" Claims to fame"

[jhopgood]

The South African neice of a friend from my Junior school, used to work for Mark Thatcher as a cook, and also came to London and worked for Mrs T.
She saw lots of famous people, who up to a couple of years ago, when she stopped working for them, still dropped in to see Mrs T.
The story that sticks in my mind, is that after Dennis had some heart operation, and it was recommended that he be sent somewhere to convalesce, she insisted that he come home.
When told that he should take it easy because of the stitches, she apparently said, "Don't worry about that, when I think they're ready, I'll take them out."
May or may not be true, but it seems typical.

[jhopgood]

Whilst on this subject, I wondered what people do when they casually meet the "famous"?
My wife and I were in an ice cream parlour in Buenos Aires, and the only other customer was Bernard Neustadt, a well known radio and TV commentator, who was reputed to be worth millions. We ignored him but in the five minutes we were there, a car stopped and someone got out to get his autograph, and a kid on a bike stopped, chatted and also got an autograph.
Once in Hamleys, we saw Charles Aznavour sitting waiting for someone, (he looked totally bored) and no-one came up to him or asked for his autograph. We didn't approach either.
I saw Billy Bonds (at the time he played for West Ham but had been a favourite at Charlton) one Sunday in a park in Charlton, sitting on a park bench. Nobody bothered him either.
Is it just the Brits who leave celebrities alone, has this changed with the advent of the non celebrity phenomena (Big Brother etc), is it a cultural thing or what?

Confused of Eltham (where Boy George almost got an education)

[cj]

My maternal grandmother was the governess to the nieces and nephews of King Farouk of Egypt in the 1920/30s.

[J.R.]

On the subject of 'how people react', and getting back to my friendship with Bill Travers..

Myself and a friend had driven Bill up to his London flat from his home near Dorking in the very nearly hours of a Saturday morning.

'Born Free' had been out for some time and Bill had been entertaining with Virginia at home earlier in the evening, hence he couldn't drive and asked if we could take him up as he wanted to work on the script of 'The Lions Are Free', his documentry follow up to 'Born Free'.

All three of us stopped at what was then known as a 'Golden-Egg' for breakfast aroung 5:45am.

Plenty of young people returning from parties came in for breccy and recognised Bill. Like the true gentleman he was, he chatted to all and signed autographs whilst eating his breakfast. Mind you - He had retained the full beard he'd had for 'Born Free' which did make him highly recognisable !

Not many like him left these days !

[englishangel]

I tend not to 'bother' people I see, but I am not much of a clebrity watcher.

I was walking to work in Central London many years ago when I saw a face I knew coming towards me but couldn't think where I knew her from so I gave her a big smile and said 'hello' which she returned, I was about 10 steps past when I realised it was Carole Barnes the newsreader.

I expect this happens to people like that quite a lot.

I might have said this before but my husband did a bit of TV on US horse racing and one night he was in a cab from the studio to the station and the cabbie says "you're that chap from the american Racing". My husband agreed that yes he was. The cabbie got on the radio and said "Hey Dave, you'll never guess who I've got in my cab!, then spoiled it by turning round and asking "what's your name again mate?"

[sejintenej]

It's all Angela's fault. She posted about having her lip gloss nicked so, my mind working in mysterious waysas always, I decided to search out an early 1966 reference and there it is, still on the internet with even a downlaodable mp3 (not advised);


http://www.2gether.as/user/Sei%20inte%20nei.htm

and yes - makeup (not specifically lip gloss) is there!

[englishangel]

I tend not to 'bother' people I see, but I am not much of a clebrity watcher.

I was walking to work in Central London many years ago when I saw a face I knew coming towards me but couldn't think where I knew her from so I gave her a big smile and said 'hello' which she returned, I was about 10 steps past when I realised it was Carole Barnes the newsreader.

I expect this happens to people like that quite a lot.

RIP

[Vonny]

Yes - it was sad news to hear of her death. I didn't realise she was as old as she was.

[nastymum]

I have a photogragh of my father with Prince Charles . So there.

[Sallz]

I met the Queen (not at ch though, she visited my town the same year and I was in the choir at the reception).
I had a guitar lesson from Gene Simmonds when he was filming rock school and me and a few friends wandered into bigschool when they werent filming.
I've also met most of the guys from timeteam and meet the anscestors at various conferences.
Oh yeh, and I met Jo from s-club 7 (how exiting...) and someone from Big Brother who later got imprisoned for running someone over in a car...

[jhopgood]

I have a photogragh of my father with Prince Charles . So there.

How embarrassing, I had a photo of me with Prince Charles, but it has mysteriously gone missing.

I was in the line up when he inaugurated a branch I had remodelled in Buenos Aires.

In the words of the immortal Peter Sellars, he stopped by for a couple of words.
I didn't understand either of them.

[gma]

Links both tenuous and close appear on here so I'll have a go at mixing them up!

Ken Dodd is my first cousin once removed on my Mum's side of the family, Screaming Lord Sutch is my second cousin once removed on my Dad's side of the family. (Clearly damaged gene pool!!)

I helped a friend teach the children of Salim Bin Laden to ride. (Yep, elder brother of that BL).

My hairdresser is one of the last of Crown Princes of Burma (Shan dynasty I think) -
(or they would be if the chinese weren't still there).

I've shot in a clay competition with Peter Phillips - (who's vey tall and has a nice b*m!!).

Midge Ure's driver once gave me a lift home from a party - 60 miles!!

I used to have a friend who entered a drag competition in Soho for a laugh and won, (till they found out she was a 6' girl) and she dated Adam Ant and we've all had breakfast together, (didn't eat much, gulped a lot of tea!!)

Speaking of toast, I dated Paul Young for a weekend.

I shoot with a guy who is the George Harrison's son's best mate.

I used to go to a boarding school where the aunt of the bass guitarist from Mud lived in a house by the school hall ( !!)

Think that's it.

[Sallz]

my best friend at ch went out with someone who would have been 3rd in line to the Throne of Poland or something, but his grandfather abdicated.

[marty]

Have met and/or seen loads of people as you do living in London (boring list below). The funny thing about seeing someone famous is that because you recognise them your brain tricks you into thinking that you must know them. I once saw the bass player for the Stereophonics in Selfridges and this happened. I recognised him and went up to talk him, thinking he was a friend. I then realised who he actually was and scarpered. They must get it all the time though.

Timothy Spall
The Queen
Prince Philip
Adam Hart-Davis
McKenzie Crook
Simon Mayo
Kate Moss
Huw Dennis
Chris Evans
Ian Brown
Ricky Gervais
Noel Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
Graham Coxon
Princess Anne
Zoe Ball
Sara Cox
Pete Townshend
Boris Johnson (used to live near him in Highbury)
Wendy Richard
Beth Orton
Pete Doherty (****)
Jeremy Paxman (I said 'hi, Jezza' and he replied with a wry 'wotcher!')
James May
Robbie Williams
Jarvis Cocker
Cliff Richard
Derek Jacobi
Kenneth Brannagh
Phil Tufnell
Mohammed Al Fayed
Jason Leonard (lovely bloke)
James Haskell
Chris Eubank
Peter Snow

Sadly, I've yet to see Fiona but I will keep stalking, er, I mean trying....

Oh and there's an outside chance I'll be on Jimmy Carr's new DVD....watch this space.

[little_r]

ok here goes:

Harry Enfield nearly bought our house.
I had sunday lunch with Lord Snowdon, Viscount Lindley and enjoyed an afternoon swim!
Had dinner with Douglas Hurd MP and Lord Carrington
Perry Como had afternoon tea with my grandmother and I.
My great great great grandfather was second in command to Wellington.
My great (x8) grandfather was the first protestant lord mayor of London (1549).
My great aunt was friends with Rupert Everett's godmother.
i appeared on the front page of The Telegraph after being punched in the face by a bloke i caught having it off in the bushes.
My grandfather used to have afternoon tea with Barbara Cartland.
I've advised Frank Bruno, John Snow, Nigel Havers, Pauline Quirk, Robert Lindsay and Rosemary Ford, Val Doonacan, Martin O'Neil, Ian McGaskill, Fern Brittain and Phil Vicary, Wendy Craig, Sir John Mill's gardener, Vernon Kay and Tess Daly, on their gardens.