Who got dropped from the Articulate cards?

The Sunday Times Rich List? Poor.

The BAFTA red carpet? Boring.

Twitter Blue Ticks? Give me strength.

No – there’s only one way that the great and good can truly demonstrate that they’ve really arrived. That they play a valued, beloved and central role in British society. That, in short, they are A Somebody.

As custodians of ‘who’s on the Articulate cards’, we take our role very seriously. We try to keep things current, and can be most brutally ruthless when celebrities fade from the public view. We do agonise over most decisions – but we’ve also been delighted to give certain characters the bum’s rush over the years. (We might write another blog post on that at some point).

This is our second update on who’s in the 'person' category, and who’s been dropped – six decisions we made, which you might or might not agree with! You can read part one here.

6 (more) people no longer in the game

CHRIS WHITTY was replaced by WAYNE ROONEY

We’ll start with a follow-up to that first blog – the eminent medic was introduced as recently as 2023, so this was a short stint indeed. But we don’t think he’ll mind. Naturally averse to the idea of celebrity, the Professor has been quietly determined to take a background seat after the intensity of COVID. (We’d be astonished if he hadn’t been offered a slot on Strictly). We subbed on Wayne in his place…

GARETH SOUTHGATE was replaced by STACEY DOOLEY

…but football’s a fickle world, so just as we announce the selection of Wayne, we ruthlessly drop Gareth – some irony there for the England fans amongst you. Taking Southgate’s position on card #483 is Dooley – no, not fifties Sheffield Wednesday legend Derek, but journo, campaigner and all-round national treasure Stacey.

SCOOBY DOO was replaced by FREDDIE MERCURY

Too brutal? Scooby-based content has continued to flow from Warner Bros up until recently, but the glory days are surely behind our favourite gluttonous mutt as the cool kidz move on to new things. Contrast with Freddie, who left us well over two decades ago, but who retains legendary status amongst millions. Ayyyy-ohhhhh!!!

VERNON KAY was replaced by TESS DALY

Ooh. Awkward. We think this is the first spousal pairing to find themselves in this situation, and apologise if this causes any family conflict over their own Articulate showdowns. We might be being harsh – Kay might no longer be ubiquitous on our screens, but replacing Ken Bruce gave him one of the biggest jobs in Radio. But that’s what happens when you’re married to a supermegagigastar.

GORDON RAMSEY was replaced by THE GODFATHER

One’s the pitilessly ruthless overseer of his own built-up-from-scratch empire, the other’s… well, you can see where we’re going here. Perhaps this is tough on Mr. Ramsey, genuinely one of the great chefs and restaurateurs of his era, but isn’t he now just another Freeview telly personality? We’ve made the call – Gordon, you’re off the menu. Don't shout at us.

CAROL McGIFFIN was replaced by FATHER BROWN

The Loose Women stalwart is no longer a fixture on Britain’s screens – who to choose instead? Well, we stuck to daytime TV for our replacement. TBH, we found ourselves surprised that we’d never featured this amiable cleric before, whose gentle portrayal by actor Mark Williams is now on its one-hundred-and-twenty-fourth series on the BBC.