Celeb spotting/photting on the rail network.

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

I've seen a few famous faces over the years on trains or on stations. If I have a camera to hand and the subject is amenable I'll grab a quick snap. I always ask politely and take any refusals with good grace. Except the one from Bill Oddie, who practically bit my head off. That was after I'd opened a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) door for him that he was struggling with. 

Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Law and Order UK^▸ (United Kingdom))


Ronny Jhutti (Vexed, Ideal, Doctor Who)


Peter Andre (Permanently on ITV2!)


The talented, beautiful, gorgeous Jemima Rooper (Atlantis, Hex, As If, The Railway Children (remake))


Who have you seen on trains or at stations? And do you have the photos to prove it? 

(And yes, the gurning twonk in a couple of those pics is me.  )

 

[Chris from Nailsea]

No photo to prove it, but I did carefully avoid 'bumping into' Bill Oddie when he was walking up the incline up to Bristol Temple Meads a few years ago - he was struggling towards the station with a huge holdall. I gave him a cheery nod and smile, which he acknowledged.

I've met Frank Carson getting onto an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) at Bristol Temple Meads, too: staff were holding the door open for him, and grinning through gritted teeth at his rather predictable wisecracks. 

However, I regret that I can't outbid you on being photted sitting next to Freema Agyeman: she's lovely! 

[devon_metro]

I've been on a train towards Plymouth with one of the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Spotlight presenters on board. The name however escapes me. I also appreciate how they will only be famous within the confines of Devon & Cornwall (and parts of Dorset).

[JayMac]

I regret that I can't outbid you on being photted sitting next to Freema Agyeman: she's lovely! 

I trust the 'kiss' emoticon is for her, not me. 

[Kernow Otter]

Marcus Brigstock on the up platform at Par waiting for a London train.

[IndustryInsider]

No photo evidence, but Anne Diamond, Debbie Magee, Martin Keown and Jeremy Clarkson are regular travellers on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) network.  Though not on the same train as that would be quite a combination! 

[JayMac]

Hearing that Clarkson is a regular surprises me. I'd be even more surprised if he caught the bus link from Chipping Norton to Kingham!

[jester]

Again, Bill Oddie (miserable git when i asked to check his railcard), Paul Young (lovely) Nigella Lawson, Lisa Faulkner, Gary Rhodes (chatty), James Tanner, Nathan Outlaw ( I see a pattern here) and recently the very talkative Sir Tim Rice, again very pleasant to meet!

[BerkshireBugsy]

Travelling down from Leeds (I think) I was in the same coach as Melvyn Bragg

When I used to work at a petrol station in an Oxfordshire village I served quite a few celebs (ok OT I know) but it was quite a while ago. Put it this way petrol was 38 pamper gallon (not per litre!)

[LiskeardRich]

Traveling from Leeds a few years ago, I was told by my travel companion that the people in the next seats were Donna and Marlon from Emmerdale. I wasn't sure who they were!

[caliwag]

In the days when I worked for BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) (first class of course)...Duke of Edinburgh in dining car...KGX to North...maybe three minders. Tony Blair Newcastle to south, with A N other. Said to my son 'there's the future PM back there'...of course he still remembers...ha! A few others of course not worth mentioning. 

[flyingscotsman]

Well over the years I've....

1. Joan Collins at Edinburgh when I was on Railway Duties

2. The Queen as a driver at Tattenham corner (I was driving her)

3. Harold Macmillan (ex prime minister who gave me a ^1 tip) at Victoria

4. Mr Cameron numerous times on the morning run on the cotswolds line

5. Carol Vornderman - sat and chatted to her on platform 7 when I was her driver on the 12 o'clock up

6. Timmy Mallet at cookham

7. Debbie Magee at Henley

8. Peter Gabriel (sat on the train talking old time Genesis between Swindon and Chippenham)

9. Chris Eubank at Hove Station (Told him to take his feet off the seats in the first class - he said "swthorry"

10. Jim Rosenthal at Borne End

11. Clarkson (Oxford)

12. Richard Branson (Oxford)

13. Lawrence Dellaligo (at Bath)

14. Henry Kelley (quite a lot at Paddington)

15. Noel Edmunds (Edinburgh - 1980 - Circuit driving in an Opal Manta at Ingleston but he got the train up)

16. Princess Anne (Kemble and Paddington)


........  I know there's more.....but I can't unite remember just now

[TonyK]

I've met Frank Carson getting onto an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) at Bristol Temple Meads, too: staff were holding the door open for him, and grinning through gritted teeth at his rather predictable wisecracks. 

I was at school with Frank's son Tony, and also knew his daughter Majella. I once, with others, spent a couple of hours trying unsuccessfully to tell him a joke he hadn't heard. He finished the punchline, and laughed like he'd never heard it before. I also saw him on Blackpool North Pier - he lived within half an hour's walk - where he did tell one I told him, about the Irish lad writing home to his mum, who ended the letter "PS I would have sent you that five pounds I owe you, but I had posted the letter before I remembered". He had his demons, but was a lovely man.

Not on a train but on a plane, my daughter works in a certain airbase media office. After Katie Melua, the Prime Minister, and the Princess Royal, she got her big job last weekend, when she had to look after (not a euphemism) that Gary Barlow for several hours. He arrived at 11pm, fresh from X Factor, and left about 4.30am - it was that very stormy Sunday night - for a warzone beginning with A. It hit the celeb mags and twitter as soon as he left that country, so I no longer have to shoot anyone who reads this. There are photos. I doff my cap - it is not an easy journey, and involves unusual flying techniques on approach to the airport.

[Super Guard]

There's probably some I have missed off, but i've had the following on my train..

*Liam Gallagher + entourage heading to Glastonbury - ironically on the same train full of glastonbury troops, oh if only they knew 
*Dawn French (Hilarious).
*Jennifer Saunders
*Lenny Henry (He's a big bloke).
*Pauline Quirk
*Linda Robson
*Deborah Meaden (lovely).
*Tom Daley (just after the Olympics, so he pretty much spent 3 hours having photographs taken with everyone who walked past him).
*Peter Scudamore (Premier League boss).
*I once had Gavin Esler sat in coach A and Jeremy Vine in G on the same train.
*Philippa Thomas (BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)).
*Steve McFadden
*Neil Warnock
*David Dimbleby (Pullman).
*Peter Snow
*Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
*Kevin McCloud

And last but not least...

*bignosemac
*bobm



I'm annoyed I missed Lucy Liu when she was filming 'Elementary' briefly at Paddington 

[Brucey]

A friend has a photograph on Facebook of herself sat next to Buzz Aldrin in First Class on a Cross Country Voyager.

My only claim to fame (and probably not a celebrity to most people) is seeing Sir Anthony Epstein, discoverer of the Epstein-Barr Virus (the cause of glandular fever), on a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service.