Well! What can I say! A late showing by Chuck Berry last night saved us from another boring round up as we now have points to dispense!! Congratulations to Sylvia who gets 160 points for having him as a Cert and a well done to Mark, Nick and Debby, 60 points each for just listing him. Awesome job guys, let’s keep the momentum going, somehow…

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Ann Beach, 78, British actress (Fresh Fields).
• Skip Williamson, 72, American underground comix cartoonist (Snappy Sammy Smoot), renal failure, complications from heart disease and diabetes.
• Ed Whitlock, 86, English-born Canadian long distance runner, prostate cancer.
• James Bigby, 61, American convicted murderer and Eighth Amendment plaintiff (Bigby v. Dretke), executed by lethal injection.
• James Cotton, 81, American blues harmonica player (“Hard Again“), pneumonia.
• Sir Derek Walcott, 87, Saint Lucian poet and playwright, laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1992).
• Lawrence Montaigne, 86, American actor (The Great Escape, Star Trek, Escape to Witch Mountain).
• Bernie Wrightson, 68, American illustrator.
• Chuck Berry, 90, American rock and roll musician (“Johnny B. Goode“, “Maybellene“, “Roll Over Beethoven“). 

In Other News

Sir Michael Caine has dropped two stone amid growing fears that he might one day develop cancer. Caine84, has cut back on drinking and has thrown himself into a new healthy living regime as he wants to be around to see his grandchildren reach their late teens. He told the media: ‘I know my days are numbered and that’s the main worry.’ He continued: ‘I’ve had to cut back on the drinking and I’m always looking up what’s the best thing against cancer, so I’ll eat that or do this or not do that.’ The Oscar-winner – who has shed 30lbs on his health kick – admitted that he hopes to live at least another two years so he can be around for his grandchildren, six-year-old twins and a seven-year-old grandson. Sir Michael also credited his wife Shakira, 70, for keeping him going, as he admitted he would have been ‘dead long ago’ without her. He added: ‘Without her, I’d have been dead long ago. I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day and smoke several packs of cigarettes.’

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly has made a rare public appearance looking vastly different in a new charity video, after stepping back from the spotlight to battle both cancer and Parkinson’s Disease. The 74-year-old funnyman appeared pale, gaunt and subdued in a video calling for donations to Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day, in support of Alzheimer’s and dementia research. “Hello, Billy Connolly here asking for your cash,” he says to the camera. “Not for me obviously. I’ve got cancer and Parkinson’s and I definitely need a hair cut, but no,” he added, proving he had retained the sense of humour that made him famous. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2013 after an Australian fan who happened to be a doctor spotted him in a hotel lobby and advised him to seek medical advice for his “strange gait”. Just hours after Connolly was diagnosed with the degenerative disease he was told he had prostate cancer. He received treatment for the cancer soon after and was given the all-clear later that year. In an April 2016 interview, the comedian admitted he’d had suicidal thoughts since the Parkinson’s diagnosis.

And finally, Ben Affleck has said he has completed treatment for alcohol addiction. In a Facebook post, the Batman and Argo actor admitted that alcoholism was “something I’ve dealt with in the past and will continue to confront”. He said the latest course of treatment was “the first of many steps being taken towards a positive recovery”. His battles with drink problems stretch back more than 15 years, with his first reported stint in an alcohol treatment clinic taking place in 2001. In his new statement, he wrote: “I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. “I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step.” Sadly, with his recovery comes more bad news, he will star as Batman in the new upcoming film.

On This Day

• 1649 – The House of Commons of England passes an act abolishing the House of Lords, declaring it “useless and dangerous to the people of England”.
• 1895 – Auguste and Louis Lumière record their first footage using their newly patented cinematograph.
• 1932 – The Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened.
• 1982 – Falklands War: Argentinian forces land on South Georgia Island, precipitating war with the United Kingdom.

Deaths

• 1930 – Arthur Balfour, Scottish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1848)
• 1950 – Edgar Rice Burroughs, American soldier and author (b. 1875)
• 1982 – Randy Rhoads, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1956)
• 2008 – Arthur C. Clarke, British science fiction writer (b. 1917)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Brad Dourif (67), Luc Besson (58), Kurt Russell (66), Rob Lowe (53), Gary Sinise (62), John Boyega (25), Lesley-Anne Down (63), Patrick Duffy (68), Alan Tudyk (46), Erik Estrada (68),  Judah Friedlander (48), Eva Longoria (42), David Cronenberg (74), Will.i.am (42), Michael Caine (84), Sasha Grey (29), Billy Crystal (69), William H. Macy (67), Annabeth Gish (46), Jaimie Alexander (33), Aaron Eckhart (49), Liza Minnelli (71) and Ron Jeremy (64).

Next week peeps!

Welcome  Poolers, another week, another few pointless deaths. I shan’t waffle on, it’s a Sunday after all and we all need to get lazy! Those pants don’t get sat on by themselves!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Dave Hunt, 74, American comic book artist (Legion of Super-Heroes, Supergirl, Transformers), cancer.
• Robert Osborne, 84, American film historian and television host (Turner Classic Movies).
• Ron Bass, 68, American professional wrestler (CWA, CWF, WWF), complications from surgery.
• John Forgeham, 75, British actor (The Italian Job, Sheena, Footballers’ Wives).
• Tony Haygarth, 72, English actor (Chicken Run, Emmerdale, Dracula), Alzheimer’s disease.
• John Surtees, 83, British motorcycle racer, world champion (1956, 1958, 1959, 1960) and Formula One driver, world champion (1964), respiratory failure.
• Robert James Waller, 77, American writer (The Bridges of Madison County), multiple myeloma. 
• Joni Sledge, 60, American singer (Sister Sledge).

In Other News

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has said he has never been “so sick” as he has felt in recent weeks. He was speaking to dignitaries in the capital, Abuja, after returning from seven weeks of medical leave in the UK. His absence led to some anxiety in Nigeria with people speculating about the president’s health. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo was left in charge and Mr Buhari’s spokesperson has tweeted that he will formally return to power on Monday. The 74-year-old flew into an air force base in the northern city of Kaduna from London on Friday morning. Despite talking about how he felt, Mr Buhari did not reveal any details of his condition. He did say he was “feeling much better now” but added that further medical checks would be required. These comments will do little to reassure critics who are questioning whether the president is fit enough to hold office. It is the second time in less than a year that Mr Buhari has sought medical assistance overseas. Last June, he spent nearly two weeks, again in London, for treatment for an ear infection.

An Egyptian woman, believed to be the world’s heaviest at 500kg (1,102lb or 79 Stone), has undergone weight reduction surgery. A spokesperson at Mumbai’s Saifee Hospital said Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, 36, had lost 100kg since arriving in India in January, that’s one of me that is! “We are trying to get her fit enough to fly back to Egypt as soon as possible,” the hospital said in a statement. The spokesperson told the BBC that she was likely to lose more weight in the coming months. The surgery was performed by a team of doctors led by bariatric surgeon, Dr Muffazal Lakdawala. Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is used as a last resort to treat people who are dangerously obese.

Veteran French rocker Johnny Hallyday has announced that he is being treated for cancer, just hours before a glossy magazine was due to reveal his illness, describing it as a serious concern. “Johnny” – as his fans call the closest France has got to Elvis who is often dubbed “the biggest star you’ve never heard of” – was quick to reassure followers on Twitter that his life was not in danger. “I was actually screened a few months ago for cancer cells for which I am currently being treated,” he wrote. “My life is not in danger today,” added the 73-year-old. “I’m doing very well and am in good physical condition,” he added. Hallyday’s announcement came ahead of the publication on Thursday by Closer magazine, which claimed his condition was life threatening. British rock lovers may scoff, but Johnny enjoys cult following back home, having sold more than 100 million records in his decades-long career. His health has been the subject of media speculation since he was hospitalised in 2009 in the United States for complications following a hernia operation, and was put in an artificial coma. Hallyday is a colourful character loved for hits such as “Allumez le Feu”, but also home-grown versions of rock standards such as Elvis Presley’s Hound Dog and Bebop a Lula by Gene Vincent.

On This Day

• 1894 – Coca-Cola is bottled and sold for the first time in Vicksburg, Mississippi, by local soda fountain operator Joseph Biedenharn.
• 1950 – The Llandow air disaster occurs near Sigingstone, Wales, in which 80 people die when their aircraft crashed, making it the world’s deadliest air disaster at the time.
• 1994 – The Church of England ordains its first female priests.
• 2011 – A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant melts and explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after Japan’s earthquake.

Deaths

• 1942 – Robert Bosch, German engineer and businessman, founded Robert Bosch GmbH (b. 1861)
• 1955 – Charlie Parker, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1920)
• 1978 – John Cazale, American actor (b. 1935)
• 1999 – Yehudi Menuhin, American-Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1916)
• 2001 – Robert Ludlum, American author (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Terry Pratchett, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (b. 1948)

Last Week’s Birthdays

John Barrowman (50), Johnny Knoxville (46), Nina Hartley (58), Robert Glenister (57), Olivia Wilde (33), Sharon Stone (59), Jon Hamm (46), Chuck Norris (77), Juliette Binoche (53), Freddie Prinze Jr. (41), Rachel Weisz (47), Bryan Cranston (61), Rob Reiner (70), Tom Arnold (58), Ellen Muth (36), Shaquille O’Neal (45), Eva Mendes (43), Jolene Blalock (42), Paul Blackthorne (48), Liza Minnelli (71), Aaron Eckhart (49), Jaimie Alexander (33), Penn Jillette (62) and Ron Jeremy (64).

Next week peeps!

The evil flying monkeys didn’t disappoint us last week, they caught a few famous names for us, alas no points though. Maybe we should send them out again, just to keep them in tip top condition. But one thing is for certain “It’s game over man, game over!” for Bill Paxton, one of two men who was killed by an Alien, a Predator and a Terminator, the other being Lance Henriksen, who at 76 years old is looking like he should have beaten Paxton to the grave.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Bill Paxton, 61, American actor (Apollo 13, Aliens, Big Love), complications following heart surgery.
• Sir Gerald Kaufman, 86, British politician, MP for Manchester Ardwick (1970–1983) and Manchester Gorton (since 1983), Father of the House (since 2015).
• Joseph Wapner, 97, American judge and television personality (The People’s Court, Judge Wapner’s Animal Court).
• Tommy Page, 46, American singer and songwriter (“I’ll Be Your Everything“).

In Other News

Sir Bruce Forsyth has returned home after spending five nights in intensive care following a severe chest infection. The 89-year-old’s manager said he had been in St Peter’s Hospital in Surrey since Sunday. “Sir Bruce Forsyth is scheduled to return home from hospital later today and would like to thank everyone for their good wishes,” Ian Wilson said. He added the entertainer thanked hospital staff for their care. In 2015, the presenter underwent keyhole surgery after suffering two aneurysms, which were discovered when tests were carried out following a fall at his Surrey home. Sir Bruce left Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, having presented it since the first series, but his manager denied reports last October that he had retired from the entertainment industry. At the time, Mr Wilson said Sir Bruce was “recuperating from various health issues”, adding: “His sole focus at the moment is to continue getting better and he has made no formal or informal decision about retiring from show business.” Sir Bruce has not been seen in public recently, and was too frail to attend the funerals of close friends Ronnie Corbett and Sir Terry Wogan last year. In an interview last October, his wife said he was still having “a bit of a problem moving”. “He’s in incredible shape mentally but he gets very tired,” she said, adding: “With a little bit of luck he should be back.”

Geological time – that’s what French artist Abraham Poincheval is hoping to experience over the next week, as he is entombed inside a limestone rock. He will become the “beating heart” of the 12-tonne boulder, he says – discovering how that perspective warps time and space. Poincheval is conducting his experiment at Paris’s Palais de Tokyo gallery. A space the shape of his body – and air holes – have been carved into the rock. There is also a place for supplies of water, soup and dried meat. Cables will monitor his heart and provide an emergency video link. Journalists looked on as workmen pressed together the two halves of the rock at the gallery on Wednesday. “The purpose is to feel the ageing stone inside the rock,” Poincheval said during his weeks of preparation for the ordeal. At the time, he was coy about how he would go to the toilet, but in the moments running up to his entombment he came clean to AFP news agency, admitting he would urinate into empty water bottles and sit on a small container to excrete. And the smell? “The stone will absorb some of the smell,” he said. “I think I can take it.” If he emerges intact from the boulder, Poincheval plans to sit on a dozen eggs for the three or four weeks they take to hatch.

Former England batsman James Taylor has said that he was “shot a few yards across the room” by his defibrillator. Taylor was forced to retire from cricket aged 26 after being diagnosed with a heart condition in 2016. He was fitted with an internal defibrillator in June for his irregular heartbeat, and he said it has since gone off on one occasion. “I can’t trust my heart. It’s keeping me alive, just about, but it’s being very temperamental,” he said. Addressing new members of the Professional Cricketers’ Association in Birmingham, Taylor, now 27, said: “The defibrillator has kicked in with real force. “It shot me a few yards across the room, probably because I’m small. “That’s probably why I’ve got the anxieties I have now and I’m a little bit scared of exerting myself or pushing myself in some way. “I know the feeling when it does go off, when things aren’t quite right. It’s a scary feeling and it hurts. It does its job, that’s the most important thing.”

On This Day

• 1616 – Nicolaus Copernicus‘s book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is added to the Index of Forbidden Books 73 years after it was first published.
• 1836 – Samuel Colt patents the first production-model revolver, the .34-caliber.
• 1936 – First flight of Supermarine Spitfire advanced monoplane fighter aircraft in the United Kingdom.
• 1963 – American country music stars Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and their pilot Randy Hughes are killed in a plane crash in Camden, Tennessee.
• 1981 – The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, is launched by Sinclair Research and would go on to sell over 1.5 million units around the world.
• 1984 – Six thousand miners in the United Kingdom begin their strike at Cortonwood Colliery.

Deaths

• 1770 – Crispus Attucks, American slave (b. 1723)
• 1827 – Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1745)
• 1829 – John Adams, English sailor and mutineer (b. 1766)
• 1953 – Joseph Stalin, Soviet dictator and politician of Georgian descent, 2nd leader of the Soviet Union (b. 1878)
• 1963 – Patsy Cline, American singer-songwriter (b. 1932)
• 1982 – John Belushi, American actor (b. 1949)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Chase Masterson (54), Adam Baldwin (55), Kate Mara (34), Timothy Spall (60), Richard Coyle (45), John Turturro (60), Rae Dawn Chong (56), Mercedes Ruehl (69), Stephanie Beacham (70), Javier Bardem (48), Ron Howard (63), Jensen Ackles (39), Zack Snyder (51), Dirk Benedict (72), Roger Daltrey (73), Harry Belafonte (90), Bryce Dallas Howard (36), Daniel Craig (49), Nathalie Emmanuel (28), Rebel Wilson (37), Gates McFadden (68), Jon Bon Jovi (55), Chris Martin (40), Alexander Armstrong (47), Julie Bowen (47), Miranda Richardson (59), Charlie Brooker (46) and Dominique Pinon (62).

Next week peeps!

What a struggle it has been to find dead celebrities this week. Here at Dead Pool Towers we forgive you for not listing the names below, no wonder there were no klaxons!!! However, The Clock of Doom still swings the eternal pendulum and next week promises a deluge of deaths as we’re sending out the flying monkeys!!!! Beware all celebrities, a portent has been proclaimed!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, 90, Tongan royal, Queen Consort (1965–2006), Queen Mother (since 2006).
• Stephen Rhodes, 66, Irish radio presenter (BBC Three Counties Radio), motor neurone disease.
• David Waddington, Baron Waddington, 87, British politician, MP (1968–1974, 1979–1990), Home Secretary (1989–1990), Leader of the House of Lords (1990–1992), Governor of Bermuda (1992–1997). 
• Neil Fingleton, 36, English actor (Game of Thrones, 47 Ronin, Doctor Who) and basketball player, heart attack

In Other News

Shannen Doherty has completed chemotherapy! To mark the momentous date in her breast cancer journey — which is almost exactly two years since she was diagnosed in March 2015 — the Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed actress took to Instagram on Friday to share the  news with her followers. “#fbf to this morning… not that long ago. Last day of chemo. Exhausted,” Doherty’s caption begins. In the social media photo, 45-year-old Doherty, who is snuggled in between the sheets of her bed, stares solemnly into the camera. “Now that I’m done with chemo and radiation, the waiting game is here. Waiting for test. Waiting to see if I’m clear or not. Waiting for reconstruction. Waiting,” the post continues. She concludes: “I think when one gets cancer, they are always waiting to a certain extent. To those who know… I’m waiting with you. #cancerslayer.” Since she fist opened up about her cancer battle, the actress has frequently documented the ups and downs of the diagnosis on social media, including shaving her head, her first day of radiation, and going to her appointments with her mother by her side.

Leah Bracknell has opened up about finding the light in the darkness of her terminal cancer diagnosis. The former Emmerdale actress made an appearance on Friday’s Loose Women to update fans on her health. She first revealed news of her devastating diagnosis last October, later launching a GoFundMe page in the hope of raising £50,000 for pioneering treatment. Speaking about living with stage four lung cancer, “I feel positive about life. You get told that they can’t do anything to help you and I’m thinking, ‘What do I do now?’ “I can’t change the diagnosis, but I can choose how I respond. Initially you are in complete meltdown. I didn’t tell anyone for two or three days while I tried to think of a way to tell them positively.” She continued: “I am going to choose to make positive decisions, I am going to choose to embrace life and I’m going to choose to be thankful that I have life, because I might not have done. “I didn’t want doctors to ‘guestimate’ what they thought my prognosis could be. It is based on statistics that could be out of date and not about my age or type of cancer. I don’t wake up every day feeling fearful – I wake up feeling grateful and feeling happy.” She added: “It’s about taking back control and working with people to empower yourself.”

Actor Hugh Jackman has announced that his skin cancer has returned yet again. The X-Men actor posted an image on Instagram with a bandage covering his nose Monday, announcing that the disease he has battled five times before had reemerged. However, he is fine. He wrote: “Another basal cell carcinoma. Thanks to frequent body checks and amazing doctors, all is well. Looks worse with the [bandage] on than off. I swear! #wearsunscreen.” The actor has been treated for skin cancer six times. Jackman, who has described himself as “a good example of making sure you get checkups and listening to your wife”, first underwent treatment for basal cell carcinoma in 2013.

On This Day

• 1616 – Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun.
• 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba.
• 1909 – Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London.
• 1919 – President Woodrow Wilson signs an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park.
• 1935 – Adolf Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
• 1995 – The UK’s oldest investment banking institute, Barings Bank, collapses after a rogue securities broker Nick Leeson loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using futures contracts.

Deaths

• 1903 – Richard Jordan Gatling, American engineer, invented the Gatling gun (b. 1818)
• 2009 – Wendy Richard, English actress (b. 1943)
• 2012 – Richard Carpenter, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1929)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Smokey Robinson (77), Rhianna (29), Sidney Poitier (90), Ellen Page (30), Sophie Turner (21), Drew Barrymore (42), Kyle MacLachlan (58), Aziz Ansari (34), Edward James Olmos (70), Billy Zane (51), Sean Austin (46), Téa Leoni (51), Dakota Fanning (23), Kelly Macdonald (41), Peter Fonda (77), Jeri Ryan (49), Thomas Jane (48), Julie Walters (67), Kelsey Grammer (62), Tyne Daly (71), Anthony Daniels (71), Brenda Blethyn (71), Ivana Trump (68), Benicio Del Toro (50), Jeff Daniels (62), Ray Winstone (60), Molly Ringwald (49), John Travolta (63) and Cybill Shepherd (67).

Next week peeps!

It’s been a funny old week; although we’ve had no klaxons, quite a few interesting deaths have come to pass, along with half a dozen racehorses that wont be mentioned. No points to awards this week, but plenty to be getting on with.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Sara Coward, 69, British actress (The Archers), breast cancer.
• Damian, 52, British pop singer, cancer.
• Al Jarreau, 76, American jazz and R&B singer (“Moonlighting“, “Since I Fell for You“, “We Are the World“), seven-time Grammy winner, respiratory failure.
• Kim Jong-nam, 45, North Korean political figure, member of Kim dynasty, poisoned.
• Bruce Lansbury, 87, British-American television producer (Murder, She Wrote, The Wild Wild West, Knight Rider) and screenwriter, complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
• Dick Bruna, 89, Dutch author and illustrator (Miffy).
• George Steele, 79, American professional wrestler (WWF) and actor (Ed Wood), renal failure.
• Warren Frost, 91, American actor (Twin Peaks, Matlock, Seinfeld). 
• Daniel Vickerman, 37, South African-born Australian rugby union footballer (Brumbies, Waratahs, national team).

In Other News

Former boxer Michael Watson, the man who first started off The Dead Pool, was hurt in a suspected carjacking attempt last week in London, his friend has said. The 51-year-old, who suffered a near-fatal brain injury in a 1991 fight with Chris Eubank, was in a car with his carer when it was hit from behind. The carer tried to speak to the driver but was sprayed in the face with “some sort of ammonia”, former boxer Spencer Oliver told BBC Radio 5 live. Mr Watson was dragged along the road as a man drove off in his car, he said. Police said both men required hospital treatment, but their injuries were not life-threatening. Mr Oliver, who spoke to both Mr Watson and his carer, Lennard Ballack, after the incident, said the pair were at traffic lights in Chingford, east London, last Thursday when they got into difficulties. After a white Mercedes bumped into them, Mr Ballack got out, intending to tell the driver that no damage had been done, Mr Oliver said. But when he tapped on the car window, the driver leapt out and sprayed him with “some sort of ammonia”, he said. Mr Ballack fell to the ground and tussled with his attacker, while the passenger tried to hijack Mr Watson’s car, he added. Mr Watson got caught up in the seatbelt as he tried to get out. As the car was driven off, he was “hanging out of the door”, said Mr Oliver. The former boxer is now recovering at home from injuries to the skin caused by being dragged along the road. Mr Oliver said the incident had been traumatic and both men were still shaken up. Mr Watson’s 1991 WBO super-middleweight title fight with Mr Eubank left him partially disabled and ended his boxing career. He spent 40 days in a coma and had six brain operations and also made The Dead Pool Master a lot of dirty money!

The actor Harrison Ford has emerged unscathed following another mid-air mishap. Ford, 74, was told to land his single-engine plane on a runway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, on Monday, but he mistakenly landed it on a parallel taxiway, passing over an American Airlines jet holding nearby, NBC reported. “Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?” Ford is heard asking air traffic controllers in a recording. American Airlines Flight 1456, with 110 passengers and six crew, departed safely for Dallas a few minutes later. Ford’s publicist, Ina Treciokas, declined to comment. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor couldn’t confirm that Ford was piloting the Aviat Husky that overflew the Boeing 737, but he said the pilot received and had read back the proper landing instructions. The FAA is investigating. In March 2015, Ford was seriously injured when his second world war-era trainer crashed on a Los Angeles golf course when it lost power shortly after takeoff. The actor was praised for his ingenuity in avoiding more populated areas. In 1999, Ford crash-landed his helicopter during a training flight in which he and an instructor were practising auto rotations in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles; neither of them was hurt. An in another incident, Ford was flying a Beechcraft Bonanza in 2000 when wind shear forced him to make an emergency landing at Lincoln Municipal Airport in Nebraska. Ford and his passenger were uninjured when the plane clipped the runway.

The Jump has claimed its latest victim. Five-time Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins has quit TV winter sports show The Jump after breaking his leg. The former Tour de France winner said he was “gutted” after sustaining a “small leg fracture” while taking part in snowcross training. Channel 4 said Sir Bradley had been keen to continue but would not appear after the fourth show in the series. Last year, injuries to a number of celebrities prompted a review of safety procedures on the reality show. Sir Bradley, who announced his retirement from cycling in December, tweeted: “Gutted to be leaving The Jump. I wanted to give you an injury update. “Seen a specialist, I have a small leg fracture and need to rest for 3-6 weeks. Good news no surgery or cast required. “Huge thanks to the crew and good luck to all of the cast. Due to the way the show is filmed, I’ll still be on until show four, so tune in. Before his departure, model Vogue Williams left this season of the show after suffering a knee injury in training. Last year’s series of The Jump was dogged by injuries, which resulted in seven celebrities quitting the programme.

On This Day

• 1674 – England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transfers the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England, and it is renamed New York.
• 1847 – The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party.
• 1878 – Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
• 1985 – William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave hospital.
• 1985 – EastEnders, BBC‘s flagship soap opera, broadcasts for the first time.

Deaths

• 1994 – Derek Jarman, English director and set designer (b. 1942)
• 2001 – Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (b. 1913)
• 2016 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (b. 1932)
• 2016 – Harper Lee, American author (b. 1926)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Ashton Kutcher (39), Jennifer Aniston (48), Burt Reynolds (81), Jennifer Jason Leigh (55), Cristiano Ronaldo (32), Elizabeth Banks (43), Damien Lewis (46), Chloe Grace Moretz (20), Laura Dern (50), Chris Rock (52), Garth Brooks (55), Sheryl Crow (55), James Spader (57), Mia Farrow (72), Charlotte Rampling (71), Joe Pesci (74), Greg Norman (62), Sarah Palin (53), Christopher Guest (69), Michael Sheen (48), Nick Nolte (76), Seth Green (43), Axel Rose (55), John Grisham (62), Rick Astley (51) and Glenn Beck (53).

Next week peeps!