Dead Pool 30th November 2025

Quite a few famous deaths last week, however we’ve all failed to score. Submissions for 2026 have opened, so if you want to send in your list for ’26, you can do so via the entry form, or by email. Just remember you can still change your list up to Midnight on the 31st December.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

Sir Terence English, 93, South African-born English cardiac surgeon, complications from a stroke.
Skye Gyngell, 62, Australian chef and food editor (Vogue), cancer.
Udo Kier, 81, German actor (Flesh for Frankenstein, My Own Private Idaho, Blade).
Jimmy Cliff, 81, Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter (“Many Rivers to Cross“, “You Can Get It If You Really Want“) and actor (The Harder They Come), pneumonia.
Dharmendra, 89, Indian actor (Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Life in a… Metro) and politician, heart disease.
Viola Fletcher, 111, American civil rights activist, survivor of the Tulsa race massacre.
Jill Freud, 98, British actress (Torchy the Battery Boy, Love Actually), inspiration for Lucy Pevensie.
Jack Shepherd, 85, English actor (Wycliffe, Bill Brand, Wonderland).
Mike Watkins, 73, Welsh rugby union player (Cardiff, Newport, national team).
Pam Hogg, 74, Scottish fashion designer.
Fuzzy Zoeller, 74, American golfer, Masters and U.S. Open champion.
Bob “Bongo” Starkie, 73, Australian rock guitarist (Skyhooks), leukaemia.
Sir Tom Stoppard, 88, Czech-born British playwright (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) and screenwriter (Shakespeare in Love, Empire of the Sun), five-time Tony winner.
Billy Bonds, 79, English footballer (West Ham United F.C., Charlton Athletic F.C.).

In Other News

A motorcyclist stuntman died after a daring stunt went wrong during a circus show, in front of a shocked audience, at a town near Naples in southern Italy on Friday evening. The fatal incident occurred while three professional motorcyclists were riding inside a steel sphere, part of the ‘Globe of Death‘ acrobatic performance staged by the Imperial Royal Circus at Sant’Anastasia, located about 13 km northeast of Naples. The three men – a 26-year-old Chilean, a 43-year-old Mexican and a Colombian of the same age – performed the hypnotic show in darkness, illuminated only the LED lights on their costumes. According to an initial reconstruction of events, the Chilean motorcyclist lost control and fell suddenly into the centre of the cage. The other two tried to avoid him by slowing down, but the space was too cramped and they collided in a violent impact that stopped the show. When the lights came back on, the situation was already dire, the Flying Monkeys report, and the 26-year-old Chilean died moments later. The Mexican stuntman was rushed to the Ospedale del Mare hospital in critical condition while the Colombian motorcyclist was relatively unharmed. The tragic accident occurred in front of spectators, many of whom were children, with many people filming the performance on their cell phones. In one of the videos circulating on social media, the circus announcer – likely unaware of the gravity of the situation – can be heard saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, these things happen. It’s a live show.” Police have been collecting amateur video footage recorded by circus-goers as part of their investigation into the dynamics of the incident which was described by the town’s mayor Domenico Esposito as “devastating”. “I know that many children were present, who witnessed this tragedy” – Esposito said – “We join in the grief of the families affected by this tragic event”. Carabinieri police said on Friday night that they did not immediately release the names of those involved because their relatives are living abroad and were still unaware of the tragedy. The Imperial Royal Circus, a historic company run by the Dell’Acqua family since the early 1900’s, has suspended its performances.

Two of the world’s oldest quadruplets have died, just weeks before they would have celebrated their ninetieth birthday. Ann, Ernest, Paul and Michael were born on 28th November 1935 at their family home in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, gaining global attention in 1935 because they were the first British multiple birth babies to survive for more than a few days. They became known as the St Neots Quads. The family announced last month that Paul and Michael Miles had passed away within nine days of each other last month. There remain two surviving St Neots Quads, Anne and Ernest. A statement from their elder brother Gordon, two years older than the quadruplets, in local media, said: “Our entire family is very sad to lose Michael and Paul. Their story is extraordinary. Back in 1935 I don’t think anyone could have imagined that premature quadruplets would live so long. We are grateful that, after such a precarious start, they were able to enjoy long and happy lives raising their own families. We will miss them.” Parents Walter and Doris Miles were expecting twins when they discovered they were pregnant. A few months before the birth, three babies were identified in an x-ray and a fourth was later spotted. The babies were delivered over seven weeks early by a local GP, a district nurse, and Mrs Miles’ mother. As premature births, all four babies were small, thin and incredibly week without fully developed finger and toenails according to the St Neot’s Museum, which runs a display dedicated to the family. Michael, the last to be born, struggled to breathe directly after birth and had to be given artificial respiration for over 50 minutes before he could start to breath unaided. The quadruplets had to be fed sterilised water from a teaspoon by their grandmother as they couldn’t be breastfed properly. News of the quadruplets spread as they survived past the first few days. In order to protect the infants, who were unable to maintain body temperatures without assistance and needed to be kept free of infection, they moved in with GP Dr E.H. Harrisson. A team of four specialist nurses were sent from Great Ormond Street Hospital, free of charge, to care for them. For the first few weeks, the babies were not bathed, but were rubbed all over with olive oil, according to the museum. They were fed with milk fetched twice daily from Queen Charlotte’s Hospital, London, that had to be skimmed and diluted by 50 per cent for the babies to digest properly. Mr and Mrs Miles were eventually able to take their four babies home and money was raised to help raise them after the doctor estimated it would cost at least £5,000 at the time, an equivalent to £310,383.65 in modern day currency. Mrs Miles received £4.00 from the Keeper of the Privy Purse shortly after the birth of the babies and donations flooded in from across the country.

David Cameron has revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. The former Prime Minister, who is now sadly cancer free, said that he discovered the disease after his wife Samantha urged him to undergo tests in 2024. The 59 year old ex-Tory leader, famously known for fucking a dead pigs head, explained how he was listening to Soho House founder Nick Jones talking about his own 2022 diagnosis on the radio late last year. This prompted Samantha to encourage him to ask his GP for a similar test. Cameron said he then went and had a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, which looks for proteins associated with prostate cancer, that came out worryingly high. He told the Flying Monkeys: “You always hope for the best. You have an MRI scan with a few black marks on it. You think, ‘Ah, that’s probably OK. But when the biopsy comes back, and it says you have got prostate cancer? You always dread hearing those words. And then literally as they’re coming out of the doctor’s mouth you’re thinking, ‘Oh, no, he’s going to say it. He’s going to say it. Oh God, he said it. I am a cunt!’” The ex-PM, who also had a brief stint as Foreign Secretary under Rishi Sunak, said he opted for a “focal” therapy as part of his treatment. This type of care uses needles to deliver electric pulses to destroy cancerous arsehole cells, again, Cameron survived this despite being a massive asshole. It was less invasive and gruelling than a prostatectomy or radiotherapy, Cameron said, quite unlike Brexit. The successful treatment saw him give another MRI scan before he was given the all clear. Cameron said that following his diagnosis, he wanted to “add his name” to the long list of people calling for a targeted screening programme, the long list refused.

Alex Reid has been rushed to hospital with a suspected bleed on his brain. The ‘star’, who is Katie Price’s ex-husband, shared a worrying photo with fans on social media on Tuesday evening. Alex, 50, looked downcast as he sat in A&E with a green t-shirt on and a cannula in his arm. He penned to his followers: “I’ve been in hospital since 9am this morning. I’ve already had a CT scan, and I’m now waiting for an MRI to check if there’s a bleed on the posterior part of my brain. I honestly can’t believe how I’ve been walking lately — so “punch drunk” that people keep assuming I’m drunk when I’m out. I’m not. This is just how my body moves these days, and it’s a horrible feeling not knowing why. The pain, the imbalance, the uncertainty… it’s all become really hard to live with.” Alex, who was married to Katie for 11 months in 2010, went on: “This isn’t a negative post about martial arts, fighting, or “don’t do combat sports.” I love this sport. It’s my life. But after around 300 fights, years of martial arts training, and being hit more times than I can count — plus my cauliflower ears to prove it — I want young lads coming up in the sport to start training smarter. Wear your headgear. Look after yourselves. Think long-term, not just about the next fight.” Sharing an update on his current health, the cage fighter continued: “Thank God the scans so far have shown no tumours. My dad passed away at 77 from a brain tumour, so hearing that today was a massive relief. Now we’re just waiting to see if there’s any bleed or any signs of brain damage that might explain what’s been happening with my walking and balance.” Alex ended his message by writing: “I’ll keep everyone posted when I get the results. Thank you to everyone who’s sent messages and support today.”

On This Day

1954 – In Sylacauga, Alabama, United States, the Hodges meteorite crashes through a roof and hits a woman taking an afternoon nap; this is the only documented case in the Western Hemisphere of a human being hit by a rock from space.
1995 – Official end of Operation Desert Storm.
2022 – The AI chatbot ChatGPT is launched by OpenAI.

Deaths

1900 – Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright, novelist, and poet (born 1854).
2007 – Evel Knievel, American motorcycle rider and stuntman (born 1938).
2013 – Paul Walker, American actor (born 1973).
2018 – George H. W. Bush, American politician, 41st President of the United States and 43rd Vice President of the United States (born 1924).
2023 – Alistair Darling, British Politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer (born 1953).
2023 – Shane MacGowan, Irish frontman of The Pogues (born 1957).