Who is the most interesting person you have ever met

My mum or Dawn French, she is a brilliant and funny storyteller with a great heart, very driven.

My husband & I once sat on the next table to David Attenborough at the London Zoo in the early 70's. How we basked in the reflected glory!

One of the most memorable "people" I ever met was Guy the gorilla, when we were allowed behind the scenes to feed him peaches. If ever an animal had presence it was him!

Going back to humans I was friendly with a lovely painter in St.Ives. Sadly he is now dead, but he was so generous with his time and knowledge and gave me so much encouragement. I could have talked to him for hours (and some times did!)

I have met a few interesting people due our connection with natural history world. The most thrilling (and interesting) to me was my childhood crush Sir David Attenborough. Also Robin Page, farmer and author, funny, controversial and very un PC, Gordon Beningfield - Artist, a lovely friend and no longer with us, funny,intelligent and very interesting. Have met Bill Oddie, was a little sure of himself at the time although I understand he does have some issues around depression so may have caught him at a wrong time. Chris Packham, he showed my son his scars from bites from various animals.

Sounds like name dropping but I assure you it isn't just that these are some of the interesting people I have come across and had the pleasure to me

I think the most interesting - indeed fascinating person I ever met would be James 'The Amazing' Randi. I Was introduced to him in the early 1970s, by a friend (who was pretty interesting too!) one Billy McComb, a professional magician and comic. Randi was in UK to publicise his book, exposing the ludicrous claims of Uri Geller... we corresponded for a while, mostly on matters of conjuring.

Later, when Randi had moved to Florida, I discovered his foundation, the James Randi Educational Foundation. Now, with Randi well advanced into his eighties, the Foundation goes from strength to strength, protecting vulnerable people from the claims of frauds by encouraging critical thinking, and providing the facility for charlatans and quacks to expose themselves... See www.randi.org for details

The most interesting person I've ever met was the man who used to run our village amateur dramatics society and direct the plays (I was about 17 at the time). He used to make some very interesting observations about people (one I remember was how when someone falls over, they jump up and rush off, pretending to be unhurt even when they obviously are) and pose some provocative questions (does everyone have a price?).

Generally, though, I think most people are pretty interesting if you get to know them.

absent I know what you mean about seeing someone out of context. I saw Dr Miriam Stoppard in Bond Street several years ago as I left work one evening. As she was coming towards me, I recognised her and smiled. She smiled back. It was only afterwards, when I was racking my brain to think how I knew her, that I realised who she was.

Yonks ago, I used an excellent PR consultant and she used to get us into lots - 3-5 a month, of 'celebrity' events and receptions... gallery openings, fashion shows, book launches etc.
That's the good news but, my memory is like a sieve even at the best of times and I could never remember who I met!
It was Jools Holland (obligatory forum name-drop) that came to my rescue as he 'knew' everyone!
When I asked him how he did it, he told me he just assumed he knew them and asked them how they were doing and, from various hints, asked after other contacts etc.
I've used this technique often and, if anyone on here knows me and we've chatted a lot... sorry if you're racking your brains!
Sapph

Thanks for that explanation Absent - bizarre indeed.

Nellie 'Goliath chappie' made me laugh!

Riverwalk A bunch of German university students in the seventeenth century were engaged in town and gown warfare rather like that which used to happen in the cities of Oxford and Cambridge. Following a number of deaths, a preacher used a text from Judges about Philistines and the students designated the townspeople Philistines. The term was later taken up in England and became a very popular way of describing the uncultured. I know – it's completely bizarre.

Stansgran I heard that story but in the version I heard, it was the Queen Mother speaking of her husband George VI.

Wasn't that biblical giant a Philistine. The Goliath chappie?

I don't know how the ancient Biblical people the Philistines (Palestinians) became associated with such a word!

Always felt the Philistines deserved a better press. I've met some lovely people famous in their walk in life often with Sir and Dame attached but nothing and no one the man on the Clapham tram would recognize. The story I love is of Sir Thomas Beecham meeting a grande dame. He struggled to place her and he asked desperately about her family including her brother. She took pity on him saying he was well .Still King.( she was the previous Princess Royal)

Poor Mr Sel

Sel

Thanks Kali that gives me loads more adjectives to use in discussions with my OH

I know.

Nor did you imply it.

Thanks Kali I most certainly never called any of you that!

philistine ( philistines plural )
1 n-count If you call someone a philistine, you mean that they do not care about or understand good art, music, or literature, and do not think that they are important., (disapproval)
2 adj You can use philistine to describe people or organizations who you think do not care about or understand the value of good art, music, or literature.
ADJ n (disapproval) ...a philistine government that allowed the arts to decline.
English Collins Dictionary - English synonyms & Thesaurus

philistine
1 n barbarian, boor, bourgeois, Goth, ignoramus, lout, lowbrow, vulgarian, yahoo
2 adj. anti-intellectual, boorish, bourgeois, crass, ignorant, inartistic, lowbrow, tasteless, uncultivated, uncultured, uneducated, unrefined

English Collins Dictionary - English synonyms & Thesaurus

because I did my original teacher training with dance/drama as my key subject I always taught dance to boys and girls and the curriculum in schools where I was head always provided dance for boys and girls. Get it right and they love it!

3 eldest DGC (1b & 2gs) all enjoy dance..little one has to stand first then I am sure he will too!

Oh bother that should have been JO. Never mind my previous post which went off into the ether. I keep losing my posts I am probably forgetting to post them after previewing.

j07 good for both co-ordination and concentration.

"JO" Good for them! Don't let them get put off by any teasing!

My grandsons do dance classes. [proud]

I am a dance fan too and not posh or elite. It turns out I do know Bejart's work..just not good at names!

If people have a really keen interest in something and read/ watch /get involved they often realise that the knowledge they have may not be 'mainstream' so I do not take offence at someone saying 'Not many people may know this' type comment ..often it's true!
[oil on troubled water emoticon]