So, let's get started before they begin dropping like flies.

THE RULES (as laid down by Sir Dimrill of The Dale)

1. You are permitted to choose up to 10 elder statesmen or stateswomen that you deem closest to the edge in 2025. If said person passes in the calendar year, ye shall be awarded a single shiny point
2. You may choose a MAXIMUM of 2 wildcards (see below). These wildcards are worth a WHOPPING FIVE points if they shuffle off before year's end
3. These must be public figures. If challenged on a choice, you must prove they worthiness to the collective
4. Wildcards must be under 50 years old at the time of list publishing. Standard picks must be 50 or older
5. Anyone found to be killing their picks directly will be disqualified. Let's keep this clean
6. Choices are final once the lists are published
7. Lists must be PM'ed to me (DavPaz) by Monday 13th January to be included
8. No Homers allowed
9. You can't pick someone who already died. I'LL KNOW!

Blucey's Bleak Choices
1. Joe Biden
2. Kathy Bates
3. George Foreman
4. Shakin' Stevens
5. Vladimir Putin
6. Wendy Craig
7. Sir Geoff Hurst
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger
9. Britney Spears (wildcard)
10. Kate Middleton (wildcard)

Grim...'s Grim Picks
1. Dick Van Dyke, surely, surely, surely it's this year
2. John "NA NA NAAAAA NAAAAA NAAAAA" Williams
3. Mel Brooks
4. Ian "Harold Bishop" Smith
5. Gene Hackman
6. Tom Baker
7. Prunella Scales
8. Esther Rantzen
9. Aw, naaaaaw! Hans Blix
10. Buzz Aldrin

MaliA's Malicious Afterthoughts
1. Judy Dench
2. Cliff Richard
3. Ken Clarke
4. Rick Stein
5. John Major
6. Brian Cox (Actor, not mountain whisperer)
7. Charles Dance
8. Mick Jagger
9. Rod Stewart
10. Sabrina Carpenter (WILDCARD)

DavPaz's Doom List
1. Joe Biden
2. Mel Brooks
3. Clint Eastwood
4. Dick Van Dyke
5. Patricia Routledge
6. Gene Hackman
7. Robert Duvall
8. Tom Baker
9. Billy Connolly
10. Bam Margera (WILDCARD!)

Kern's Cheerless Crew
1. Michael Heseltine
2. Dick Van Dyke
3. Neil Kinnock
4. Yoko Ono
5. Lulu
6. Rupert Murdoch
7. Tom Lehrer
8. Tony Blackburn
9. Alan Bennett
10. Liza Minnelli

GazChap's Gutwrenching Group
David Attenborough
Donald Trump
Rupert Murdoch
Clint Eastwood
Esther Rantzen
Pope Francis
Elton John
Dick Van Dyke
Wildcard: Kanye West
Wildcard: Justin Bieber

Squirt's "Snuffing It" Series of Stars of Stage and Screen.
1. Mel Brooks
2. Clint Eastwood
3. Will Shatner
4. Prunella Scales
5. Hulk Hogan
6. Ozzy Osbourne
7. Sean Combs / Puff Daddy / P Diddy
8. Elton John
9. Jean-Claude Van Damme
10. Harry Styles ( Wildcard )

I've just looked at my list from 2008 - Ozzy Osbourne is still toddling on, although the rest of my main list and one wildcard have since passed on.

If Elon or Donald die, everyone wins!

What is a Homer in this context?

It says "No Homers" - you're allowed to have one.

Though most of them are dead.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_(name)

jumpn' Jez Avery

Saddened by that. The Dirt curse strikes again.

Aw. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that clip or reference before. Still not sure what it means in relation to the rules, mind, but not important.

'No Homers' is a jokey rule that can be slipped into any rule set and it will elicit amusement from those that know, and mild confusion from those that don't - which is equally amusing.

There are probably other similar examples of similar rules, but we won't talk about them.

Ah, ok, I get it. Thank you! I’ve never heard it before and now that I have I bet that I start to hear it everywhere.

No shirts, no shoes.

No hat, no play.

No diggedy, no doubt

No woman, no cry.

No sheep 'til Buxton.

No shit, no Sherlock.

God no, please no

Last call for submissions.

First post updated with submitted lists.

BECAUSE I'M NICE, I will allow further submissions up until midnight tonight (central european time) BUT NO CHEATING as my niceness has BOUNDARIES

Unless I've forgotten how to use the search facility on here, we missed that Annie Nightingale died on 11 January 2024 .

Tony Slattery has had his last laugh.

Oddly I was considering buying tix to see his live show in a few months.

I'd give it a miss

Perfect.

Balls, I was going to choose her!

Paul Dannan

Oooh, Dannan.

No BBC article yet, but David Lynch had apparently peaked his last twin.

Busy year so far

Eraserdead

Dame Joan Plowright.

Denis Law.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/ar ... gvny01x9go

Busy busy...

John Sykes dropped D.

FFS - all the wrong people are dying!

According to our former lord and master, J Nash of Your Sinclair, Amiga Power, AP2, The Weekly, etc.

Oh no. Where has he announced that?

Not Reddit.

Bob is a sad hamster.

He was always my favourite YS/AP writer during my formative years. I’ve missed his writings in more recent years. RIP J Nash.

Bugger.

@Gazchap - yes, perfect.

Also Kieron Gillen has written about J Nash - https://buttondown.com/KieronGillen/arc ... l-and-god/

Thanks for posting those [EDIT and the one JBR links to above]

Both well-worth reading.

Such a great writer, and so influential to so many of us.