Who's the most famous person you've met, and what were they like?

I can't say who, for obvious reasons, but it's often very weird talking to famous people at parents' evening about their child. What they don't realise is what their little darlings come out with at school about their family life!

Around 1970 DH and I spent several weeks designing a record store for the Moody Blues and went to a charity football match they were playing in. Sadly I wasn't a fan so I wasn't as overwhelmed as I might have been. Their drummer was very nice to talk to.

When I was cooking in a theatre I met quite a few people. Dame Hilda Brackett was great fun, so was Kenny Ball. I spent some time with ChumbWumba (the ones who poured a bucket of water over John Prescott's wife) They were actually really nice people and so were the Levellers who spent a day with us.

BBbevan I am so jealous of you! I thought Quentin Crisp was wonderful, so funny and intelligent!

Amanda Burton when she starred in a depressing TV drama called The Gift, back in the nineties. It was filmed in our old house so I was invited to watch a day's filming by Lucy Gannon, the writer. It also starred the bloke who played 'No, no, no, Yes!' Jim from The Vicar of Dibley.

Lucy was friendly and charming and insisted on making me coffee. La Burton was cold and unfriendly. When she smiled you could tell it was false.

After a show locally, Wayne Sleep approached us and asked if we could point out a good pub.
Eddie Mair (radio 4 news anchor) was my pupil when he was 10. A bright and engaging boy.

Ooh Maggie, we must be kindred spirits!

(Edgar was very chatty - but had very BIG HAIR and took up a lot of floor space!)

I forgot to say how friendly and gracious Richard Osman was. And of course he is very tall, so I stood on an up-ended crate for the photo

One good experience, one not so good.

In the 1960s I had gone to see Rudolph Nureyev dance at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where I lived. The next day he was passing our house and I dashed outside with my programme for an autograph and the rest of the family in full pursuit. He was so pleasant an unaffected, he said 'have you brought your entire family with you?'

In the late 1970s Paul Daniels came to open the Fete at my DS's school. He sent out instructions before his arrival what he would and would not eat and drink. He was teetotal. Fortunately I did not have to host the refreshments part of the day but from what I was told he was very prima donaish. This was before he met Debbie Magee, I think she tamed him.

Interesting about Paul Daniels, NanKate. Many years ago we had a weekend break in London and stayed in a hotel where some contestants in a game show were also staying. I can't remember the show but we got chatting to a couple who were game show veterans. They said out of all the hosts they'd encountered Paul Daniels was the nicest - charming, funny and put everyone at their ease. Bob Monkhouse was the worst.

Talking of village fetes, I once made a ham sandwich for the actress who plays Shula in The Archers. She opened the fete and helped judge the dog show.

Brian Johnson from AC/DC
We were in a lock together on the Grand Union Canal

Quite a lot of politicians of whom Paddy Ashdown was the most prominent. Victoria Wood twice. The first time she was receiving an honorary degree at Manchester University at the same time as a friend of mine; the second time she was directing a tour of Acorn Antiques in which cousin or mine was performing. The first time she was in a hurry to get home to a sick child. Next time she was rushing around to give cast members her comments on the night's performance, so she never seemed to have time to stop and chat.

I used to go regularly to a hairdresser in Mayfair (I've got challenging hair ) and looked forward to the gossip from the stylists re the celebrities who used the pub across the road. They loved Bert Kwok, Joan Collins and Jerry Hall. I won't say who they couldn't stand - a celeb who lived just round the corner, but was horrible to his fans, despite his cultivated everyman hail-fellow-well-met image.

Told this before on here, Was sort of flirted with by Prince Charles at a ball in Windsor Castle, spent a few evenings at Denny Lane (was in Wings, with Paul McCartney) house, sat next to Gary Numan in chemistry classes at school when he was Gary Webb.

I met William G Stewart when I was a contestant on Fifteen to One, back in 1997. He was very nice.

Had a nice chat with Vanessa Redgrave while we were outside Pentonville with The Howard League trying to get prisoners allowed books. I mentioned a play I'd seen her in years before in Manchester, neither of us could remember what it was called. Incredibly Gove, of all people, changed the ruling on books back to allowing them to be sent in.
Been kissed by Papa John Phillips after a 60s revival concert when I thanked him for the concert. Also kissed by Isaac Asimov at a Sci-Fi meeting, he was a friend of a friend.

When I was on Brain of Britain Peter Snow was presenting it and afterwards had wine and sandwiches with us and was really friendly, lovely man, very tall.

Interesting your comment about Paul Daniels Merlotgran perhaps our school got him on an off day.

I've met Tony Blair when he was Shadow Chancellor. I thought he was very young and handsome .

I bumped into Margaret Beckett in the ladies' at work. And I held the door open for John Prescott on the same day.

I've met Jimmy Savile, too, when I was a child. He had a Rolls and half-black, half-white hair.

I unexpectedly met Prince Philip around 40 years ago. He was touring the hospital where I was at working at the time, and he turned right at the top of the stairs instead of left to find me in the library. He chatted for a couple of minutes before being escorted off by the entourage.

I also once had Alex Salmond squashed in the passenger seat of my Fiat 126! He was our constituency MP at the time and had come out to the village to support us in a campaign against a developer. He's a lot taller than you think he is and practically had his knees under his chin in my tiny car!

In the 60s a friend and I met the Shadows and Frank Ifield who were all on the bill at The New Theatre in Oxford. We spotted them during the day near the stage door and were invited to the cinema with them, where they were perfect gentlemen.

DD2 met the Duchesse of Cambridge sitting alone reading among the sand dunes on a quiet beach in Anglesey when they lived there. No security in sight! They exchanged a few words then left her alone.

I used to organise Corporate events before I retired. Met and worked with many celebrities. The nicest three were Terry Wogan Bruce Forsyth and Cilla Black. The funniest were Lesley/Dorian! and Chas and Dave! I won't mention the prima donnas!!

I had a long chat with Julian Clary in a restaurant in Northumberland when he was filming in Seahouses. He was writing a childrens book at the time and we chatted about the kind of things my own grandchildren like to read. He was absolutely charming. My mum and dad were staying in the same hotel as he was and they had breakfast with him too. My mum had embarrassingly told him that I had read all of his books and I was his "greatest fan". he replied that I must be "quite naughty" and my mum, bless her didn't have a clue what he was talking about. (For anyone who doesn't know his books are rather saucy to say the least).

I have also met and chatted to various (old) Labour politicians including Neil Kinnock, The Millibands, John Smith, John Prescott etc. If they count as "being famous"

I once bumped into Prince Charles (literally) when he was visiting the offices where I worked - but as far as meeting and chatting goes, my main boast would have to be that I once had a drink bought for me by Vincent Fournier (aka "Alice Cooper"). He was staying in a local hotel where my son was the chef and was drinking in the bar. He turned out to be a really nice chap, very interesting to talk to, and very appreciative of the fact that his fans were the ones who paid his wages!

Oh I am so jealous lefthanded I love Alice Cooper.

I was carrying a pile of files up a flight of stairs in the MOD when I tripped and fell, scattering them everywhere. A man in a grey suit stopped to give me a hand to pick them up. It was Lord Mountbatten, who was, in 1965, coming to the end of his tenure as Chief of the Defence Staff. He asked me if I'd hurt myself and we exchanged a few pleasantries and both went on our way. He had a lovely smile!