h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Prince Charles came all the way to Cleethorpes to meet me last year. I stood in line and he shook my hand. He made eye contact with me (a lot of celebs don't do that) and he thanked me for waiting. I thanked him for coming.

Such polite people.

Fred Trueman. I was on my way to Leeds hospital for an appointment (by train), had to wait for a connection, went to use the phone box (it was 1981, in the days before mobiles) but it was occupied so I waited. When he came out, he apologized profusely for keeping me waiting, and proceeded to chat with me for 5 minutes. He asked me where I was from (I don't have a Yorkshire accent). I told him my Mum's a Yorkie and my Dad is a big fan of his. He gave me his rail travel brochure after he'd autographed it for meWhat a nice man and a perfect gentleman.

Frazer Hines. He opened a shop in Grimsby, approx.1989. When I reached the front of the queue I told him that the little girl who'd lined up with the Mayor and Miss Grimsby Town FC and the owner of the shop and shook his hand before all the rest of the public got a chance, was my cheeky daughter. He laughed and complimented me, he said she'd make a great actress as she was fearless. I asked him if I could have a kiss and he offered his cheek.

Local celeb. Snooker star Mike Hallett turned up at a funeral I was attending with my parents. Everyone else was 'buzzing' around him, clamouring to get his attention. I felt sorry for him, he'd come to say goodbye to a friend - he didn't need all that.
I completely ignored him and went into the chapel. Sat next to my parents and the last person to come in was Mike. He looked around at all the people and made a bee-line for me. He asked my parents if they would excuse him and he sat in the spare seat next to me. The star-struck behind and to the side of me couldn't believe it.

Sometimes celebs just want to be treated like normal people.

It's a double-edged sword, fame. If they're recognized it's a drag, but if they're ignored, their pride is wounded.

"What is 'celebrity status' and how do you get it"? Someone who's been on tv or in the newspapers often enough to get recognized in the street. How do you get it? Date a celeb. Talk about it. If you're pretty enough, you'll become as famous as the celeb you dated. Or, in the case of Abi Titmuss and John Leslie, become more famous.

"Is there one star you've always wanted to meet?" Yes. Sir Patrick Moore. It was thanks to his "Observers Book of Astronomy" (a gift for my 11th birthday from my Gran) that my lifelong love of astronomy took seed and grew into a passion. I was SO jealous that he appeared as a mystery guest in the last "Big Brother"if I'd known he was going to be there, I'd have applied to go in myself, just to meet him.

Other celebs I've met.
Mina, Peta, Abi, Mark, Ashley hehehe

As a working musician, I meet a number of famous folk; but no encounter was more interesting than when the late Pearl Bailey tried to throw me out of a rehearsal!
She was on tour with her band, husband L. Belson included, and playing a miserable multipurpose civic center in southern Georgia (US). I was just graduated from college and playing in the community orchestra for whatever small wages they paid. She was in a bad mood. The lights were the wrong color, the hall sounded bad, the local sound man was an amateur and kept getting in her way, etc... She was not in good health at that point in her life, and I think bus tours were a bit much for her.
Anyway, she was chewing folks out right and left, when, from across the stage she fixed me with a glare and wanted to know "what are you doing in there?" I looked around to see who she could be talking to and she continued, "yes, you. What are you doing in there with the others?" As she approached from the other side of the 7 foot grand piano, I figured out that she had mistaken me for one of the children that the local folk had brought with them to the rehearsal, and decided that now I was "playing" in the fiddles instead of playing on one. (I'm rather small of build.) My stand partner was trying to sink into the stage, but I was indignant enough to compose myself a bit and insist that I was all of 21! (Well, it seemed mature at the time!)
For the first time that day, she admitted that she was wrong. She could now see that I was indeed not a child. As she turned to go, she had to have the last word of course. She said, "I have a daughter your age...looks like you too." I'm still trying to figure out if she was kidding, since I look nothing like Bailey; but if her daughter takes after her husband she may indeed look like me. Someday maybe I'll find a picture of this Miss Belson.
While I'm at it, Christian pop artist Michael W. Smith is a very nice person and actually recognizes me and says "hi" when we run into each other. (No, this isn't required. I'm not important.) In the same genre, Amy Grant and I went to Sunday school together, but she doesn't remember me -probably because she's a couple of years older. Seniors wouldn't notice sophmores you know. YoYo Ma is pretty personable and will pose for photos with orchestra members. Judy Collins really keeps to herself -doesn't even come to the rehearsal for her own show.

I've never met one, but I did have an sighting of Sue Barker once. She was presenting the BBC's coverage of the Davis cup tennis between GB and Thailand, and some of the people from my school (it was a special trip) kept shouting "Give us a wave, Sue!" as she wathced the players warm up. Eventually she got tired or ignoring them (or possibly heard them for the first time) and waved at us. That's it.

In fact, that match gave me my only sighting of any celebs, since Tim Henman and Paradorn Shcripan (definately not how you spell his name) were playing, and Jeremy Bates was the Captain.

I have a couple of celeb connections though - a friend of the family is former cabinet minister Claire Short's cousin, my mom used to know the mother of the Phelps twins who play Fred and George in the Harry Potter films, and she used to work with someone who's wife was the neice of Kenny Baker, who plays R2D2. All pretty distant connections, I grant you, since I've never met any of them, but handy during a game of Six Degrees of Seperation.

Sorry for the long post!

I met Finlay Quaye at the Party on Koh Pha Ngan. Can't really say more than that for fear of being modded and/or sued!

Also Met Dwight Yorke in an all night club in Sydney (see above), and various other Aussie Soap non-entities.

okay, don't know if this counts as meeting, but was walking to work one day, lovely day, in Dublin, looked up and saw Richard Harris, did a double take cause I didn't realise it at first. Then he saw me, saw the recognition, gave me a nod and a smile, which I returned, and that was it.

I didn't actually meet him, but a lass I was working with a few months ago told me her mother in law lived next door to skiffle legend Chas McDevitt. I nearly swooned, as any ageing pop fan would, (Freight Train practically started the skiffle craze single-handed, no skiffle, no Beatles, he really was that important.) Anyway, she mentioned it to Chas when she next saw him, and he was that chuffed that somebody knew all about him that he sent me an autographed CD, actually its a pretty recent recording with a guest list that reads like a history of English rock, and its thoughroughly enjoyable. Just in case you think I've led a sheltered life, I've actually met Eric Morecombe (honest!) Sam Brown, (before she was no 1) (and beat this, her Dad, Joe, is on the Chas McDevitt album!) and I've played a game of rugby with JPR Williams, and have the photo to prove it! Oh yes, I've been around!

I was at a benefit cricket match today, at which were playing, among others, Alan Donald, Dougie Brown and Nick Knight (Criketers) Nick Owen (TV News journalist) and someone from the Stanglers.

David Bowie ;Met him in Brisbane and drank coffee and played chess.

That is throughly impressive. I think there's a convo on here about that already (at least, it's called "Someone oh h2g2 has played chess with David Bowie" so I'm assuming it's you!) - have you seen it?

you seem to be a celeb yourself

The trouble with knowing "celebrities" is that unless you're actually knowledgeable about their field, you often don't know that they are famous (unless they're on the media all the time).

Here's my list. No names, cos they're all my mates!!

Had dinner with an old friend recently who is a well known author, just back from overseas getting another book published.

Also have friends who: One was a well known composer (now sadly deceased), whose website is STILL being maintained by the faithful!! We didn't know how famous he was until all these Really Prominent people from Europe and America turned up at the funeral.

One was a rock star whose band is now something of a punk legend (now a computer nerd/family man).

One is a politician (do pollies count??).

One is an artist who has won major prizes etc. Known her since she gave me measles at 3 months old (though she says I gave them to her). Her grandmother was also a famous artist. She used to ring my mother (in spring, in the middle of the shearing i.e. busy busy) and ask her to come down and see her "beautiful daffodils". No go. She was well known in the district for her fancy dress parties. I was not around at the time (being as yet unborn), but I would have loved to see those nice farm boys all scrubbed up and dressed up in Arab robes / as King Arthur / in tights for selections from Shakespeare.

One, a fellow we all knew "painted stuff", was more into laser light shows when I met him. He died suddenly and a friend of mine was one of his executors. He was most surprised to get a phone call one day from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York asking whether there were any of this guy's paintings around and if so could they have them (for a huge fee!!). Turned out that he was one of the more prominent artists of the 20th. century!! My share of the estate was a large bottle of the best amontillado sherry I've ever tasted. God bless him.

That's it!! I think that's enough. No Davids, Kylies or Paris's to tell of, but whatever!!

I haven't met anyone famous - it's great isn't it

i only wish i was old enough to go to pubs by myself and not be patronised by anyone, you met tons of celebs in such places.
once my friend met clint eastwood in a bar, of course he's too big headed to aknolege his brilliance. he didn't talk much(Clint.)
he just went up, ordered a pint of bitter, drunk and went out.
oh, not before giving everyone one that glazy eye killer look however.
you could almost see the colts bulging from his jeans.
oh well, i can only hope for better days to come.

*My son* met Bruce Willis last week in Amsterdam, shook his hand, told him what a big fan of his his mother is.

It's been videotaped (or whatever contraptions are used these days) and will be winging its way to me shortly

RIP Fred Trueman (posting 1)

Do people you meet at work count? Some were just present in a small room with me and a few other people, some were actual hand-shake type meetings and a few were conversational. Then again some were just subjects of my lens.

Oscar Petersen, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Johnny Dankworth, Cleo Laine, Ella Fitzgerald, Dustin Hoffman, Tina Turner (I have a pic with the two of us, she's TINY!), Jodie Foster, Steve Martin, Ronnie Wood, Meg Tilly, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Reynolds, Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, etc.

BUT, does that really count? We were both being paid to be there and both doing our jobs, so did I really *meet* them? I'm not sure.

Well last week I was sat having a coffee at Glasgow International Airport and who should I see but Annette Crosbie. What a nice lady. We had a chat about her new series "Hope Springs" and how I loved the "Slipper and the Rose".

Hello Tonismum, don't know who Annette Crosbie is, which doesn't mean she's not famous, just that i'm not very well up on entertainment these days, but isn't it odd that somebody called Crosbie is involed with a show whose title begins with Hope? Ok the spelling's different but it's still spooky!