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

I was in the same dorm at school with Anna Calder Marshall (also mother of Athos aka Tom Burke)
Used to see Patrick Mcgoohan of The Prisoner and Dangerman fame when he came to collect his daughter from the same school.
Met Ludovic Kennedy on a flight to Tenerife. We were staying in the same hotel. He spent the mornings tapping away on his old typewriter writing All in the Mind - A Farewell to God, and joined us every evening for drinks and dinner. Such an interesting man. His trousers kept falling down as his belt had broken so we went shopping for a replacement . Sadly by that time his wife Moira Shearer was very unwell.

anifrance there no "rules" for Mornington Crescent, it's just a sort of spoof game and an opportunity for the panellists to indulge in a bit of sillyness!

I was introduced to the duchess of Kent in the 60s, she was lovely. Further back in time, Shirley Bassey, Joan Reagan, Beverly sisters to name a few.

George W Bush and his wife Laura at No 10, Downing Street. Talked in a group with them for 15 minutes. Tried to avoid it but couldn't. They made a good, humorous double act. To think that I thought then (2003) that America couldn't elect a worse president!

Once met Willy Rushton at Galleons Leap (Gills Lap) on Ashdown Forest when he was reading Pooh for Jakanory. Larger than life! Forgot to ask him the rules for Mornington Crescent. it still confuses me!

Elenkalubleton
Apology accepted. Thanks.

I used to work for a solicitor and we had a couple of well known clients, one actor arrived told me his name and then said I probably recognised him from....then went into a long list of all the TV programmes he had been in. Tony Robinson I took an instant dislike to although others tell me how nice he was. I was on switchboard duty one day and had to ring Peter Ustinov, I didn't usually use the switchboard and once he was on the line I managed to cut him off - twice! When I got through the third time I was full of apologies and expected a tongue lashing about how important and busy he was - he was absolutely charming, just said he understood and that he was just sitting reading a boring script for a film he probably wasn't going to do.

Billy Graham stopped his car and asked my friend and I to be photographed walking along village Street with him, we were waiting at the bus stop, as we were going to one of his rallies in Manchester later that week we recognised him.

Met Princess Anne, her husband and dogs in a muddy field gateway at a horse event when I was struggling to helped aged Mum through mud, they were quick to assess the situation and moved out for us, Princes Anne was petite and much prettier than her photos.

Juggernaut,sorry I upset you about your friend Cilla. Forgot to mention my friend went to the Cavern in the 60s,said "Our Cilla"really had attitude.But I'm sure if I'd met her we'd have had a Lorra Lorra laughs ?.

DH was at school with Prince Charles.
(Auchenshoogle Academy.)

Daddima - what confidence! I'm impressed.

I met Screaming Lord Sutch in Berlin in 1966 he was playing at a concert with The Fortunes and The Kinks, we went to a club they all went to, they were all perfect gentlemen, I was rather taken with Ernie, guitarist with The Savages, lord Sutchs backing group.

He's not dead famous, but I was never a big fan of Les Miserables, which we saw in Edinburgh ( many, many times!) , and the only thing which made me return was the lovely Michael McCarthy as Javert.
So, one time we were in London, and the Bodach wanted to see it yet again. I agreed to accompany him ( as I had seen that Michael was playing Javert!)
After the show (and with no strong drink having been taken!) I boldly went to the stage door, and asked to speak to Michael. I was directed to his wife Stephanie, who took me upstairs to the dressing room for fizzy wine & nibbles.

The Queen: for afternoon tea - absolutely tiny and worked the room (a marquee actually) meeting as many people as possible, very interested and charming - must have been exhausting.

Prince Philip: at a military parade where he was introduced to families who had lost a relative in Afghanistan - made the effort to speak to individual widows and families.

Prince Charles: husband and daughter met him and he was charming and knowledgeable and very sweet with our grandson who was a baby at the time.

David Cameron: at number 10 - met my husband and our daughter at a reception and my daughter during discussions about the Military Covenant - businesslike.

Sometimes I ask London cabbies about famous people they had in the cab, mostly asking about the nicest. One mentioned Michael Palin and I asked whether he was as nice as he seemed on tv. We were stopped in traffic. The cabbie turned right round to look at me and solemnly said 'No!'
Then cheerfully added 'He was even nicer!'
Joanna Lumley was very well thought of in a tiny North Wales village she visited in her Purdy days.
In the 60s I was going to a meeting in a big hotel, met Dave Dee etc. In the main entrance. Had a chat about the local paper reporting they been banned from the dining room for being tieless. Then they invited me to the gig they were heading for. Did I join them? No, went to my meeting. Missed opportunity!
Huge fan of Tommy Steele, went to his dresser's flatwarming in the early 60s, invited by a dancer from Half a Sixpence. Did I speak to my hero whose phot had adorned my school locker? Nah, far too shy!

That's lovely juggernaut! When he was on 'This is Your Life' he asked to appear on screen at the end to say thank you to everyone.

I was so impressed by his attitude to DD - he talked to her for much longer than the grown ups! I love his voice and he was still very good looking.

kittylester
I never met Howard Keel, but many moons ago he appeared in a variety show at the (long gone) Tivoli theatre in New Brighton alongside my Grandad. He wasn't super famous then, both he and Grandad were young. For the eight week run of the show he stayed at my Great Grandmother's house as a guest.
I have the letter he sent her just after he left thanking her for making him feel at home.
My grandad always said HK was one of the nicest people he'd ever met.

We saw Martin Clunes filming Doc Martin in Port Isaac. He was lovely and posed for photographs and chatted with people.

Before they were famous, I met Mark Carney, Nigel Farage, David (later Lord) Triesman, Victoria Bottomley and two members of the Angry Brigade. I met them all mainly because of where I happened to be at the time rather than the circles I was in.

Mawbroon

I've just remember that DD3 was at school with the grandson of a member of Shawaddywaddy (spelling) and I've chatted to him at parents evenings and another one of them is a neighbour of my brother - that one is very nice to chat to in passing!

Oh I am reminded by kittylester's post that apparently I used to teach Paula Radcliffe when she was at Sharnbrook. I can't really remember her but she mentioned me in one of those TES articles about people who shaped (?) her life. My athletic example clearly inspired her

As I live in Warwickshire I have heard of the Edgar Broughton Band, didn't they come from here?

We were sitting next to Woody Allen and his sister, who is also his manager, at a French cafe. He was completely neurotic and I sensed that he would have hated us saying 'hello Woody I'm a big fan of your films etc'! He spent the whole time rubbing at a wine stain on his cream coloured chinos. I've never seen such a frightened face.
His sister on the other hand! She started talking to us and dropping heavy hints that we were in Woody's presence, just to annoy him I think. But we didn't rise to it, as I honestly think Woody couldn't have handled it. So we just carried on with our conversation and eavesdropped theirs a bit, but it was very dull, mainly talking about the quality of the burgers!
Must be horrible being so famous......

I gave met Princess Anne and thought she was great! She was really on top of the aims etc of the charity but easy to talk to - very natural.

As we are all fans of musicals, we took DD3 to see Howard Keele in concert. She wanted his autograph so we queued for ages. He was absolutely charming and fabulous with DD who was about 8. She wrote to him afterwards and got a personal, handwritten reply.

DH and I met Roy Jenkins on the train as we set off on honeymoon. Years later, as members of the SDP, we met him again. DH told him that we had met before and he reeled off the date and time.

I have met Nick Morgan a few times and found her to be lovely - friendly and interested.

DH has looked at Seb Coe's teeth and I have almost been sent flying by Paul Ratcliffe who was very apologetic and fast!

Elenkalubleton
Okay, in fairness to Denise Black, maybe she didn't make a bitchy remark.

It was apparently you who broached the subject with Denise, and she replied that she'd "heard that too".
Surely neither of you should express an opinion based on 'hearsay',
Making such comments about someone whom you have never met isn't really fair is it?

Maybe an apology for your comment "We also discussed a famous red haired singer who's statue was recently erected, she was not a very nice person" is in order.