Retrospectacle

From music history to royal shocks & scandals celebrity

-  MATT ROPER

2024: A YEAR THAT KEPT SPRINGING SURPRISES

This time last year, if we had been shown the script for 2024, few of us would have believed it. It was the year of the unexpected, including singer Raye making history at the Brits. There were also royal shocks, showbiz scandals, tragic deaths and unforeseen international events.

Just months in, three senior royals announced they were battling cancer.

We also lost stars such as Dr Michael Mosley and Liam Payne.

We ended up talking about mystery drones, exploding pagers, the return of "milkshaking" and the misfortune of a rather well-endowed pole vaulter at the Olympics.

And of all the people we thought may lose their jobs, they probably didn't include a trusted BBC news presenter, the Archbishop of Canterbury and a dictator who seemed unshakable.

One of the first major events was ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, about the miscarriage of justice suffered by many subpostmasters.

The year also began with the King announcing he was battling cancer, just weeks after the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, told how she had been diagnosed with the disease.

Then, the Princess of Wales revealed she had cancer and was having chemo.

It seemed to make her and husband William even closer. But other famous couples' relationships ended.

They included Hollywood stars Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher, comedians Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont, and TV presenters Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes.

Meanwhile, pop star Geri Horner stood by her husband, Formula 1 boss Christian, after claims he sent inappropriate messages to a female colleague.

He was later cleared by an internal investigation. But other people's careers - and reputations - are in ruins.