Rubbing shoulders

[Quizzical Bob]

I stand corrected.

That's your knighthood/damehood blown then

[oldbluefox]

Off to the Tower!!!!!!

[Frank Manning]

Ted Ray, Hugh Lloyd, Bjorn Borg, Diana Rigg, Hugh Scanlon, Celia Sawyer, Archbishop of Canterbury. I am still jealous of Onelife though, because corny though it may be, I am a great fan of Cliff Richard; 'livin' Doll', 'Travelling Light', and 'Miss you nights'.

To cap it all though, I have shared a table with Old Blue Fox and his lovely wife, and you can't name drop higher than that. Although Dennis the Menace and Jack Sparrow, were on Arcadia with us a few years ago.

[oldbluefox]

The cheque's in the post, Frank!

[GillD46]

I stand corrected.

That's your knighthood/damehood blown then

[Kenmo1]

Herbert Lom opened the door of the National Gallery for me and gave me his autograph, admittedly it was 50 years ago so I don't suppose too many of you will remember him. My friend had to tell me who he was as I didn't watch the TV series, The Human Jungle.

The Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Alexandra spoke to a group of us as they came out of church during Cowes Week some years ago.

We caught the midnight Wightlink ferry some years ago and there were only a few other people on there - the girls said hello to us and a member of staff said they were 'Automatic Kitten', better known as Atomic Kitten. They had just played a concert at Ryde and it was the week their first record reached number 1.

Maureen

[Jan Rosser]

When I was "sweet 16" - still in school - one of the local boys had a weekend job at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff and he managed to get tickets for my friend and I to see the Rolling Stones - front row seats

Don't know how he did it but we went backstage and actually met the Stones - Brian Jones was still alive then and I had their autographs on the programme for the concert.

A few years ago I heard an expert from Bonhams on the radio saying that the most called for autographs were the Beatles and Rolling Stones so I dug out the programme - very tatty but valuable and I actually had £750 for it

[ITWA Travel Writer]

As a former Technical Executive of the Rank Organisation, my list of those with whom I rubbed shoulders is endless. However, the most prominent person, who I took an instant dislike to from our first meeting was Richard Burton.

I met him on several occasions in the early sixties when he was a house guest of my aunt at her shooting lodge in the highlands. He was a friend of my cousin, from their days at Exeter College Oxford. He had by then changed his name by deed poll from Jenkins to Burton. Although I found him pompous and arrogant, his wife Sybil and their two daughters Kate and Jessica were delightful. Like Richard, Sybil was also an actress, but gave up her career to raise their daughters, whilst p*ss head, yes even then, cavorted about as if there was no tomorrow.

However, the most prized name in my memories, is for the actor Kevin McKidd. As a young school boy he was a member of the Moray Youth Theatre, of which I was their Technical Director. He was very receptive and inquisitive as to the workings of technical theatre and would often join in my sessions with our junior designers, stage managers, sound and lighting technicians. As well as Kevin joining the theatre world, in that same group were three who became stage managers, two lighting designers, one of whom became a theatre manager and one sound engineer who now works in the BBC Sound Archives. To see youngsters do well is probably the best memories you can have, and when you bump into them and for them to still remember you, as Kevin did at one of his film premiers in Edinburgh, is just icing on the cake.

As to rubbing shoulders, well I think that I would rather rub shoulders with many on this forum, rather than the so called glitterati!!

[Frank Manning]

Absolutely right ITWA. To help youngsters, and see them do well is the most rewarding thing, and provides the best memories. I was motivated most by Andy Dougall a ship's captain and he was marvellous with young people. I try to do the same. Interesting to read your remarks about Richard Burton, but not surprising really.