Catherine Zeta-Jones on Jonker Street in Malacca
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Not many but I have been lucky enough to bump into Mr Curta who kindly acted as my postman!
Su Pollard got me very drunk once.
I spent half an hour semi-naked with James Ward-Prowse every Wednesday for a couple of months last year. That didn't end well but he was extremely apologetic.
"A man of little significance"
Jimmy Page at a Bad Company Concert at Wembley Arena
Steve Hackett at a Marillion concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Steve Rothery (Marillion guitarist) sat directly behind me (in one of the boxes at) a Steven Wilson Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Rick Parfitt & Joan Armatrading out & about locally - they all live / lived in my area
Hugh Dennis & Seb Coe on the Portsmouth to Waterloo Train (a few times each)
John Prescott coming up the escalator at Kings Cross as I was heading down to the tube.
Paul Whitehouse at Ronnie Scott's
Rich Hall at Legoland Windsor
Derek Bell in Chichester
Derek Bell with Jacky Ickx, at the Hotel de France in La Chartre-sur-le-Loir Sunday evening after the 24 hours of LeMans
Dario & Marino Franchitti - ditto on a different occasion
Sadiq Khan on the tube in London
Bear Grylls was guest speaker at my firms Partners conference at The Hurlingham Club
Last edited by andy tims; 23rd November 2022 at 10:56.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
On an early morning flight from Manchester to London I sat next to someone who I was sure I recognised. We waited and waited past our takeoff time to be told there was a missing passenger when on swaggered Noel Gallagher. I was sat next to Liam who made his feelings known in no uncertain terms.
I used to work in Wilmslow and have seen hundreds of footballers out and about living 'normal' lives including but not limited to...
- Ronaldo picking up his dry cleaning
- Rio Ferdinand explaining how he wanted the trousers he'd just bought adjusted for length
- Robbie Savage and Roberto Mancini having a furious argument on the forecourt of the Aston Martin garage.
Last edited by MakeColdplayHistory; 23rd November 2022 at 11:14.
I don't really get the big deal about famous people, never been enthralled by any of them to be honest. One sticks in my mind though, and it's a tale of regret.
'Christmas shopping' with the boys in Belfast 20-25 years ago, I spotted Eamon Holmes crossing the road. I shouted out "Eamon! EAMON!" He turned around, I waved, he waved back and as he did so I shouted "you fat b*stard!"
Eamon turned away and continued onwards, leaving me feeling eternally bad, I really like Eamon. I sometimes think of messaging him on Twitter or whatever social media platform he is on and apologising for that but then I think he might not even remember and I'm just effectively retrospectively calling him a fat b*stard all over again.
Henry Cooper going into a key cutting shop in Hendon. I said, "alright Henry", he was very affable - a true gent.
I also saw Richard Briers twice in Kingston one Saturday.
Cheers,
Neil.
Bumped into Chris Tarrant coming out of the gents at Henley Festival
I had to spend an average of about one day a week in London crawling around the corridors of the Queen Elizabeth 11 conference centre near Parliament for a couple of years. I had meetings with shadow cabinet ministers (Labour) and saw dozens in the corridors. I doubt if even one of them remembers me as the irritating PITA who was liaising on all things procurement related as most of them didn't give a shit about anything other than winning the next election. Win the election first and sort out the hassle afterwards was the mantra of the day.
I saw Roy Hattersley many times gorging himself in Rules which is a very nice restaurant to be fair. He did give me a nod once over his main course so he did at least remember me but his lunch took priority over me and everything else.
Robert Maxwell was not a pleasant man to deal with.
The only MP that I met who seemed to care about anything other than himself was Frank Dobson. He was a genuine old fashioned socialist and seemed very disillusioned with the Blair / Brown / Mandelson partnership. I rather liked him and every meeting ended with a load of dirty jokes. Somehow he didn't seem the type to be a MP.
Claire Short (Shadow Minister of Transport at the time) was a complete and utter fruitcake.
Jason Statham has been into the shop a few times.
Linda Gray 1st class on the east coast line.
Seen Jimmy Carr, Bill Bailey, Russell Brand and Amy Lame but that was at the Ed Fringe so not really in the wild.
Sold Kevin Magnussen (F1 driver) a car a couple of years ago, throughly nice guy.
Nick Faldo frequents my local Indian restaurant, bump into him every few weeks. Down to earth doesn’t mind a chat.
Sat across from Sting and his missus in Spearmint Rhinos in Vegas a few years back, also Kobe Bryant in there the same night, hadn’t realised but I was in the SR VIP section, haven’t a clue how, was 2 sheets to the wind and yes I did do my nuts, one of those nights I’ll always remember all the same :-)
Got upgraded on a short flight in the US, and was in row 1 with an empty seat next to me - just before doors closed a guy boards who sits next to me, and exchanges a very brief hello. He looked vaguely familiar but i thought nothing of it, until the flight attendant insisted on fussing over him, which he clearly didn't want. Turns out it was Mahershala Ali, who I'd been watching on House of Cards. He'd just won an Oscar for Moonlight a few days before too. Appreciated not being bothered, and he struck up a short conversation just before landing - seemed a nice bloke.
Rick Parfitt once bought me a pint in The Merry Harriers, Hambledon when I told him he'd left his lights on in the car park
Cheers, Nigel
I used to work very near to the BBC on Great Portland Street and around soho - so in 25 odd years I saw an awful lot of famous people when I popped out for lunch or had a meeting. The oddest one I can remember was looking up from my newspaper in Starbucks to see that Charlotte Rampling was opposite me, sitting next to John Hurt - both seemingly oblivious to each other. It got even more surreal when I realised Phil Jupitus was sat next to me on the Sofa (it was a big sofa!). This was in his never mind the buzzcocks heyday. To top it all off, Christopher Ecclestone - the then current Dr Who - was in the queue for a coffee. Like I say, surreal - but 50 yards away from the BBC building so not all that odd I guess!
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John Barnes at jo'berg Airport scoffing a full tub of hagen das ice-cream with a large glass of white wine. He left, we where all reasonably drunk arguing if it was John Barnes.
Gordon Jackson was making an advert years ago at Bass brewery and we met him. I must have been about 6, blimey just over 40 years ago!
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One that sticks in my mind was at Odhams printers in Watford shortly after Maxwell took control. He was in the process of moving the Daily Mirror printing over from Fleet Street and he was having his office refurbished, I stepped into a goods lift to get my tools to the top floor and Maxwell stepped in behind me. Nothing unusual about that but when I pulled the concertina door closed someone had spray painted "Maxwell is a c**t" across it in foot high red paint.
It didn't seem to bother him one bit as I expect deep down he already knew he was one!
Around the same time I also met Ann Robinson there whilst I did some work in her office, I found she was just as unpleasant a character as Maxwell.
In no particular order:
Cheryl Campbell (Chariots of Fire, Testament of Youth, Pennies from Heaven) bought some cheese from me when I worked in a deli.
Alec Guinness outside Brompton Oratory.
John Peel on his bike in Holborn.
Richard Wilson in the next door taxi on Gower Street. I had the window down ready to shout "I don't believe it." Sadly his taxi was quicker than mine.
Robin Cook doing his shopping in Corstorphine.
Ruth Davidson at Tescos. She's very wee.
Tim Page, Vietnam War photographer on Fleet Street. I said hello, he told me to eff off.
Chris Bonington at my friend's house.
Ian Paisley in the lift at Austin Reeds.
The very lovely Dr. Professor Alice Roberts in the Lochinver pie shop.
John Hurt at The Sloane Club.
Alex Salmond at The New Club.
Prince Charles when he nearly ran my mum over on Deeside. God she would have loved that!
Koo Stark at Wood Green Crown Court.
Loads of folk around town during the Festival, Chis Addison, Barry Cryer, Christopher Biggins, Sean Lock, Alan Davies etc al.
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
Sir Bobby Robson on a flight from Newcastle to Stansted after a Newcastle v West Brom game
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Also saw Su Pollard enjoying a lot of drink in Islington. She was clothed.
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
I bumped in to Robert Mugabe once.
He was in his glass coffin and on the back of a gun carriage but I had to sit there in traffic for a good hour as his funeral procession passed.
Quite a few, like Pia Zadora and Gareth Edwards whist dining at the Inn on the Park in London, and Jan Molby enjoying a pint in a local hostelry. Had a few beers in the local club with Bill Maynard who lived round the corner from me. I also received a prestigious award from Barry Cryer. But my favourite has to be standing next in line behind John Parrot in a Chippy/Chinese takeaway in Formby and not recognising him after all the years I've watched snooker! It was only afterwards when Lynn pointed him out as he was leaving! Should have gone to specsavers!
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
Years ago we had a family holiday at the Ty Newydd hotel in Aberdaron and on our first day there we were having a drink on the balcony and my mother whispered in my ear "that's Gordon Banks on the next table, don't stare"...obviously I did being about 8 at the time but he didn't mind and other than my curiosity we didn't bother him. It wasn't long after his car crash and you could still see the stitch marks around his eye.
Keita Knightky
Michelle Dockery
Benedict Cumberbatch
Matthew Pincent
Barry Hearn
Ruby Wax
Plus others I cannot remember on Virgin flights to and from LA.
John Lord RIP (used to clean his pool for him)
Nigel Havers (Pool cleaning)
George Cole
Mark Hopkin
Toni Visconti
(All via school connections)
Loads of footballers, too many to name.
Oh and J K Rowling, plus loads of others like Rod Stewart in New York.
My family used to see Roger Moore about in his Bond days because he had a hideout Mansion in our area but i have not seen any myself.
Used to work for the BBC at NBH, so obviously saw lots of slebs there. Standouts (1) Bruce Forsyth - a really lovely man who was just happy to chat to anyone (2) Clarkson, who was appallingly rude and condescending (3) Chris Evans, who wanted to talk geeky car facts
Away from that:
Kevin McCloud at the Morzine municipal pool. He had - maybe still has - a house just down the valley in St Jean D'Aulps. Nice guy.
Gary Barlow on a flight to JFK - we were in the nose of a 787 so only about 8 people there. He was incredibly polite to the cabin crew, most of whom he seemed to know by name.
Changed a car battery for John Barrowman - he made me a cake as a thank you. Strange fact - when he chats to his mum his accent changes back to pure Scot.
Sir Alec Guinness used to lean on the fence and chat whilst we were excavating for the A3 Petersfield, we sliced off a metre or so off the bottom of his garden. He liked our big boys' toys, 40tonne dump truck and 60 tonne excavators.
Penelope Kieth, likewise on the A3 Milford Bypass. She's exactly the same as on TV.
I sold an apartment to John Barrowman. He gave me a couple of tickets to Miss Saigon which he was in at the time, they were (very) restricted view. We left at the interval
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Am I the only one who (immediately) thought of this Big Train sketch?
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I used to work for one of the large US film studios based in Soho but was in LA/NYC for half of every month so met plenty of well known people over the years. The ones that come to mind are the people I met/worked alongside (PR/Marketing duties) and that weren't actually unpleasant people to deal with.........best example of one bullet I dodged was Mel Gibson. Never met anyone in the business who could find a single nice thing to say about him once they met him.....same could be said for Nicholas Lyndhurst........mate of mine almost decked him in a restaurant once as he was so unbelieveably rude and up himself.
Al Pacino - came to a premiere of "The Devils Advocate" one July when it was 100 degree's but he was dressed for a New York winter with about 4 coats on. Odd but friendly guy.
Bob Hoskins - Just a lovely man and a complete delight to meet at the bar after a premiere.
Susan Sarandon - Very, very clever lady and so much prettier in the flesh.
Steve Martin - Joined our table in "The Ivy" once and was very urbane and controlled.....not the wild and crazy guy you might think.
Richard Harris - We shared a rather nice bottle of claret with his partner whilst he (RH) told us some hilarious stories (unprintable) about Michael Caine (with whom he had a long running feud at the time)
Michael Keaton - Rather intense guy but, my, his wife was just gorgeous.....
Jack Nicholson - AKA "the Hoover" He could put away any sustance known to man (Booze/drugs/sweets/food etc) in one sitting without blowing up....what a constitution (and eyebrows...)
Pierce Brosnan - Liked his booze and a bit too much after his first wife sadly passed away and before he got the Bond gig.
Samuel L Jackson - Exactly the kind of guy I expected him to be. A great friend/guy to be on the right side of...
John Travolta - One of the campest guys I met and he hit on two male colleagues of mine at the time. Glad I was not his type!
Morgan Freeman - Warm and effusive guy.....and a voice to die for even if he read the 'phone book..
Elisabeth Shue - One of the nicest ladies I ever met in 5.5 years in that business.
Jean Reno - A little bid mad but a loveable rogue type.
Kevin Spacey - Well, as time would show he had an unpleasant side but in all my dealings he was very funny and professional with the studio/media etc.
Jodie Foster - Came over as quite brittle and guarded but bright as anything.
Bound to be more I've met in the entertainment world and also music/sports too but that's an off the cuff list I guess.
Glad I’m not famous and random people want to talk to me.
I worked for a film magazine for a while and had a very drunken night in the company of Leslie Nielsen and Peter Cook - the former wore enormous hearing aids and was naturally very funny, Peter Cook used the C word more times in a sentence than I’ve ever heard before or since. It was the early days of mobile phones and one of my friends was a massive fan of Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore - he rang my friend and spent a good 5 minutes chatting to him being simultaneously very rude and hilarious - made my mates year I think! - for some reason we ended up at a golf driving range in the middle of London, I can’t remember why as I was very drunk
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