My first choice of dinner companion would be....

Forget I mentioned women - I'd kill for an evening with Bill Bailey. One of the funniest men on the box and a skilled musician too. Plus Chris Addison, one of the wittiest of the younger stand-ups.

Anagram I forgot about Victoria Wood and Julie Walters gonna have to get more chairs

Its hard to make a short list don't know how big the table will be and will I have enough chairs to go round, so I want someone who will make me laugh so John Bishop will fit the bill. Now how about Stephen Fry for intelligence and perhaps Bill Bryson for travel tips ,Marco Pierre White for food.
We now need a few ladies ,Judi Dench and Barbara Windsor and not forgetting Maureen Lipman that should balance things a bit.
Mustn't forget David Tennant for

I think I'd have either Victoria Wood or Julie Walters as my ideal female dinner companion. Not both though, or I'd never get a word in edgeways!

Dara O Briain from 'Mock the Week' and the 'Apprentice you're fired' would be my first choice, I love his sense of humour. Infact anyone who could make me laugh would be my ideal dinner guest.

Interesting that most of our dinner companions are male - except for Judi Dench! Any other women we can think of?

Thank you Bagitha. Will start with the first Mary Renault one, and then progress on.

Managed to get a one penny used one Ariadne. Can't go wrong can I.

Richard Burton, but I would have to dilute the booze just a little! Judi Dench would be great to have a good old naughty gossip with over the brandy!

jings you might like Michael Wood's book too: In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great.

Thanks Ariadne. Off to Amazon now.

Charles II, preferably looking like Rufus Sewell (only the second time that my vision of a man was translated exactly onto the screen - the first was Poldark!). Charles II is much more my idea of a king than Charles III

jingl

"fire from Heaven" Mary Renault
"Funeral Games"
"The Persian Boy"

This is her trilogy on Alexander the Great - read it some time ago.....!!

"The Virtues of War" Steven Pressfield; tried it, didn't like it. Think it wasn't "story like" enough for me.

Had a real love of Mary Renault but think it reall was a while ago!

Stephen Fry - intelligent, quick-witted, opera-loving, naughty but not naughty "like that". What's not to like?!

You couldn't recommend any historical novels about Alexander the Great, could you Artygran? Would really like to know more about him and historical novels are an easy way to do it!

George. (Seranaded by Michael Buble, with Elton John on piano. Brad could do the waiting on, and the food cooked by the gorgeous Michelle Roux Jnr. No ladies invited - I wouldn't want to share any of my boys!)

Just seen them on TV - Alexander Armstrong and his 'pointless' friend, Richard. The banter would be fun.

Alex Thomson [Channel 4 News] with us both being serenaded by Andre Rieu - bliss

Alexander the Great! I would like to ask him about his relationship with his mother - and then we might get onto how he conquered the known world while still in his thirties. He was also reputed to be extremely handsome (which helps - if the conversation flagged, you could just ogle him!) However, he was a bit of a heavy drinker, so it could be an expensive evening if he chose not to water his wine!

Specialmo - no abuse! I think the thought of anyone wanting to be called Mrs. by their dinner guests is hilarious.
Glenys Kinnock chaired a conference on poverty - in Barbados! Much covering up going on about expenses in the EU - such as certain people being filmed entering the building, signing in for their daily attendance allowance and leaving minutes later.
Glenys certainly rose quickly from being a primary school teacher, didn't she? Must be that Welsh magic.

The Duke of Wellington cpould help the party go with a swing, and I'd love Martin Luther's "Table Talk" and Zwingli too, but my Schweitzer Deutsch might not be up to it; great idea that conversation should be in English granbunny ................NOW What's on the menu?

ooh, if we can go to the past... john wesley, martin luther, zwingli, ann lee, frederick william evans - maybe not at the same time though. and i'd need them all to speak english...

Please dont take this the wrong way but when you write you only like being called " Mrs " it straight away puts a picture in my mind of Frankie Howard saying " ooeerr" Mrs " ( sorry I hope I did not offend, its just my warped sense of humour ) I am expecting a barrage of abuse now, but I hope not, it was only meant as a quip to lighten this gloomy day, I sometimes like to be called Mrs especially if you are waiting outside the doctors waiting room, then when I go in I am usually asked if I prefer to be called by my first name or formally as Mrs which in itself shows respect, I dont think its got anything to do with age

Can we invite people past....? The it would be Queen Victoria, I'm sure she would have lots of interesting things to talk about, if she was amused of course, and I would have to call her Her Majesty (and then Ma'am afterwards) and she would call me BlueSky no doubt!

I would like to have dinner with Dr Robert Winston. I love his books no matter which subject he is writing about.

Greatnan I think Glenys is worth a good job.

I coudn't have dinner with anyone on GN after I have made it so plain that I like being called Mrs.and even want my cleaner to call me Mrs. No one would take up my invitaion so better not ask!

David Beckham wouldnt have to speak, just to look at him would do it for me ( as I have said in the past, my body is 74 but my brain thinks its 25 ) still no harm in dreamin !!!! but I think Dame Judi Dench has got a wicked sense of humour, I think I would get into an argument with any politician as I think they only think about number one , anyway I would not have dinner with them because mostly politics can lead to arguments and the object of having dinner with them would be to have a nice time, I find Paul O Grady very funny too and I like him cos he is kind to animals and I think a real nice genuine bloke