2006
Top Selling Singles
- Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean Hips – Don’t Lie
- Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
- Scissor Sisters I – Don’t Feel Like Dancin’
- Sandi Thom – I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)
- The Notorious BIG featuring Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge & Avery Storm – Nasty Girl
- Infernal – From Paris To Berlin
- Orson – No Tomorrow
- Justin Timberlake – Sexyback
- Nelly Furtado – Maneater
- Shayne Ward – That’s My Goal
Christmas No.1: Leona Lewis – A Moment Like This
Top Selling Albums
- SNOW PATROL – EYES OPEN
- TAKE THAT – BEAUTIFUL WORLD
- SCISSOR SISTERS – TA DAH!
- ARCTIC MONKEYS – WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM, THAT’S WHAT I’M NOT
- THE KOOKS – INSIDE IN / INSIDE OUT
- RAZORLIGHT – RAZORLIGHT
- OASIS – STOP THE CLOCKS
- WESTLIFE – THE LOVE ALBUM
- P!NK – I’M NOT DEAD
- JAMES MORRISON – UNDISCOVERED
At the Box Office
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
- Casino Royale [clip]
- The Da Vinci Code
- Ice Age: The Meltdown
- Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
- X-Men: The Last Stand
- Cars
- Superman Returns
- Mission:Impossible III
- Happy Feet
Cost of Living
| Average house price | £166,000 |
| Average salary | £23,500 |
| Average car price | £16,700 |
| Petrol | 92p / litre |
| Pint of beer | £2.50 |
| Packet of 20 Cigarettes | £4.76 |
| Pint of milk | 36p |
In the News
- Securitas depot robbery: In February, around £53 million was stolen from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent, in the largest cash robbery in British crime history.
- Alexander Litvinenko poisoning: A former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, died in London in November after being poisoned with Polonium-210, an event that sparked a diplomatic row with Russia.
- Ipswich serial murders: The bodies of five women were discovered near Ipswich in December, a case which dominated headlines towards the end of the year and led to the arrest and later charging of local man Steve Wright.
- Transatlantic aircraft plot: In August, police made numerous arrests in connection with a plot to blow up multiple transatlantic airliners using liquid explosives, leading to stringent, lasting security measures at airports.
- Politics and Tony Blair: Prime Minister Tony Blair faced significant political pressure and announced that the 2006 Labour Party conference would be his last as leader. There was also the unfolding “Cash-for-Honours” scandal, in which Blair was interviewed by police, the first time a serving prime minister had been questioned in a criminal investigation.
- The Thames Whale: In January, a northern bottle-nose whale was discovered swimming in the River Thames in London, an unusual event that captured public attention.
- Football World Cup: The England national team competed in the World Cup in Germany, eventually losing to Portugal on penalties in the quarter-finals.
- Richard Hammond’s crash: Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond suffered a serious brain injury after crashing a jet-powered car while filming for the show.
- Smoking ban in Scotland: A smoking ban in all enclosed public places came into effect in Scotland, a year ahead of similar legislation in England and Wales.
On the Telly
- ITV debuts Soapstar Superstar, a singing talent contest in which soap actors compete to become series champion
- Debut of Life on Mars on BBC One and ITV’s pilot programme of Dancing on Ice
- Chantelle Houghton, a model from Essex, wins the fourth series of Celebrity Big Brother after entering the series as a “fake” celebrity. In order to remain as a contestant she was required to convince the other participants that she was a famous singer
- Dick & Dom in da Bungalow comes to an end after four years on CBBC. [clip]
- The Price Is Right returns to ITV1 after a five year absence with Joe Pasquale as host.
- The first ever Soccer Aid football match takes place at Old Trafford
- Matt Willis of boy band Busted wins the sixth series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!.
- Actress Wendy Richard makes her final appearance in EastEnders after her character, Pauline Fowler, is killed off.
Music
- Finland’s Lordi win the Eurovision Song Contest (staged in Athens) with “Hard Rock Hallelujah”.
Top Selling Christmas Toys
- Nintendo Wii – £169 (£237.50)
- My Furreal Friends Pony – £206.26 (£289.86)
- Tickle Me Elmo – £27.50 (£38.65)
Gadgets
- Trunki ride-on children’s suitcase
- Nokia N91 mobile phone
- Sky HD service & HDTV