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It’s been a stellar year in which HuffPost UK has hosted blogs from the great, the good and the infamous including the likes of Prince William and his dad Prince Charles, Russell Brand, David Beckham, Sir Richard Branson, Katie Hopkins, Gordon Brown and Dame Vivienne Westwood.
But aside from the famous sorts, the beauty of the Huffington Post UK blogs platform is that people from all walks of life can have their say and start conversations – and by crikey, did our stable of more than 10,000 bloggers shout loudly.
Out of tens of thousands of fantastic posts we’ve hosted this year however, some truly chimed above and beyond with you, our readers, and went truly viral.
As we reach the end of 12 months of heated debate, heartfelt posts and impassioned politicking on our platform, we list our the top 20 most clicked, shared, favourited, retweeted, Pinned, Google Plussed and commented on blog posts of 2014. Here’s looking forward to starting more conversations in 2015…
HuffPost UK's Top 20 Blogs of 2014
20. John Wight - Russell Brand Must Be Doing Something Right(01 of20)
One of the most controversial stars of 2014, it seems everyone has an opinion on Russell Brand. Here, John Wight posits that while we might not agree with him, at least we’re all talking about him, meaning the comedian turned social injustice campaigner and political activist Brand is winning…
19. Lisa Egan - Bullying Disabled People Is Never Ok - But It's Even Worse When You've Got 8.7Million Fans Watching(02 of20)
Former 'Star Trek' star and now Facebook sensation George Takei put up a pic on his official Facebook page mocking someone in a wheelchair for his millions of fans. Disability campaigner Lisa Egan was less than impressed and tens of thousands of you agreed.
18. Rob Blakeman - Five Facts You Must Understand If You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat and Get a Flat Stomach(03 of20)
Want to get ripped? Personal trainer Rob Blakeman came up trumps with this stripped-down blog post with the bare five facts you need to get a washboard stomach. Hint: Involves exercise and diet…
17. Caroline Frost - 'Top Gear' Went to Chernobyl for One of TV's Most Tasteless Ever Hours(04 of20)
HuffPost UK’s entertainment editor took Jeremy Clarkson TV vehicle ‘Top Gear’ to task after what she saw as one of the most bad taste hours on the box in 2014. Not all of you agreed…
16. Homeaway.co.uk - Seven Impressive Buildings That Are Actually Fake(05 of20)
Turns out HuffPost UK readers are fans of tricksy architecture too. In this post, the holiday website lists seven buildings that, although made or bricks and mortar and whatnot, are not being entirely honest when it comes to how they present themselves and their purpose is not as it may seem.
15. Siobhan Freegard - The Only 10 Tips You Need to Be a Great Parent - That No Parenting Expert Will Ever Share(06 of20)
More parenting advice here in a snappy blog post from founder of NetMums and mother of three, Siobhan Freegard. She’s been there, seen it and done it, and she’s more than happy to share her secrets on realistic ways of raising your spawn to be happy and healthy.
14. Mehdi Hasan - Debunking Israel's 11 Main Myths About Gaza, Hamas and War Crimes(07 of20)
Blogging at the height of the Israel-Gaza conflict this summer, HuffPost UK political director Mehdi Hasan addressed what he saw as some untruths being peddled by some elements of Israel’s media to give fresh insight into the ongoing troubles.
13. Olivia Siegl - The No B***S*** Advice All New Mums Should Know(08 of20)
No Earth Mother airy-fairyness here to make yourself feel inadequate – Olivia Siegl tells it how it is in this hilarious but superhelpful blog post to all freshly-minted mums and dads. Hints – being the parent of a newborn can be bloody boring. Have a glass of wine…
12. Dr Zoe Norris - The NHS Frontline - The Reality of Being a Doctor in Today's NHS(09 of20)
A brave, no-holds barred personal account from a local GP about how she struggles to do her job properly after government cuts to the NHS have cut services to the bone. The response has been phenomenal with dozens of doctors agreeing that the NHS is at breaking point, echoing her experience and sharing the post to galvanise support to keep the NHS a totally free and fully-functioning public service.
11. Jamie Flexman - Depression Is Not a Mental Illness(10 of20)
Another evergreen blog post that continues to be a hit. Jamie’s post here from October last year continues to rack up shares because of its hard-hitting, simple truths. At first seeming like a bonkers depression denier, he’s actually saying it’s more real that being a mental condition that isn’t tangible, it’s an actual physical thing.
10. Ramesh Patel - Finally! Exposed! The Deficit Myth So, David Cameron, When Are You Going to Apologise?(11 of20)
It seems a lot of people are still very angry about prime minister David Cameron’s austerity measures, and are quick to share self-confessed Tory economist Ramesh Patel’s picking apart of the government’s economic policy and calling out lies where he sees them. It was published in October 2012 and continues to resonate.
9. Ellie Slee - Ellie Slee Beyonce Must Have Her Feminist Cake and Eat It Too(12 of20)
Feminism was a hot topic for the HuffPost UK this year, and Ellie Slee’s fantastic post about Beyonce defining herself by the F-word then releasing a song seemingly condoning domestic violence was one of the most scorching. The debate about the fourth wave of feminism and female celebrity is not done yet either.
8. Ashleigh Davis - What It Feels Like to Leave London(13 of20)
For many young Australians, a two-year stay in the UK’s capital is a rite of passage, as numerous branches of Walkabout will attest. Ashleigh’s post mourning the fact she had to return home when her two-year visa ran out, due to the increasingly strict immigration relations between us and our Aussie chums, got many readers Down Under feeling equally nostalgic for the Big Smoke...
7. Danny Baker - 10 Things I Wish People Knew About Depression(14 of20)
Another blog post that keeps doing the rounds because it chimes with so many people who are suffering with depression, have suffered from it or know someone who has. Danny’s post here – and many more of his other posts since about his experiences with the illness – continue to help thousands and thousands of people and importantly open up the debate and keep the conversation going about mental health.
6. Rebecca Sparrow - When Beth Posted These Images on Facebook, 103 People Unfriended Her(15 of20)
Beth Whaanga’s ‘under the red dress’ Facebook post saw this breast cancer survivor pose naked to show her post surgery scars to help highlight the disease and what sufferers go through. Rebecca Sparrow’s post slated people online who deemed the images inappropriate or even pornographic. Seems about half a million of you agree with her.
5. Emma Kelly - 10 Unbelievable Facts You Didn't Know About Redheads(16 of20)
So it turns out that everyone is slightly jealous about people with red hair if the popularity of this blog post is anything to go by. Or maybe it’s all the carrot tops out there who were proud and thrilled to read that they were indeed special when it comes to the great human race. Top future pub quiz questions include knowing that redheads need up to 20% more anaesthetic in operations. Gingers unite!
4. Kat Lister - Her Name Was Reeva Steenkamp(17 of20)
Amid the popping flashbulbs and the rising hysterical tide of voices shouting “did he or didn’t he?”, the name of Oscar Pistorius’ innocent victim seemed to slip beneath the waves, culminating in Fleet Street columnist Simon Jenkins writing a whole opinion piece on the case without mentioning the model’s name once. Step forward a furious Kat Lister, who shouts Reeva’s name from the rooftops as representing the world’s hidden victims of violence against women. More than 143,000 of you liked it 33,000 shared it to echo that impassioned shout.
3. Leigh Clark - The Degeneration of Facebook in 10 Statuses(18 of20)
You can’t keep a good blog post down it seems and Leigh’s ‘it’s funny because it’s true’ list about why Facebook was becoming increasingly rubbish keeps boomeranging back. This post from April 2013 stands the test of time because it still resonates. The behemoth that is Facebook keeps lurching forward with no signs of being ‘over’ anytime soon – though we all still log on and moan about it. But 295,000 liked it on Facebook so go figure…
2. Lee Kern - You've Helped Create a Rapist's Almanac(19 of20)
When we first published Lee Kern’s blog post railing against comedian Dapper Laughs, few people outside of the stand-up world or diehard ITV3 fans were aware of Damien O’Reilly’s alter-ego. Lee’s furious and righteous polemic against an act he accused of misogyny, sexism and rape apologism however put Dapper Laughs firmly in the public eye and started a backlash that eventually saw Dapper Laughs: On the Pull cancelled by ITV, a humbled O’Reilly kill off his character and the battle against the pervading lad-led culture of moronic banter continue to this day.
1. Charlotte Kitley - And So, There Must Come an End(20 of20)
Mother of two Charley had been blogging on the HuffPost UK since she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2012. On 16 September this year, she sadly lost her battle against the disease and her dying wish was to have her last blog post published posthumously on the site. It’s impossible to imagine a more heart-breaking, yet life-affirming blog post. It was our honour and privilege to host it on the site. Have a tissue ready if you haven’t read it yet, though more than a million of you have already…