I met Les Dawson  once at the Ship in Weybridge (met, as in I said good evening to him). He was there with his wife and mother in law.

I've done better in meeting the mother's in law of famous people.

I once sat next to, and had a long conversation with, Donovan's MIL, on a flight from Cork.

And I used to chat to a lady who turned out to be Sugg's MIL.

I think my (only) encounter that I'm aware of was saying 'excuse me' to Noele Gordon because I had an armful of drinks and she was in my way. She moved aside most courteously. I didn't know it was her until it was pointed out to me. It was just about the time Crossroads got the chop so she was pretty much telly royalty at the time. Not much, I grant you, but it beats mothers-in-law, and though I had to look up who Fern Brady is, I'd rather have had a lapdance from her than Noele.

My nephew/godson seems to attract celebs wherever he goes, in fact he tripped over one daily when he was studying in London. Alas I can't recall their names now, apart from Chris Eubank. I might be able to tell the world I know him one day, as he soon becomes a Jesuit priest and is hotly tipped to be a future Pope.

Oh, I've just remembered; George Melly's wife.

Sometimes I feel very peripheral.

A few very brief encounters

Whilst running the London Marathon over 20 years ago, I ran past a chap who was struggling and thought to myself "wow, he's huge and muscly" - then I realised it was Frank Bruno.

My brother was a DJ at a local nightclub on a Friday night and I was sat down having a drink, a chap came in and sat about 5 feet from me and ordered half a pint, had a baseball cap on, about 2 minutes later he was swamped, it was Chris Evans who had came down to play in a charity football match. A few hours earlier he was on the TV on TFI Friday.

Many years ago I worked on the checkout in a supermarket. Some chap purchased a few bits and went through the till and afterwards a co-worker told me it was the chef, Keith Floyd. I seem to remember he bought tinned and packet food and not much fresh ingredients.

Driving up my local town I saw someone about to get in a car, I stopped hoping I might grab the space but then noticed he was making waving motions to me that he wasn't leaving, so I put my hand up in acknowledgment and realised it was Rick Mayall. Rick lived not far from where I did, my friend used to work in the local paper shop on the early shift and Rick would come in and purchase items before catching the train to London. They got up quite a nice routine where they called each other cunts and to fuck off a few times before he left the shop laughing. Those who met him, said he was a great chap.

Many years ago my brother and I used to play the game you could see the crappiest famous people:

So "Mike from Mike's Carpets" in the local pub was a good one (guy who did his own local TV adverts) - this went back and forward for years - went to see a play one night and in the audience was Joey from Bread and Mark Currie from Blue Peter - I was streaking ahead - my brother did consider coming into town for the interval to claim it leveled it.

For some reason he didn't come to a friend of mine's birthday party - I saw a funny reflection in the window and in walked Richard Whitley (with his girlfriend who was in eastenders) I though unassailable lead until he was behind Richard (without Judy) buy beer in the off license - he didn't admit for a while they lived on the same street so.....

Nearly got mown down by Gordon Strachan carrying a Christmas tree in Homebase.

Passed and said hello to Robert Peston on a walk in the Cotswolds.

Kim Wilde at Knightshays (National Trust) when she was a TV gardener.

My cousin served Steve Davis a bacon butty shortly after Sandbach Services opened on the M6.

In 2019, we bumped into Tim Farron (lib dem MP) on a ramble, somewhere remote in his consituency around Kendal. My Mum made an innocent comment about his zip (on his rucsac) being down, and laughter ensued!

In 2006, we were in an empty juice bar in NYC, when in walked Renée Zellweger ... she said hi to me, and left! ? 

In 1997 (?) we walked thru a busy Leicester Square, coincidentally during the premier of Jerry Maguire. I came within 6 inches of shaking Tom's hand!

About 10 years ago, my workmate chatted for an hour with a hotel guest, who turned out to be Charlize Theron (he had no idea).

Another work colleague taught Guy Ritchie how to scuba dive, and went for dinner with him while wearing Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" t-shirt. Seeing this, Madonna commented how cool it was - she knew nowt about JD, so Guy made a call and "Control" bluray was Fedexed for a private screening.

Keep your eyes peeled ... Apparently, Hugh Jackman is wandering around Yorkshire, going on rambles and buying cheese!

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https://uk.news.yahoo.com/hugh-jackman-yorkshire-actor-stays-144148191.html

I was at the National Motorcycle Museum this week and ex WSB Rider and 2 times Champion James Toseland was there doing some filming with Dominika Grnova a former model and now Red Bull and biking Journo. Was great seeing James but the best was hearing him chat bike racing to the museum director James Hewing. Who was giving the film crew a guided tour which we latched onto

if you are into bikes and racing it’s great but might not mean much to others