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:

Norman Gifford, 85, English cricketer (Worcestershire, Warwickshire, national team).
Patsy King, 95, Australian actress (Prisoner, Homicide, Bellbird).
Valentino, 93, Italian fashion designer, founder of Valentino.
Tommy Wright, 81, English footballer (Everton, national team).
Rob Hirst, 70, Australian musician (Midnight Oil), pancreatic cancer.
Francis Buchholz, 71, German bass guitarist (Scorpions).
Floyd Vivino, 74, American actor & comedian (Good Morning, Vietnam, Crazy People).
Maurice Le Coutour, 111, French supercentenarian.
Yvonne Lime, 90, American actress (I Was a Teenage Werewolf, The Rainmaker).

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