Famous people / celebrities using trains

[bnm]

Carol Vorderman at Paddington.

Bill Oddie at Bristol Temple Meads.

Justin Lee Collins, also at Bristol Temple Meads

Freema Agyeman in 1st Class on a Cardiff bound HST. Asked her if she was returning to Cardiff to film some more Doctor Who. She told me fibs about going to Cardiff to see friends. Funny how I saw her next day filming some scenes for her return in David Tennant's last episodes!

Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd and Joel Garner at Taunton.

Charles Dance, also at Taunton.

 

[Essexman]

I can only manage three football ones - all some time ago.

Craig Johnson - ex Liverpool & he of the Predator Boot - on a train from Liverpool Street - and quite drunk.

Bill Green - 1970s journeyman footballer on train to Fenchurch Street. WE were going to see West Ham at QPR as was he - he couldn't play as had broken leg. We got tube to LOftus Road & he got a cab.

Statto - Fantasy Football - not on train but walking across concourse at Euston.

 

[175001]

I get a few faces I know on at Greenfield. Last week I had PC Bellamy off Heartbeat get off at Greenfield, and I sold a cheap evening return to Michaela McQueen off Hollyoaks a few weeks ago.

I also sat next to Ex-Wales and Man Utd's Micky Thomas from Colwyn Bay to Chester two weeks ago!

And whilst working the 1237 Leeds-Man Vic a month ago, after I shut my doors, Roni Ancona ran up and missed the train

 

[Greenback]

There were lots of famous people using Reading station when I worked there, including:

Lenny Henry
Pete Postlethwaite (RIP)
Jeremy Child (well known character actor - at least his face is, if not his name)
Lawrie Sanchez (footballer and manager)
Jeff Banks

 

[Waverley125]

Jeremy Bowen-BBC War corespondent in standard on the 1305 Leeds-LKX last week

London Wasps (team, inc. Serge Betsen, Joe Worsley, Danny Cipriani, Paul Sackey in standard on the 1940 Leeds-LKX. Were playing away at Leeds that day, and the coach broke down about a mile into their journey home, so had to get the train.

 

[sonic2009]

I've seen Wagner off the X-Factor on a Class 170 Cardiff - Birmingham New Street. he was off to sandwell and dudley.

 

[Mvann]

Stephen tompkinson got off the same train as me on a Waterloo to Windsor and eton riverside station. He was rehersing for chitty chitty bang bang at the time.

 

[Olympian]

Alan Davies (a.k.a. "Jonathan Creek / Q.I.") was on the 0840 Glasgow Central to London Euston service today.

Does anyone else have similar stories of spying a celebrity on a train or similar?

I also sat opposite Alan Davies on a train - between Newcastle and York in first class on East Coast one Monday morning a few months ago. He was travelling from Edinburgh to London.

Have also seen:

Monty Don on Arriva Trains Wales between Newport and Hereford a couple of years ago.
Alex Salmond on Jubilee Line several years ago.
Paul Daniels at Glasgow Central station on his way to a show in Ayr a few years ago.
Bobby Ball in first class on Virgin train between Euston and Preston a few years ago.
Bill Beaumont on Northern train between Newcastle and Carlisle late last year.
John Illsley in first class on SWT between London Waterloo and Brockenhurst last year.
Goerge Sampson and family in first class on Virgin Trains between Euston and Warrington one Sunday afternoon two years ago.

 

[DarloRich]

John Inverdale in the standard class quiet coach of a Pendo heading to Manchester. He kept having to go out into the vestibule to phone in his copy for articles he was doing and gave an interview from there

Mike Atherton in first Class from Newcastle. ( been to Chester ke Street for the cricket, as had i)

Iain Dowie at Euston - had a chat and he was a really nice bloke

I refused to give a seat to Micahel Gove MP on an SWT 158/159 from Sailsbury. A blow struck against the Tories there - up the workers! The real reason being i could see an old bloke struggling down the train and thought he deserved it more. (Gove in fairness did say i did the right thing when i walked past him later!)

The entire Darlo team on the same train as all the fans back from London. Good trip that one! (famous in my house!)

 

[43106]

When I worked in Stanmore from 2001-2004, I went Kings Cross - Edinburgh about once a month. I bumped into...
1) Vic Reeves on a southbound GNER train as he wandered to coach A for a ciggie. I believe he had his family in tow.
2) Zia Mahmood will mean very little to you, but he is one of the finest Contract Bridge players in the world. He got on a GNER train at KGX during the Edinburgh Festival.
3) Strictly speaking, this was not on a train, but on the concourse of KGX. There were problems, due to a suicide at Oakleigh Park, and my Edinburgh train was delayed, as was the following Leeds train. When the 'message of delay' went up on the electronic screen, I uttered a string of obscenities that I thought were under my breath, but the bloke standing next to me said, "yeah, you're &%$£ing right!" It was Doug McAvoy of the National Union of Teachers!

In 1974, I bumped into comedy actor Arthur Mullard on the District line.
In late March 2001, the London Underground went on strike on the day I went from Edinburgh to Rochester for a job interview. I caught the LT bus service that travelled between railway stations. I got on at Liverpool Street to get to Victoria. When we got to Waterloo, Max Clifford got on. Does that count?

 

[HST Power]

Thanks to my profession, I've sat on a HST with various Tory high-ups, one being George Osborne.

 

[Liam]

Henry McLeish, former First Minister of Scotland, on a Edinburgh-Aberdeen.

Davie Weir, Rangers player, at Waverley Station.

 

[PinzaC55]

In the early 80's at Kings Cross I had Ruth Madoc (Gladys of Hi De Hi) on my train a couple of times and once saw Mari Wilson at KX - or rather her beehive.
Simon Bates the DJ came there on a Saturday to do a show and I found him lost in the corridors near the mess room.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Frank Carson (Irish comedian) in 1st on an Anglo-Scotlsnd Pendo a few years ago - I think he was on a Preston and off at Keynes.

Denise Welch - Loose Woman (my God I hate them), in 1st on a Picc-Euston Pendo last year.

I've also been on trains with Wigan Athletic (last year) and Preston North End (a few years back).

My Dad has also seen David James (West Ham, Liverpool, Watford, Man City, Portsmouth, Bristol City and England goalkeeper) with his family on a Voyager to Birmingham when Virgin still had XC. He was off to Exeter, and had a F&F railcard!

 

[MadCommuter]

A few years ago, I arrived at Newcastle to catch a GNER to Edinburgh and noticed strategically placed men in suits all over the platform. A closer inspection revealed they were wearing ear pieces. Shortly before the train arrived, an entourage appeared with Gordon Brown in the middle. They headed for first, presumably he was on his way to Kirkcaldy.

Another one that springs to mind was the blond one out of Birds of a Feather at Waterloo many years ago.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

Wigan Athletic FC
Liverpool FC
Paul Scharner - Wigan Legend and more recently of West Brom
Jamie off last year's "The Apprentice"
A panelist on Loose Women who I forget the name of.

Strangely, all of those sightings were on Pendolinos and all were in First Class!

 

[Ostrich]

Sir Stanley Matthews, sitting on a bench on a platform at Wrexham, with the Port Vale team, sometime in 1967/68 .... he was manager of that club at the time. I've still got his autograph, somewhere.

Bobby Moore, at Manchester Piccadilly; I'd watched him play for West Ham at Old Trafford that afternoon, and the West Ham team caught a train back to London while I was waiting for mine to Birmingham.

Chris Green, of NSE fame, waiting on a platform at Bristol Temple Meads.

And that Professor Robert Winston, waiting on a platform at Newcastle.

 

[Simon Poole]

Me (Simon) and my brother Ian Poole travelled 1st Class on the 1829 from London to Rugeley Trent Valley and we were at the table seat and on the oppersite side was Allister Stewart! who complained about the internet connection and expressing his opionion on Staffordshire this was November 5th 2010

 

[RichmondCommu]

Me (Simon) and my brother Ian Poole travelled 1st Class on the 1829 from London to Rugeley Trent Valley and we were at the table seat and on the oppersite side was Allister Stewart! who complained about the internet connection and expressing his opionion on Staffordshire this was November 5th 2010

And clearly didn't give you any spelling tips.

 

[lauraGeeGee]

Paul Barber, Denzil from Only Fools and Horses got on my train at London Liv St.

It was quite comical as my train was being seen to by FST and all the doors were shut. I had to tell him that he couldn't get on yet as the train was "being fixed"

"Being FIXED??!" he said. He looked quite scared!

Also had that Brian who won Big Brother on my train a few times. If he counts!

 

[43167]

Ive seen afew over the years. Some of the big ones.

Paul Gascoigne (2004) on a GNER HST from Peterborough-Doncaster & he asked me for a conection to Newcastle from Doncaster after he had got on the wrong train.

Jack Charlton (twice) once at Doncaster in the stations old carpark and again at Newcastle.

James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers at Manchester Piccadilly.

Norman Lamont at Newark Northgate in 1999 heading for London (in Standard Class).

Alyson Hannigan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and American Pie on a London-Bristol around 02/03.

Roy Wood of Wizzard/ELO on a MML HST bound for London.

Plus various soap actors/actress ive seen, too many to name them all and a couple of who had brief fame after been on Big Brother.

 

[TGV]

Charlie Dimmock - nipples and all - on a Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen St. service.
Chris Garnett on GNER at York (but who hasn't seen him?)
Boris Johnson - several times in London
Apparently I was sat opposite a famous X factor contestant on the Central Line, but I couldn't say who it was. Tall dark bloke with massive hair.
Kylie Minogue - Eurostar
Peter Mandelson - on a SWT service from Waterloo.
HM the Queen - although she was boarding a Kings Lynn service and I wasn't, we did share the same concourse... kind of.

 

[Scotrail84]

Alex Salmond on my Edinburgh to Inverurie service about 5 years ago. Sat in 1st with 2 heavys keeping an eye on him.


(Jambo b*****d)

 

[43067]

Stood at darlington waitng for a plymouth train around 1998 and seen David Bellamy complete with big bushy beard waitng for a London service.

Janet Strret Porter is a regular on GC normally gets on and off at Thirsk.

Mark Williams (Fast Show/On the Rails) about 2 months ago a KGX getting on a Leeds service.

 

[valenta]

Saw Keiron Dyer buying a ticket at Newcastle Central a couple of years back.

 

[cuccir]

I have heard a couple of reports, and have seen him myself once, of Bill Bryson at Durham station, or travelling up to Durham, where he is the university chancellor

 

[jon0844]

Chris Eubank (2006) Saw him at Paddington boarding a train to Bristol Temple Meads.

Given he used to drive a lorry around Brighton, he wasn't getting into the drivers cab by any chance?

 

[Minilad]

Ive seen afew over the years. Some of the big ones.

Paul Gascoigne (2004) on a GNER HST from Peterborough-Doncaster & he asked me for a conection to Newcastle from Doncaster after he had got on the wrong train.

Jack Charlton (twice) once at Doncaster in the stations old carpark and again at Newcastle.

James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers at Manchester Piccadilly.

Norman Lamont at Newark Northgate in 1999 heading for London (in Standard Class).

Alyson Hannigan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and American Pie on a London-Bristol around 02/03.

Roy Wood of Wizzard/ELO on a MML HST bound for London.

Plus various soap actors/actress ive seen, too many to name them all and a couple of who had brief fame after been on Big Brother.

I would have gone all weak at the knees !!
My admittedly small list is

Paul Merton waiting for London bound train at Nuneaton
The woman who plays Mimi in Shameless at Man Picc
Tony Blair at New St
The bloke who plays Les Battersby from Corrie at Man Picc
Ulrika Jonnson got on my train at Stoke once, the guard later told me she had a ticket to Reading !

 

[TGVDUDE]

When at Kings Cross for the Norseman last September, I bum,bed into the Middlesbourgh Football Team boarding their 225 back north :P

Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle from Emmerdale) boarding a London HST at Leeds last Summer

 

[cantosis]

When I used to work for GNER I saw John McCririck once he was behind me as I was getting a coffee from one of those AMT coffee booths. It was about 6am and he had a big white armless overcoat thing which had big black horses on it(well that would make sense but actually it might have been sheep). He certinaly wasn`t scared of standing out. He seemed just like he is on TV loud,abrupt and rather rude.

Also saw John Barnes the footballer once...a lot smaller than I thought he would be. I also saw people who had been on the X Factor although probably dont count