Famous people you (sort of) know

Haha – never heard him called that before.
This was back in about 1997. He’d been dating the girl out of ‘The Beautiful South’ before me – Jacquie Abbott. Funny as she and I are like chalk and cheese.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ganson

Bit of a catch!

😆

I photographed Bradley Wiggins last year when he was in a local hotel for the Tour of Britain and asked him to sit on some kids Chopper. He refused.
Filmed with, met and got a pic with Sean Bean last weekend in Kent. Nice chap.

Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen is weird and started taking about children wearing calipers?
Wish I’d punched Ian Duncan-Smith.

The only time I’ve been starstruck was when I photographed a Tucker Jenkins opening Kwik Save.

I bought a second hand alternator for a 1988 ford transit off of a guy that has has been killed by Indiana Jones three times.

He was actually killed four times but his 4th death didn’t make the final cut.

I met Andy Diagram’s (trumpet player from James) wife at a party – I was pretty merry and was being very enthusiastic about the DJ set she had played that evening and she asked if she could DJ at our wedding.. 🙂

The same folks threw a similar party a couple years later and Andy played a solo set.. He was wearing a Gore MTB jacket so I was gonna try and strike up a conversation when we were stood together watching another band later in the evening but I got all starstruck and couldn’t muster a word

I’ve met quite a few music bods over the years I ‘spect, often without realising

When we were kids my (older) mates used to often exchange letters and sketches with Banksy

Who is this “Banksy”?

I knew Ron Hill when he was still one of the world’s greatest distance runners, and went on to do business with his sportswear company. When he came over we used to do a five mile run together before lunch at the local pub. Happy days!

I saw Michael Gambon drunk in Aldeburgh once, that was pretty funny.

And Griff Rhys-Jones once shouted at me for cycling through his garden.

Other than that, I don’t know if UK pro mountain bikers really count as celebrities…

Niki Lauda is copied in some of my work emails! ( work in motorsport obviously) Ross Brawn as well.

A guy at work was one of the early presenters on TISWAS

Cheers drive wins.

I’ve clearly led a very sheltered life as I’ve never had any brushes with celebrities. Mrs o met Richard e grant recently though. Thoroughly nice chap by all accounts.

I know loads of famous people from the music industry but for me that doesn’t count. But my cousin used to go out with Sybil Ruscoe before she started on the radio and my grandfather was well known in the horse racing world and so I would often meet people like Lester Piggot at his house.

I once met the bloke who played Danny Kendall in Grange Hill

My mate was asked by Norris McWhirter where the potted shrimps were in the upmarket supermarket we worked in after school.

He directed him to the shelves above the freezers and asked what the record amount of shrimps were in one pot.

Received a withering look.

Zammo from Grange Hill runs a local locksmith shop.

I sat and had lunch once on the table next to Joanna Lumley in a Little Chef on the A3.

All of this is trumped by my cousin meeting and getting a signed photo of Jet from Gladiators.

I had lunch with peterfile and Mrs file.

Sounds OK until you realise it was a chance meeting and I had to ask out loud in a cafe “are you peterfile off STW?”

All of this is trumped by my cousin meeting and getting a signed photo of Jet from Gladiators.

Wins the internet.

I saw Simon Parkin at the Boat Show back in the 90s.

Got tackled by George Best….

(well he fell down the stairs blind drunk knocked me over then proceeded to replace my pint several times….. he was very witty)

My mates sister is snowboarder Jenny Jones. Been to some parties and bowling with her

Jenny Jones used to work in Shark Bite in Bristol and I used to lust after her. Still do actually. Can we make this happen?

I had lunch with peterfile and Mrs file.

Sounds OK until you realise it was a chance meeting and I had to ask out loud in a cafe “are you peterfile off STW?”

hahah that was actually very funny. I did notice before you came over that you were clearly having a quick battle with something in your mind (most likely that you thought you recognised me but were unsure how the opener “are you peterfile off STW” would go down) 🙂

It probably didn’t help that we’d not had a wink of sleep and were bleary eyed!

If I’d been more awake I’d have probably gone on the wind up…”Excuse me???! What did you just call me??!”

My Aunt was Alexandra Armstrong’s Nanny.

Alexandra Armstrong’s Dad stitched my head after I split it at Harbottle when I was about 4.

I once played Twister with Whitley Bay Men’s Ice Hockey Team

I was *very* careful…

Used to know most of the British Judo team (not hard when I used to train with them 2-3 times a week), Wife knew Mark Owen(take that) when he worked in Zutti’s clothes shop, two of her other friends, 1 was married to a DJ from the Haciennda, who’s best mate was the manager of new order, the other was married to the original drummer of Inspiral carpets, alot of the cast from Corrie and Emmerdale used to be her patients at the opticians when she worked in Oldham

I once met the bloke who played Danny Kendall in Grange Hill

‘Danny Kendall’ was in the 6th form at my Secondary School when I joined the 1st year. Rumor was the little bloke would fight you if you asked for an autograph. This proved to be incorrect.

My dad was an extra in Stardust.

dated the girl who presented rangers tv on setanta sports….filthy…

When I was a kid , the next door neighbour was friends with Darth Vader, although I didn’t believe it until I was older. I did recognise him from the Green cross code adverts though. He used to say hello to us over the wall.

Loads of encounters with Welsh rugby players but looking out of the front window and seeing Colin Charvis standing at the front door holding part of a washing machine was puzzling.

Jimmy Saville once said hello as he ran past, near Blackfriars Bridge. Late 80s, early 90s maybe. Even then he looked like a strange little man.

I’ve had breakfast with Ben Fogle and chatted about MTBs. (Related to this but a while later I chatted to Pam St Clement, Simon King (wildlife guy) and Tony Fitzjohn, all on the same night. Fitz is the guy who worked with Adamsons in Africa.)

David Dimbleby once got me a drink.

Christopher Biggins looked down his nose at me, when I was a lowly Saturday boy in WHSmiths.

My nephew works at Blenheim Palace and on the shoot for Spectre he recently got to hold James Bond’s gun Apparently it’s quite small.

I have been given a dirty look by Ewan McGregor.

When I was a kid , the next door neighbour was friends with Darth Vader, although I didn’t believe it until I was older. I did recognise him from the Green cross code adverts though. He used to say hello to us over the wall.

I went to school with his neice. Are you from Pucklechurch?
Wife went to school with Jenny Jones and that **** who married sonia from eastenders.

I’ve touched Wiggo’s personal pot of manuka honey.

now there’s ^^^ a euphemism.

I spent a day with Bear Grylls when he was still on the speakers circuit talking about his Everest expedition, cracking bloke and very humble at the time.

I’ve met Simon Weston a few times, very nice as well

I met Karen Brady.. not so nice!

Richard Hammond shops in the local Morrisons and we see him there quite often, either that or when he’s out and about on his motorbike (a lovely ducati)

All of this is trumped by my cousin meeting and getting a signed photo of Jet from Gladiators.

I’ve shared it before, but she once put her hand in my gentleman’s area.

I’m not sure if ‘saw once in Tesco’ qualifies as ‘sort of know’.
Certainly not in the biblical sense.

A mates, mates dad used to be the original “I’d climb a mountain for a canny bag o’ Tudor” crisp advert.

Many years ago I worked in film / tv so had some legitimate engagement with “celebrities” but I’ll ignore those for this thread and keep it to the tenuous ones:

Served Clive James in a remainders bookshop (the ones that sell books that haven’t done well in proper bookshops at massive discounts) in Islington in the late ’90s. It was a couple of days before Xmas and very much a last-minute-panic-oh-sh*t-what-am-i-going-to-get-them time in retail. Most amusingly, two of the three reduced-to-99p books he bought were his own.

Spoke to the guy who plays Zodiac Mindwarp (Mark something-or-other) after a gig. A very cerebral dude in real life.

Half of Groove Armada (the tall one) was in the year above me at school.

Played cricket against a former England captain and very, very nearly took a catch to dismiss him (still hurts now watching in my mind as the ball falls to earth half an inch out of my reach). To be fair, it was Brian Close and he must have been a million years old at the time, but still a highlight to an otherwise dismal cricketing career that I really wish I had.

Had Frankie Boyle chap my door and ask me to sign a petition against a mobile phone mast.

The chap who plays Naveed in Still Game lives a few doors down.

Kevin Bridges lives across the road. Only ever seen him once sitting on his steps fiddling with his mobile phone.

Greg Hemphill from Still Game lives across the road too with Miss Hoolie from Balamory. Really nice folk. My missus used to do drama stuff with her as a kid. They have the best Halloween trick or treats I have ever experienced.

Once saw Robert Carlisle walk past the window on Guy Fawkes night.

My friend Carl taught Euan McGregor how to ride a fixie for a film he was shooting nearby.

Passed James Lance and Steve Coogan who were walking down the hill when riding up Walna Scar. The latter cheerfully suggested that it wasn’t far to the top. He took it well when I quipped that we both knew that he was clearly lying. 😀

Had a sandwich made for me by Anthrax.

Nearly went out with a German Lingerie model / TV presenter but she was mad as a box of frogs. (And no, sadly, it wasn’t Claudia Schiffer – if only!)

Had a Kenwood Cheffette presented to me by Sarah Kennedy of Radio 2 and Game for a Laugh fame as part of a cooking competition.

I also used to go to school with Scally the dog or at least the guy who played him. He was also a presenter on Get Fresh. I always remember him telling me when the school headmaster summoned him into his office about his somewhat sporadic attendance. “What exactly are you going to do with your life?” demanded the headmaster. “Well to start with I’m writing and presenting a children’s TV show for ITV”,came the reply. AFAIK he’s a Hollywood director these days.