The Sloppy Dog 2010 Honours List

Well, that’s 2010 done and dusted. A bit awesome, a bit disappointing, and overall, very cold indeed. So assuming that we’re not on the eve of a new and unforgiving Ice Age, we hope to see you in 2011. And to see in the New Year, we unveil our newest entrants into the Sloppy Dog Hall of Fame for services to pop culture...

Mel & Sue
A duo whose daily servings of Light Lunch were the cause of many a break in frenetic essay-scrawling for students in the late 90s, it was a joy to see them reunited for The Great British Bake-Off. Everyone crowing about the supposed Chiles/Bleakley chemistry needs to take a look at Mel and Sue in action to see how an on-screen partnership is really done.


Edgar Wright
The story of Scott Pilgrim vs The World was obviously a great starting point, but in bringing it to life on the big screen, Edgar Wright proved to be a true artist. A flurry of beautiful, simple blink-and-you’d-miss-it quirks; a visual feast for indie gamer geeks across the globe; and an explosion of colourful, gripping, brilliantly unpretentious action, it was the mark of a unique British director capable of knocking Hollywood’s trite principles right out of the park.


Gamu Nhengu
Not only did Gamu prove to be one of the most talented participants in this year’s X Factor, but what she had to consequently endure at the hands of the British press via Autotune-gate and the deportation saga made her a truly admirable figure. Plus, if nothing else, her unreasonable dismissal at the Judges’ Houses stage inadvertently brought about a much-needed backlash for the so-called Nation’s Sweetheart.



Tomasz Schafernaker
Three cheers for the creatine-guzzling weather legend who’s made the daily forecasts as entertaining as a Catherine Tate Christmas Special. Aside from the now-infamous middle finger incident, or his beaming pride at pronouncing Ejyafjallajökull, this brilliant queeny strop at a sarky news gimp is the perfect example of what Britain needs in its weathermen.



Sam Pepper
While Big Brother bowed out on a low thanks to its hideous Ultimate series, one housemate in Big Brother 11 helped make it one of the most entertaining in years. To live with, the barbed, plain-speaking irritant that was Sam Pepper would’ve driven anyone insane, but to watch, his droll commentary and razor-sharp one-liners proved absolutely brilliant.


Victoria Coren
Truth be told, we have a hard enough time figuring out the Egyptian hieroglyphs on Only Connect, never mind the questions. Thankfully, the deadpan hilarity that comes from its modestly-dazzling, panache-riddled presenter gives the show a whole other level on which it can be enjoyed, and regularly spills over into La Coren’s similarly mirthful Twitter feed.



We Are Scientists
Keith Murray and Chris Cain can seemingly do no wrong. Committed to record, their output is exceptional. In the live arena, they’re the perfect mix of electrifying and flawless. And in terms of personality, you’d be hard pushed to encounter musicians as naturally hysterical. Combine the three, and in We Are Scientists, you’ve got the ultimate popstars.


Nicolo Festa
While his X Factor career was never going to be a lengthy one, his refreshing honesty since his elimination has been hysterical (without reaching Brookstein levels of bitterness). Highlights include openly calling Simon Cowell a motherfucker, and, following Katie Weasel’s eventual chop, the legendary tweet “Go back to Eastwick and take your STDs with you.”



Leslie Nielsen
Although the latter part of his film career centred on cameo parts in the bold red font parody sub-genre, Leslie Nielsen’s legacy as a comic actor is impossible to contest. The Naked Gun series and the uproarious Airplane! were the perfect demonstration of Nielsen’s talents, and provided us with arguably the most quotable actor of his generation.



Nigella Lawson
We’ve always loved Nigella round these parts, but via this year’s series of Nigella Kitchen, she’s gone to new levels of aceness. Managing to take a simple cookery format and relocate it to the twin camps (camp being a key phrase, actually) of soft porn and ingenious comedy, there’s nobody who can do food quite like our delightful Nige. All hail!