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The All New Jeni B
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Ok, my Grandad's parents were farmers on the Glamis estate, the Queen Mum, when she was still Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, would visit the farms every year at Christmas, so my Grandad had met her often, and then follow on from Quaz above...
(Actually, there's a pic somewhere of her on my Grandad's horse.)
(This is NOT a euphemism)
Stan Laurel
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I saw that Mary Evans in a pub once.
Haile Selassie I, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God, Emperor of Ethiopia, was exiled in my home town of Bath between 1936 and 1940 following occupation of his country by the Italians.
He lived about 100 yards down the road from the house where I grew up (I was there 1976 - 1987, a mere 4 decades after this God incarnate had lived in the neighbourhood).
Also, on a return visit to Bath in the 1950s, His Imperial Majesty donated a cricket pavilion to the school where his son Prince Makonnen must have gone (St Christopher's in North Road). That site was later taken over by King Edward's School and that pavillion, by then used as store room for sports equipment, was destroyed when I was in 5th year there. Some say by vandals, some say by lightning from a wrathful C of E God...
...anyway, it was burnt to the ground.
The All New Jeni B
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Oh well reminded Scroat.
Although she wasn't there, she'd just rented it out to him and then buggered off to the Caribbean for a fortnight.
And she wasn't a real friend, just an irritating bitch who I have the misfortune of having to be civil to.
rikkor
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Golgo, you forgot King of Kings. (So many titles for someone so vertically challenged.) I was also going to effuse about Bath, but that is most likely overdone. Love it there.
Jeni, did your Grand-dad teach you forelock pulling? These days it's almost a lost art.
The All New Jeni B
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Sadly, as he was almost entirely bald by the time I was born, this was a skill which he didn't pass on.
Actually it's possibly why he had no forelock left to pull.
The All New Jeni B
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be reasonable, actually, had a full head of jet black hair. According to the mid-wife, it was the reason my mum had chronic heartburn.
The All New Jeni B
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Don't be ridiculous FaG, I'm far darker skinned than they.
I met Baron Patten of Barnes, (Chancellor of Oxford University, Chairman of the BBC Trust, and the last Governor of Hong Kong) when he was Chris Patten, Conservative MP for Bath.
He came to our school to give out the prizes at prize-giving. My name was called, and I walked to the front to collect my prize (The Works of Edgar Allen Poe) and shake his hand.
We exchanged some words, but my mind was mostly on the maelstrom in my bowels, because I was rather ill and needed to focus on not soiling myself during the ceremony.
I returned to my seat, and Patten began his speech to staff, boys and parents with something about education being a drawing out rather than a putting in (or something like that), and then, with an election never far away, reminded the parents that independent schools would be under attack if Labour were to be elected...I barely heard, as the pressure was building, and decided that I needed to make a move.
Pushing past my fellow pupils, I hurried to the back of the hall, ran down the corridor to the toilets and released the stream of fetid fluid that had been threatening to spoil the event.
I later learned that my walk-out had occured during a crescendo of party-political rhetoric which many had felt a little inappropriate for the occasion, and more than one person came up to me and said that they had seriously considered following my example.
A turning point?
Five and a half years later, Chris Patten lost his seat to Don Foster (Lib Dem).
The All New Jeni B
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Just as long as you didn't lose your seat.
In Fifth year at school, our Debating Society held a political debate with some of our local MPs.
Entering a heated debate on the incipient Community Tax, I went down in school history as the pupil who annihilated the local Conservative MP.
Afterwards, I was congratulated by one of the other MPs - Henry McLeish, who later became First Minister after the death of Donald Dewar, and by a spectator who was most vociferous in his praise of me and damning in his views of the Poll Tax, one Mr Tommy Sheridan.
Both, of course, were later shamed.
theumpire
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I went to school with Bill "Percy" Packer - one of life's more experienced layabouts. Imagine my surprise to discover, in later life, that he became known as William Packer, Arts critic of The Financial Times. I bet he's still a layabout, though.
And in my younger days my club used to play cricket against the old boys of St. Pauls, including one Tim Razzall; smashing bloke, even though he's now Baron Razzall of Mortlake and "married" to Baroness Bonham-Carter.
Jenni - when are you publishing your memoirs?
The All New Jeni B
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Mr B's just reminded me of another one.
When I was a student the first time around, I had a couple of part-time jobs, one of which was working in a local pub which is a bit of a haunt for the rugger-bugger crowd.
One evening, a guy of about my age came in for a few pints with his parents who were regulars, after a bit of a chat, he handed me his card, with a handwritten note on the back asking me out to dinner in Edinburgh.
I declined as I had a boyfriend.
The young chap was Andy Nichol who went on to captain the Scotland rugby team.
(He and Mr B were also at school together, and played in the Scottish Schoolboys under 16 team together)
Mr Payne
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Jesus Jeni. You are the modern day equivalent of the Sirens of Greek lore, drawing the famous to their, erm, brief brush with something unfamous they'll never remember. Unless you are actually Kate Middleton or something. I am impressed, however, and a little, shall we say, ready for action?
Quaz
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This evening at the local we tried a quick round of 'six degrees of Haile Selassie' and someone managed to go from their dad, to an uncle who was a roadie for Bob Marley, but we couldn't quite get a good link to Selassie, other than Rastafarianism, as it does not seem that the two ever met. Can anyone fill in the gap any better?
Hang on, I might have it. In 1966 Selassie visited Jamaica, where Bob saw him and converted to Rastafarianism. Marley was Baptised by the Archbishop of Ethiopia in 1980, (just 5 years after Selassie died) so that's a pretty good link.
So Bonjonelson...which celebrity encounter stories go through to the final?
Jeni B certainly leads on quantity, and probably quality as well, but I fancy my ability to unwittingly change the course of history with my presence makes me the leading candidate for the consolation "Forrest Gump of Newsbiscuit" award...
Quaz
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Oxy, I'm looking for people who can go beyond the simple Queen mum link to Selassie. As you say, that's easy. My Aquaintance linked via Bob Marley (tenuously, I will admit). I'm hunting now for someone with a link to the abmassador to Eithiopia who met Hailie Salassie. Again, that's not much harder. We need a full on "My dad fixed Hailie Selassie's TV" or something.
Quaz
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Just remembered, my wife's Grandad had dinner with Chiang Kai-shek (leader of China 1928 to 1948) while on the run through China from the Japanese.
And My friend's sister cooked dinner for President Bill Clinton back in the 1990s (I have seen the photo), then did a special dinner for Hillary when she had a girls night out on a boat after Bill was caught out with Monica.
Oxbridge
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OK, how about this? At college, I had a comedy mate called Tony Brennan, who also during our time there appeared in a play with (phworr) Bettany Hughes, who works alongside another TV historian whose name I have completely forgotten but who went to Ethiopia and met the man who guards the chapel that houses the Ark of the Covenant at Axum. That position is handed down on a lifetime basis and his predecessor met Haile Selassie, who regularly came to worship there.
I think we're getting off topic...this thread's supposed to be about unimpressive celebrity encouters...
...I bumped into Liam Gallagher and Nicole Appleton at the Rain Forest Cafe just off London's Piccadilly Circus. They were having a party for their son in a private room JUST YARDS from our table. After much coaxing, I persuaded my son, then 4 years old, to run into the private room so I could chase after him and apologise to them for disturbing their party.
I managed to exchange a knowing look with Liam and say, "Kids, eh?"
Within 4 years, Oasis had split...
The All New Jeni B
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Golgo, you are a one man jinx.
We were staying in LA for the weekend because we were headed to Disney at Annaheim, and went to the Mondrian for dinner. My b-i-l and I 'casually' strolled into the VIP area of the Sky Bar where we saw Ben Afleck sitting by the bar.
The following night we had dinner in Dolce, in the plebs section, but right beside the glassed off area where the 'celebs' are ushered. The YM was only 4 1/2 and cute as a button, but impeccably behaved. Our waiter brought us over a bottle of Champagne (Veuve) compliments of one of the other guests who was impressed by the YM's manners and ability to sit at a table without causing mayhem. The other guests were actually the co-owners of the restaurant, a certain Mr and Mrs Ashton Kutcher.
Demi stopped by our table to compliment us on having a child who sat on a seat rather than crawling around under the table.
We also tried to get into the bar of the Chateau Marmont later that same night by following Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis in, but got busted by the doormen and turned away. Bastards.
I can't resisit this thread any longer.
I once scared Griff Rhys Jones out of a MacDonalds in Lowestoft in about 1991.
Griff was sitting eating dinner with his family when the teenage button entered, pointed, and shouted "Look there's Griff Rhys Jones" Upon whihc he promptly stood up and walked out, leaving his family to their happy meals.
The All New Jeni B
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I once served Gail Porter, Tony Roper, John Leslie, and two blokes from Hollyoaks in the pub I worked in, but not at the same time.
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