British Comedy Guide

Lames To Fame

I recall Viz Comic running a similar feature way back. For what it's worth, a "lame to fame" is a really tenuous celebrity anecdote. Here are mine:

* My late father was a policeman and once mis-directed David 'Diddy' Hamilton in Horsham, Surrey

* One of my husband's paternal uncles moved to California in the 1970s and had his teeth cosmetically upgraded at the same dental surgery as the late, great Andy Williams

Does this count?...............

In the late 70s I was staying at a hotel in London where in the evening the ballroom was taken over by an "after prem."party for the dire film Harlequin, which I gate-crashed (two friends bet me I couldn't do it) and tried to hob-nob with various stars of the film and otherwise (Tom Baker, John Barron, Kenny Lynch etc.etc.), but felt a right prawn as I waved to my friends through the glassed partition.

No, that's perfect HGT. I'd love to meet Tom Baker, I'd expect that he's as flamboyant off screen as much as he is whilst treading the boards.

Was at height of his fame then and certainly was a larger than life character. I remember they had to keep sending out to the hotel bar to get him a pint of lager as he was having none of the poncey cocktails they were serving.

I imagine that's why he left the seminary.

My anecdote was going to be:

I met the 1987 world yo-yo champion when he came to my school and demonstrated his yo-yo skills.

I remembered he was Brazilian, but I couldn't remember his name. When trying to find out his name online, I discovered the world yo-yo championships only started in 1992.

So my story now goes:

In 1987 I met an unidentified Brazilian man who owned a yo-yo.

Who the f**k was he?

The unofficial world champ!

I am loving it: keep 'em coming.

Doug's anecdote slightly reminded me of the minor Olympic athlete character from Little Britain.

I once walked into the ladies loo in error at a cable car station to go skiing in Cervina, when I was told by Bonnie Tyler that I was in the wrong area.

I did leave and checked my papers but she was wrong I was definitely booked in Cervina.

So, just to clarify: she wasn't Lost in France then?

She had two huge minders with her, and when in the cable car hundreds and hundreds of feet up my brother decided it would be hilarious to sing that song loudly :)

I once saw Nick Knowles (of DIY SOS fame) in a West London cafe.

I once met Barbara Windsor in the Ladies in a cinema in Clydebank. She was doing the official opening (of the cinema, not the Ladies)

Barbara once hugged me saying aren't you clever then told me I had made her stomach and her fanny clench with emotion. I took it as a compliment.

That kind of post needs prior warning.

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