2023

**2023**

**MMXXIII**

* UK Prime Minister: Rishi Sunak
* FA Cup Winners: Manchester City (beat Man Utd. 2-1 - City win 'The Treble')
* Christmas Number One: Wham! - Last Christmas
* Eurovision Song Contest: Liverpool (UK), 09 - 13 May
	+ Contest Winner: Loreen - Tattoo (Sweden) ESC
	+ UK Eurovision Entry: Mae Muller - I Wrote a Song (position 25th)

* Blue Peter Team: Richie Driss, Mwaksy Mudenda, Joel Mawhinney
* Doctor Who: ***60th anniversary***: David Tennant & Ncuti Gatwa
* Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ: Greg James
* Big Christmas Day Film: *Toy Story 4* (afternoon), *Yesterday* (late night)

## Main events

* **Jan**: strikes and disputes continue; Prince Harry publishes autobiography, Conservative Party Chairman Nadhim Zahawi sacked
* **Feb**: teachers join strikes; massive earthquake hits Turkey/Syria; Zelensky visits UK; Biden visits Ukraine
* **March**: UK Govt's 'Stop the Boats', Gary Lineker suspended, Euro 2024 qualifiers begin
* **April**: conflict in Sudan; strikes continue
* **May**: Coronation of King Charles III, ESC in Liverpool
* **June**: COVID-19 enquiry begins, warmest June on record.
* **July**: Huw Edwards scandal
* **August**: England lose FIFA Women's Cup Final
* **September**:
* **October**: Middle East crisis
* **November**: Home Secretary sacked, David Cameron returns to govt.

TV
--

### New shows

(first broadcast date in brackets)

* BBC One: *Wild Isles,* *Anton & Giovanni's Adventures in Sicily, Great Expectations, Boiling Point, Planet Earth III*
* ITV: *Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream*
* C4: *Jamie's 5 Ingredient Meals*
* Netflix: *Bodies*

*full list*

### Returning shows

* *Happy Valley*, *Midsomer Murders*, *His Dark Materials, All Creatures Great and Small, Strictly Come Dancing, Deal or No Deal, The Crown* (S06),

### Other TV events

* Former *World of Sport* presenter Dickie Davies dies, aged 94
* That's 60s/70s/80s/90s TV launched

## Radio

* In January Ken Bruce announces on his Radio 2 show that he will be leaving the station at the end of March. Greatest Hits Radio confirms he will join in April, together with the Pop Master quiz. Gary Davies is interim host with new quiz 'Ten to the Top'.[1]
* Absolute Radio becomes a digital-only station.
* Greatest Hits Radio listeners vote Mr. Blue Sky as the top Feel Good Anthem.
* 15 May: Vernon Kay begins his regular mid-morning show on Radio 2 (replacing Ken Bruce)
* Richard Latto's *Stereo Underground* request show is 'saved' from local radio cuts, but moves to Wednesday nights (Sept.)
* Paul Gambaccini leaves *Pick of the Pops* (R2, final show 07 October), handing over to Steve Wright

2023 radio Wiki page

## Music

* Biggest singles: Miley Cyrus - Flowers, Dave and Central Cee - Sprinter, Raye featuring 070 Shake - Escapism (*full list*)
* Biggest albums: The Weeknd- *The Highlights* (2021), N2 Taylor Swift - *Midnights* (2022) N3 Taylor Swift - *1989 (Taylor's Version)*. N14 Lewis Capaldi - *Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent* (highest selling 2023 album of original material) (*chart here*)
	+ Compilation albums: *Now That's What I Call Music! 114 - 115 - 116, The Annual 2023* (Ministry of Sound), Now Dance The 80s, *Now That's What I Call 40 Years!*
* Debut albums: Romy - *Mid Air* (*full list*)
	+ Eponymous debuts - Blondshell,
* Alternative/independent: Artist - Title

## Films

*UK release (UK premiere in brackets, where known)*

* *Barbie* (12 July), *Oppenheimer* (13 July), *Haunted Mansion* (11 August), *Wonka* (08 December)

## Births

Births

* Name Surname (day)

## Birthdays

* **10**: Prince George of Wales
* **20**: Greta Thunberg, Olivia Rodrigo, Louise Windsor-Mountbatten, Tate McRae,
* **30**: Zayn Malik, Ariana Grande, George Ezra
* **40**: Cheryl Cole, Lee Ryan, Mika, Emily Blunt, Jack Savoretti, Vicky McClure
* **50**: Natalie Appleton, Dermot O'Leary, Peter Andre, Fran Healey, Kate Beckinsale, Scott Mills
* **60**: Seal, Julian Lennon, Mark Kermode, Jarvis Cocker, Johnny Marr, Russell T Davies, Armando Iannucci, Johnny Depp, Róisín Murphy, John Barnes
* **70**: Mike Oldfield, Pierce Brosnan, Griff Rhys Jones, Jim Davidson, Midge Ure
* **80**: Tony Blackburn, Mick Jagger, Roger Waters, Graeme Garden, Michael Palin, Anna Ford, John Major, Joni Mitchell, Paul Burnett
* **90**: Michael Aspel

## Deaths

* Alan Rankine (03 Jan., 64), Gianluca Vialli (06 Jan, 58), Jeff Beck (10 Jan, 78), Gina Lollobrigida (16 January, 95), David Crosby (18 January, 81), Burt Bacharach (08 February, 94), Raquel Welch (15 February, 82), Dickie Davies (19 February, 94), John Motson (23 February, 77), Ryuichi Sakamoto (28 March, 71)
* Mary Quant (13 April, 93), Harry Belafonte (25 April, 96), Andy Rourke (May, 59), Tina Turner (24 May, 83), Silvio Berlusconi (12 June, 86), Glenda Jackson (15 June, 87), Alan Arkin (29 June, 89)
* Milan Kundera (11 July, 94), Tony Bennett (21 July, 96), Trevor Francis (24 July, 69), Sinéad O'Connor (26 July, 56), Michael Parkinson (16 August, 88), Mike Yarwood (08 Sept., 82), David McCallum (25 September, 90)
* Bobby Charlton (21 Oct., 86), Matthew Perry (28 Oct., 54), Terry Venables (25 Nov., 80), Henry Kissinger (29 Nov., 100), Denny Laine (05 Dec., 79)

## See also

* 2023 Category page
* 2023 Calendar