1995: The year of Cantona's kung-fu kick, Euro rows and the death of Ronnie Kray

The Prime Minister resorted to insults and was clearly rattled by the Labour leader’s attempt to exploit Cabinet divisions over whether Britain should sign up to a single currency.

In other news, Eric Cantona, the Manchester United footballer – embroiled in controversy following his kung-fu kick attack on a Crystal Palace fan during a game in London – took legal action, claiming invasion of his privacy.

The move came after pictures of Cantona and his family on holiday on the French West Indies’ island of Guadeloupe were published along with allegations, he assaulted ITN reporter Terry lloyd after a film crew approached the player and his family on a beach.

My Lloyd said Cantona had refused to answer questions. “He then grabbed me in a headlock and said ‘come with me, I’d like a chat with you.”

On home soil, a husband who turned his wife into a human fire ball, after she had an affair was jailed for 10 years. The jury, visibly shaken during the evidence of Leslie Beattie’s attack on his wife, Michelle, took just 90 minutes to clear the 35-year-old of attempted murder at Durham Crown Court. But he was found guilty of two charges of committing arson with intent to endanger life. The court heard how Beattie, before stating the inferno with a lighter, was upset about his wife’s plans to leave him and told her: “If I can’t have you, no one else can.”

In London, a strip club hostess was found guilty of blackmailing a schoolboy into paying £144 for a can of cola – threatening to tell his parents where he had been.

In other news, Joanna Lumley was dropped from her role as the TV yoghurt temptress – to be replaced by a younger woman.

Lumley, the star of Absolutely Fabulous, was dumped in favour of supermodel Naomi Campbell.

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, was named the Time Person of the Year.

The British film Four Weddings and A Funeral – starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell – won a BAFTA award for best film.

Also in this year, English singer and songwriter Dua Lipa was born.

The word webcast was added to the dictionary and notorious East End gangster Ronnie Kray died.

He was imprisoned at Broadmoor Hospital and died on March 17, 1995, from a heart attack.

Along with his twin brother Reggie, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1969 for murder.

Best selling 20 albums of 1995:

1. Robson and Jerome – Robson and Jerome

2. (What’s the Story Morning Glory?) – Oasis

3. The Colour of My Life – Celine Dion

4. Life – Simply Red

5. HIStory: Past, Present and Future, part 1 Michael Jackson

6. Made In Heaven – Queen

7. Stanley Road – Paul Weller

8. Picture This – Wet Wet Wet

9. The Great Escape – Blur

10. Different Class – Pulp

11. Something to Remember – Madonna

12. Love Songs – Elton John

13. Carry On Up the Charts: The Best Of – The Beautiful South

14. Medusa – Annie Lennox

15. Daydream – Mariah Carey

16. Nobody Else – Take That

17. Definitely Maybe – Oasis

18. Bizarre Fruit/ Bizarre Fruit II – M People

19. Anthology 1 – The Beatles

20. These Days – Bon Jovi