Went to a barbecue about twenty years ago, Wife had arranged it as it was her mates from the kids' school. She says: "You won't be bored, the hosts have a relative who used to play for Barnsley and he's going" Me: "Who?" Her, "no idea, they did say a name but it meant nowt to me". Got there......Neal Redfearn. Brilliant guy, had a really good natter.
Once sat behind Jim Macdonald (I don't know his real / stage name) on a flight back from Belfast, so I did.
Sat next to and exchanged newspapers with Alex “Hurricane” Higgins sat around pool at hotel, Corfu 1987. Invited me and wife and our two friends to join him at a quiet bar later that evening. Very shy and polite guy.
Quite a few now I think of it. Was on the same flight from East Mids airport to (I think) Munich as Paddy Considine a few years ago. Saw Guns n Roses headline the Sunday night at Exit festival around 2011(ish) and then was on the same flight as them to Split from Belgrade the next day. Was a small propeller plane as well so it was pretty cosy. Far too hungover to offer more than a ‘great set last night lads’. No Axl though, imagine he’s got his own plane. I was in the queue to board a flight from Muscat back to Manchester in 2018 just behind Joe Hart and his Mrs. Was genuinely surprised at how massive he was. They turned left and I sadly didn’t. And I was randomly sat next to Ryan Giggs on an EasyJet flight back from Geneva to Manchester in March last year. He’d been on a stag do in Courchevel. Didn’t really speak to him though cos he’s a massive b3ll3nd and I didn’t want him to give him the satisfaction of fanboying him. My life is considerably less exciting and celeb-jet-setting than the above makes it sound…
I taught Zain Malik’s sister and his mum worked in the kitchens at the school. He came back to visit the school but I was on a course. It was also the same school Gareth Gates went to, obviously long before I worked there.
I was once in a pub in the north west as a very young man and they were showing the Ryder cup on the screens, which we were half watching. A bloke pops up on my shoulder, apologised for bothering us but wondered if we knew the score. It was Bill Beaumont! Had a brief chat, lovely fella. Speaking of rugby I once cooked Dean Richard’s a burger when I worked for Maccies in my college days. I also held Ian Bothams pint for him while he signed a few autographs at Rotherham Rugby Club. He was watching his son who played for West Hartlepool if memory serves. That was a bit disappointing as Beefy was a hero of mine and he came across a bit cold / aloof. 11 year old me got Shane Warnes autograph on his first England tour. He took a bit of time asking me if I played, whether I was a batter or bowler etc. I was completely star struck! Thought he was the coolest guy ever. Still do, was heartbroken when he died.
Used to work at Dixons in York in my Uni days and Howard Marks was a regular customer. I once delivered a tv round to his apartment on a sack barrow and got invited to come in for a smoke with him... declined as I had to go back to work. Always regretted it!
Think I’ve posted this before on a similar thread - skived off the afternoon from the sixth form college in the early 80’s when it was the old Girls High School site - went under age drinking in The Engineers at Higham. Sat in there having a pint was Mr Roy (Roy North) of Basil Brush fame with his film crew. Unfortunately BB wasn’t there.
Bumped into David off Emmerdale in Harrogate Aldi on Friday. Obviously didn't have what he needed in his own shop.
I once saw the 'wally with brollie', the current Man United assistant manager near the erotic book section in Waterstones at The Metro Centre in about 1994.
I had a beer in Barcelona with Phil Oakey from the Human League. A mate was friends with one of the band and they had sorted us tickets for the festival they were playing. Nice bloke. New Order played the same festival- Bernard came on and said 'viva Espanya' which didn't go down well with the Basques. Redders once came into Andys Records in Meadowhall, where I worked. I absolutely lost my cool. Howard Marks left his Rizzla and his reading glasses when he did a signing at Fopp when I worked there. And I once told Rick Witter that I hated him and his **** band @ the Cockpit in Leeds.
Was flying back from Dubai one time in business class on the A380 and taking full advantage of the hospitality offered. I was chatting with a girl in an adjacent seat about plastic Yorkshiremen and during the course of that conversation I happened to spot Michael Vaughan (“Yorkshireman” born in Lancashire), sat a few rows ahead. Emboldened by the magnum of champagne and lake of red wine I’d supped I approached him and asked for his thoughts on plastic Yorkshiremen. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t too impressed. Also, I’ve sat behind Nathan Ake and his family on a flight back from Amsterdam and bumped into Mark Kermode in Schiphol Airport.
