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I accidently bodychecked Jimmy Saville and knocked him to the ground in the foyer of the Moat House hotel in Glasgow.
I was storming through the hotel in a foul temper, dripping wet, wearing full highland evening dress after unsuccessfully trying to lock my car without the alarm going off in the car park in the pissing rain.
As I was walking past the lifts in Reception*, Jimmy walked out right in front of me and I knocked his frail, shellsuited form to the floor. I growled an apology and stormed off before I realised who he was.
When I told my wife and the other people at the party they thought that I was some sort of monster for assaulting a kindly old guy who does so much good work for charity.
Hindsight eh?
*Robert Plant may or may not have been observing from the bar.
Every working day....
whats a famous person?
I met Jackie Chan at the start of the Hong Kong - Beijing Rally in 1996. He had a team entered or something.
Not strictly a conversation because he couldn't speak much English back then.
Kevin McCloud wandered up to me with a pair of ski's over his shoulder whilst I was doing a bit of transfer driving in the Alps... bit of an understatement to say I was a fan so I decided to play it cool and not let on I knew him... told him why I was there and that I couldn't get hold of the pickup... he rang on the intercom for me and he suspected it was his friends flat and proceeded to talk in a French accent "madame you av urr blockage in your toilette, i come to fix it"... he freaked her out quite nicely and she was who I was waiting on so it all worked out well! As he wandered off laughing I shouted "bye kevin"... never have I felt so sad!......
Apart from dancing with Tim Booth at a festival - a bit loved up on life and all I could do was offer him a banana I had apparently been carrying around for 2 days... he politely declined - we danced a little more and then he made a tactical escape!
A few weeks ago Steve Cougan nearly took my wing mirror off coming round a corner into Coniston in his 3 wheeled Morgan? He did a full open mouth expression which I populated in our car with "AHHHHAAAA".
Mick Doohan in the run-up to his first Brit GP before he was famous. He was at a bike shop in Towcester and I was in the crowd of 1. Thoroughly nice bloke we agreed Schwantz wasn't that good I got some merch and he signed my crash helmet (still got it).
Similar encounters with James Toseland Neil Hodgson and that Stalker bloke
While working as a guide I took Ben Shepherd out riding while working in Spain and got drunk with him and the BBC film crew, although he didn't touch the tequilas if memory serves. I had my 30 seconds of fame later that year on 'Holiday' programme.
Apparently a friend's wife saw a silhouette of Ben and I riding up a hill and said 'I recognise those legs'. Friend wasn't sure what to make of that.
As an MTB guide used to show a certain Cy Turner around the Elan Valley. He was only a nipper then and not so tall.
Met Dominic Behan and Chris Woods (Traffic) (whilst hitch-hiking)
Met Alan Rusbridger a few times, kids at same school
Chaired meetings addressed by Richard Wilkinson and the late Paul Foot
Had lunch with John Carey
Met Mick Jagger. Didn't really but I did chat with his brother Chris in the Thatch in Croyde (also Wingnut)
Chatted with Kelly Slater and Tom Curren at Bell's in 1992
Bill Oddie comes to town every year for the birds of Rutland and I (just) see him down the local, alongside hundreds of birders
Captain Eric Brown. Twice. A lovely gentleman
You win!
I would imagine that the sheer volume of potential subject matter must be quite daunting 😀
Wife once got shouted at by David Baddiel. She said he was a right ****er.
When I was about 14 I got yelled at by Dave Hemming. Proper, red faced, sweary, bawling in the face of a slightly frightened child, yelling. Complete ****. He wasn't that famous outside of MBUK though.
I spoke to Steve Peat at the same event and he was really nice.
Escorted John Cooper Clarke from a friends house to a cafe in Mumbles after she called me up saying he was making a nuisance of himself, John wanted a cappuccino but all the cafe had was filter coffee and startled looks
I've had dinner with (sat next to) Jonathan Aitken and black Stig, hoped to get an introduction to Jonathan's daughters but failed but did get him to sign a copy of his book - for my Dad.
Tried to have a chat with William Hague whilst waiting for a train, resisted following him on to sit next to him though.
Went to school with Martin Lewis, I'm sure I gave him some money tips.
Erm...I sometimes ride with the bloke that used to own Evans....
I went out for drinks with Richard Herring and the rest of the crew when he was hosting a program on poker back in the early 00's. Nice bloke and a decent poker player too.
On a different note, I got into a discussion outside Tesco Huntingdon last but one election with the local MP (Djangoly) about Trident and the role of a strategic nuclear deterrent. He didn't get it in the slightest and told me that it would protect us from terrorists. Some gentle pushing on my part that this was bolleaux because terrorists have no state and therefore won't be scared by something that can turn a country into glass did not go down well with him.
Escorted John Cooper Clarke from a friends house to a cafe in Mumbles after she called me up saying he was making a nuisance of himself, John wanted a cappuccino but all the cafe had was filter coffee and startled looks
Definitely Chickentown.
Wife once got shouted at by David Baddiel. She said he was a right ****.
i spent an afternoon in his Hampstead flat he shared with Frank Skinner, was a nice enough bloke then, also had Jo Brand offer me a brandy (it was 12pm) in her Denmark hill flat, this was mid 90’s i’m guessing their properties are a bit bigger now.
when i was an assistant photographer i met loads of famous people through work, too many to remember them all.
most recent notable was Alan Ford (brick top in that Guy Richie thing) as a friend did a short film with him as the lead and i was B-camera, just small talk over lunch.
I used to train with Graham Bell and Martin Bell back in the day, used to go to their house quite a lot.
I've asked Steve Peat where the easier trails were on Wharncliffe as I minced down a DH track whilst he was coaching some of what I guess are now top UK DH riders. He was actually very helpful !
Geoff capes as a kid, Christ he scared me.
Ari vatanen as a kid, absolute hero.
Johnny hartson on several stag dos/weddings, wouldn't arm wrestle me the big girl, daisy lowe in a hot tub (not a lot of chat just me and the brother in law worried our wives would see us, we were like two children), few beers with Ricky Wilson from the kaisers, erin O'connor "model type" , mylene klass looked very good that day, Emilia fox gave me the kiss on both cheeks, and that janine Bird from eastenders. So all pretty much b list.
Not a conversation as such but a full scale punch up with Liam Gallagher at the log flume in universal studios, La. I stood on his foot by accident and he got shouty and tried to hit me, I had a bad hangover and was a grumpy man so hit him back. Thus ensued some man wrestling eventually broken up by patsy kensiy screaming and his security. He scowled at me all day. I thought it was quite funny by then....
Once met Frank Sidebotton in a bar in Salford in 91, girlfriend at the time was studying there, chatted to him for a bit but cant remember much apart from the papermache head.
I've met many 'famous' people over the years, mainly through family.
But the one that sticks out was a nice chat with Nick Frost by a taco stand in universal studios when him and Simon Pegg were promoting Hot Fuzz, none of the locals had a clue who he was so he was fairly happy to have a chat and a picture. A few minutes later he came passed me and the Mrs with Simon Pegg in tow and sent him over to us which was nice. He was also a thoroughly nice bloke.
More recently me and the Mrs spent an hour or so in the company of the band We Are Scientists who my wife loves, we paid for a VIP package with a meet and greet expecting a signing and a free tshirt, ended up hanging round the venue with them and a couple of other people for well over an hour. Not so famous these days, but were fairly massive in the 2000's, great live band too, and top guys.
Princess Anne
And Tim Farron, twice, yesterday (and once a while back when he was helping save our post office)
Once met Frank Sidebotton in a bar in Salford in 91, girlfriend at the time was studying there, chatted to him for a bit but cant remember much apart from the papermache head.
Not much else to remember is there?
Thus ensued some man wrestling eventually broken up by patsy kensiy screaming and his security. He scowled at me all day
Surely Liam is the hardest man on the planet and would've drowned you in the log flume??! 😆
Muttered some guff to Howard Marks once after he did a talk. Spoke briefly to Abdominal after a DJ Format gig (nice guy).
Working at the FW World Cup I tried to bar a bemused Phil Saxena from the closed 4x track unitl I spotted his named pass. Also told Robbie Bourdon to get off the track during the DH finals.
(Mis)Spent extensive amounts of time in Ewen Vernal's (of Deacon Blue / Capercaillie) old house as I was mates with his nephew. Still speak to his daughter who is pursuing a music career of her own and has also met Robert Plant.
Working at the FW World Cup I tried to bar a bemused Phil Saxena from the closed 4x track unitl I spotted his named pass. Also told Robbie Bourdon to get off the track during the DH finals.
Reminds me of my student days doing security on the Loughbourgh telivised athletics meet. Didn't get to meet Sir Des or Sue but did see the producer run up to grab the sheet with NSF-TV slogan on it. Then told Dwayne Chambers that he wasn't getting on the track unless he showed me his pass, and no grunting isn't going to get you in either mate - lets see the pass, well done not that hard was it...
Did also meet Ben - My little pony - Challenger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Challenger but not to speak to
Some more of the random climbers included Jerry Gore and an evening with Alan Hinks, one guy at the after dinner speach had it all lined up to ask him if climbing everest on O2 was like doing the TdF on a motorbike - he forgot that question. Good fun guy, sprained his ankle on a walk that morning so was chewing Advid and washing them down with Port 🙂 😐
He's not famous yet but the son of two of our closest friends is straight out of drama school and is currently filming the new Dunkirk movie with Tom Hardy and Harry Styles, he's tipped for big things in the future.
I didn't have a conversation with him, but I did bump into Leonardo De Caprio this evening in LA! 8)
Leonardo pah I have you all beat. Was at Uni with Gonch from Grange Hill!!
Had a chat with Charles Dance over which sausages to buy in a deli the other week. Very early on a Saturday morning. Set the weekend up to be something surreal.
Jackie Stewart - chatted for about 30 minutes, partly briefing him on the event he was speaking at, and partly general stuff about Formula 1 etc.
Phil Read - for those of the older generation, a legendary motor bike racer. A mate of mine lived a couple of doors from him so we just went and knocked on his front door. Spent about an hour in his garage chatting and climbing around some of his racing bikes
Prince Charles - Mrs M worked in the garden at his house Highgrove for a while. Once a year he gave a big party for all staff where he came round and chatted to everyone. Talked to him for about 4 minutes before he was moved on to the next bunch
I went to a talk by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston a couple of years ago, sponsored by Benromach. The evening ended getting drunk on the whisky, whilst smoking cigars chatting to Sir R. Fascinating Bloke.
I was speaking to a mate at the weekend who had spoken to RKJ during the Round the Island Race.
RKJ: "get upwind or I'll ram you".
My mate: "It'd be an honour".
Had lunch with Professor Heinz Wolff and was given a personal guided tour of his bio engineering research lab at Brunel. Very charming and dedicated man.
Oh - more of a spot really - I bumped into Alexei Sayle in Waitrose in Daventry once. He was pushing a trolly while absentmindedly reading the guardian.
I thought: Alexei Sayle? right on urban marxist comedian in a posh supermarket in rural Northants? Same shop frequented by Nigel Lawson and family?
Turned out he did indeed live in the area at the time.
Alexei sayle and wife outside pub in Soho , staring me out ..to be fair I probably started it !!! Loved the young ones
Alexei Sayle and wife in CoOp in Mytholmroyd.
Also...
I've met a load of bikey people along the years but the weekend spent with the Tomac family at one of the East Coast rounds of the US motocross series was pretty cool. Young Eli is quite the star, and John is just "Eli's dad" to all the mx fans and usually gets asked to take photos of them with Eli.
Lovely family, very dedicated to their sports.
Geoff capes as a kid,
He lived in the village I grew up in. Drove big American cars and walked around with Grizzly Brown quite a bit.
Well since reading this thread this morning, I have met ZERO celebs.
Went out for a ride today and three came along at once.... bit like buses 🙂
Andrew Charlie Ruddock (Heavyweight Boxer)
Peter Capaldi
Pearl Mackie
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^^^ Reminds of a friend of Mrs Pondo's who once met Hugh Grant and Jamie Redknapp. She went "ooo, can I have a photo?" They said yes so now she has a picture of her with Jamie Redknapp that was taken by Hugh Grant. 🙂
😆
I used to get a lift to school with George Cole's son, occasionally George would be doing the driving. Was never that talkative though.
My wife's school friend works in Richmond Park for the Royal parks, and has a tied house in the park itself behind a high fence and a security gate. He had a barbecue party for his wife's 40th earlier this summer; my wife and I had taken the dog out into the park proper for a run about and when we got back a man was boosting a young lady up at the fence so they could see what the music was about. When they saw us they quickly got down and walked off, but not fast enough that my wife and I both did that double take thing. Yep, Mick Jagger was trying to get over the fence into a party we were invited to rather than the other way round!
I regularly had conversations with (OK, I regularly had to shout at) half of the Chemical Brothers. Mainly over lunchroom misdemeanours as I was his lunch prefect at school.
Lastly, I regularly had conversations with a girl I was at Uni with, who was previously a school mate of one of my best Uni mates. So when I went to visit him in the holidays, she often would come out drinking with us. One particular night, I was getting on very well with her, had had my hands up her top on the night bus, and was looking forward to sealing the deal once we got back to my mate's place. Except when we got there she threw up on his carpet and then fell asleep in the garden, and given I'm not a premiership footballer felt that a certain degree of consent was missing. So she never met my Honourable Member, which is a clue to her future career path.
So she never met my Honourable Member, which is a clue to her future career path.
Ann Widdecombe? That could have been her big night.
Reminds of a friend of Mrs Pondo's who once met Hugh Grant and Jamie Redknapp. She went "ooo, can I have a photo?" They said yes so now she has a picture of her with Jamie Redknapp that was taken by Hugh Grant.
😆
my wife worked on a film in which the original male lead (ok, the voice thereof) was replaced by Hugh Grant, because the studio felt he had more star power abroad etc etc.
The wife thought the original lead was much better, and vowed that if she ever saw Hugh Grant she would kick him in the shins.
Fast forward a year or 2, and guess who's at the premiere? Besides us obviously. Only Mr Grant himself! And did my dear wife honour her vow? Did she kick him in the shins? Even as I dug her in the ribs and told her she might always regret it if she didn't? 😡
I used to speak regulaurly with a Junco of the Juncos that own Hello magazine.
I wrote a comedy film script and showed it to Gene Wilder.
He died laughing.