Famous people/celebrities you've met on a train

[D1511]

Mods....please move if not in the correct place......

After @Ashley Hill casually mentioned in another thread that he'd met Jenny Agutter several times (and she's lovely apparently!} it got me thinking of famous people I'd met on trains.

To start the ball rolling, I've got a couple of contrasting ones to begin with......

In around 1980 when I was bashing Edinburgh - Dundees, I was heading to Edinburgh one evening about 9pm in the front coach, as is customary. A small but burly figure walked forward past my compartment only to discover it was the last coach, reappearing again soon after. The compartment door was flung open and a broad Fifer accent gruffly enquired "is there no f*&#ing buffet on this train?" I replied to the negative, and was rewarded with a "oh FFS" as he turned on his heels and shut the compartment door again. That was my one and only encounter with the late great Jocky Wilson!

My 2nd one was a much longer and more engaging 4hrs 45 mins spent with the Aussie comedian Adam Hills on a trip from KX to Edinburgh during the EIF in August 2013. We chatted all the way, and got on to the subject of cricket eventually. When hearing I followed the sport, it transpired he was travelling back to London the following Saturday to be the guest on the View From the Boundary slot on Test Match Special with Jonathan Agnew. He didn't know the programme or who was likely to be in the commentary box, but being a cricket fan he was keen to know, so I ran him though the line up (Vaughny, Tuffers, Aggers, etc.) and he was very appreciative of the information......so much so that I got a name check on TMS and a VIP ticket to his Edinburgh show. He was a really nice bloke and the time flew by!

Roll up folks, there must be some more crackers to share......!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Another late, great, from me: Sir Norman Wisdom.

Also Lord Ashley ( himself now long gone ).

Not sure if getting crushed up against someone with literally zero space to move in an overcrowded EPB counts, but if it does: Samantha Beckinsale.

Once found myself sitting directly opposite Lord Lawson on the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow T5.

Dr Sir Patrick Moore on a train from East Croydon to Victoria ( Dr John Mason, another prominent astronomical figure, was with him. )

 

[D1511]

Not sure if getting crushed up against someone with literally zero space to move in an overcrowded EPB counts, but if it does: Samantha Beckinsale.

Oh yes that counts, but not quite as highly as her sister!

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Howard Marks , David Cameron , Pritti Patel, Arthur Scargill ....to quote some random ones.

Gave John Prescot a cab ride on a 313.......

 

[Buzby]

Embarrassed myself by saying hello to Paula Wilcox on a westbound Circle train at Baker Street - after apologising for my familiarity, she explained she quite enjoyed it as long was it wasn’t intrusive - She was still appearing in Man About the House at the time. (She got off at Edgware Road).

 

[Jan Mayen]

Michael Portillo on a train to Bognor Regis (not doing a GB Railway Journey TV recording)

 

[Ashley Hill]

I think there was a similar thread a year or two ago.
Through work I’ve met too many to list but those that stand out are:-
The late Leslie Crowther and his daughter Liz who were both friendly regulars.
Jason Donovan,I punched his ticket without realising it was him until the train was greeted by a platform full of girls at the next station.
Su Pollard - rude and grumpy.
Local newsreader Heidi Davey who is one of only two celebrities I’ve had my photo taken with,the other being Drew Pritchard (I still owe Tee a pint).

 

[baz962]

Not talked to but I have driven Barry Norman , Laura Woods , Ronnie O'Sullivan and Suella Braverman.

 

[gg1]

Howard Marks , David Cameron , Pritti Patel, Arthur Scargill ....to quote some random ones.

Please tell me those two were sitting next to each other

Not talked to but I have driven Barry Norman , Laura Woods , Ronnie O'Sullivan and Suella Braverman.

Ditto

 

[Railcar]

In 1965, I was travelling on a train to Birmingham. In the same compartment was Gwen Berryman (Doris Archer in the radio serial The Archers. The program wa recorded at a studio in Birmingham.

 

[Buzby]

The program wa recorded at a studio in Birmingham.

Pebble Mill (Happy days….)

 

[Railsigns]

In 1985 I was on a train with the professional darts player Leighton Rees. I'd never heard of him, but the guard pointed him out to me, so I asked him for his autograph anyway. I still have it somewhere.

More recently, I was standing directly behind Noel Fielding in a long booking office queue.

 

[Bertie the bus]

Mark Owen from Take That when they were at their peak. He just seemed to be a down to earth, modest, decent bloke. He was travelling in the Standard Class smoking carriage.

 

[brad465]

In January 2020, while travelling to Kent to Exeter, I sat infront of comedian Kathy Burke on a Paddington-Penzance train, and had a brief exchange with her in a conversation with the ticket inspector and a couple of others when it turned out she was sat in standard class on a 1st class ticket, and she revealed she thought she was in 1st class, which has to be the best compliment about the interior of an IET train ever (that usually gets few compliments in general). She's the only one I've technically met, but I've also sat in the same carriage as former MP Michael Fallon and comedian Vic Reeves on different occasions, but left them alone.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Please tell me those two were sitting next to each other



Ditto

Scargill was on a C69 pre refurb stock with copious tagging on a freezing cold Winter night. He got off at Barbican where he had a flat. He looked incredibly depressed.

To be fair to Pritti - the "minders" tried to keep us out of that part of the carriage but we we ignored that. She was very pleasant and chatty to the on board staff, unlike other senior politicians I have come across.

John Prescott - I told him off slightly for nearly causing a late start on the 0917 (chatting to staff) , but he was excellent company and really enjoyed his trip on 313013 - which we had swopped especially to give him a Silverlink liveried and spotless set.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Jan 2024 ==

Pebble Mill (Happy days….)

My father in law - a Brummy Black cab driver did loads of work for Pebble Mill - however from a railway POV - T53 from Washwood Heath - Longbridge would slow down and blow the horn at the gardeners and would get a grittited teeth comment from the live filmers - "there goes our friends from British Rail..."

 

[johnnychips]

Somewhat bizarrely, Joan Collins in about 1980, who was travelling First Class from Stockport to Stoke quite late at night.
Toke Townley, who played Grandad Sugden on Emmerdale, once asked me how to get out of Manchester Victoria…evidently a man of taste.

 

[Neilandrewhall]

Me and my partner saw Judge Rinder on a train from Manchester to London in about 2019, we also saw Shawn from the chase at a station in the Brighton area there were rail replacement services not allowing trains all the way to London and me and my partner were helping Shawn how to get to London without using buses.

 

[Bantamzen]

Back in 1999 I was headed for London for an England game at Wembley. Having just won promotion to the Premier League, I was proudly wearing my new Bradford City top for the occasion. On the way to the buffet car, a group of Newcastle fans called me over and said they'd seen Chris Kamara (former Bradford City manager at that point) in the First Class section just beyond. I thought they were pulling my chain, but out of curiosity I went and had a sneaky peek anyway, and they he was! He looked shocked when I stuck my head through the door and said "Hi Chris!", obviously he never thought he'd see a Bradford fan in First Class

 

[zero]

In 2019 Geoff Marshall sat down next to me on a train.

I don't watch his stuff and I was absorbed in an important phone chat, so I didn't recognise him until random people started coming up to him and talking about trains.

I encountered him again on the first Lumo service from Kings Cross, and I'm probably in his youtube video of that journey but as I said I don't watch his stuff.

 

[Lost property]

Somewhat bizarrely, Joan Collins in about 1980, who was travelling First Class from Stockport to Stoke quite late at night.
Toke Townley, who played Grandad Sugden on Emmerdale, once asked me how to get out of Manchester Victoria…evidently a man of taste.

Hmm..... not quite the usual exotic locations you would associate with La Collins

 

[McRhu]

Hmm..... not quite the usual exotic locations you would associate with La Collins

Bizarrely I am almost certain I encountered Joan Collins getting onto an AM3 at Partick Hill many years ago. Why she would be in Partick I'm not sure but hey ho. Maybe doing a show at the Glasgow Empire and heading back to her digs in Drumchapel.

 

[bleeder4]

Michael Portillo - twice. Once on an IET on the Cotswold Line, another on a local train in Italy from Milan to Como. (He had a film crew with him both times).

The comedian Alistair McGowan, again on the Cotswold Line. He is from Evesham and his parents still live there, so regulars on that line see him several times a year.

Queen Camilla, around 10 years ago back before she was queen. I was in the Eurostar departure lounge at St Pancras and she was quickly whisked through by security. Turns out she was actually travelling on the same service to Paris as me, in the next coach along. I could catch a glimpse of her from the vestibule if I went to the loo.

And finally, I have seen that TikTok guy Francis Bourgeoise (or however you spell it) on several railtours. No doubt he gets given free tickets so he can promote them. I don't watch his stuff, but every teenager and early 20s person on board always keeps finding an excuse to go up and speak to him.

 

[Jamesrob637]

I feature in a few YouTube vids so I might be a minor celebrity in my own right, and several on here have met me with probably varying opinions

Peter Shilton once started the Plymouth Race for Life when I ran it as a child with my mum. A bloke not originally from, but very associated with Plymouth because of Argyle.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

The first time I met Grant Shapps was on board a train - a Southern Class 377. It was a planned meeting back when I was doing safety announcements for Northern and Avanti (the former in a dodgy Yorkshire accent, since replaced by in house), and impressions of others, and the 377 had been reserved for us to film a DfT advert about reducing unnecessary announcements. Got on famously and we still keep in touch.

I recognised the actor of Dev Alahan from Coronation Street on a 390 waiting to leave Piccadilly back in 2019, and although he asked me not to draw attention to him being there, he did take a selfie with me. And then I hopped off as I'd only been on board to charge my phone while doing a GM Day Ranger!

 

[nlogax]

While on the Southwest Chief a few years back I met and ate a meal or two alongside Mike McCarthy.. Not famous in his own right but his daughter is the actor Melissa McCarthy. He was travelling from Chicago to LA to (I believe) meet his daughter during a Christmas - New Year period. Lovely guy, very unassuming and a former rail worker. He wasn't really aware how famous his daughter is in the UK until I reassured him she's very well known! Think he was quite happy to learn that.

A few UK examples I can recall,

- Ken Livingstone while he was still London mayor, riding on the Northern line. Apparently a London rite of passage to see him on the tube for many Londoners.
- Pete Townsend, also on a tube. An absolute grump.
- Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Virgo both on a (Virgin at the time) Pendo heading to London in First Class. Very nice chaps, amicable and not the rabble rousers I somehow expected.

 

[Acfb]

I'm sure I've seen plenty of well known people on the train over the years from Edinburgh etc but it's hard to think of specific examples. Most prominent example was probably Ed Miliband in April 2013 when he was getting on the train at Waverley to go to the Scottish Labour conference in Inverness (having just come up from London) and I was going to Blair Atholl with a hiking group. Didn't interact with him/his entourage though. He was in standard class on the 170 and did order a coffee or something.

 

[Bishopstone]

David Dimbleby in first class on the Victoria-Eastbourne train (he had/has a home near Polegate)

Jockey Frankie Dettori in good form, returning to Kings Cross from the races in York

The late Charles Kennedy on the down Fort William sleeper

Many of the youths from Hollyoaks, blagging it in first class from Runcorn on the up Euston, circa 1997

My former local MP and ex transport minister, Norman Baker, on several occasions in first class from Victoria to Lewes

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Does broadcaster/comedian Dr Phil Hammond count as a famous person / celebrity? Once sat opposite him on a table of 4 on a London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly service (think he was on his way up to a recording) and was a little surprised that he was slumming it in Standard Class. Having said that, the guy's quite loquacious, and the two hour journey fairly whizzed by.

 

[Benters]

Sue Nichols and real-life partner Mark Eden on the train home from Stoke to Stafford. They played Audrey Roberts and Alan Bradley in Coronation Street.
Must have been returning home after filming as the train was ex-Manchester Piccadilly. They kept themselves to themselves, and like me, got off at Stafford.
Sue Nichols is the Rt. Hon Susan Harmar-Nicholls , the daughter of Lord Stafford in real life, and speaks with a cut-glass accent. The ancestral home is Sandon Hall, to the east of Stafford.

 

[DerekC]

Hugh Lloyd, somewhere on the Underground many years ago. And Felicity Kendal on a Waterloo - Portsmouth via Guildford, just before departure. She was standing in the aisle chatting to someone in First Class and I was just passing through, trying to find a seat further down the train. She politely got out of the way and said "sorry". I think she has a country house somewhere near Liphook.