gladiators enthusiasts calling her the ‘nicest Gladiator’. Prior to her television career, the Brighton-born star trained as both a ballerina and aerobics instructor. At 18, she secured a place at the London Contemporary Ballet School, but a back injury brought her ballet ambitions to an abrupt end. Following her exit from Gladiators in 1999, after the eighth series, Bernadette pivoted to a career as a personal trainer in Basingstoke. The tragic news of Bernadette’s passing was announced on 31st March. She is survived by her partner Mark and their two children, Angel and Adam.  

Derek Martin’s son, David Rapp, has died just days after the EastEnders star. Last week, we announced that the Charlie Slater actor had passed away, aged 92. Son David was with the actor when he died, a family friend confirmed in a statement. Now, BBB Talent Agency has confirmed to the Flying Monkeys that David has also sadly passed away. ‘Devastating news today. Just after losing his father. David has also passed away. The gentle giant whose heart was as big as he was. I couldn’t have wished for a better friend or workmate’, BBB Agency wrote on social media. ‘Rest in peace, David Rapp you will be missed! BBB HQ will never be the same.’ The news comes just under two weeks after EastEnders paid tribute to Derek, who starred as Charlie Slater from 2000 until 2011. ‘We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Derek Martin. From the moment he arrived, Derek’s portrayal of Charlie Slater instantly cemented him in the hearts of the audience, as the head of one of EastEnders most iconic families. Charlie would do anything for his family, and much like his character, Derek would do the same for those around him. Derek was deeply loved by all those that worked with him at EastEnders and will always be remembered with great fondness. Our love and thoughts are with his family and friends.’  

Alex Honnold has sensationally scaled one of the tallest skyscrapers on Earth with only a bag of chalk — with no ropes or safety gear, and survived to tell the tale! The American rock climber took one hour, 31 minutes and 43 seconds to complete the hair-raising stunt on Saturday evening. On Friday night, just minutes before Skyscraper Live was due to air on Netflix on Friday, it was announced that the special had been postponed due to wet weather conditions in Taipei. Fans of 40-year-old Honnold tuned in to watch the professional rock climber take on Taipei 101, the 1,667-foot, 101-story tower that dominates the skyline of Taiwan’s capital. Built in 2004, Taipei 101 features mostly glass curtain walls, with balconies near the top that taper to a pointed peak, a design inspired by the ridges on a stick of bamboo. It was once the world’s tallest building until the construction of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in 2010. Honnold is best known for his record-breaking ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in 2017, which was captured in the Oscar-winning documentary, Free Solo. He has noted that Taipei 101 was previously climbed by French urban climber Alain Robert — but with ropes. Honnold says he hopes his climb inspires people to use their time in “meaningful” ways. Speaking to the Flying Monkeys ahead of his daring climb, Honnold confirmed that were he to fall, it would have likely been fatal. “If something happens, I would die, though actually, on this particular building, that’s not even totally true because there are balconies every few floors,” he said of the 101-storied building. “The geometry of the building, the shape of the building is such that you actually could fall in tons of places and not actually die, which makes it in some ways safer than a lot of rock-climbing objectives.” 

On This Day

  • 1890 – Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.
  • 1996 – Billy Bailey becomes the last person to be hanged in the United States. 
  • 2006 – Mexican professional wrestler Juana Barraza is arrested in connection with the serial killing of at least ten elderly women.

Deaths

  • 1947 – Al Capone, American gangster and mob boss (born 1899).
  • 1990 – Ava Gardner, American actress (born 1922).
  • 2015 – Demis Roussos, Egyptian-Greek singer (born 1946).
  • 2017 – John Hurt, English actor (born 1940).

Last Week’s Birthdays

Matthew Lillard (56), Mischa Barton (40), Kristen Schaal (48), Adrian Edmondson (69), Neil Diamond (85), Linda Blair (67), Phil Wang (36), Geena Davis (70), Martin Shaw (81), Rainn Wilson (60), Tom Baker (92), Katey Sagal (72), Rob Delaney (49), Tippi Hedren (96), Dolly Parton (80), and Michael Crawford (84).

25th January 2026 | Categories: 2026 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 18th January 2026

Alas, no points to award this week. We all seemed to have missed the 142 year old Nasser bin Radan Al Rashid Al Wadaei, it’s almost like nobody believes that he was that old, or perhaps nobody fancied just scoring eight points. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

BBC presenter Reggie Yates has opened up about undergoing surgery after the discovery of a tumour over a year ago. The 42-year-old host shared a frank look into his secret health scare and admitted it was one of the “hardest moments of his life” as he initially chose to keep the operation secret. In a Substack post titled “New Year, Old Tumour”, Reggie opened up about his diagnosis, his fear around sharing the news, and his surgery to get the tumour removed. He explained that the tumour was found in his hand, but he had chosen to “hide and move on” from the experience of having the operation last year. It wasn’t until he reflected on the year alongside his wife that his feelings about it reemerged. “I got to the third item on my list and stopped,” he wrote. My pen had scribbled something I’d totally forgot. Or had I? In 2025, I’d endured one of the hardest moments of my adult life and overcome it. But for some reason, I’d chosen to bury it.” Reggie admitted that he had tried to repress the memory of discovering the tumour, revealing once it was found it took the team a week to find out if it was cancerous or not. “Like most men, my ‘concrete complex’ has existed almost as long as I have. A well held belief that invincibility is part of my DNA,” he said. “Minutes before surgery, I chose to fake the brave face. To be fair to myself, it’s hard not to crack dad jokes when you’re wearing compression socks and tiny paper panties.” Thankfully, the star is now on the mend – admitting his pride that he had gone from fearing he may lose the use of his hand in February, before releasing a book by the end of the year. 

Diary excerpts belonging to the ‘secret’ daughter of Freddie Mercury will be released following her death this week, her widower has revealed. On Thursday, it was announced that Bibi had died at the age of 48 after being diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer. Her widower Thomas said in a statement that she died ‘peacefully after a long battle with chordoma, a rare spinal cancer, leaving two sons aged nine and seven’. Bibi’s death comes just months after she was identified as the secret daughter of late Queen singer Mercury, in a book written by author Lesley-Ann Jones titled Love, Freddie. Bibi was previously publicly known only as ‘B.’ Following the family’s initial statement, Bibi’s widower has since revealed details of her final wishes as her health began to deteriorate last year.  ‘Her health began to fail this summer as we crossed the Andes Mountains on a holiday, she had decided in the last few months to gather the photos and excerpts from her father’s notebooks that supported what she had confided to Lesley Ann Jones in the book. The goal was to publish these elements in the fall of 2027. I will respect her wishes. She said that 2026 would be nothing but a big circus in the exploitation of what would have been her father’s 80th birthday and the 35th anniversary of his death. She dedicated the last months of her life to preparing the book and to preparing what is now the legacy of her children.’ He added: ‘It will be a book, a kind of photo album. My wife wanted all the proceeds from the sale of this photo album to be for the benefit of the paediatric oncology units.’ Thomas also claimed Bibi was ‘extremely affected’ by Mercury’s former fiancée Mary Austin denying any knowledge of her existence. He said that Bibi wrote to Austin’s business address many times over the years, but that the letters ‘remained unanswered.’ Bibi’s family announced her death in a statement, which said: ‘B is now with her beloved and loving father in the world of thoughts. Her ashes were scattered to the wind over the Alps.’ In May 2025, the late Bibi revealed she took a DNA test to confirm her paternity when, 34 years after the Queen star’s death, it was alleged he fathered a child after having a brief fling with a friend’s wife in 1976. In response to calls for DNA tests to be made public, author Jones wrote on social media: ‘To those “demanding” to see proof of a DNA test, otherwise they won’t believe it – please rest assured that the requisite verification was obtained, legal teams have been involved, but that such measures are private & not shared publicly. Thank you.’ 

A man who raised more than £420,000 by walking around his communal east London garden has died, aged 106. Dabirul Islam Choudhury OBE passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, January 13, at the Royal London Hospital. Inspired by Captain Tom, Dabirul, spearheaded a walking challenge aiming to reach 1.5 million steps worldwide. He raised the money by walking 970 laps of his garden in Bow, east London while he was fasting for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Nearly £116,000 of the total  raised was donated to the NHS, while the remaining amount was divided between 30 charities in 52 countries as part of the Ramadan Family Commitment (RFC) Covid-19 crisis initiative. The RFC, who Dabirul was an ambassador for, is run by British-Bangladeshi television broadcaster Channel S. In 2020, he was made an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours for his charitable efforts. Dabirul was born in 1st January 1920 in Bangladesh, then called British Assam. In 1957, Dabirul moved to England to study English Literature in London. Due to his education and command in the English language, he ended up as a community leader and settled in St Albans. His charity work was responsible for many community projects and raising money for the independence struggle of Bangladesh. Dabirul is an accomplished poet and has published over a thousand of his own poems. Dabirul also spends his time going to his local book clubs and poetry associations.

On This Day

  • 1788 – The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from Great Britain to Australia arrive at Botany Bay.
  • 1967 – Albert DeSalvo, the “Boston Strangler”, is convicted of numerous crimes and is sentenced to life imprisonment. 
  • 1977 – Australia’s worst rail disaster occurs at Granville, Sydney, killing 83.

Deaths

Last Week’s Birthdays

Dave Bautista (57), Kevin Costner (71), Mark Rylance (66), Isa Briones (27), Jim Carrey (64), Zooey Deschanel (46), Kelly Marie Tran (37), Lin-Manuel Miranda (46), John Carpenter (78), FKA twigs (38), James May (63), James Nesbitt (61), Dove Cameron (30), Natasia Demetriou (42), Claudia Winkleman (54), Eddie Hall (38), Jason Bateman (57), Kevin Durand (52), Mark Addy (62), Faye Dunaway (85), Grant Gustin (36), Natalia Dyer (31), Michael Peña (50), Ruth Wilson (44), Orlando Bloom (49), William B. Davis (88), Bill Bailey (61), and Pixie Lott (35).

18th January 2026 | Categories: 2026 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 11th January 2026

Quite a deadly week for the football community, far more footballers than I have listed here kicked their final ball. Plus we have seen the last of pseudoscience poster boy, Erich von Däniken. Perhaps we’ll hear less from the mad hatters claiming humans did not build the Pyramids, Stonehenge etc…  

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Football legend Kevin Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer, his family has said. In a statement published on Wednesday, his family said the former England international was recently admitted to hospital for “further evaluation of ongoing abdominal symptoms”. “These investigations have revealed a diagnosis of cancer, for which Kevin will undergo treatment,” the statement continued. “Kevin is grateful to the medical team for their intervention and ongoing care. During this difficult time, the family are requesting privacy, and will be making no further comment.” The statement was released by Newcastle United, the club Keegan both played for and managed and remains closely associated with. Affectionately known as “King Kev”, he scored 204 goals in 592 appearances during an illustrious club career and 21 goals in 63 international caps. He began his playing career at Scunthorpe United before moving to Liverpool, where he won three First Division titles as well as two Uefa Cups, the FA Cup and the European Cup. The 74-year-old later had spells at Hamburg – where he won the Bundesliga, was twice named European Footballer of the Year, and reached the European Cup final – and Southampton before he joined Newcastle. He helped the Magpies secure promotion from the Second Division in his second season. He retired in 1984 before moving into management, returning to Newcastle in 1992. Newcastle sealed promotion to the Premier League in his first full season, and he later took charge of Fulham, England, and Manchester City before a second spell with Newcastle in 2008, his most recent managerial role. 

A grandmother in Wales who became an internet hit after being hoisted 10ft into the air by a shop’s shutters has died. Anne Hughes’ coat had got entangled in the electronic shutters as they were being opened and she was left dangling upside down. A CCTV video of the incident, which thankfully left her unscathed, was viewed more than 100 million times. Although initially somewhat embarrassed, Anne soon saw the funny side and ended up embracing her newfound fame. Now it’s emerged that she sadly passed away shortly before Christmas, after being diagnosed with cancer. A family friend said: ‘Anne was lovely and, luckily for her and everyone else, she had a good sense of humour. She quite enjoyed her moment of notoriety and she definitely saw the funny side. It’s sad that she’s gone but she has left us with a memory that will always bring a smile to people’s faces.’ Anne was working as a part-time cleaner at the Best One Shop in Tonteg when she was taken for the unexpected ride in March 2024. The video shows her waiting out the front of the store as shopkeeper Amir Akram – who is out of shot – begins opening the shutters. Anne’s coat then gets caught and the shutters start to lift her up. She tries to unhook herself but with no success and keeps rising – the whole time holding on to her shopping trolly. After hearing Anne’s cries Amir rushes out and manages to lower her safely down to the ground. The store later posted the video on its Facebook site, with the caption: ‘Don’t hang about like Anne, come down to best one to get the best deals!!! The only thing going up in this shop is our staff, not the prices!!’ Anne told the media at the time: ‘It could only happen to me. I was embarrassed, who wouldn’t be? But looking back I can see the funny side. And I’ve quite enjoyed the fame, people ask me for selfies next to the shutters.’ In honour of Anne and her unexpected adventure, a graffiti artist spray painted an image of the granny in her famous upside down position on the shop’s shutters. Although she took all the attention in her stride, Anne also wanted to get on with family life and turned down numerous appearances to appear on shows like Good Morning Britain and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. 

BBC host Nick Owen has returned home after undergoing surgery after being diagnosed with kidney cancer. The 78 year old, who presents BBC Midlands Today, was hospitalised before  Christmas to undergo treatment. The news of his second cancer diagnosis comes a little under two years after he made a full recovery from prostate cancer. He returned to TV screens later in 2023. Nick has since admitted it had been a “tough” ordeal for the broadcaster and his wife following his most recent health announcement. The presenter also shared he was thankful he made it through the operation in a candid admission. He explained: “I am so relieved to have come through the operation after a traumatic time, especially after what my wife Vicki and our family went through when I had prostate cancer. It’s been tough, but things are picking up now.” Speaking about his recent treatment, Nick told the Flying Monkeys: “The NHS has been absolutely brilliant – from my GP, who was so thorough in getting me a diagnosis, to all the medics at Russells Hall Hospital. I am forever grateful.” Nick had been open about his prostate cancer treatment and encouraged men to get tested. Owen has been on screens for the past 50 years making his first appearance the very first Good Morning Britain in 1983, before forming one of the nation’s favourite on-screen partnerships with Anne Diamond on ITV and then for Good Morning with Anne and Nick on BBC One. 

On This Day

  • 1922 – Leonard Thompson becomes the first person to be injected with insulin.
  • 2003 – Illinois Governor George Ryan commutes the death sentences of 167 prisoners on Illinois’s death row based on the Jon Burge scandal.
  • 2020 – Municipal health officials in Wuhan announce the first recorded death from COVID-19.

Deaths

  • 2013 – Tom Parry Jones, Welsh chemist, invented the breathalyser (born 1935).
  • 2014 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (born 1928).
  • 2015 – Anita Ekberg, Swedish-Italian model and actress (born 1931).

Last Week’s Birthdays

Jason Connery (63), Jemaine Clement (52), Evan Handler (65), J.K. Simmons (71), Joely Richardson (61), Imelda Staunton (70), James Acaster (41), Cynthia Erivo (39), Michelle Forbes (61), Amber Benson (49), Nicolas Cage (62), Jeremy Renner (55), Linda Kozlowski (68), Erin Gray (76), Lewis Hamilton (41), Rowan Atkinson (71), Eddie Redmayne (44), Kate McKinnon (42), Norman Reedus (57), Genevieve O’Reilly (49), Bradley Cooper (51), Robert Duvall (95), Clancy Brown (67), January Jones (48), and Vinnie Jones (61).

11th January 2026 | Categories: 2026 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 4th January 2026

We begin our year with a bang, barely three days in and Paul C correctly predicted that Sir Patrick Duffy would die. Well done that man! 95 points, which includes the ‘first death of the year’ bonus. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

As you may have seen on the Telegram Messaging Group, Nickie ran the lists through ChatGPT and we found the following: The top tier names for 2026 are; David Attenborough, Dick Van Dyke, Bruce Willis, Mel Brooks, Clint Eastwood, Tom Baker, Esther Rantzen, Chris Hoy, Michael Caine and Billy Connolly. The most popular Dead Certs this year include Dick Van Dyke, David Attenborough and Esther Rantzen. The most popular Women this year are Esther Rantzen, Ethel Caterham and Joan Collins and the most popular Maverick’s are Britney Spears and Katie Price, although I still feel everyone should be listing James Corden for just being a cunt. Attenborough & Van Dyke dominate across all categories however Esther Rantzen is the single strongest crossover name (Top-10 & Dead Cert & Woman). Doesn’t look like a promising future for Rantzen! 

Barry Manilow gave fans a health update on Friday. Weeks after revealing that a cancerous spot had been found in his left lung and he was undergoing cancer treatment, the “Copacabana” singer, 82, updated fans through an Instagram post. Sharing a selfie of himself wearing a green gown in a hospital bed, Manilow captioned his post, “Better Today!” In the comments section, Manilow’s backup singer, Melanie Taylor, showed some support, writing: “That’s my boss y’all! He’s making it through the rain! Love you B!” Manilow’s drummer, Matt Sorum, said, “Heal up Barry, much love.” Last month, the “Mandy” musician revealed in a statement on his Facebook page that he’d need to take a break from performing after the cancerous spot was found on his left lung. “As many of you know I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks,” Manilow said at the time. “Even though I was over the bronchitis and back on stage at the Westgate Las Vegas, my wonderful doctor ordered an MRI to make sure that everything was OK. The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a great doctor) that it was found so early. That’s the good news.” However, Manilow said the “bad news” was that he needed to have surgery to remove the spot. “The doctors do not believe it was spread and I’m taking tests to confirm their diagnosis. So, that’s it. No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns,” he explained. 

Grey’s Anatomy actor Steven W. Bailey is opening up about his rare health diagnosis. Bailey, 54, who appeared as Joe the bartender in more than 30 episodes of the long-running medical drama, said he has been diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disorder known as congenital myasthenia syndrome, or CMS. CMS is a group of rare hereditary conditions caused by a gene difference that results in muscle weakness, worsening a person’s physical ability. In a lengthy thread on Twitter on Friday, Bailey shared that he had been diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disorder known as congenital myasthenia syndrome. In his “open letter” on Twitter, he wrote that he had “spent years being cautious, private and quiet” about something that has been “shaping his life and work.” “That time is over,” he wrote. “It’s the darnedest thing, but it turns out I have a rather rare genetic neuromuscular disorder. Weird, right? It’s called Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome,” Bailey shared. According to the Flying Monkeys, CMS is a group of rare hereditary conditions caused by a gene difference that results in muscle weakness, worsening a person’s physical ability. “Any muscles used for movement can be affected, including muscles that control speaking, chewing and swallowing, seeing and blinking, breathing, and walking.” According to Bailey, he kept his medical struggles out of the public eye for several years “out of career caution, diagnostic uncertainty, and being private about such things,” but said he decided it was “time to stop” hiding his diagnosis. “CMS is a genetic disease that disrupts the communication between the brain and the muscle at the ‘nerve/muscle junction’… or whatever doctors call it,” he explained. “There are billions of these junction doodads in a body, and an increasing number of mine seem to be on the blink. Troublesome, little buggers — right? The result being that my hands, arms and legs tire quicker than they should, which makes them weaker than, well … anticipated,” he continued. “Sustained repetitive movements are particularly difficult and can cause my muscles to temporarily tighten and shut down.” Bailey joked that while his diagnosis has helped get him out of “doing the dishes and folding laundry in his household,” it has also increasingly hindered his ability to walk.

On This Day

  • 1903 – Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. The Edison film company records the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy’s death. 
  • 1959 – Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon. 
  • 1972 – Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London. 
  • 1990 – In Pakistan’s deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries. 
  • 2007 –Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history. 
  • 2010 – The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.

Deaths

  • 1961 – Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist & academic (born 1887). 
  • 1965 – T. S. Eliot, American-English poet, playwright, and critic (born 1888). 
  • 1967 – Donald Campbell, English racing driver & world speed record holder (born 1921). 
  • 2011 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1947). 
  • 2024 – Glynis Johns, British actress and singer (born 1923). 
  • 2024 – David Soul, American-British actor and singer (born 1943). 

Last Week’s Birthdays

Emma Mackey (30), Graham McTavish (65), Dafne Keen (21), Julia Ormond (61), Matt Frewer (68), Mel Gibson (70), Florence Pugh (30), Sarah Alexander (55), Victoria Principal (76), Cuba Gooding Jr. (58), Kate Bosworth (43), Frank Langella (88), James Remar (73), Anthony Hopkins (89), Ben Kingsley (83), Eliza Dushku (46), Tracey Ullman (67), Caity Lotz (40), Jude Law (54), Ted Danson (79), Jon Voight (88), Danny McBride (50), and Diego Luna (47).

4th January 2026 | Categories: 2026 | Leave A Comment »