2014 Death Pool

So 2013 is winding down and the Death Pool is coming to a close for another year. It looks to be something of a controversial end as despite leading all year Claire is going to be pipped at the post due to a previously unnoticed death back in February of renowned (*cough*) pianist Van Cliburn.

Make sure you double check your 2013 entries in case you missed one slipping away!

If you would like to take part in 2014 and didn't get the email invite already then please let me know ASAP and I'll send you the link for submitting your 2014 list. We'll sort out the monies in the new year.  Rules and links to previous lists are linked in the top left (on mobile you need to click "view desktop version") for info and inspiration.

Remember it is the unique picks that bag the bonus points. Any dubious selections will be checked by the end of the week to make sure we're all happy they are famous enough!

Good luck.

The Great Life Robbery

December is proving a fruitful month for a bit of last minute action in the Death Pool table. After the Mandela anti-climax when we realised everyone had him, there have been a couple more less popular picks.

First the oddly popular Ronnie Biggs who has wielded his last finger at the cameras having survived 4 years after wangling his way out of prison on compassionate grounds. Sneaky.

And then this weekend saw the passing of popular sports commentator and Question of Sport host David Coleman. He actually has the dubious honour of being top Death Pool points scorer of 2013 (so far) as he was the second celeb to bag the chooser a 5 point bonus for a unique pick - well played Chris Walker!

No damage to Claire at the top of the table though as she had Biggs for a record 5-timer to maintain a healthy lead.  It probably needs an obscure one in the next week to change things there.  Culkin or Bowie anyone?

I'll also be in touch soon for Death Pool 2014 picks.  They need to be in by December 31st so get your thinking caps on!

Full Nelson

So another one of favourites has given up the goose. Ironic really that we were thinking the cold winter weather might nab a few of the oldies but this one was down in the Southern Hemisphere and soaking up a bit of summer sun.

There has been the standard outpouring of affection for Nelson Mandela, who has done more than most to bag his spot in the history books. Impressive considering he spent 25 years in prison. He's a good example of rehabilitation though, as despite his attempt to nick the World Cup in the photo here, as far as I know he never reoffended.

Not much change in the table as pretty much everyone had Nelson on the list. Claire is still the one to beat but only a few weeks to go now.

Wing and a Prayer

So I was just thinking we'd had a very quiet time of it recently, but it looks like someone managed to slip through the cracks!

Claire has taken the lead through the sneaky unique pick (5 bonus points) of Anna Wing who is best known for playing central Eastenders character Lou Beale in the first few years of the show.  For those with hazy memories of the 80's she was Ian Beale's Grandmother and Pauline's Mum.

She died in her sleep in July at the ripe old age of 98 having not done a lot since being killed off the #1 soap. Probably mainly sitting eating Werther's with a blanket on her lap.  With a cat.

Sir Henry

A sad day for horse racing fans as legendary trainer Sir Henry Cecil finally succumbed to cancer.

He was a prolific producer of classic winners over the past 30 odd years, although perhaps best associated now with his most famous (and best) horse Frankel that beat all comers and has now retired to "perform" for something mad like £125k a squirt!

I was surprised to find Chris didn't have Sir Henry in his "stable" for 2013, but his list is made up mainly of people he doesn't like, so as a huge racing fan I can see why he left him out. Unfortunately this now leaves him the only pointless player at the bottom of the table.

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead

Well she took her time didn't she?

A mainstay on the Death Pool lists since it's inception, Margaret Thatcher finally gave up the ghost last week after several years out of the public eye suffering from ill health.

Ignoring all the political stuff, my favourite story about Maggie relates to her "invention" of Mr Whippy ice cream.  A favourite pub quiz question, it's apparently a mere half truth according to the Guardian, but a fun fact anyway as she did work on the formula.

It doesn't particularly shake up the leaderboard as no fewer than 5 people had both Thatcher and the other recently deceased political leader Hugo Chavez.  It's going to take a bit of showbiz excess to give us some real action - we're still waiting on the 2013 version of Wino and Whitney.

Good luck folks!

Calm Down Dear

Miss Fox is the first to get a selection up in 2013 with the shrewd choice of British director Michael Winner, best known in his final years for popping up with his "calm down dear" catchphrase in the esure TV ads.

Actually our "fun only" entrant Mr Anonymous also picked out Mr Winner, but being a high flying celebrity himself feels it inappropriate to identify himself in the public domain.  Boring.

Still no movement in the Mandela or Thatcher camps then...

Popular Double Act

It would seem Thatcher and Mandela have a lot of friends in the Death Pool.

The 2013 competition has once again attracted 14 players for some morbid fun and games, with only two of those omitting the Iron Lady, while Mr Mandela is the clear 2nd favourite.

You can now view everyone's selections via the link on the top left of this page. I think they all seem genuine enough, but let me know if you think anyone is stretching the boundaries of the term "celebrity". Having seen some of the CBB intro this evening I don't think the moniker takes much getting these days.

We have one person electing to play for fun only (Mr Anonymous) so far, and I'll be tapping up the others who have yet to contribute tomorrow.  However it looks like we'll have 13 x £10 in the pot this year, so will likely go for a £90/£40 split of the spoils for 1st and 2nd places.  I'll confirm that once all the cash is safely collected.

Best of luck and keep an eye on those obits - especially those with sneaky obscure foreigners in your ranks. You gotta claim it to get the points!