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

Talking of Edwina currie, my GCSE French teacher was friends with her at school.

Did I mention that when I took my refereeing course for volleyball, the man who ran it later became the referee for the mens beach volleyball final at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics?

- I was at Uni with a guy who was going out with the (then) current love interest in Corrie (so long ago I can't remember names, but I think she might have played Baldwin's wife).

- I once (recently) saw this stunnigly attractive woman in the lounge at Barbados airport. She looked so familiar that I thought I must know her, but couldn't quite place her. Must have stared at her rudely for 10 minutes before someone told me she was Sam Janus. She is _much_ better looking in person. She was there with the actor from Liverpool One who she's going out with now, but that didn't help me twig. BTW, she was on my flight and so was Ricky Tomlinson (strangely I recognised him straight off). Very odd.

- I once sat next to Michael Heseltine's wife at the Opera. He was on the other side of her and I didn't recognise him until he was pointed out.

I may very well have met/gone out with/be related to some very famous people but I'm so useless at recognising them that I wouldn't know.

When I taught in Poland my masseur had previously been the physio for the national football team.When I taught in Bulgaria a fellow teacher had once been in the Romanian olympic swimming team. My husband played in goal a couple of times for the Ethiopian national soccer team (no he wasn't Ethiopian, but in those days passports weren't so important

Ooh yeah I played volleyball last year with a guy who later on, when we were discussing football, announced that his dad had been the Greek National team coach during the 1980s.

I met John Major before he was Prime Minister. He was a very nice chap... much more sincere than Tony Blair, if you ask me. (and much less scary than Maggie )

I went to the same school as Michael Atherton (current England cricketer and ex-captain). George Best (ex Manchester United and Northern Ireland footballer) once jumped the queue in front of me at the barbers.

When she was a student, my wife shared a house with somebody who know Sugs from Madness, and they all came to visit one night. My wife slept through it (drunk!).

My wife's brother once rented a house that used to be occupied by Tom Robinson's sister. (I feel that both the connection and the famousness are tenuous here).

I have a classic car which used to belong to a Manchester City footballer, and was used as a prop in a film about the Beatles.

Ex Coronation Street character Des Barnes once queued behind me for a rail ticket (he was more polite than George Best). He'd died in the soap and when I saw him, before I could stop myself, I said, 'I thought you were dead'! He was very nice about it.

BTW, in response to Duncan 'Spearcarrier' Jones whose Land Rover was chronologically inaccurate in Memphis Belle - there's a chronologically inaccurate landie in Ice Cold in Alex too (at the end). My Hillman Minx was accurate in Backbeat.

Ok my fiancee sat on the seat in front of Darius from Popstars the other week on a flight from Edinburgh to London.

I was twice less than a metre away from Kenny Daglish and too tongue-tied to speak to my hero.

My Dad coached 5 irish International and 3 British Lions Rugby while they were at school.

My Aunt works for Jesse Ventura former wrestler now Governor of Minnesota.

Me and John Hannah have my uncle ian in common, he also went to my school, and drama soc, but is way older than me.
My real name is (shhh) Helena McCallum, I can't even be bothered to sill in the tenuaous details that make me the real cyberchick from U.N.C.L.E.
Hxx

Grandad Weatherwax went to school with Peter Wheeler (English Rugby Union player) & my ex-husband once owned a Ford Fairlane that had been imported by Hylda Baker ( British character actress & comedienne)

Oh where to start?

I went to the same college as Susannah Corbett (daughter of Harry H. from Steptoe & Son, NOT the Sooty guy!!), who was in the year above me. She has since gone on to star in things like Dalziel & Pascoe and I haven't.

When I worked at a well known Bank about 12 years ago, I used to cash cheques for that well known athlete Steve Ovett.

I know people who know people who went to school with the guys from Toploader and I saw Joe in a local pub over Christmas (although I totally failed to meet Gail Porter when she was in town over Christmas with her Toploader beau. Damn!)

I've met Olympic swimmer David Wilkie several times - he now runs a supplements firm that is a rival to the one I work for.

I've shaken Chris Eubank's hand (I'm sorry, I couldn't get out of it, there were cameras and everything and it would have caused a scene to refuse).

And I have to say that Ian Gow was a very nice man and was patron of the charity run by my great aunt. A great loss.

I don't think there are any more, but if I remember any more, I'll let you know.

Cheers

Wolfie

Duncan 'spearcarrier' Jones is my elder son

Hmm - that doesn't sound like someone who would be either rich or famous

I heckled Des O'Conor for his entire performance at the Stage Theatre Sevenoaks. Unfortunately my Grandmother then dragged me back stage to apologise and he kissed me. Bleuggh!!!!!

I went to a friend's wedding reception in Eastbourne and while wandering around the foyer of the hotel noticed a person wearing trainers and a suit! How amazed to find out that this sartorial inelegance was being displayed by Lionel Blair!

A few weeks later in Bournemouth I went out for a meal with friends. I was sat near the door with my back to it. Apparently sometime during the evening, Irish girl group "Bewitched" wandered by

My local MP tried to kiss me hello when my dad took me to the Houses of Parliament, I ran away though...

My Uncle lived next door to the historian Simon Schaema (sp?) when he was at Cambridge

Would anyone want to meet gayle porter?? I'm sorry but I'm from East Kilbride and I find her accent annoying!!
H

Lionel Blair 2:

Ok while I was working for a famous and still existing chain of high street jewellers, Lionel Blair and Fanella Fielding both came into the branch where I was working to help raise money for the Hammersmith Lyric. Anyway they went to us and various other stores, Fanella didn't seem that into meeting the people who after all were going to be the one donating the money, but Lionel did the lot, helped to sell tuff, put it through the till, even signed a newly engaged couples Diamond Guarentee. He was really down to earth and really mucked in, and raised a lot of money that day I'm sure.

My Dad once had a drink at the same bar as David Coleman, sports reporter. He said he (DC) was much smaller than you 'd think.

don't laugh - some girlfriends and I went to see Billy Elliot this week. (We waited until they showed the original English version at our local cinema here in Germany so it takes longer to get here.) One of the girls said her sister lived next door to Julie Walters.

My sister once did a gala dinner for work with Tony Slattery as a guest compere - he was really great and very funny she said, soon catching on to the firm's jargon and "in" jokes

I once went to an Elton John concert, parked very early in the evening near the hall where it was due to take place. As I walked into town for dinner, past the back of the hall, EJ himself walked into the stage entrance.

I wonder what these people think when they could get accosted anywhere and everywhere and asked stupid questions or pestered for autographs.