[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Legendary Rock Band AC/DC Celebrated with 12 Special StampsIssue date: 18 February

• Stamps mark the 50th anniversary of AC/DC’s groundbreaking debut album, High Voltage
• The main set of eight stamps features dynamic images of the band performing live, while an additional four stamps show the covers of some of their most successful and influential albums
• The stamps and a range of collectible products are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/acdc and by telephone on 03457 641641

Royal Mail is celebrating the legendary rock band AC/DC with a set of special stamps marking the 50th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut album, High Voltage.

The main set of eight stamps captures some of the band’s dynamic live performances over the last 50 years in venues across the world.

A further four stamps presented in a miniature sheet feature the covers of four iconic AC/DC studio albums: High Voltage – AC/DC’s debut album; Highway to Hell – their sixth studio album released in 1979; Back in Black – the biggest-selling rock album of all time, and Power Up – AC/DC’s triumphant return in 2020. The stamps in the miniature sheet are set against a striking design taken from their album Black Ice.

Formed in 1973, AC/DC have spent more than 50 years perfecting the art of stripping rock music back to its core elements. Led by the twin-guitar attack of Glasgow-born brothers, Malcolm and Angus Young, and with two of the greatest frontmen in history – Bon Scott (1974-1980) and subsequently Brian Johnson (1980 to present) – in their ranks, the band is responsible for the biggest-selling rock album of all time, 1980’s Back in Black – a record that defined the sound of hard rock for a long time to come.

Outside of the studio, AC/DC command a devoted following drawn to the band’s electrifying live shows: supercharged performances complete with outsized props and stadium-ready anthems that continue to set the bar for any self-respecting rock act. In their current incarnation, with Stevie Young standing in for his late uncle Malcolm, AC/DC remain fully charged.
AC/DC become the eighth music band to feature in a dedicated Royal Mail stamp issue – following on from: The Beatles, 2007; Pink Floyd, 2016; Queen, 2020; The Rolling Stones, 2022; Iron Maiden, 2023; Spice Girls, 2024; and The Who, 2024.

David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy said: “AC/DC is one of the most successful rock bands in the world. Over the past half century, they have recorded some of the best-known rock anthems and have given us Back in Black – the biggest-selling rock album of all time. These stamps capture a sample of their electrifying live performances, along with some of their most iconic album covers, and celebrate their significant contribution to the world of rock music.”

The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/acdc and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 12 stamps is priced at £22.10. The stamps go on general sale from 18 February.

The rest of the individual stamp designs:

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Magnificent Armour and Artefacts of the Royal Armouries Celebrated with 12 Special Stamps

• The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom’s national museum of arms and armour
• Eight stamps show stunning examples of armour from 1520 to 1686 owned by monarchs including King Henry VIII, King Charles I, King Charles II and King James II. A further four stamps show images of other treasures from the Royal Armouries collection from the UK, Europe and Asia.
• The stamps and a range of collectible products are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/royalarmouries and by telephone on 03457 641641

The Royal Armouries’ origins lie in the Middle Ages, and at its core is the celebrated collection originating in the nation’s working arsenal, assembled over many centuries at the Tower of London.

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, selected items began to be arranged for display to visitors, making the Royal Armouries one of the oldest deliberately created visitor attractions in the country.

The collection consists of over 75,000 objects from around the globe and spans the ancient world to the present day.

It is displayed at three sites: the White Tower at the Tower of London, a purpose-built museum in Leeds (which includes the National Firearms Centre) and at Fort Nelson near Portsmouth.

David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy said: “These stamps show magnificent examples of craftsmanship, engineering and high fashion, proving that for royal warriors of the past, dressing to impress was as important on the battlefield as anywhere else. We are grateful to the Royal Armouries for allowing us to share just a few examples from their collection”.

Jack Wanstall, Senior Licensing and Partnerships Manager, Royal Armouries said: “The Royal Armouries is delighted to be working in partnership with Royal Mail to showcase a selection of objects from our collection of over 75,000 pieces of history. Each object tells a story and we hope these stunning pieces will inspire curiosity about the role of arms and armour in shaping our world”.

The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/royalarmouries and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 12 stamps is priced at £20.10. The stamps go on general sale from 30 January.

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Award-Winning “The Vicar Of Dibley” Celebrated With Royal Mail Special Stamps

• Royal Mail celebrates one of the UK’s most successful and award-winning comedy series with a set of 12 Special Stamps
• Issue Date: 14 January
• Eight stamps depict iconic scenes from the series, while a further four stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, shows a Dibley Parish Council meeting
• The stamps and a range of collectible products are available to pre-order at www.royalmail.com/vicarofdibley and by telephone on 03457 641641

Royal Mail is issuing 12 stamps to celebrate one of the UK’s most successful and award-winning comedy series”The Vicar of Dibley.”

The series, which ran on the BBC from November 1994 to January 2007, was set in the fictional Oxfordshire village of Dibley. Following the 1993 changes in the Church of England to permit the ordination of women, the series portrayed a female vicar who had been assigned to the church in the village.

Starring Dawn French in the titular role of the down-to-earth, witty and clever vicar, Geraldine Granger, the character was specially created for her by writers Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer. French was surrounded by a who’s who of seasoned TV professionals: “Only Fools and Horses” legend Roger Lloyd-Pack as fearsome farmer Owen; Emma Chambers as dotty verger Alice; floppy-fringed “Four Weddings and a Funeral” star James Fleet as the hapless Hugo; and TV veteran Gary Waldhorn as his domineering, aristocratic father, David.

It is among the most successful British programmes, receiving multiple British Comedy Awards, an International Emmy and was a multiple British Academy Television Awards nominee.

A further four stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, shows a Dibley Parish Council meeting.David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy said: “The superb writing and the warmth and idiosyncrasies of its characters made “The Vicar of Dibley” one of the most loved TV comedies of all time. We celebrate the series with new stamps revisiting some of the show’s classic moments.”

“The Vicar of Dibley”
Just eight months after the first 32 British women were ordained as Church of England vicars, a sitcom debuted on the BBC that not only became a beloved small-screen institution but also helped an entire nation understand the controversial decision. Created and co-written by “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Blackadder” mastermind Richard Curtis, alongside co-writer Paul Mayhew-Archer, “The Vicar of Dibley” introduced audiences to a new kind of priest – Geraldine Granger, the chocolate-eating, plain-spoken but warm-hearted new vicar who initially horrifies her parishioners in the sleepy English village of Dibley.

But even the members of the parish council – including pompous landowner David, his perky son Hugo, straight-talking farmer Owen and verbally-challenged eccentric Jim – soon warm to Geraldine, thanks to her innate personal charm, forgiving nature and snappy way with a one-liner. Indeed, the only person her wit doesn’t work on is Alice, the scatterbrained verger who becomes Geraldine’s best friend despite constantly misunderstanding her jokes.

“The Vicar of Dibley” ran for three series [“seasons” in the U.S.] with multiple festive specials and Comic Relief shorts. In 2020, “The Vicar of Dibley” was named Britain’s third-favourite sitcom of all time in a BBC poll.

Individual Stamp Descriptions:

2nd Class: Geraldine officiates at Alice and Hugo’s chaotic wedding ceremony.2nd Class: After hearing that Alice and Hugo are expecting a baby, Geraldine tries to force a smile from David.

1st Class: Geraldine attempts to tell Alice a joke over a cup of tea in the vestry.

1st Class: An unsuspecting Geraldine jumps into a very deep puddle.

£1.00: Frank and Owen perform in the Dibley Christmas show.

£1.00: To avoid waking Alice and Hugo’s baby, Jim writes his characteristic response to a question on a flash card.

£2.80: Geraldine samples one of Letitia’s unusual sandwich creations.

£2.80: Geraldine performs a ballet duet with Dame Darcey Bussell.

The collectibles include a Collectors Sheet (above, £17.10 or framed £39.99), various first day covers with either the Tallent House or Turville, Henley-on-Thames postmarks (below, 8 stamps, £15.80, or minisheet, £8.60), a press sheet and various configurations of sheets of stamps.