-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Any connections or meetings with celebrities?
- Thread starter johnnychips
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
D6130
Established Member
When I was a guard at Brighton in the mid-1980 I checked the tickets of many celebrities, including Dora Bryan, Oliver Read (polite and charming), Alex "Hurricane" Higgins (drunk, rude and arrogant), Carol Barnes, Christopher Timothy, Annie Nightingale....to name a few.
In 1998 (I think), my wife and I met and had a brief chat with Michael Palin on the platform at Coleraine station in Northern Ireland, while he was filming his Great Rail Journeys series. Then a few days later, we saw the late John Hume MP on the concourse at Dublin Connolly.
When I was a driver at Skipton in the 1990s/2000s I met Thelma Barlow and the late Peter Baldwin - who played Mavis and Derek Wilton in Coronation Street - on Skipton station one Summer evening. Both were charming and very willing to chat. One morning in 2004 I met Pete Waterman when he alighted from the cab of a class 37 at Skipton on the Leeds-Carlisle loco-hauled service. He got into a car to take him to the Embsay Steam Railway. A few years later Una Stubbs and her companion alighted from my class 333 unit at Bradford Forster Square on arrival from Leeds. She was very pleasant and chatted with me and my guard, who phoned for a taxi to take her to the Alhambra Theatre.
In the Autumn of 2000 I spent a week down in London driving Heathrow Express 332s backwards and forwards between Paddington and the airport as part of our practical handling training for the introduction of the class 333s in Yorkshire. On one trip back from Heathrow, we had Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie riding in the rear car. The HEx staff messroom at Paddington had a 'Celebrities' whiteboard on the wall, where you could write the names of those who you had seen each week.
In a non-railway setting, I have met the late Queen Mother - who apologised for arriving late at the function and asked me if I had had my tea yet - the late Donald Dewar MP, first First Minister of Scotland, Paddy Moloney and Derek Bell from the Chieftains in a Dublin Pub, the late Eric Sykes in a South London park and opera singer Lesley Garrett in Bradford (very friendly, chatty and completely down-to-earth....as befits the daughter of a railwayman!).
Also, I was interviewed by Anna Ford in the Yorkshire TV studios in Leeds at the launch of a Railtrack video anti-trespass video in about 1994. They wanted to hear from drivers who had either run over or had near-misses with children on the line.
In 1998 (I think), my wife and I met and had a brief chat with Michael Palin on the platform at Coleraine station in Northern Ireland, while he was filming his Great Rail Journeys series. Then a few days later, we saw the late John Hume MP on the concourse at Dublin Connolly.
When I was a driver at Skipton in the 1990s/2000s I met Thelma Barlow and the late Peter Baldwin - who played Mavis and Derek Wilton in Coronation Street - on Skipton station one Summer evening. Both were charming and very willing to chat. One morning in 2004 I met Pete Waterman when he alighted from the cab of a class 37 at Skipton on the Leeds-Carlisle loco-hauled service. He got into a car to take him to the Embsay Steam Railway. A few years later Una Stubbs and her companion alighted from my class 333 unit at Bradford Forster Square on arrival from Leeds. She was very pleasant and chatted with me and my guard, who phoned for a taxi to take her to the Alhambra Theatre.
In the Autumn of 2000 I spent a week down in London driving Heathrow Express 332s backwards and forwards between Paddington and the airport as part of our practical handling training for the introduction of the class 333s in Yorkshire. On one trip back from Heathrow, we had Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie riding in the rear car. The HEx staff messroom at Paddington had a 'Celebrities' whiteboard on the wall, where you could write the names of those who you had seen each week.
In a non-railway setting, I have met the late Queen Mother - who apologised for arriving late at the function and asked me if I had had my tea yet - the late Donald Dewar MP, first First Minister of Scotland, Paddy Moloney and Derek Bell from the Chieftains in a Dublin Pub, the late Eric Sykes in a South London park and opera singer Lesley Garrett in Bradford (very friendly, chatty and completely down-to-earth....as befits the daughter of a railwayman!).
Also, I was interviewed by Anna Ford in the Yorkshire TV studios in Leeds at the launch of a Railtrack video anti-trespass video in about 1994. They wanted to hear from drivers who had either run over or had near-misses with children on the line.
DerekC
Established Member
I once shook hands with Dick Cheney (later VP to George W Bush and principal architect of the Iraq War). I generally keep quiet about that!! A much nicer experience was nearly bumping into Martin Clunes in a farm shop in Dorset. The problem with the latter kind of experience is that your brain does an "I know this guy" response before remembering who it actually is - so you tend to do a silly smile and then feel stupid! He was polite enough to smile back - I guess he must be used to it!
An amusing experience was watching the Queen arrive for the official opening of the Thames Barrier in 1983. She was twenty minutes late because of a problem with the Royal Barge (actually a PLA launch, I think) and stormed up the connecting bridge from the pier looking absolutely furious - but of course when in range of the cameras The Smile went on. (Long before the days of being videoed by every other member of the audience).
An amusing experience was watching the Queen arrive for the official opening of the Thames Barrier in 1983. She was twenty minutes late because of a problem with the Royal Barge (actually a PLA launch, I think) and stormed up the connecting bridge from the pier looking absolutely furious - but of course when in range of the cameras The Smile went on. (Long before the days of being videoed by every other member of the audience).
Don't really like the term celebrity and I don't think it applies to the people I have known, met or seen, but in Bradford we don't tend to big up our slightly-famous people.
In the 1970s used to socialize with (go drinking with) two girls who both later went on to appear on Emmerdale. Also various musicians in bands who later appeared on Top of the Pops or other music programmes.
More recently, working at the station I have given travel advice to Alan Bennett (playwright) & partner, also Giles Brandreth (raconteur).
In the 1970s used to socialize with (go drinking with) two girls who both later went on to appear on Emmerdale. Also various musicians in bands who later appeared on Top of the Pops or other music programmes.
More recently, working at the station I have given travel advice to Alan Bennett (playwright) & partner, also Giles Brandreth (raconteur).
SouthEastBuses
On Moderation
I once met a Belgian footballer Dries Mertens (who plays for Italian football team Napoli) in Naples Airport during one of my several holidays in Italy.
Harold Hill
On Moderation
I had that Yasmin le Bon in the cab once. Took her home to Simon on the Chelsea Embankment. He came out to meet her and sign autographs, seemed a nice bloke - for a Brummie lol
Nearly missed a train thanks to Prince Charles visiting Swansea once - think I did see him in my hurry to get on the train after being held outside the station for half an hour.
Had a GCSE English lesson ruined by the local MP ( Richard Shepherd) doing a talk for some old dears in the hall and being unable to operate the VCR!
My grandparents used to live (so I'm told) in the same street as Jack Charlton.
Did also spot Marcus Brigstock at the Imperial War Museum in London a few years back.
Had a GCSE English lesson ruined by the local MP ( Richard Shepherd) doing a talk for some old dears in the hall and being unable to operate the VCR!
My grandparents used to live (so I'm told) in the same street as Jack Charlton.
Did also spot Marcus Brigstock at the Imperial War Museum in London a few years back.
I met Mark Williams (snooker player) at a branch of Asda in Cardiff many moons ago. I got his autograph on the back of an old receipt.
EDIT: I've also met Keir Starmer a couple of times, first in Manchester and then again in Liverpool a week or so later.
EDIT: I've also met Keir Starmer a couple of times, first in Manchester and then again in Liverpool a week or so later.
High Dyke
Established Member
Many years ago I was dropping off my sister and her new husband at Gatwick Airport. As they were stood in the queue at the check-in desk Robert Kilroy-Silk makes his way to the front of the queue, with an arrogant air and a "don't you know who I am?" attitude.
Equally, whilst at T20 cricket match a friend with us was told to F### Off by Nasser Hussain, when asking if he'd got a light for his cigarette.
- Status