Brushes with Fame

popette

have you met anyone famous? who did you meet? what were they like and were they what you expected?

Donna McPhail, a lesbian comedian, once tried to snog me in a gay club! A rugby player too - not at the same time. A brief car flirtation with David Beckham (nothing too special in that as he did the same with my next door neighbour and probably many other ladies of cheshire), John Leslie almost got in a lift with me but the doors shut - thank god - and I often see Man U players in Tesco. Oh, and my husband was in a lift with Morgan Freeman in Warsaw.
I've not really had a proper chat with anyone in the public eye though. How's about you?

spasypaddy

my cousin is famous well kind of

vermooten

Donna McPhaill is a babe, such a waste.

I knew one of the League of Gentlemen, Jeremy; he was quite funny back in the day too.

I saw Johnny Marr in St Anne's Square a few months ago. Used to see Steve Coogan everywhere. I once saw Kevin Eldon near the BBC in Manchester. I once had a member of Brookside's cast between my legs in a club in London, too, though I didn't know who she was til someone told me. Can't remember who.

In a word: no.

ChrisLS

...Will Self , the author and journalist. I had just finished reading his novel, The Book of Dave, highly recommened, when I got to speak to him. Not as scary to speak to as I imagined from seeing him on TV and listening to him on the radio...

...oh, and I once stood next to Tom Conti in the toilet, didn't speak though, men don't talk in toilets.

...when I was young Norman Wisdom was on our coach on a day trip to France. He was very funny and entertained and spoke to us...

craker

I served Maggie Philbin petrol.

Any fans of Napalm Death around? (Famous for their particular brand of noisy thrash metal + screamed lyrics in songs that often lasted seconds). I was on a bus in Birmingham with two of them. This was at the height of their fame in the early 90s.

vermooten

Oh yeah I once gave Robert Smith of The Cure a jar of salad cream. He was a gracious recipient.

popette

ChrisLS wrote:

...Will Self , the author and journalist. I had just finished reading his novel, The Book of Dave, highly recommened, when I got to speak to him. Not as scary to speak to as I imagined from seeing him on TV and listening to him on the radio...

...oh, and I once stood next to Tom Conti in the toilet, didn't speak though, men don't talk in toilets.

...when I was young Norman Wisdom was on our coach on a day trip to France. He was very funny and entertained and spoke to us...

yes, he can be quite cutting can't he? I would have been intimidated

iainf72

Stood next to Bjork at a Warp Records birthday party. She danced, I did not. Very small and quite stunning in person.

Also saw Madonna at same gig wandering around being ignored by the techno kids.

Badly Worn Hat, I mean Badly Drawn Boy, sat next to me at Godspeed You! Black Emperor gig at the Scala.

Used to exchange email with Cevin Key from Skinny Puppy / Download quite a bit. He was a really pleasant guy and had time for his fans.

Had a drink with some of the people from Public Enemy at Pontins at Camber Sands (All Tomorrows Party festival) No Flava Flav so that was a disappointment.

Oh, used to see one of the Gallager brothers quite a lot in West Hampstead when I lived there.

Tired looking Jude Law and kids at Stansted. He said "excuse me" as he tried to get into Books etc.

ContrelaMontre

I saw Rick Witter in Toys R Us!

And I shook hands with Peter Shilton being given an award at uni sports awards - he's got big hands!

And I used to live on the same street as Josh Kronfeld!

So how many of you have heard of the first and last (I assume most people know who Shilts is)?

shazzz

Stood in the check in queue at Heathrow with the Arctic Monkeys a few months ago and took a leak next to Stephen Fry in a Soho curry house a while back. I think 'met' is stretching it a bit, though.....

ContrelaMontre

...oh and I saw Ralph (Rafe) Fiennes not long back on his mobile phone in Farringdon! And he's well famous.

I walked right past him, could have brushed him.









But didn't!

homercles

ContrelaMontre wrote:

I saw Rick Witter in Toys R Us!

And I shook hands with Peter Shilton being given an award at uni sports awards - he's got big hands!

And I used to live on the same street as Josh Kronfeld!

So how many of you have heard of the first and last (I assume most people know who Shilts is)?

Shed Seven - RIP.

All Black.

markyboy2005

I was in a bar in Prague years ago and Matt Damon came in to watch the superbowl. He tried to be inconspicuous, with a bseball cap pulled down over his brow, he sat in a corner. Unfortunately the ladies in the bar lost their minds when they realised it was him and the poor bugger left in a hurry.

I also met that British triple jump gold medalist in the same bar one afternoon - can't remember his name...the religous bloke.

Also saw Cuba Gooding Jr. in a bar in Chicago (in fact it was Hooters!!!) he was watching baseball with some friends.

Apart from that various footballers over the years.

One more - My Grandad (now deceased) was the only man ever to have one the Scottish Junior Cup and Juvenile Cup medals in the same year. He was playing for Maryhill Juniors in the 1940's - used to see him all the time, does that count?

HungryCol

A few years ago Bono and his friend sat down beside me and Mrs Hungrycol in a pub in Dublin. Was that close to striking up a conversation with him but decided to leave him enjoy his pint with his mate in peace.

Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland Rugby Captain) chatting up the lovelies in a night club again in Dublin.

About a month ago saw Samantha Mumba visiting a friend/relative in a bed across from the Mrs Hungrycol in a maternity hospital.

Saw a few mildly famous* people on planes in the past.

*Mildly famous i.e. more famous than those on "I'm a Celebrity"

Mog Uk

My mates dad knows a bloke who lives near the butchers on the hight street, his son goes to school with a lad who lives next door to that bloke from the Halifax adverts..

markyboy2005

Mog Uk wrote:

My mates dad knows a bloke who lives near the butchers on the hight street, his son goes to school with a lad who lives next door to that bloke from the Halifax adverts..

Nah, that sounds a bit far fetched.......

ColinJ

Many years ago, I met somebody who had a neighbour whose son went to school with someone who was once in London at the same time as a well known politician - does that count ?

hammerite

I met most of the West Ham team during the 90's and many away team players. Eric Cantona was a top bloke, as was Jamie Redknapp. Roy Keane was a first class tit, I thought he was wanting to wrestle me out of the way instead of signing an autograph, even though I was only 15 at the time.

I had Tony Adams come and visit a sports shop I worked in in the mid 90's too.

I met loads of various random celebrities when I stewarded the hospitality areas at the cricket world cup final at Lords. Ainsley Harriott and Mark Little were the most pleasant of people.

I was waiting for my ex (when she wasn't an ex) outside the changing rooms at H&M at the Trafford Centre and Eileen from Coronation Street was queuing to try something on.

georgee

Spotted Richard Attenborough being driven about a couple of times in varying bits of London, used to see Brian McFadden a lot as he lived in the road behind me before I moved. I always meant to leave him a present on the bonnet when I moved for parking his sodding Escalade on our residential street.

I always see that tool Eubank's Mack truck parked up on Bond St but never the man himself.

Somehow I want to say i saw Bernard Cribbins or Peter Purves?

schlepcycling

I sat next to Limahl from Kajagoogoo on a train journey from Manchester to London, we were going on s school trip and he'd just been performing at the BBC studios (this was in the early 80's)
Once bumped into...literally...Mick Hucknal from Simply Red in Manchester, I said 'sorry' he hit me with his walking stick......tw*t.
I used to work for BA in their reservations department and I once spoke to Lee Van Cleef, after booking his flight we chatted for a while about his films, he was very nice until I mentioned the awful TV show 'The Master' and he said he was really embarassed about it and only did it for the money, very nice bloke.

popette

Hammerite, your corrie sighting reminds me of a night out in Manchester a few years ago. I saw a girl in the toilets who I was sure that I recognised. I said hello and started asking her which schools/universities she went to, if she'd done athletics etc etc. She then told me that she was Karen McDonald from Coronation Street!! I was p'd so I just burst out laughing at myself and then apologised profusely before staggering back to my mates outside. That was a good night - first night I took my Husband home to stay. 8)

ricadus

I used to to work for a company that did TV tie-in books so I've met a number of celeb chefs – Jamie Oliver, Floyd, Grosman, etc... in the course of the job.

Despite coming across as a twerp on TV, Grosman was one of the most professional writers I have worked with; totally reliable regarding deadlines.

I think Floyd was the most interesting, because he could be so grudgingly negative – not like the bon vivant character on the show at all. He reminded me of that character from the comedy show Hi Di Hi, the childrens' entertainer who detested kids – it was like he had become fed up with the chore of cookery. I remember a launch party for one of his books where he had baked an enormous chocolate cake, using just about every kind of choco ingredient possible in it. It looked fantastic, but nobody in the room would go near it because it smelled like dog poo – perhaps it had some of that in it as well. I like to think it was a sinister prank, rather than because he was crap at cooking.



Oh and I once had to sit next to David Bowie in a Japanese restaurant, as it was the only available free spot at the sushi bar I was in. The guy was wearing way too much perfume – the pong was disgusting and spoilt my meal.

shockedsoshocked

Jamie Theakston gave me an autograph outside Wembley, after a charity game he played in before one of Boro's ill-fated attempts. He had no choice like, my dad virtually grabbed him. Could have got Robbie Williams aswell, but he walked past us when I asked with that bird from All Saints. Or was it Eternal? One of those bands. Anyway, he promptly got called a short-arse so and so, and we got on our bus. At that point Blur all went past with huge duffel bags and got into a big pink stretch Cadillac limo thing. Was guttered we missed them.

I've got a letter from Ron and Russel Mael of Sparks wishing me all the best, which is nice. Could have met them but I couldn't get down to Brighton. Also met Ian Brody of the Lightening Seeds, who was sound, aswell as Akira the Don, if anyone knows who he is.

Met a few sports type people. Met Craig Hignet a few times in Middlesbrough, thoroughly nice bloke, aswell as Phil Stamp. He looked as if he'd slept on the floor the previous night, and had just emerged from Newboulds with 2 pork pies. When I asked for his autograph he put one entire pie in his mouth, the other in his pocket, and signed the packet they came in. I think he was in the Middlesbrough starting 11 that afternoon aswell

jimmythecuckoo

I had a stella day in London once where I saw Paul Whitehouse in Carnaby Street, then I saw Mel and Sue, then I saw Paul Weller outside New Look in Oxford Street.

I was much to shy to speak to any of them.

Gary R

met Paul Gascoigne & Danny Baker in a soho bar,spent the night on the lash with them,i currently live next door to a member of 5 star,remember them??

jimmythecuckoo

They always seemed to be in the charts, rain or shine.

andyp

There are some fine ones here so far.

My finest is coming home from college when I was doing my A levels to find Keith Chegwin, who'd recently moved to the next village, chasing our cat around our garden. The cat thought this was a fine old game. Cheggers didn't it. For a children's TV presenter he knew a surprising number of swear words. :shock:

I should add, Cheggers' cat had gone missing and looked remarkably similar to ours. Either that or he was too drunk to notice. :twisted:

ContrelaMontre

Oh, I'd forgotten, but this one's relevant to this forum.

Jon Snow outside The Ritz pushing his bike!

Anyone else got a cycling celeb encounter?


Cyclists at bike races don't count. (Though my bro did see Dave M cycling back to his hotel after this years TdF prologue)

pneumatic

ricadus wrote:

I think Floyd was the most interesting, because he could be so grudgingly negative – not like the bon vivant character on the show at all.

You're quite right about Floyd. We used to rub shoulders with him at his local in Tuckenhay, South Devon. He was at the height of his powers and had opened a bistro up the road by the river. Once it was up and running, he just used to prop up the local bar along the road looking like every grumpy old man you ever saw in a country pub. Didn't dare approach him, even to say how much we admired his show.

The bistro was really good. The idea was that you shared long tables, as you do in a real old-style French one. One couple didn't grasp this and, when others were ushered to "their" table, they got huffy. Floyd was sent for. "We booked this table," they said "and we are not comfortable about sharing it with strangers." "If that's your attitude", replies Floyd "you can f*ck off, then!"

Fantastic!

shazzz

I spotted Boris (the) Johnson cycling down Jermyn St - not too far from the Ritz.

Clever Pun

met loads of people from bands etc but none famous enough for you lot to know

Javis cocker had lunch on the table next to me in islington once

Rolf Harris used to come to our school in Okehampton when I was a nipper, I spoke to him about it at a gig in Notts... he asked me if I liked the song two little boys*

met quite a few rugby players from a few years back, Tim Rodger Victor Ubugu(sp)

oh and I met this guy in texas... anyone remember the Jim Rose Circus??

clue's in the url


I've seen quite a few famous types, but that's just seeing them.

*This may not be true