From the death of Friends star Matthew Perry leaving a nation in grief, to panic that Blackpool Tower was alight when it was in actual fact …. orange netting, take a look at the top 12 stories.
5. APRIL
Billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion. Among his first acts as Twitter's owner was to lay off about half the company and allow users to purchase the blue check mark verification for $8 per month. In April 2023, Twitter was officially rebranded as X which did not go down well with users, with some believing it stripped Twitter of its personality. Photo: Getty
6. MAY
King Charles was formally crowned at a star-studded coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, as thousands gathered in central London to celebrate the historic event.
Twelve newly commissioned pieces of music were performed as part of the Coronation, showcasing musical talent from across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
The ceremony was held as well-wishers lined the street in the capital, bringing swathes of central London to a standstill.
It was followed by a spectacular fly-past by The Red Arrows on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Photo: UGC
7. JUNE
In June, five people died after the Titan sub, which was taking the group to the Titanic's wreckage, catastrophically imploded.
The victims included OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, UK billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul Henry Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman.
Crews spent five days hunting the missing sub down before they discovered debris on the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic. Photo: UGC
8. JULY
A live-action feature of Mattel's Barbie doll and a biopic of the "father" of the atomic bomb Oppenheimer were both released on July 21.
Both attracted huge audiences, resulting in the most successful weekend at the UK box office since before the pandemic.
Barbie grossed £18.5m to Oppenheimer's £10.9m over opening weekend. Photo: UGC