Google reveals top searches of 2015

The passing of the much-loved entertainer in August was the most searched-for story of the year, and it also put Cilla at the list of most searched female celebrities.

She was ahead of Anne Kirkbride, Bobbi Kristina Brown and Madonna.

In terms of general searches, Lady Colin Campbell, the controversial star of this year’s I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! was second of the list, with the Rugby World Cup - with some games hosted in the North East in the autumn - completing the top three.

Matt Cooke, head of Google’s News Lab in London, said: “Homegrown celebrities have generated a lot of interest in particular, while the passing of well-known figures made people want to learn more about them.

“Some of the defining topics and traditions of British life, such as the General Election results, the Grand National and Jeremy Clarkson, have generated a surge in Google searches and will be remembered as events that have characterised the year.”

Former Top Gear presenter Clarkson left the BBC earlier this year and was fourth on the list, followed by the Paris terror attacks, the iPhone 6s - which launched in September - and the Grand National.

The top ten trends was completed by summer blockbuster Jurassic World, the results of the General Election and French magazine Charlie Hebdo - the scene of a separate Paris terror attack in January.

Google now deals with around 40,000 search queries per second, and more than 1.3 trillion searches a year.

ALL TRENDING

Cilla Black

Lady Colin Campbell

Rugby World Cup

Jeremy Clarkson

iPhone 6s

Grand National 2015

Jurassic World

Election Results

Charlie Hebdo

MALE CELEBS

Jeremy Clarkson

Lamar Odom

Perez Hilton

Charlie Sheen

Spencer Matthews

Lil Chris

Ronnie Pickering

Daniel Bedingfield

Daniel Craig

Duncan Bannatyne

FEMALE CELEBS

Cilla Black

Lady Colin Campbell

Anne Kirkbride

Adele

Caitlyn Jenner

Ruby Rose

Katie Hopkins

Madonna

Bobbi Kristina Brown

Rita Ora

MUSIC ACT

Adele

Madonna

Rita Ora

Lil Chris

Sia

Eagles of Death Metal

Daniel Bedingfield

Foo Fighters

Jay McGuiness

Meghan Trainor

MOMENTS/NEWS

Paris

Grand National 2015

Charlie Hebdo

Lamar Odom

Solar eclipse

Wimbledon 2015

Royal baby

Tube strike

Caitlyn Jenner