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People who were briefly famous

(64 Posts)
Cumbrianmale56 Fri 19-Sept-25 14:30:26

Anyon remember Erika Roe, the Twickenham streaker who decided to liven up half time by doing a streak across the pitch way back in 1982? I have looked online and Ms Roe, who was briefly a glamour model off the back of her streak, now lives in Portugal, owns an Air B and B and grows fruit. Odd when I saw the rugby last week I started thinking of Erika Roe and wondered what became of her after 1982.

Allira Sat 20-Sept-25 13:39:46

Greenfinch

Chesney Hawkes is still famous for his well -known song and has been on many shows over the years. His new album was released this year and won an award. DH used to teach him at the local comprehensive!

DD loved him 😀
(From afar)

Greenfinch Sat 20-Sept-25 13:22:52

Chesney Hawkes is still famous for his well -known song and has been on many shows over the years. His new album was released this year and won an award. DH used to teach him at the local comprehensive!

Kate1949 Sat 20-Sept-25 13:16:28

I wanted to be Cathy McGowan or Pattie Boyd or Twiggy grin

TerriBull Sat 20-Sept-25 12:59:02

Oh thank you for that snippet which I didn't know Allira, and there's me thinking I could have gone on Mastermind with '60s culture being my specialist subject sad just not enough knowledge, never mind David Lammy would understand that one, as he misfired with his answer to who won the Nobel prize for physics in 1903, honestly they shouldn't make the questions so hard sadly it wasn't Marie Antoinette as not only had she lost her head, she'd have probably be around 150 by the then. Never mind good try David you got the Marie bit right, worth at least half a point surely! God they're so harsh on Mastermind, tougher than being Foreign Secretary I'd say hmm

I did love the Mamas and Papas and that song too even if the sentiment was a bit dopey Love and Peace flowers wonder if that would work on Putin hmm

ClicketyClick Sat 20-Sept-25 12:33:49

Does anyone remember the documentary in the 80's called The Family? I think it was classed as the 1st fly on the wall at the time. It followed the lives of a mum, dad and their children.

Allira Sat 20-Sept-25 12:28:17

TerriBull

Yes Cathy McGowan she was famous for quite a while and another sixties icon.

"If you're going to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair" but maybe not too many if you don't want to be overcome by extreme hair fever, or worse still attacked by killer bees. Poor Scott McKenzie never heard from again, one can only wonder sad

Scott McKenzie was briefly with the Mamas and Papas, I think but left - probably a mistake!
He became a songwriter too, although he didn't write that one.
That particular song will not be forgotten

TerriBull Sat 20-Sept-25 12:20:50

Yes Cathy McGowan she was famous for quite a while and another sixties icon.

"If you're going to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair" but maybe not too many if you don't want to be overcome by extreme hair fever, or worse still attacked by killer bees. Poor Scott McKenzie never heard from again, one can only wonder sad

Allira Sat 20-Sept-25 12:16:40

Chesney Hawkes had one hit with, ironically, The One and Only.
However, he still writes and produces.

Allira Sat 20-Sept-25 12:09:56

Cathy McGowan wasn't briefly famous.

She was a 1960s icon, along with others.
I always wanted my hair to be like Cathy's but, alas, it never obeyed me!

Greenfinch Sat 20-Sept-25 12:08:44

Thanks for that info GG13.I didn’t know anything about her . The name just popped into my head. I see she was on Ready Steady Go.

AGAA4 Sat 20-Sept-25 12:07:42

B Bumble and the Stingers one hit wonder with Nut Rocker.

GrannyGravy13 Sat 20-Sept-25 11:58:08

Greenfinch

*FGT*. Was it Cathy McGowan? She is 82 now!

Cathy McGowan has been the partner of Michael Ball since the early 1990’s

She was previously married to Hywel Bennet (actor)

JackyB Sat 20-Sept-25 11:35:57

Not quite so long ago but a similar academic superstar was Gail Trimble. I just looked her up. She was on UC in 2009. I remember Mitch Benn wrote a song about her on the Now Show.

LOUISA1523 Sat 20-Sept-25 11:18:13

Kirsty howard...the little girl ( ? 6 or 7) who was born with back to front organs ....she raised loads for charity and lots of high profile celebs got on board...I remember pictures of David Beckham and her ....sadly died still a little girl ....I can see her lovely little face now.

nanna8 Sat 20-Sept-25 10:25:05

Just looked it up - Janice Nicholls.

MrsQuigley Sat 20-Sept-25 10:24:26

Timothy Davy, a teenage British boy arrested for having drugs in Turkey in 1972. He seemed to be in the news for ages.

nanna8 Sat 20-Sept-25 10:24:00

Oi give it foive was called Janice if I remember.

Cumbrianmale56 Sat 20-Sept-25 10:18:21

Another one, Michael Fagin, who broke into the Queen's bedroom and wanted to talk to her about unemployment.

Kate1949 Sat 20-Sept-25 10:01:25

Note to self: Read the whole thread. Apologies FGT.

Kate1949 Sat 20-Sept-25 09:57:57

Janice Nicholls was 'I'll give it five'. She was from around here (ish).

kittylester Sat 20-Sept-25 09:48:42

And, she taught us how to sit down on buses in a mini skirt.

ferry23 Sat 20-Sept-25 09:12:55

Greenfinch

*FGT*. Was it Cathy McGowan? She is 82 now!

She was Ready Steady Go. Her real life partner is Michael Ball.

butterandjam Fri 19-Sept-25 20:39:23

oops, bad editing. My brain got tired just writing about her.

butterandjam Fri 19-Sept-25 20:35:31

Magenta8

Does anyone remember Ruth Lawrence who passed O'Level and A'Level maths at age nine and then went on to Oxford University and a first class degree in maths at age 13?

wiki tells me

She did a second degree in Physics, then a Phd in philosophy.
She gor her first paid job at 19, teaching Mathematics at Harvard, then became a Professor at University of Michigan, at the age of 19. In 1993, she moved to the University of Michigan, and is now a Professor at the Einstein Institute of Mathematics in Jerusalem. She is far more academically famous now than she was as a child.

Also, she's got married and produced four children.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Fri 19-Sept-25 20:31:47

Who said I'll give it five on the Juke Box Jury?
AI Overview

The famous catchphrase "Oi'll give it foive" was said by Janice Nicholls on the British pop panel show Thank Your Lucky Stars, not Juke Box Jury. Nicholls was a young office clerk who became famous for her strong Black Country accent when she said the phrase, which was a mark of approval.