Royal Mail will issue the fifth in its ongoing Music Giants series on May 28, celebrating the solo career of Sir Paul McCartney, one of Britain’s most successful musicians.
In the established style of the series, a set of eight stamps feature selected album covers from 1970, when The Beatles disbanded, through to 2020.
A miniature sheet of four comprises photographs of McCartney at work in the recording studio, spanning three decades.
Royal Mail issued a set of eight stamps on May 4 commemorating the Wars of the Roses, the series of bloody struggles for the throne which engulfed England from 1455-85.
Specifically, the issue is timed to coincide with the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Tewkesbury, one of the defining battles in a period which witnessed the deposition of three kings, and the violent death of two of them.
The Wars of the Roses were fought between the rival houses of Lancaster and York, which were both cadet branches of the royal house of Plantagenet.
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.
A set of 10 stamps celebrating the Legend of King Arthur was issued by Royal Mail on March 16.
One of the most enduring tales in English and Welsh folklore, the legend dates from the 5th or 6th centuries, when, according to medieval histories and romances, Arthur was a Romano-British leader fighting against Anglo-Saxon invaders.
Historical evidence of his life is non-existent, and the earliest datable mention of Arthur is in a 9th-century chronicle, so he straddles the border between history and mythology.
Royal Mail celebrated the 40th anniversary of the BBC television sitcom Only Fools & Horses with a set of eight stamps and a miniature sheet issued on February 16.
Created by John Sullivan and first broadcast in 1981, Only Fools & Horses ran for seven series and 16 Christmas specials until 2003, amounting to 64 episodes in all.
At its peak, it was watched by more than 24 million people.
Royal Mail issues a set of 10 stamps on January 14 celebrating National Parks, marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of such areas in the UK.
The first to be designated was the Peak District, in April 1951, followed by three others later in the same year.
For reasons best known to itself, Royal Mail will issue a set of stamps on November 13 devoted to the Americantelevision and film franchiseStar Trek.
Created by the American writer and producer Gene Roddenberry in 1966, the science-fiction space opera features 23rd-century humanson a mission ‘to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before’.
Combining the exploration of interstellar space and moral issues, it now extends to more than 750 television episodes and 13 movies, including both sequels and prequels.
This year’s Christmas stamp issue, released on November 3, features stained-glass nativity scenes from town and village churches around England.
The nativity was a popular subject in stained-glass art from the 13th century onwards, often focusing on the relationship between the Virgin Mary and the new-born Jesus.
Each of the stamps shows a detail of a window from an Anglican church, showcasing the extraordinary craftmanship of the artists working in this highly specialised genre, and encompassing a range of styles, techniques and eras.
Royal Mail issued a set of six stamps entitled Brilliant Bugs on October 1, to celebrate the enormous diversity of pollinating insects in the UK.
The stamps feature six significant pollinators, exploring a range that includes not only bees and butterflies but other species which are often overlooked.
The planet’s five million insect species contribute to the ecosystem in varied ways, including recycling dead and decaying matter.
Royal Mail issued a set of eight stamps on September 3 to mark the 100thbirthday of Rupert Bear, Britain’s longest continually running comic strip.
The anthropomorphic bear’s fantasy adventures with his young friends in the idyllic village of Nutwood first appeared in the Daily Express newspaper on November 8, 1920, and quickly became a children’s favourite.
Initially the stories were written by Herbert Tourtel and illustrated by his wife Mary.
Royal Mail released a set of stamps and a miniature sheeton August 18on the theme of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.
Although hailed as a celebration of ‘Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’sSherlock Holmes’, the issue was entitled simply Sherlock, and the six counter sheet stamps depict characters and scenes from the BBC television series, Sherlock.
Each stamp portrays a character and reproduces scenes from an episode of the series, which wasaired from 2010-17 and features modern interpretations of the mysteries, written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, with a more irreverent tone and the inclusion of 21stcentury technology.
A set of stamps issued on July 30 celebrates the 150th anniversary of the completion of the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster, the world-famous home of the Houses of Parliament.
Six counter-sheet stamps offer spectacular views of the exterior of the building and the parliamentary chambers, while a miniature sheet of four focuses on some of the spectacular interior architecture that is less often seen.
Founded by King Edward the Confessor, and still a royal palace although no longer a residence, the Palace of Westminster has been at the centre of English (later British) political life since the 11th century, and the permanent home of Parliament since the 16th century.
The latest in Royal Mail’s ongoing Music Giants series, issued on July 9, celebrates Queen, one of Britain’s most successful rock bands.
Eight counter-sheet stamps illustrate the covers of a selection of their most popular albums, in their golden age from 1974-91.
The accompanying Queen Live miniature sheet of five stamps features four photographic images of live performances, one focusing on each band member, and one promotional group shot.
A set of eight stamps entitled Roman Britain, issued on June 18, celebrated ancient buildings and artefacts which survive today as a reminder of the occupation.
Much of mainland Great Britain was a province of the Roman Empire for almost 400 years, from the invasion of 43 AD to the withdrawal of troops in 410 AD.
At its greatest extent, the province of Britannia comprised all of England and Wales, and parts of southern Scotland.
