Who is the most famous person you have met?

[WomenHour]

I would have to be George Sampson.

Michael Jackson

James McAvoy. I was involved in his Sister's wedding. He was very nice. Was making sure everyone was ok and was very low key. He had a very kind energy.

Ralph Fiennes in a (ahem!) sex club in Berlin (16 years ago). He pretended it wasn't him but it definitely was as I found out he was filming The Constant Gardener in Berlin at the time. He was wearing a leather waistcoat and leather trousers and was absolutely gorgeous with piercing blue eyes.

@Punishmentsnart - Yes it was The Vortex! Am also a fan of Will Young's voice. I have also heard that he doesn't hang about after a performance and yet he came to live in my village for three months whilst filming a supernatural drama in Manchester (have forgotten its name). I always seemed to be about half an hour behind him so never actually saw him and yet loads of people said how lovely and friendly he was.
I get the impression that when he's being his ordinary self, that's okay but he is uncomfortable with attention for his 'other self' and can appear aloof.

Katie Price at a party; just a normal person.

Geoff Hughes-met several times and became quite friendly with. Really lovely bloke, down to Earth and a great sense of humour.

Martin Clunes at a horse show, again just a normal person.

Blimey the Queen gets about doesn't she ?

My husband is friends with Su Pollard from his acting days and she is a good laugh. She phones him every now and again and leaves great voicemails!

Anyone met Roger Federer? I adore him, he seems so nice!

Oooh, I forgot until someone mentioned meeting someone at a party. We were at a party many years ago where Eve Graham, singer of the New Seekers, was present. She turned up with bodyguards and stood in a corner like a frightened rabbit, spoke to no-one and no-one approached her. Don’t think anyone would have known who she was if the host hadn’t told us.

I get the impression that when he's being his ordinary self, that's okay but he is uncomfortable with attention for his 'other self' and can appear aloof.
I think this is spot on. I worked on Will Y's recent book. Didn't meet him but he talks about his mental health issues and how they can affect how he behaves and comes across.

Someone on here ages ago talked about meeting tennis players and said Roger Federer was aloof and not interested; but Rafa Nadal was adorable, kind and crouched down to talk to her small DC properly. I've always had a feeling that Federer has a very well-created public image but isn't that nice IRL.

ThreeLittleBirdz please tell me Stevie Nicks was nice, I love her

@ddl1

The one that made me most starstruck was not an actual meeting but a phone conversation: I once spoke long-distance on the phone with Tom Lehrer, asking him for permission to quote from one of his songs in something that I was writing. He granted the permission. As I've always been a huge fan, it made me feel a bit giddy actually talking to him.

The most improbable one is that when we were both very small children, I once played with Bill Browder. I thought that I might have imagined this, but it has been confirmed by a third party.

Ah Tom Lehrer is cool! Which song?

I have had some great jobs
Nelson Mandela
Winnie Mandela
Morgan Tsvangerai
Cheryl Carolus
Gerry Adams
Zachie Achmat
Nkosi Johnson
Marc Lottering
Ian Smith of Rhodesia fame
Jimmy Dludlu
Judith Sephuma
Judge Bennie Goldin
Dali Tambo & Mrs Adelaide Tambo
Hugh Masekela
Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand)

Remembered more
Nigel Kennedy
Suzi Quatro
Spike Milligan
Jacques Loussier
Jesse Clegg
Simon Callow

@IntermittentParps

I get the impression that when he's being his ordinary self, that's okay but he is uncomfortable with attention for his 'other self' and can appear aloof. I think this is spot on. I worked on Will Y's recent book. Didn't meet him but he talks about his mental health issues and how they can affect how he behaves and comes across.

Someone on here ages ago talked about meeting tennis players and said Roger Federer was aloof and not interested; but Rafa Nadal was adorable, kind and crouched down to talk to her small DC properly. I've always had a feeling that Federer has a very well-created public image but isn't that nice IRL.

I have never though Federer was a good bloke, and his wife is bloody awful. And I feel broadly the same about Djokovic. For all that Andy Murray is constantly criticised for being a dour, unsmiling Scot, I think he's a much nicer bloke than the pair of them. Incidentally, my friend was crew on a super-yacht that Nadal hired, and he said he was wicked.

'Ah Tom Lehrer is cool! Which song?'

'That's Mathematics'

Pigeons in the park.

In order of "famousness":

Man United Squad circa 2003 - checked them into the hotel where I worked on reception (Beckham had just transferred to Real Madrid)

Jason Donovan - guest at the same hotel

Jimmy Tarbuck - guest at the same hotel

Kim Marsh & Jack Ryder - guest at the same hotel, and genuinely looked about 13!!

@HelloDaisy

Def Leppard

Me too. I was at school with two of them, but they weren't famous then so I'm not sure it counts.

'Pigeons in the park.'

Nowadays, it would have had to be 'I Got It from Agnes' - the original testing and tracing song!

The mentions of Andy Murray and Roger Federer have reminded me of a schoolmate of mine whose biggest claim to fame was that she had once nearly been run over by Ilie Nastase!

Antony Stewart Head (gold blend ads, Buffy the vampire slayer etc,)
When my son was born he had an hemangioma growing inside his tongue. We had to visit great Ormond street hospital every week for about 8 months before my ds received surgery.
We used to travel up by train and we were often upgraded into first class because of the amount of equipment we had to carry with my son. Train staff were beyond amazing!
One trip we were taking my Ds to receive laser treatment and who was in first class with us? Anthony Stewart Head!
I grew up with quite a few famous people, but to me they were just people, and I just used to leave them be.
But my daughter's were mad for Buffy the vampire slayer and my son was called Xander after one of the characters.

Unbeknownst to me xander had tucked his teddy between some seats, and on his way back from the toilet Anthony retrieved the teddy and have it back to my son.
As you can imagine Anthony and myself talking about my son's name and other things during our trip into London.
During this conversation Anthony rang my daughter's and spoke to them at length also (my darling dad, who was babysitting couldn't do a thing with my eldest as she completely lost it - talking to her hero)
When we got to London, Anthony not only helped us off the train but also paid for the taxi to get us to great Ormond street hospital - I was beyond grateful for the help and kindness.
But that wasn't the end of the story. The day after my son's surgery we received a visitor. Anthony Stewart Head came to visit my son in hospital, bringing with him toys for my son and autographs/merchandise for my daughters. We spent two hours together and he even got my son to eat a small bowl of ice cream.
Anthony Stewart Head came to visit us 3 times that week, all under the radar and when my dad brought my daughter's up for a visit Anthony got McDonald's for them and even acted out a couple of scenes with my Buffy mad daughters.
Anthony Stewart Head was, and always will be remembered for his kindness and generosity he showed my family for those 5 days we spent in hospital.

FOKKYFC, I too suspect Andy Murray of being a much nicer guy than he'd like people to think He always seems to have a lovely dry sense of humour.

the catneuterer sure it counts. They weren’t particularly famous when I met them either as it was one of their early albums but still somebody famous now 😊

Mick Jagger
David and Victoria Beckham
Seal
Leo Sayer
Mike Oldfield
David Cameron
Wish I'd met Prince

@Jessi1972

Antony Stewart Head (gold blend ads, Buffy the vampire slayer etc,) When my son was born he had an hemangioma growing inside his tongue. We had to visit great Ormond street hospital every week for about 8 months before my ds received surgery. We used to travel up by train and we were often upgraded into first class because of the amount of equipment we had to carry with my son. Train staff were beyond amazing! One trip we were taking my Ds to receive laser treatment and who was in first class with us? Anthony Stewart Head! I grew up with quite a few famous people, but to me they were just people, and I just used to leave them be. But my daughter's were mad for Buffy the vampire slayer and my son was called Xander after one of the characters. Unbeknownst to me xander had tucked his teddy between some seats, and on his way back from the toilet Anthony retrieved the teddy and have it back to my son. As you can imagine Anthony and myself talking about my son's name and other things during our trip into London. During this conversation Anthony rang my daughter's and spoke to them at length also (my darling dad, who was babysitting couldn't do a thing with my eldest as she completely lost it - talking to her hero) When we got to London, Anthony not only helped us off the train but also paid for the taxi to get us to great Ormond street hospital - I was beyond grateful for the help and kindness. But that wasn't the end of the story. The day after my son's surgery we received a visitor. Anthony Stewart Head came to visit my son in hospital, bringing with him toys for my son and autographs/merchandise for my daughters. We spent two hours together and he even got my son to eat a small bowl of ice cream. Anthony Stewart Head came to visit us 3 times that week, all under the radar and when my dad brought my daughter's up for a visit Anthony got McDonald's for them and even acted out a couple of scenes with my Buffy mad daughters. Anthony Stewart Head was, and always will be remembered for his kindness and generosity he showed my family for those 5 days we spent in hospital.

I'm premenstrual, which doesn't help, but that has made me sob. What a lovely, lovely man.