A set of six stamps issued by Royal Mail on April 15 celebrated Classic Science Fiction, roughly coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the death of H G Wells and the 70th anniversary of the publication of The Day of the Triffids.
The term ‘science fiction’ came into use at the end of the 1920s, for a style of literature which engaged with the rapid technological change of the day, and encouraged readers to imagine where it might lead.
Some of what are now considered classics of the genre, however, were written long before then.
The issue date of April 1 was carefully chosen for the Comedy Greats set, which celebrates 10 of Britain’s best loved funny acts of the past 60 years, including many whose work is considered a landmark in the history of entertainment.
Royal Mail says that part of the inspiration behind the issue is that a quirky sense of humour is a trait synonymous with British people.
There are also several linked anniversaries, including the centenary of the birth of Norman Wisdom and the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s television show Not Only…But Also.
On July 17, six days before the opening of the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Royal Mail will issue six stamps to celebrate the largest sporting and cultural festival ever held in Scotland.
This is the third time the Games have taken place in Scotland, after Edinburgh hosted the event in 1970 and 1986.
On May 28, Royal Mail issued a set of stamps celebrating the 60th anniversary of the soap opera Coronation Street, the world’s longest-running television drama series.
Eight counter sheet stamps feature pairs of the show’s best-loved characters, from the early years to the present day, with each photographic image complemented by a quote capturing the essence of their relationship.
A miniature sheet of four stamps focuses on barmaids who have worked at the Rovers Return pub, the hub of the community.
A set of eight stamps entitled Curious Customs, issued on July 9, celebrates a selection of Britain’s most weird and wonderful annual festivals, sporting contests and community events.
Its child-like poster-style illustrations attempt to capture the eccentric spirit of these calendar fixtures, some of which are well-known and some not so well-known.
Many of these are medieval traditions which were revived during the Victorian period, as communities began to take renewed pride in their folk heritage.
Royal Mail issued a set of eight stamps on June 26 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army.
Written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, Dad's Army ran for nine series, adding up to 80 episodes in total, broadcast between 1968 to 1977.
In its heyday it attracted more than 18 million viewers, making it one of the most popular series ever; offshoots included a radio version and a feature film.
Royal Mail will issue a set of stamps on March 14 honouring David Bowie, one of the most influential figures in modern music.
Issued in the year of what would have been his 70th birthday, and marking 50 years since he released his first album, it comprises six self-adhesive stamps reproducing some of his most famous album covers, and a gummed miniature sheet of four based on photographs of Bowie performing live, in tours spanning four decades.
The self-adhesives have free-form edges showing the arc of the vinyl record protruding from the side, in a style used previously in 2010 (for the Classic Album Covers set which included his 1972 album The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars) and 2016.
Royal Mail released 12 gummed stamps and a six-stamp self-adhesive miniature sheet on September 17 featuring the superheroes and supervillains created by DC Comics, an American comic book publisher.
The latest in a series of issues driven by lucrative licensing agreements rather than a desire to celebrate British culture, it was produced in partnership with Warner Bros Consumer Products.
Along with the Star Wars issue of 2015 and the Star Trek issue of 2020, the DC Collection issue means that the three biggest sets in Royal Mail’s history (comprising 18 stamps each) have all been dedicated to American fiction franchises.
Royal Mail has declared that Britain is entering ‘a new era for stamps’, as it introduces data matrix codes (also known as 2D barcodes) across the full range of self-adhesive Machin definitives.
Digitally coded 1st class, 2nd class, 1st Large and 2nd Large stamps were issued on February 1, in a new range of colours.
The existing make-up values of 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2, £3 and £5 will also be replaced with barcoded stamps on April 4.
Released on July 1, the Dennis & Gnasher special stamp issue celebrates the 70th anniversary of one of Britain’s best-loved comic-strip characters.
Tagged as the world's naughtiest boy, Dennis made his debut inDC Thompson’s comic The Beano in March 1951, as ‘Dennisthe Menace’; since 2009 the strip has been named ‘Dennis & Gnasher’.
With his distinctive red-and-black-striped jersey, knobbly knees, messy hair and devilish grin, Dennis is the archetypal badly behaved schoolboy, who takes pride in breaking rules and causing mayhem.
Royal Mail’s new Dinosaurs set, issued on October 10, features prehistoric reptile species whose fossilised remains have been discovered in Britain.
Specialist illustrator John Sibbick was commissioned to paint images of the ‘terrible lizards’ as they might have looked, with Dr Angela Milner of the Natural History Museum advising on their appearance.
The theme, which has not been covered on British stamps since 1991, ties in with the release of the 3D film version of the popular BBC television series Walking With Dinosaurs, which will be out in cinemas in December.
Doctor Who, the world’s longest-running science-fiction television series, marks its 50th birthday this year, and Royal Mail is issuing stamps on March 26, four days before an Easter special is broadcast.
A set of 11 sheet stamps illustrates all the actors who have played the Doctor over the years, each with the backdrop used in the title sequence in his period.
The earliest two are in black and white, as broadcast.
