Brushes with celebrity (was "Claims To Fame")

[Prian]

This ought to be fun. There may even be a Ceroc connection or two


1. Got a clip on the ear by Ted Edgar (SHOWJUMPER), while he and Caroline Bradley were signing autographs for me.

2. Sat outside Ozzy Osbourne's study (on Hampstead Heath), while he interviewed a potential nanny for Aimee.

3. Was at school with Lord Adonis, Richard Beckinsale's cousin, Erica Roe's (the first person to streak at Twickenham and Corin Redgrave's son.

4. Sat on David Wilkie's mum's lap.

5. Served drinks in a hotel bar to Mike Gatting and Ian Botham. Though am told that 15 minutes after my shift finished and I'd left for home Viv Richards came in.

6. I don't know if this counts but I was at primary school with Naomi Watts. She was, however, 2 years below me and I don't remember meeting her. Plus I only got told 5 years ago

7. I used to buy fags, food and coffee for Eddy Davenport. He started Gatecrasher Balls and is by definition therefore one of the originators of the whole rave/dance scene

8. Between 1982 and 1984 I was at retake college with the son of Michael Apted (multi award winning director). And the son of the first President of the Seychelles.

9. My dad was engaged to Chandrika Bandaranaike, former President of Sri Lanka. Her mother was the world's first female Prime Minister

10. Played pool in Joanna Lumley's house with her son James.

11. Met Andi Peters at the 1993 Ceroc Marathon. And Jerome Flynn at the 1994 Marathon, where he actually danced briefly.

12. According to the staff at the London Eye, I am the first person to dance (Ceroc) at the top of the wheel.

13. Did a video shoot for "Hard as a Rock" with AC/DC. And appear on stage with them

14. And finally, in 1983 I spent an hour with Muhammad Ali in his hotel bedroom. He made me and my mate coffee, gave us biscuits from a big Red Rover tin and we watched telly.

Famous family relations could open up a whole new thread. But for now I think we should stick to people we have met.

[Double Trouble]

Ohhhh, good thread. Although I think a more apt name for it would be Crap Claims to Fame, especially when you hear mine.

1. I got a Birthday kiss from Tony Hadley on my 27th Birthday in TGI Fridays in Finchley.

2. I met Terrence Trent Darby at a Prince concert and listened to him telling me and a group of people how he idolised Prince, etc,

3. I've spent a night in The Grand hotel in Brighton with Chris Eubank. We drank tea and talked about boxing all night (honest)

4. Floella Benjamin ordered me out of a book shop in Stevenage because I asked for her autograph but didn't want to buy one of her books.

5. I spent 2 hours watching Rowan Atkinson filming an episode of Mr Bean - the one where he's at the fair ground and gets stuck looking after a baby. When he finished filming he gave me a smile and said hello. *swoon*

6. Two weeks ago I was on a packed tube train and Jade Goodies Mum was standing right next to me.

7. I've been clubbing with Sid Owen (Ricky from Eastenders)

8. I used to regularly serve drinks to Paul Shane (Ted the comedian from Hi De Hi) at a pub I worked at in the early 90's

9. Whilst watching Ricky Gervais live at Hammersmith Apollo, we sat in the same row as Lionel Blair and a few rows back from Prince William and Harry.

10. At the same venue, but watching Billy Connelly live, we sat directly behind Elton John.



Talk about scrape the barrel. Yes...reading that back, definitely Crap Claims to Fame.

[Double Trouble]

in 1983 I spent an hour with Muhammad Ali in his hotel bedroom. He made me and my mate coffee, gave us biscuits from a big Red Rover tin and we watched telly.

3. I've spent a night in The Grand hotel in Brighton with Chris Eubank. We drank tea and talked about boxing all night (honest)

I hadn't actually read your claims to fame until I'd written mine. How spooky is that?

[straycat]

I met a someone famous once, in a car park. I don't know who he was. He was average height, and had dark hair. Some friends of mine told me his name, but I'd never heard of him, and promptly forgot.

Oh - and I used to be a fencer.
Just like Bruce Dickinson.
I've never met him.

[Barry Shnikov]

Um... those aren't claims to fame.

I hate to ?|55 on your chips but those are only claims to fleeting brushes with celebrity.

So...

...I once read Hello! magazine.

[Double Trouble]

Um... those aren't claims to fame.

I hate to ?|55 on your chips but those are only claims to fleeting brushes with celebrity.

Steve...it's Christmas...go have a drink, a mince pie and relax will you.

...I once read Hello! magazine.

No you didn't

[Andy McGregor]

Oh - and I used to be a fencer.
Just like Bruce Dickinson.
I've never met him.

I met and fenced against Bruce Dickinson at the Slough Open a few years ago. I'd never heard of him, although I had heard of Iron Maiden when someone told me he was the lead singer. He beat me

I met loads of actors and TV presenters when I worked in marketing and made corporate videos and adverts. I'd have to think quite hard to remember all of them. By far the nicest was Tony Robinson, although Tim Brooke-Taylor was very nice too. Rowan Atkinson was nothing like you'd imagine: to me he seemed quite bookish and distant when he wasn't on camera.

[CheesyRobMan]

I was on the Really Wild Show when I was about 11. I got a couple of seconds of solo screen time - apparently the camera focused on me because I was being quite enthusiastic about cheering and going "yay!" at the appropriate point... It was the one where they staged a 'play' about the moths changing colour during the Industrial Revolution, but that's about all I remember of it. Oh, and Michaela Strachan in a 60s miniskirt.

[philsmove]

With a lot of help from Paul Daniels, I made Debbie McGee appear in a hot air balloon flying over Bath

I once when for a drink with Barbour Windsor (Ted Ray bought the first round)

When I went to Cambridge Polytechnic , Tom Sharp was one of my teachers, as were most of the caricatures in Wilt

[Gav]

I met David Bailey once

[straycat]

I met David Bailey once

You win.

[Daisy Chain]

I'm related to the lead singer of Dr & The medics. They had a number 1 single in 1985 with "Spirit in the Sky" and have been on TOTP.

Daisy

(A Star Struck Little Flower)

[Barry Shnikov]

I once when for a drink with Barbour Windsor

hmmm....

there's a joke in there about the Queen's favourite foul-weather gear and her country estates, but it won't quite come to me...

[Barry Shnikov]

No you didn't

Curses! Rumbled.

[marcusj]

1. When I was 20 I took my then girlfriend into George Michael's dads restaurant in Edgware (Mr Jacks) and George was in one of the booths, on our way out George wouldn't stop looking at my face then my backside to and fro, my girlfriend thought he was looking at her but we know which way round it was now

2. Played football against Angus Fraser when I was 17 (England fast bowler), I fouled him really badly and he chased me around the pitch (far too big to stand and fight).

3. Spent a week at a Warner holiday camp in OAP week, there were only 6 guests under retirement age, we used to sit with the entertainment staff late at night for a chat and a drink, one of them was Joe Pasquali, I also pushed his Skoda in the rain when it wouldn't start

4. Went to see Phantom of the Opera 28 years ago for a wedding present when it was at it's height, surprisingly the row in front of us was completely empty, after everyone else was seated the national anthem started up and the Queen Mum walked in with her group and sat in front of us.

[Barry Shnikov]

However, speaking of magaziness....

...yes we were


...woman next to me on the train was reading OK!, and I caught a glimpse of a page which said something like 'Latest WAG says - No-one could ever take Posh's place'

...and I thought I been catapulted into an alternate universe while I was snoozing, one in which Victoria Beckham did something obviously and objectively publicly worthwhile - like a real somebody, such as - oh, Barack Obama or Eddie Izzard.

What sort of chemical malfunction of the brain would make a woman - or a journalist, for that matter - think that Victoria Beckham was even the teeniest bit unique?

Seeing he's come up twice, it's only fair to inform you that i was at school with Bruce Dickinson, in the same class with him, played rugby against and with him, and was in The Royal Hunt of the Sun with him. Sigh. Touched by greatness...

[Jay Jay]

I used to babysit Barbara Windsors pet dog in her dressing room whilst she used to do panto!

Was asked out by the policeman in 'The Village People!'

Sat on Tim Rice's lap to do dictation!

Been in a mags about my weight loss

Worked with Ant & Dec to do commercial

.........and have also met David Bailey

.......it won't change my life though, still putting out the bins and walking the dog in the rain and sad but true only really happy when I am dancing

[straycat]

I'm related to the lead singer of Dr & The medics.

Don't worry. I'm fairly sure no-one will hold that against you

[sunnybunny]

....... nearly got run over by Princess Di as I was crossing the road outside Olympia in Kensington........

[martingold]

on landing at sydney airport from L A in 1996 i was looking at some guitars going past on the carousel the label on them said B.B.King on tour i looked to the end of the carousel and there was the man himself fetching his own luggage
When i arrived at the bureau de change he was standing in front of me so i said hello and that i liked his music he shook my hand and went on his way
on the counter was his program with his notes written on it so i chased after him to give it back for which he was very grateful ( didnt give me any show tickets though so he couldn't have been that grateful )