Not the best week to be a Country & Western singer, however nobody had either of them on their lists, so another pointless week. With little over three months left, perhaps now is a good time to start researching your list for 2018!!!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Walter Becker, 67, American Hall of Fame musician (Steely Dan), songwriter and producer, Grammy winner (2001).
• Kate Millett, 82, American feminist writer (Sexual Politics).
• Mike Neville, 80, British television presenter (BBC North East and Cumbria, ITV Tyne Tees).
• Don Williams, 78, American Hall of Fame country music singer (“Tulsa Time”, “I Believe in You”, “You’re My Best Friend”) and songwriter, emphysema.
• Troy Gentry, 50, American country music singer (Montgomery Gentry), helicopter crash.
• Blake Heron, 35, American actor (Shiloh, We Were Soldiers, Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher).

In Other News

Dave Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, is calling time on public appearances. A statement on the 82-year-old’s social media accounts said he would “no longer be doing any personal appearances or conventions due to health problems” from January 2018 onwards. If you were not aware, Prowse was the man behind Vader’s mask in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He also played the Green Cross Code man in television road safety commercials. Born in Bristol in 1935, Prowse was a successful bodybuilder and weightlifter before landing his iconic Star Wars role. His face was never seen in the films though, while his voice was dubbed by US actor James Earl Jones. Prowse, a fixture on the convention circuit since Jedi’s release in 1983, announced last year “with great sadness” that he would no longer attend international events. In 2014 he revealed he had dementia, though this did not prevent him participating in the 2015 documentary I Am Your Father, or recently appearing in a music video for singer Jayce Lewis. Don’t worry, there’s still time to get that priceless collectors signed photograph.

Lil Wayne has reportedly been taken to hospital after suffering a seizure and being found unconscious in his hotel room in Chicago. Celebrity website TMZ says the 34-year-old rapper, who has epilepsy, suffered a number of fits and had another one after arriving at A&E. He had been due to perform in Las Vegas on Sunday night. The rap star, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, was treated a year ago after suffering two minor seizures. Four years ago Lil Wayne spent several days at a hospital in Los Angeles. After those seizures the rapper told radio station Power 106 that he was epileptic and prone to having fits. He told DJ Felli Fel: “This wasn’t my first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh…I have had a bunch of seizures, you just never hear about them.” Lil Wayne says he suffers seizures because of stress, lack of rest and overworking himself. God knows what he’d be like if he had a proper job!

Family and friends have said farewell to Sir Bruce Forsyth at a private funeral. The star’s manager confirmed that the service took place last Monday. A public memorial service will be held in due course for fans to pay their respects to the entertainer, with details released in the next few weeks. There was also a tribute on Strictly Come Dancing when it returned to BBC One on Saturday evening. Sir Bruce, who co-hosted the dance show until 2014, died on 18th August at the age of 89 and gave the Dead Poolers a grand total of 2486 points, totally eclipsing the previous top scorer, Margaret Thatcher with 1945 points. Sir Bruce’s TV career stretched back to the 1950s and he became one of Britain’s best-loved entertainers thanks to shows like Sunday Night at the London Palladium, The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and The Price Is Right.

On This Day

• 1961 – Italian Grand Prix, a crash causes the death of German Formula One driver Wolfgang von Trips and 13 spectators who are hit by his Ferrari.
• 1977 – Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture and murder, is the last person to be executed by guillotine in France.
• 2008 – The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, described as the biggest scientific experiment in history, is powered up in Geneva, Switzerland. We all survived.

Deaths

• 1983 – Jon Brower Minnoch, American heaviest man (b. 1941)
• 2007 – Anita Roddick, English businesswoman, founded The Body Shop (b. 1942)
• 2012 – Lance LeGault, American actor and stuntman (b. 1935)
• 2014 – Richard Kiel, American actor (b. 1939)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Adam Sandler (51), Hugh Grant (57), Henry Thomas (46), Eric Stonestreet (46), Jeffrey Combs (63), Julia Sawalha (49), Rachel Hunter (48), Martin Freeman (46), Pink (38), Heather Thomas (60), Evan Rachel Wood (30), Shannon Elizabeth (44), Toby Jones (51), Dario Argento (77), Julie Kavner (66), Doug Bradley (63), Chrissie Hynde (66), Gloria Gaynor (68), Idris Elba (45), Macy Gray (50), Carice van Houten (41), Rose McGowan (44), Michael Keaton (66), Raquel Welch (77), Werner Herzog (75), Paddy Considine (44), George Lazenby (78), Bob Newhart (88), Beyoncé Knowles (36), Charlie Sheen (52) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (64).

Welcome all, to the  special 20th Anniversary Edition of Princess Diana’s Death Edition of The Dead Pool, where we will not be mentioning her again because nobody gives a fuck nor gave a fuck twenty years ago. No points to award this week, better luck next time!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Melissa Bell, 53, English singer (Soul II Soul).
• Richard Anderson, 91, American actor (The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Forbidden Planet).
• Shelley Berman, 92, American comedian and actor (You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Meet the Fockers, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Alzheimer’s disease.
• Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, 85, English Roman Catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Arundel and Brighton (1977–2000) and Westminster (2000–2009).

In Other News

Veteran singer Tom Jones announced Saturday that he was reluctantly postponing a U.S. concert tour scheduled to kick off next week because of health issues. The 77-year-old Welsh crooner said on Twitter that his Autumn tour would be delayed “following medical advice. He did not reveal the state of his health or provide further details. Jones sent his “sincere apologies” to U.S. fans planning to attend the shows. A statement on his website said the rescheduled tour would take place in May and June of next year and that tickets for the postponed shows would be honoured. The surprise postponement of his tour dates prompted numerous concerned comments from fans who wished him well on Twitter. Jones’ wife of 59 years, Linda, died last year of cancer.

An Aberdeen footballer has been rescued from a river after a night out in Glasgow. Gary Mackay-Steven, 26, was suffering from the effects of hypothermia when he  was pulled from the River Kelvin by firefighters early on Sunday morning. The former Celtic winger was then taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital by paramedics. Aberdeen FC confirmed the player was treated for hypothermia and was now “recovering well” at home. A club statement said: “On behalf of Gary, the club extends its thanks to the emergency services involved. “The club will not be commenting further on the matter.”

Yet another matador suffered severe injuries after he was gored by a bull and dragged around the ring on its horn. Experienced bullfighter Sergio Flores, 26, was speared in the armpit and tossed in the air by the rampaging animal during a performance in the city of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He was carried around the ring for nine seconds as helpers frantically tried to rescue him after the 500kg bull’s horn became lodged under his arm. The audience feared the worst as Mr Flores was left motionless and bleeding heavily on the bullring floor. He was eventually carried from the ring to the stadium’s medical centre before being taken to hospital, where he was said to be in a serious but stable condition. Medics later said he had suffered two puncture wounds between his arm and chest, as well as head injuries. It was not clear if the bull was injured. Mr Flores has been bullfighting since 2007, according to Mexican newspaper El Sol de Tlaxcala.

And finally, staff and guests were forced to flee after two “out of control” pensioners rampaged through a Highland Perthshire resort hotel, a court heard. Robert Fergus, 72, ran naked with a pair of scissors in the public reception of the MacDonald Loch Rannoch Hotel and smashed a glass pane. His wife Ruth, 69, threatened to shoot a staff member after “reacting badly” to the alcohol she consumed earlier. The couple were fined £4,100 at Perth Sheriff Court. Mr Fergus, from Troon, was also ordered to pay the hotel £800 compensation to cover the cost of the damage from the incident. He had admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards four staff members, wilfully destroying property, and drink driving. Sheriff Gillian Wade told Mr Fergus: “I don’t think I need to tell you it’s a very sorry state of affairs. I have no doubt you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

On This Day

• 301 – San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world’s oldest republic still in existence, is founded by Saint Marinus.
• 1189 – Richard I of England (a.k.a. Richard “the Lionheart”) is crowned at Westminster.
• 1666 – The Royal Exchange burns down in the Great Fire of London.
• 1878 – Over 640 die when the crowded pleasure boat Princess Alice collides with the Bywell Castle in the River Thames.

Deaths

• 1658 – Oliver Cromwell, English general and politician (b. 1599)
• 1991 – Frank Capra, Italian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1897)
• 2012 – Michael Clarke Duncan, American actor (b. 1957)
• 2012 – Sun Myung Moon, Korean religious leader and businessman, founded the Unification Church (b. 1920)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Keanu Reeves (53), Salma Hayek (51), Keith Allen (64), Burn Gorman (43), Lily Tomlin (78), Craig McLachlan (52), Steve Pemberton (50), Barry Gibb (71), Richard Gere (68), Chris Tucker (46), Jessica Henwick (25), Cameron Diaz (45), Peggy Lipton (71), Michael Chiklis (54), Carla Gugino (46), Rebecca De Mornay (58), Elliott Gould (79), Joel Schumacher (78), William Friedkin (82), Lenny Henry (59), David Fincher (55), Jack Black (48), Jason Priestley (48), Brian Thompson (58), Shania Twain (52), Ai Weiwei (60), Billy Boyd (49), LeAnn Rimes (35), David Soul (74), Aaron Paul (38), Peter Stormare (64), Barbara Bach (70), Paul Reubens (65) and Reece Shearsmith (48),

Welcome all, another week flies by and a few more notable names pass on into the ether. It’s been a bad week for bodybuilders, two of their brethren have kicked the bucket, but I suppose that stuffing your body full of steroids isn’t going to help you reach your 80’s. Surprisingly, nobody had Jerry Lewis on their lists, perhaps you all thought he was going to live forever!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Brian Aldiss, 92, British science fiction writer (Helliconia, Supertoys Last All Summer Long) and editor.
• Jerry Lewis, 91, American comedian (Martin and Lewis), actor (The Nutty Professor) and humanitarian (The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon), cardiomyopathy.
• Thomas Meehan, 88, American playwright (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray), Tony winner (1977), cancer.
• Dallas McCarver, 26, American bodybuilder, choking.
• Rich Piana, 45, American bodybuilder and Internet personality.
• Tobe Hooper, 74, American film director (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist, Salem’s Lot).

In Other News

I know its been 8 months since we declared last years winner, however, yesterday was the first opportunity for the Dead Pool Master to award last years winner and the title of Angel of Death  2016 her prize! Yes, Laura finally got her knitted Death of Rats; expertly handmade by the talented Sarai who donated her time and expertise to our little community. Laura was obviously over the moon with her prize, to be fair, everyone who’s seen it wants one too! Laura is currently the one to beat again this year, topping the leader board with an astounding 521 points with four months left to go!

When former England rugby player Matt Dawson was bitten by a tick in a London park early last year, it caused a bacterial infection to spread through his body. “I had two days where I felt awful. Very feverish, on the sofa, crashed out,” he said. Eventually he went to hospital where he was diagnosed with Lyme disease. “It was a really scary time for me and my family. Such a tiny creature caused me to end up needing heart surgery.” After multiple heart operations and 18 months of treatment, Matt no longer has the disease. But it still affects his life: “I’m still on medication and its going to take a lot of time for the heart to fully recover. “This is not something that should be looked at like, ‘oh it’s only a tick, a tick is a bit like a flea, its fine!’,” he said.

Loose Women panellist Saira Khan has revealed how she received a death threat after criticising a Muslim preacher on Instagram. Accompanying a picture of her in a bikini, Khan wrote: “I woke up to news that A Muslim Preacher is saying that ‘plucking eyebrows’ for Muslim women is a sin – here’s my response – kiss my ass you backward prehistoric dinosaur!” The post sparked a debate in the comments, provoking supportive messages, criticism and even a death threat. The comment has now been deleted from Instagram but Khan, 47, took a screenshot and tweeted it. “Keep your fucking mouth shut! Your not a Muslim nor do you represent anything to do with Islam!!! Your white masters have given you what you desire as a sell out reporter!!! If you value your life keep the fuck out of Islam” the person wrote. Khan also flagged the comment to the Metropolitan police. A spokesman from the Metropolitan Police said: “The Met’s digital contact team @MetCC have DM’d a 47 year old woman with a view to formally reporting an allegation of malicious communications. Enquiries continue.”

On This Day

• 1883 – Eruption of Krakatoa: Four enormous explosions destroy the island of Krakatoa and cause years of climate change.
• 1893 – The Sea Islands hurricane strikes the United States near Savannah, Georgia, killing between 1,000-2,000 people.
• 1896 – Anglo-Zanzibar War: The shortest war in world history (09:00 to 09:45), between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar.
• 1956 – The nuclear power station at Calder Hall in the United Kingdom was connected to the national power grid becoming the world’s first commercial nuclear power station to generate electricity on an industrial scale.
• 1979 – A Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb kills British retired admiral Lord Mountbatten and three others while they are boating on holiday in Sligo, Republic of Ireland.
• 2011 – Hurricane Irene strikes the United States east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.

Deaths

• 1576 – Titian, Italian painter and educator (b. 1488)
• 1965 – Le Corbusier, Swiss-French architect and urban planner (b. 1887)
• 1967 – Brian Epstein, English businessman and manager (b. 1934)
• 1975 – Haile Selassie, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1892)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Chris Pine (37), Melissa McCarthy (47), Macaulay Culkin (37), Alexander Skarsgård (41), Sean Connery (87), Tim Burton (59), Rachel Bilson (36), Joanne Whalley (53), Tom Skerritt (84), Gene Simmons (68), Billy Ray Cyrus (56), Claudia Schiffer (47), Steve Guttenberg (59), Rupert Grint (29), Stephen Fry (60), Dave Chappelle (44), Kristen Wiig (44), James Corden (39), Ty Burrell (50), Honor Blackman (92), Carrie-Anne Moss (50), Hayden Panettiere (28), RJ Mitte (25), Kim Cattrall (61), Kenny Rogers (79), Amy Adams (43), Andrew Garfield (34), Ben Barnes (36), Misha Collins (43), Jonathan Ke Quan (46), Joan Allen (61), James Marsters (55), Ray Wise (70), John Noble (69) and Sylvester McCoy (74).

Welcome all to a points bonanza! With the tragic demise of everyones favourite bumbling entertainer, Bruce Forsyth, almost everyone scored! 26 of us managed to list him in one way or another, so the leaderboard has changed dramatically. I wont list everyone, but well done all. Sadly we only have two people who have yet to score this year, but fear not, with four months to go, anything can happen!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Sonny Landham, 76, American actor (Predator, 48 Hrs., Lock Up), heart failure.
• Sir Bruce Forsyth, 89, English television presenter (The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right, Strictly Come Dancing) and entertainer.
• Robin Griffith, 78, Welsh actor. (Llais Blodyn Tatws, Y Barwn Coch o’r gyfres Siop Siafins).
• Liz MacKean, 52, British broadcast journalist (Newsnight), stroke.
• Dick Gregory, 84, American comedian and civil rights activist, heart failure.
• Sir Colin Meads, 81, New Zealand rugby union player, coach and manager, cancer.

In Other News

The former Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, is seriously ill in hospital. The church said the 84-year-old’s health had taken a “defining turn”. Cardinal Cormac became the tenth Archbishop of Westminster in March 2000, was made Cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II, before retiring from his role as archbishop in 2009. As archbishop, he was the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. For whatever good it will do, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the current Archbishop of Westminster, has asked for prayers. In a statement on the diocese of Arundel and Brighton website, where Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor used to be bishop, Cardinal Nichols said “these loving prayers are a source of great strength and comfort as he calmly ponders on all that lies ahead”, which most likely will be oblivion.

Earlier this week, Tom Cruise injured himself doing a stunt for the upcoming Mission: Impossible 6. Production will be shut down for around two months as a result. Variety first broke the news of the delay, which was then confirmed by the other Hollywood trades. Cruise was reportedly performing a stunt for the Christopher McQuarrie film where he had to jump between two buildings. He missed, which was the point, but on one of the takes, he landed wrong and broke his ankle. TMZ posted a video that’s likely the stunt in question. The director spoke to Empire about the whole situation and confirmed that, yes, Cruise broke his ankle. Yes, he’s okay. But no, he’s not sure how long the hiatus will be. The trades all have different estimations, from six weeks to three months. Cruise is well-known for doing his own stunts, especially in the Mission: Impossible movies. He famously hung off the side of the Burj Khalifa for the fourth film and hung off a flying plane for the fifth one. If there’s a seventh, you’d have to think that would be cut back significantly after this.

Willie Nelson was forced to cut his Salt Lake City concert short due to breathing problems, according to various reports from the scene. The 84-year-old singer was reportedly taken to a local hospital after exiting the stage during the early section of his performance at the USANA Amphitheatre. Nelson has battled multiple health complaints in recent years, but took to Twitter to calm fans by stating that he was “feeling better”, while blaming altitude sickness for his woes. “This is Willie,” he wrote. “I am sorry to have to cut the SLC show short tonight. The altitude got to me I am feeling better now & headed for lower ground.” A part of fans’ alarm comes from the various rumours Nelson has recently been plagued with; his publicist Elaine Shock was forced to release a statement that the musician was “perfectly fine”, after Radar Online quoted an anonymous source stating he was “deathly ill”. Several of his shows were cancelled at the start of the year due to a “bad cold”, but Nelson has since returned to the road. He’s also no stranger to online death hoaxes, even addressing the matter in his song ‘Still Not Dead’, off his latest album God’s Problem Child.

Silent Witness actress Liz Carr has said being attacked by a man with scissors was “very frightening” but that she was “relatively unscathed”. Carr, who plays forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery, was with her personal assistant when the assault happened near London’s Euston station. A man has been detained under the Mental Health Act, police said. “Thanks to everyone who has sent their love and good wishes following  last week’s stabbing,” Carr said. “Just to reassure you that whilst it was very frightening at the time, I came out of it relatively unscathed and was even back home later that night. “Looking forward to returning to filming on Silent Witness next week where thankfully all the violence is fake!” The 45-year-old, who uses a wheelchair, suffered minor cuts. Both women were taken to hospital and later discharged.

And finally, the grandmother who infamously tried to claim a £33million lottery jackpot by alleging she had put the ticket in the washing machine has died aged 49. ‘Lotto gran’ Susanne Hinte is believed to have had a heart attack at her home in Worcester yesterday afternoon. The grandmother-of-four contacted Camelot last year after claiming she found the winning ticket in her jeans which had been damaged in the wash. But when German-born Ms Hinte sent in the crumpled ticket, investigators from Camelot’s security team soon determined the ticket was not correct. Ms Hinte provoked a storm of criticism by the false lottery claim and later revealed she regretted the whole incident and felt suicidal. Last year she said: ‘I wanted to be dead. I couldn’t understand why all of a sudden I was hated by so many people. I didn’t do anything wrong.’ Although not famous enough for our needs, she would have scored quite nicely.

On This Day

• 1858 – Charles Darwin first publishes his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, alongside Alfred Russel Wallace’s same theory.
• 1940 – In Mexico City, Mexico exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky is fatally wounded with an ice axe by Ramón Mercader. He dies the next day.
• 1940 – World War II: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes the fourth of his famous wartime speeches, containing the line “Never was so much owed by so many to so few”.
• 1975 – Viking program: NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars.
• 1977 – Voyager program: NASA launches the Voyager 2 spacecraft.
• 1989 – The pleasure boat Marchioness sinks on the River Thames following a collision. Fifty-one people are killed.

Deaths

• 1825 – William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, English admiral and politician, Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1753)
• 1912 – William Booth, English preacher, co-founded The Salvation Army (b. 1829)
• 2013 – Elmore Leonard, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Matthew Perry (48), Jonathan Frakes (65), Kevin Dillon (52), Diana Muldaur (79), Jim Carter (69), Edward Norton (48), Robert Redford (81), Christian Slater (48), Madeleine Stowe (59), Roman Polanski (84), Denis Leary (60), Robert De Niro (74), Sean Penn (57), Steve Carell (55), James Cameron (63), Julie Newmar (84), Madonna (59), Jennifer Lawrence (27), Ben Affleck (45), Natasha Henstridge (43), Debra Messing (49), Jim Dale (82), Mila Kunis (34), Halle Berry (51) and Steve Martin (72).

Oh my! Points to award and a new table leader! With  the sad passing of Glen Campbell, 69 points go to Doug and 169 to Martin as he had him down as his Cert.  Luke and Dave also score 137 with their Cert, with the death of the world oldest man, Yisrael Kristal. The top three scorers now have nothing between them, one death is enough to secure the championship.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Chantek, 39, American hybrid orangutan who learned signing.
• Haruo Nakajima, 88, Japanese actor (Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Seven Samurai), pneumonia.
• Glen Campbell, 81, American singer (“Rhinestone Cowboy”, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”) and actor (True Grit), Grammy winner (1967, 2015), Alzheimer’s disease.
• Sitaram Panchal, 54, Indian actor (Peepli Live, Lajja, Slumdog Millionaire), kidney and lung cancer.
• Yisrael Kristal, 113, Polish-Israeli supercentenarian, world’s oldest living man.

In Other News

Singer Sinead O’Connor has sparked fresh concern over her mental health after posting a Facebook video in which she reveals she has wanted to kill herself for the past two years. The Irish songwriter, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, took to the social media site for a tearful confessional recording, opening up about how alone she has felt since losing custody of her 13-year-old son. In the video, posted from the Travelodge in New Jersey where she says she is now living, the 50-year-old said she suffers from three mental illnesses. “I’m all by myself, there’s absolutely nobody in my life. “I’m now living in a Travelodge motel in the arse-end of New Jersey. “[No one] except my doctor, my psychiatrist — who is the sweetest man on earth who says I’m his hero — and that’s about the only f**king thing keeping me alive at the moment. The fact that I’m his bloody hero … and that’s kind of pathetic.” O’Connor, who shot to fame in 1990 with the smash hit Nothing Compares 2 U, claims she is being treated “like shit” by family members who are refusing to take care of her. The thousands of comments from friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter mainly expressed concern for the singer’s well-being and urged her to seek help. Last May, the singer sparked a police investigation after she went missing after going on a bike ride with friends concerned she may have carried out her threats to take her own life.

Jeremy Clarkson will have to take a break from work for “quite some time” after contracting pneumonia, the TV presenter has said in a statement. The Grand Tour presenter was admitted to hospital on Friday after falling ill while on a family holiday in Majorca. The 57-year-old posted a message on social media saying: “To keep you up to date, I’ll be out of action for quite some time apparently.” He said it was “really annoying” as he had never had a day off work. Clarkson also thanked fans for “all the good wishes”. On Sunday, it was confirmed the former Top Gear host was being treated in a hospital on the Spanish island. Clarkson shared a photograph of tubes in his arm and his hospital identity tags around his wrist, writing: “Not the sort of bangles I usually choose on holiday.” Clarkson made light of the situation on social media, saying the show’s third co-presenter, James May, was now the only “functioning member” of the Grand Tour team, adding: “God help us.”

In what we would call a non-news story, The Queen is preparing to make Prince Charles King of England and abdicated the throne, according to reports. Queen Elizabeth, 91, intends to step aside when she turns 95. They said: “Out of the profound respect the Queen holds for the institution of monarchy and its stewardship, Her Majesty would want to make sure that she has done everything she can for her country and her people before she hands over. She is dutiful to her core. Her Majesty is mindful of her age and wants to make sure when the time comes, the transition of the Crown is seamless. I understand the Queen has given the matter considerable thought and believes that, if she is still alive at 95, she will seriously consider passing the reign to Charles.” Clarence House is making no comment about ‘Plan Regency’, which involves a piece of legislation called the Regency Act coming into force.

Ant McPartlin has revealed how his secret two-year addiction to super-strong painkilling drugs almost killed him. The 41-year-old I’m A Celebrity presenter told how he was rushed to hospital at 5am after an “insane” pills binge. “I was at the point where anything — prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs — I would take. And take them with alcohol, which is ridiculous. The doctors told me, ‘You could have killed yourself’. Ant knew the game was up as he pleaded with his wife Lisa to get him to hospital after bingeing on tramadol, morphine and alcohol while recovering from a second knee operation in June. He recalls: “It was five in the morning and I was screaming in pain so I rang Lisa. She was upstairs because I was living in the living room because I couldn’t get around. I said, ‘You’re going to have to call me an ambulance. I’m in a bad way’. Post-rehab, he’s now clean of all drugs other than paracetamol for the first time in three years — and looking healthy after losing a stone.

On This Day

• 1868 – The 8.5–9.0 M_w Arica earthquake struck southern Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing 25,000+ deaths and a destructive basin wide tsunami that affected Hawaii and New Zealand.
• 1961 – East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants’ attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started.
• 1964 – Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans are hanged for the Murder of John Alan West becoming the last people executed in the United Kingdom.
• 1969 – The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine to enjoy a ticker tape parade in New York City That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon.

Deaths

• 1910 – Florence Nightingale, Italian-English nurse and theologian (b. 1820)
• 1946 – H. G. Wells, English novelist, historian, and critic (b. 1866)
• 2009 – Les Paul, American musician (b. 1915)
• 2016 – Kenny Baker, English actor and musician (b. 1934)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Cara Delevingne (25), Jim Beaver (67), Sam J. Jones (63), Chris Hemsworth (34), Anna Gunn (49), Ian McDiarmid (73), Hulk Hogan (64), Antonio Banderas (57), Rosanna Arquette (58), Kylie Jenner (20), Anna Kendrick (32), Sam Elliott (73), Rhona Mitra (41), Gillian Anderson (49), Eric Bana (49), Melanie Griffith (60), Audrey Tautou (41), McG (48), Dustin Hoffman (80), Keith Carradine (68), Charlize Theron (42), Abbie Cornish (35), David Duchovny (57) and Tobin Bell (75).