Brushes with fame

[Onliest Smeg David]

Cat Lovely Deeley

Prince Ed (few occasions)

Prince Philip

Keith Chegwin

Tony Morris (NW newsreader)

& several other celebs I can't remember the name of due to lack of notability (or memory reducing beverages)

[Steve (stevel)]

Had Rick Parfitt, Francis Rossi (Status Quo) Peter Snow,Les Dawson,Roy Walker,Norman Tebbit and 5 of Ken Dodds Diddy men in my taxi ...not at the same time ☺☺☺☺☺☺ And I did have a signed £5 note off off Ken Dodd who paid me for taking his Diddy men home ☺☺☺

Steve

[Robin Parker (Red Spider) - Yorkshire AO]

A few years ago I was skiing at an indoor ski centre when I followed someone on a snowboard up the drag lift, at the top he fell over, got up and went to his mates. As I passed him, he said "I can't turn left". Dougie Lampkin can ride a trails bike anywhere, but he can't turn left.

[yellow perilous]

In Kingsbridge on holiday, waking down into the village, following a guy that looked like Rick Mayle, not sure it was him until he spoke to his son. Then there was no mistaking it was him. Two days later it was reported on national news that he had had a bad accident on a quad bike on his farm in Devon.

[DazzyBravo]

Got turned out to an rta on the M6 junction 23 ,an articulated lorry had squashed a Ford Granada limo between him and the central reservation barrier .Winched the wagon away ,opened the Granada door with the hydraulic gear and inside was The Nolan Sisters,.good few years ago that

[pistonbroke]

Brush with fame, nearly ran over Prince Charles. Was making progress near to Highgrove when he stepped out into the road from a lane, stepped back pretty quick, he doesn't own the roads yet.

 

Only other of note was meeting Derek Bell at the service on the A34, Had a short chat, nice guy

Derek Bell is one guy I would love to meet 

[Arm]

I can assure you Derek is a charming gentleman .

[Matta]

Once found myself sitting next to Andrew Cowan on a flight back to the UK. Really decent down to earth bloke and had some great stories. Strangely enough, I ended up sitting next to him again on a completely different flight a few months later - amazing coincidence!

 

Matt

[David-hrv]

From my Formula Ford days in the very early 80's, I remember speaking to Ayrton Senna (then Da Silva) at Oulton Park. He took lengths out of me through Druids in practice, so I asked him afterwards about his gearing and he told me what he was using. I said, "...but with that gearing, the engine will be absolutely screaming down the straight towards Lodge". With a shrug of his shoulders, he nonchalantly replied, "So?". He was driving a works Van Diemen with the best engines available, so it didn't matter to him. I, on the other hand, was on a very tight budget.

 

Another time, I was stood next to Tom Walkinshaw on the grid just before the start of the Silverstone 1000kms. He was running the fabulous Silk Cut Jaguars and after they'd played "God Save the Queen", he turned directly to me and said "Well, let's see if we can win this for the Old Girl then!" (The Slik Cats won!)

 

I also remember several stories from driving Perry McCarthy (later to become the original TG Stig) to Brands Hatch (we were guests of Keke Rosberg), but I can't put these into print in case the Police are monitoring this!

 

I was once in the bar in the BRDC suite at Silverstone before the British GP, and I accidentally bumped into a guy, making him spill his drink. As I turned to apologise, I noticed it was HRH The Duke of Kent and he was talking to Jackie Stewart. I thought, "well, there goes my Knighthood!"

 

Whilst doing the recce for the Ulster Rally in the mid 80's, we met Tony Pond and Rob Arthur at the beginning of a stage. They asked if it was the stage finish and they looked very sheepish when I told them "No, it's the start". They'd recce'd it the wrong way! I have absolutely no idea how they'd managed that.  

 

Loads more stories and fond memories of brushes with fame.

[Yanto]

At a biodegradable packaging product launch (made out of wheat if you're interested) at the House of Commons there were lots of MPs and Ministers present but one short chap, who is also an author and jailbird, yes Geoffrey Archer, Baron Archer of Western-super-Mare, was stood in front of me, I could see what was going on though as he is a short  :A***: at one point he took a small step back and stood on my foot, it hurt! He didn't even turn round to apologise despite me pushing him forward.

 

Bumped into the Queen mum when i was lad walking with my parents near Balmoral, from what i remember she was very talkative.

[BobMet]

Did a spot on Countryfile a few years ago with Julia Bradbury in the Hebrides. Absolutely charming, down to earth, very smart and quite a petrol head. I nearly lost it on ice driving her down the hill in a knackered Punto to go and launch a weather balloon.

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

Met Ross Brawn, what a great guy. I do hope some of the rumours are true and he is going to take over from Bernie. He'll do a proper job of F1 and actually make it worth watching again. 

[Mooch]

As a duty officer at RAF Northolt in the 80's royalty and the politicians of the time were a daily event - everything from Lady Di to Mrs T.   I recall Bronski Beat coming back from Italy to do TOTP and the customs guy searching every bag!

 

Favourite one was meeting Nelson Mandela when I was duty commander at Brize Norton in 2002.  He had nipped in to collect an honorary doctorate from Oxford, all low-key so no press or TV but he still stopped and shook hands with everyone involved with the aircraft see-off, even the young lass pulling the chocks out.  He was the most amazing person I've ever met and I'm rather proud to have shaken his hand.

[Jonk179]

At goodwood festival I stopped and bent over to tie my shoe lace and Derek Bell rear ended me! Knocked me flying but was most apologetic.

[Robin Parker (Red Spider) - Yorkshire AO]

Almost knocked Jean Todt and Michelle Yeoh over at the LeMans Classic.