2001
News
- A report by the Department of Health suggests that Dr Harold Shipman, convicted of 15 murders a year ago, may have killed more than 300 patients since the 1970s.
- Sven-Göran Eriksson begins his job as manager of the England football team six months ahead of schedule, having resigned from his previous job as Lazio manager. He had signed a five-year contract with The Football Association on 30 October 2000 to succeed Kevin Keegan.
- Foot and mouth crisis begins.
- The wreckage of Donald Campbell’s speedboat Bluebird K7 is raised from the bottom of Coniston Water in Cumbria, 34 years after Campbell was killed in an attempt to break the world water speed record.
- Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott punches a protester who threw an egg at him in Rhyl.
- 11 September terrorist attacks: by al-Qaeda upon the United States of America. 67 UK nationals perish in the attacks, the largest loss of life from any nation other than the United States where the attacks take place.
Entertainment
- For the first time, BBC Radio 2 becomes the UK’s most listened to radio station, overtaking BBC Radio 1. It has held that position ever since.
- Chris Evans was dismissed by Virgin Radio for repeatedly failing to arrive at work. Evans was replaced by the older Steve Penk, whom Evans criticised for his age – 39 versus Evans’s then 35.
Music
- Melanie Chisholm announces she does not intend to do any more work with the Spice Girls. Although the group denies it is splitting, it would not be active again until 2007.
- Damon Albarn’s project Gorillaz releases a first studio album Gorillaz, which would sell over seven million copies worldwide by 2007.
- Liverpool Airport is rechristened Liverpool John Lennon Airport in an official ceremony.
- Manic Street Preachers become the first western rock band to play in Cuba. (Fidel Castro is in attendance.) They did not tour, meaning that an unsigned British rock band, Sandstone Veterans, remain the only band from the western world to tour Cuba.
Number #1 Hits of 2001
| Artist | Title |
| Rui Da Silva | Touch Me |
| Jennifer Lopez | Love Don’t Cost A Thing |
| Limp Bizkit | Rollin’ |
| Atomic Kitten | Whole Again |
| Shaggy Feat. RikRok | It Wasn’t Me |
| Westlife | Uptown Girl |
| Hear’Say | Pure And Simple |
| Emma Bunton | What Took You So Long |
| Destiny’s Child | Survivor |
| S Club 7 | Don’t Stop Movin’ |
| Geri Halliwell | It’s Raining men |
| DJ Pied Piper | Do You Really Like It |
| Shaggy Feat. Rayvon | Angel |
| Christina Aguilera Feat. Lil’ Kim, Mya & Pink | Lady Marmalade |
| Hear’Say | The Way To Your Love |
| Roger Sanchez | Another Chance |
| Robbie Williams | Eternity/The Road To Mandalay |
| Atomic Kitten | Eternal Flame |
| So Solid Crew | 21 Seconds |
| Five | Let’s Dance |
| Blue | Too Close |
| Bob The Builder | Mambo No. 5 |
| DJ Otzi | Hey Baby |
| Kylie Minogue | Can’t Get You Out Of My Head |
| Afroman | Because I Got High |
| Westlife | Queen Of My Heart |
| Blue | If You Come Back |
| S Club 7 | Have You Ever |
| Daniel Bedingfield | Gotta Get Thru This |
| Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman | Somethin’ Stupid |
Sport
- Manchester United win the FA Premier League title for the third season in succession, and the seventh time in nine seasons.
- Manchester United pay a British record fee of £19million for Ruud van Nistelrooy, the 24-year-old PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands national football team striker who had been due to join the club last year until the transfer was put on hold by injury.
- Liverpool win the FA Cup Final when two Michael Owen goals in the final minutes of the game give them a 2–1 win over Arsenal in the final at the Millennium Stadium.
- The British transfer record is broken for the third time in eight months when Manchester United pay Italian club Lazio £28.1million for Argentine midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron.
- Southampton F.C. move into their new 32,000-seat St Mary’s Stadium.
- The England national football team achieves automatic qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Japan and South Korea with a 2–2 draw against Greece at Old Trafford, thanks to an injury time equaliser by captain David Beckham.
