Predictions for 2021 (and how badly I did last time)

Every year I try and predict what'll happen in the coming year. Boy did I get 2020 wrong! Let's have a look back, and tally the scores for, my Predictions for 2020:

New Labour Leader will be Rebecca Long-Bailey - WRONG

Trump wins 2020 election - WRONG

Democrat candidate is Joe Biden - RIGHT (Wow. I never get anything right, this bodes well)

Eurovision winner - The UK - WRONG. (Oh come on, who guessed the show would be cancelled for the first time in 65 years?)

Economy tanks because of Brexit - PARTLY RIGHT. Economy tanked but, as I think we all noticed, there was another reason for that.

House prices - up by 2% - PARTLY RIGHT. In fact they went up by 4.7%. (That's what an economy tanking looks like)

Petrol prices - up by 2% - WRONG. The RPI says the price has dropped by 11%. Can't say I've noticed, though I did buy my cheapest tank-full in a decade back in May (it was 99p a litre, today it cost me £1.14).

Marvel superhero movies are unpopular and they stop making them - PARTLY RIGHT. For the wrong reasons, no Marvel movies were released this year, but they announced a slate of a dozen for the next few years.

Cats, however, turns out to be a sleeper hit and makes 100s of millions by the end of the year - WRONG. The latest figures I can find are from the start of the year, when it seemed to have lost $100 million. I haven't heard the shock story of its turnaround. Yet.

Doctor Who movie version is announced and, if not released this year, does get made - WRONG. Though the next series is in production, and will be shorter still than the last two. 

TV shows that get revived: The Avengers (Steed & Mrs Peel), The Jetsons (live action), Adam Adamant, Catweazle (but female), Whodunnit (as a Saturday night live show), Drop The Dead Donkey, Top Of The Pops - ALL WRONG. Now if I'd have said Worzel Gummidge...

Britbox gets major revamp and starts commissioning new shows, then goes out of business by Christmas - PARTLY RIGHT. They have commissioned new shows, including Spitting Image, but they are still in business. (Apparently. I mean, it's not like I've ever heard anyone mention watching it).

Netflix launches its first year-round soap opera - WRONG

Eastenders features no deaths. - WRONG. It managed to squeeze in four deaths, which is above average even for them. And that was with the show spending three months off screen, its first break in 35 years!

Surprise technological advance - brain-operated exo-skeleton, and downloadable memories. - WRONG

National newspaper to go out of business - Daily Express - WRONG

White Christmas? Yes. - WRONG

So, beating the wipeout of my 2019 predictions, I actually got 1 out of 17 guesses spot on, and score wibbly wobbly half points for three others. Now, let's look forward to my Predictions for 2021...

Kev F's Confident Predictions For 2021

I think we all know better than to make over-confident predictions, after experiencing the most unforeseeable year in my life, and I bet in yours too. So all I can predict is...

The Covid pandemic will EITHER get a lot worse thanks to the New Variants, and drag on all year

OR

The vaccine will work, the New Variants won't be as bad as they might have been, and it's all over quickly.

The Edinburgh Fringe will go ahead as if nothing had happened

OR

The pandemic will remain so bad that Edinburgh is cancelled again and we lose more money

My books will find the audience they deserve and will turn a considerable profit

OR 

I will fail to find an audience for them and will be sitting on boxes of unsold books by December 2021

I will be able to return to school and will do more than 100 days of Comic Art Masterclasses

OR

Schools will remain closed to visitors and, by December, I'll have only done online classes, and fewer than 50.

Eurovision winner will be from Eastern Europe

OR

Eurovision is cancelled again (I realise I'm now making guesses both of which could be wrong!)

So, here are some straight-up likely-to-be-wrong predictions:

Boris Johnson will still be Prime Minister by the end of 2021

Brexit will turn out not to have been that bad. There will be some horror stories, but on balance not so many.

Joe Biden will still be alive by the end of 2021 and will have started no wars

House prices - up by 2%

Petrol prices - up by 10%

Marvel superhero movies prove unpopular and they stop making them (3rd year running for this prediction)

A new Doctor Who will be announced, Jodie to regenerate in last episode of series 13

New Doctor Who showrunners to be Jim Field Smith, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Britbox goes out of business and merges with iPlayer

National newspaper to go out of business - Daily Star

Major new theatre opens in London's West End

Eastenders manages a year with no deaths

A stupid expensive memorial to the pandemic is proposed, to be built in London. (eg a bridge)

White Christmas - yes, and it's the worst weather for 30 years

TV shows to get remakes: I Claudius, The Prisoner, The Brady Bunch, Jim'll Fix It, The Double Deckers, Black Beauty, Goodnight Sweetheart, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Stingray, Z Cars.

Technological advance: Selfie-Drone no bigger than a tennis ball, most popular item for Christmas

Months go by without Donald Trump appearing as a major news headline.

Happy New Year, see you again in 12 uneventful months' time.

Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for The Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who et al, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries & art centres - AND NOW ONLINE VIA ZOOM. email for details. His debut graphic novels Findlay Macbeth , The Prince Of Denmark Street and The Midsummer Night's Dream Team are available on Amazon. Follow Kev on Facebook, Twitter. Promo video here.