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As we are about to bid farewell to 2025 and welcome in 2026, I thought that I would mention the highlights of 2025 which I think shaped what the year would be remembered for, both officially and personally.
The "Top Twenty" events of 2025 happen to be, as far as I am concerned:
1) The two main changes of Christian leaders - sadly, the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 had occurred, and he was replaced by Pope Leo XIV, and happily, the election of Sarah Mullally, became the first female Archbishop of Canterbury to replace Justin Welby. I look forward to Mullally's enthronement in 2026, and sooner than that, I look forward to her New Year's Day message - I really missed the 2025 message because of Welby's resignation.
2) Remember Monday performing What the Hell Just Happened? at the Eurovision Song Contest in May - it was such an eccentric, sexy and memorable performance in Switzerland - credit to the girls involved! Italy gave us the full 12 points with a historic cartoon mouse character as the country's spokesperson. I thought that Italy's entry reminded me of something that Sir Paul McCartney and Wings would have performed in around 1976! My own choice was Luxembourg's Laura Thorn whose on-screen presentation while performing made me think that such an act was preceded in the recent past but was so great - I voted for her in the telephone poll. Speaking of the Eurovision Song Contest, we sadly lost longtime UK spokesman Colin Berry as well as our 1971 entrant Clodagh Rodgers in 2025 as well. I wonder whether the UK will take part in 2026 considering what is happening in Israel at the moment?
3) WHSmith becoming TGJones in High Streets and shopping centres around Great Britain - I still cannot get used to the name change! I suppose that Smith has become the next Rumbelows or Woolworths when it comes to its name disappearing.
4) Zhao Xintong becoming the first Chinese snooker player to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible on the May Day Bank Holiday Monday.
5) The horrible incidents which has happened in the UK in 2025 such as the Manchester synagogue attack in October; the Cambridgeshire train stabbing in November (and the derailment in Shap, Cumbria two days later); and the Liverpool parade in May. It was the first time that I have travelled by train for many years because of the National Express coach being fully booked, and so therefore it didn't help with trying to pluck up courage of travelling by rail too much when hearing about the train incidents a couple of months later.
6) Tim Davie resigning as Director-General of the BBC because of that Panorama business. I am proud of the Corporation that they have defended itself and that it will not pay a single penny or cent to the American President Donald Trump, and I hope that it stays like that. I am certain that the BBC will overcome this. I am a Licence Fee (qv) payer, and I am proud of it!
7) Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor losing his Prince and Duke of York titles over that Epstein business. It is Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie who I feel sorry for and my sympathies are with them.
8) The Lionesses winning the women's Euro 2025 final in July, beating Spain 3-1 on penalties. And some on-air profanity heard on BBC Five Live two days later on their open bus tour.
9) Sarah Pochin winning the Runcorn and Helsby by-election on Thursday 1st May with a majority of just six votes. Nigel Farage obviously getting excited about it for all the obvious reasons. Reform also won on the County Council in my area on the same day.
10) The announcement that the voting age will be lowered from 18 to 16, although I have have been able to vote since 1996, it won't make much difference to myself.
11) Gary Lineker hanging up his microphone after 26 years of presenting Match of the Day. I don't think he will go back to advertising Walkers Crisps in the ad breaks either.
12) The sad passing of the oldest member of the Royal Family, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at the age of 92, Ironically, just like the late HM Queen Elizabeth II, they had both passed away on the second Thursday in September in their 90s both in different years.
13) Angela Rayner resigning as both Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of the of the Labour Party after admitting underpaying stamp duty on her home in Hove, East Sussex. She was replaced by David Lammy as Deputy Prime Minister and Lucy Powell as Deputy Leader.
14) The conviction of a 92-year-old man in Bristol back in June for the murder of Louisa Dunne who was killed in 1967 - the victim was born in 1892 during Queen Victoria's final decade of her reign.
15) The death of The Vivienne at the start of the year really shocked me as they had only appeared on the Christmas edition of Blankety Blank around a week before the news broke.
16) The solar eclipse of 29th March in which some people saw in the UK.
17) The cost of the annual TV Licence increasing by five pounds to a total of 174.50 - although it happened on 1st April, it was not an April Fools joke. I suppose it's still good value to receive TV channel without advertising.
18) Ethel Caterham becoming the world's oldest person, at the age of 115 years and 252 days - she is the last surviving person born in the 1900s, i.e. the first decade of the 20th century.
19) The ongoing Gaza War between the Gaza Strip and Israel. That is all I need to say there.
20) The most recent one: Dame Jayne Torvill and Sir Christopher Dean finally getting their Damehood and Knighthood respectively after 50 years in professional ice-skating, courtesy of the 2026 New Year Honours' List. As a Nottingham person, born not far from where Torvill and Dean both grew up - Torvill in Clifton Dean in Calverton - I am really pleased and delighted for them both to receive this well-deserved and well-waited for achievement and accolade to their sport, now they have finally retired. I also saw the ITV1 documentary about them Sunday 28th December as well. As I was born on the same day as another skater, Sinead Kerr, I know that they all mean something special to me.
And finally... a personal Post Script from Yours Truly:
21) In November my bank contacted me to say that the debt that had increased due to a credit card as a result of inflation and the cost of living crisis in 2024 would finally be completely written off by the end of that month which was such a huge weight off my own mind and it had meant that I can move on with my life. But I would like to take my bank on due to the stress and depression that I had while it was still with me. Perhaps that is something I can think about in 2026? I am thinking about it...
What are your highlights of 2025? - What will you remember the year for? - I hope that life will get better in 2026!
The "Top Twenty" events of 2025 happen to be, as far as I am concerned:
1) The two main changes of Christian leaders - sadly, the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 had occurred, and he was replaced by Pope Leo XIV, and happily, the election of Sarah Mullally, became the first female Archbishop of Canterbury to replace Justin Welby. I look forward to Mullally's enthronement in 2026, and sooner than that, I look forward to her New Year's Day message - I really missed the 2025 message because of Welby's resignation.
2) Remember Monday performing What the Hell Just Happened? at the Eurovision Song Contest in May - it was such an eccentric, sexy and memorable performance in Switzerland - credit to the girls involved! Italy gave us the full 12 points with a historic cartoon mouse character as the country's spokesperson. I thought that Italy's entry reminded me of something that Sir Paul McCartney and Wings would have performed in around 1976! My own choice was Luxembourg's Laura Thorn whose on-screen presentation while performing made me think that such an act was preceded in the recent past but was so great - I voted for her in the telephone poll. Speaking of the Eurovision Song Contest, we sadly lost longtime UK spokesman Colin Berry as well as our 1971 entrant Clodagh Rodgers in 2025 as well. I wonder whether the UK will take part in 2026 considering what is happening in Israel at the moment?
3) WHSmith becoming TGJones in High Streets and shopping centres around Great Britain - I still cannot get used to the name change! I suppose that Smith has become the next Rumbelows or Woolworths when it comes to its name disappearing.
4) Zhao Xintong becoming the first Chinese snooker player to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible on the May Day Bank Holiday Monday.
5) The horrible incidents which has happened in the UK in 2025 such as the Manchester synagogue attack in October; the Cambridgeshire train stabbing in November (and the derailment in Shap, Cumbria two days later); and the Liverpool parade in May. It was the first time that I have travelled by train for many years because of the National Express coach being fully booked, and so therefore it didn't help with trying to pluck up courage of travelling by rail too much when hearing about the train incidents a couple of months later.
6) Tim Davie resigning as Director-General of the BBC because of that Panorama business. I am proud of the Corporation that they have defended itself and that it will not pay a single penny or cent to the American President Donald Trump, and I hope that it stays like that. I am certain that the BBC will overcome this. I am a Licence Fee (qv) payer, and I am proud of it!
7) Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor losing his Prince and Duke of York titles over that Epstein business. It is Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie who I feel sorry for and my sympathies are with them.
8) The Lionesses winning the women's Euro 2025 final in July, beating Spain 3-1 on penalties. And some on-air profanity heard on BBC Five Live two days later on their open bus tour.
9) Sarah Pochin winning the Runcorn and Helsby by-election on Thursday 1st May with a majority of just six votes. Nigel Farage obviously getting excited about it for all the obvious reasons. Reform also won on the County Council in my area on the same day.
10) The announcement that the voting age will be lowered from 18 to 16, although I have have been able to vote since 1996, it won't make much difference to myself.
11) Gary Lineker hanging up his microphone after 26 years of presenting Match of the Day. I don't think he will go back to advertising Walkers Crisps in the ad breaks either.
12) The sad passing of the oldest member of the Royal Family, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at the age of 92, Ironically, just like the late HM Queen Elizabeth II, they had both passed away on the second Thursday in September in their 90s both in different years.
13) Angela Rayner resigning as both Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of the of the Labour Party after admitting underpaying stamp duty on her home in Hove, East Sussex. She was replaced by David Lammy as Deputy Prime Minister and Lucy Powell as Deputy Leader.
14) The conviction of a 92-year-old man in Bristol back in June for the murder of Louisa Dunne who was killed in 1967 - the victim was born in 1892 during Queen Victoria's final decade of her reign.
15) The death of The Vivienne at the start of the year really shocked me as they had only appeared on the Christmas edition of Blankety Blank around a week before the news broke.
16) The solar eclipse of 29th March in which some people saw in the UK.
17) The cost of the annual TV Licence increasing by five pounds to a total of 174.50 - although it happened on 1st April, it was not an April Fools joke. I suppose it's still good value to receive TV channel without advertising.
18) Ethel Caterham becoming the world's oldest person, at the age of 115 years and 252 days - she is the last surviving person born in the 1900s, i.e. the first decade of the 20th century.
19) The ongoing Gaza War between the Gaza Strip and Israel. That is all I need to say there.
20) The most recent one: Dame Jayne Torvill and Sir Christopher Dean finally getting their Damehood and Knighthood respectively after 50 years in professional ice-skating, courtesy of the 2026 New Year Honours' List. As a Nottingham person, born not far from where Torvill and Dean both grew up - Torvill in Clifton Dean in Calverton - I am really pleased and delighted for them both to receive this well-deserved and well-waited for achievement and accolade to their sport, now they have finally retired. I also saw the ITV1 documentary about them Sunday 28th December as well. As I was born on the same day as another skater, Sinead Kerr, I know that they all mean something special to me.
And finally... a personal Post Script from Yours Truly:
21) In November my bank contacted me to say that the debt that had increased due to a credit card as a result of inflation and the cost of living crisis in 2024 would finally be completely written off by the end of that month which was such a huge weight off my own mind and it had meant that I can move on with my life. But I would like to take my bank on due to the stress and depression that I had while it was still with me. Perhaps that is something I can think about in 2026? I am thinking about it...
What are your highlights of 2025? - What will you remember the year for? - I hope that life will get better in 2026!
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