Google reveals UK's top trending topics of 2015

Search giant Google has released the list of UK's top-trending search terms from 2015, providing an insight into what was on the minds of the nation during the year.

While the most-Googled topics show the scale of global issues - 'Paris' was one of the higher-up topics, due to a number of terrorist attacks that took place throughout the year - but there were lighter moments as well, such as the birth of Princess Charlotte, the Rugby World Cup, and the appearance of Lady Colin Campbell in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

Topping the list of trending topics, however, was Cilla Black - the much-loved singer and TV presenter who died in August.

Below Cilla in second, third and fourth places were Lady Colin Campbell, the Rugby World Cup and Jeremy Clarkson, who dominated headlines after being suspended from the BBC following a March 'fracas' with Oisin Tymon, one of the show's producers.

Tragedies in Paris throughout the year made a big impact on Britons - 'Paris' was the fifth-most-searched trending topic, while the Charlie Hebdo attacks, in which terrorists murdered 12 people in a shooting at the offices of the French satirical magazine.

The Eagles of Death Metal, who were playing at Paris's Bataclan theatre during the attacks, were also one of the most-searched music acts in the country this year.

Although the General Election in May was the major political event of the year, it only came in as the ninth-most-searched topic, behind the iPhone 6S and the Jurassic World movie.

There were more upsets in the list of the most-searched male celebrities - naturally, Jeremy Clarkson came out on top, but angry driver Ronnie Pickering (better known as 'Ronnie F****** Pickering) came in seventh, above more established names like Duncan Bannatyne and Daniel Craig.

Cilla Black was the most-searched female celeb in the UK, but zeitgeist figures like Adele, Ruby Rose and Caitlyn Jenner all made it into the top six.

Anne Kirkbride, known for playing Deirdre in Coronation Street for 42 years, also made the top 10, after her death from breast cancer at the age of 60.

The list of Google's top questions also shows what Brits wanted to know more about this year. 'Who is Lucy the Australopithecus?' topped the list of 'Who is?' questions in 2015, after Google commemorated the 41st anniversary of her discovery with a Doodle on their homepage.

The eternal question of 'How to lose belly fat' was the most-searched 'How to' question of the year, while 'What is a Penny Black Stamp?' topped the 'What is' list after Google used another Doodle to celebrate its inception 175 years ago.

Matt Cooke, head of Google's News Lab in London, said: "home grown 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 searched and will be remembered as events that have characterised the year."