Inconvenient Annoyances

Outlander is huge in the US and is responsible for bringing in loads of US tourists recently.

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I don't watch Outlander (tried the first episode but couldn't get into it), but I met a few of the cast at a con a couple of months ago - Graham McTavish, Steven Cree, Duncan Lacroix and David Berry (who will be in season 3). Sam Heughan was supposed to be there too but he had to cancel.


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It's not completely out of the cards in Manchester. The Manchester Evening News always reports on "celeb spottings" in the city but it's usually just actors from Coronation Street!

Really? How sad. I worked for the MEN and it never had a "celeb spotting" section. Oh MEN, you've gone downhill...

I've seen my fair-share of "celebrities" over in England but not one of my family and friends have ever asked me and I would have been glad to tell so I'm telling y'all!

Morrissey of the Smiths at a cashpoint on Deansgate in Manchester in 1987 and it was under a sign that indicates that Strangeways Prison was a mile away. A famous Smith's album is called, "Strangeways, Here We Come". Ooh, irony.

Prince Andrew outside of Claridges in 1987

PM John Major at Reading Station in 1996

Prince William and Murray Walker (Formula 1 commentator) in Windsor at a car park. I couldn't get to my car as they were standing next to it 1998.

PM Tony Blair visited my son's sport's high school & sports college in 2000 and parents were all invited. He kicked the football to my kid and the kid missed it .

There were loads more but they probably mean nothing to most people since I'm a lover of music and those people interest me. My musical hero and I once shared an umbrella and a cigarette outside Manchester Victoria Station. He was so cultured, gentlemanly and refined and I was an idiot but it made my life!

God, I'm sad.




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He kicked the football to my kid and the kid missed it .

Bend it like Blair.

Go on Lorenausuk, tell us about the music ones.  Somebody will be interested. 

Once we were waiting for a table at the pub and some people invited us to sit with them.  We chatted away for the whole meal, ends up that she's one of the Nolan sisters and he's a well known musician.  They must have thought it was funny that we had absolutely no clue who she was. 

We met Mister Maker at a bus stop.  I think he was surprised to be recognised, especially since we were uber fans at the time. 

Outlander is huge in the US and is responsible for bringing in loads of US tourists recently.

I read the books years ago and only just started watching the series on Channel 4. It's ok. Think I am only still watching because of Sam Heughan to be honest :-P That Claire is so skinny! 

I was in Edinburgh a couple weeks ago and a lot of the tourist-y souvenir shops had "Outlander" stuff. I also noticed they were advertising "Outlander" tours. I don't doubt that it has had a positive impact on tourism.

Go on Lorenausuk, tell us about the music ones.  Somebody will be interested. 

Once we were waiting for a table at the pub and some people invited us to sit with them.  We chatted away for the whole meal, ends up that she's one of the Nolan sisters and he's a well known musician.  They must have thought it was funny that we had absolutely no clue who she was.

I've briefly met quite a few music people... I don't know if just getting their autograph or a quick photo counts or not?...I got into one of the backstage areas at Live Aid in 1985 and got autographs from Paula Yates, Mel Smith, Nils Lofgren, and had a 5-minute chat with the guys from Big Country, as I'd seen them play in San Francisco only a few weeks before that.  I've met (and kissed) Lloyd Cole, and had 5-minute chats & a photo with Ian McNabb (Icicle Works), Ian Prowse (Pele & Amsterdam), Justin Currie(Del Amitri), and Paul Spencer, the drummer from Jegsy Dodds & The Sons of Harry Cross (that was actually a couple of hours, rather than 5 minutes... he was dating my boss) .  Oh, and Ricky Ross from Deacon Blue.  Probably more that I just don't remember at the mo.

My partner is a HUGE FAN of Nanci Griffith, and has seen her play over 200 times, and has met her several times too.  He went to a few of her shows in the US, and has been out to dinner with her and the band, and she even took him to meet her family.... they showed him around and took him on a few wee day trips while she continued on tour.  He is always on the guest list somehow, and gets a backstage pass when she plays in the UK.  I went backstage with him once, so I've met her too... and her road manager, who is the guy that stole Gram Parsons body from the airport and took it to the desert to burn it!

Never heard about Nanci Griffith, but I've definitely heard the Gram Parsons story.  That's a good person to know for 6 degrees of separation. 

Never heard about Nanci Griffith, but I've definitely heard the Gram Parsons story.  That's a good person to know for 6 degrees of separation.

I'd never hear of her either, until I met my partner.  Apparently she's big in folkie circles?

I've seen mister maker too...he used to do the panto here.

In Edinburgh last week we saw Richard Osmond at pleasance courtyard. I had a heart attack because I love pointless.

When it comes to the royal family I've seen Prince Charles twice and the back of princess Anne's head. Her security guards brushed us out of the way LOL as if we care about seeing her.

I'd even settle for a pence for every time somebody asks me about one of the royals (two pence for when they don't even specify who they're specifically talking about! I'm just supposed to know!) and what's going on in their lives like I actually keep track of that.....

When my husband was over back in 2013 for our wedding, the prince had just been born and people were literally saying to my husband "How's the baby?!" and "congratulations on the baby!" He was SO confused...he was looking at me as he thought for a second that I was withholding some news from him...LOL

Lol I can relate people always ask hubby about the royal family. Like he knows them personally


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Lol I can relate people always ask hubby about the royal family. Like he knows them personally


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Even when people joke around (like when you take your visitors to someplace like Windsor and see the castle and they make a joke about "did you reserve us tea time with the Queen" or something), I have the same reaction as when I used to work retail and would get the "I guess that makes it free" joke when items didn't scan properly. Internally rolling my eyes until they fall out of the socket but outwardly managing a polite chuckle.

Even when people joke around (like when you take your visitors to someplace like Windsor and see the castle and they make a joke about "did you reserve us tea time with the Queen" or something),

I went to a party once and started chatting to a guy who was a very senior judge on a court you'd know if I named it.  I made a similar joke about what the queen thought about something and he says "I had lunch with her last week and......", being totally serious. 

I always count the queen now as one away from me on 6 degrees of separation.

I went to a party once and started chatting to a guy who was a very senior judge on a court you'd know if I named it.  I made a similar joke about what the queen thought about something and he says "I had lunch with her last week and......", being totally serious. 

I always count the queen now as one away from me on 6 degrees of separation.

Yep, some people do know royals .

- my only experience has been when I 'met' Princess Diana when she came to my home town in 1991 (she opened the new music centre at the local secondary school)... she walked right past us, shaking hands with people... my brother had his hand out, but she was escorted away just before she got to him .
- one of my friends in secondary school was on Prince William's university course
- one of my colleagues lived in the same officer's mess as Prince Harry... he introduced himself in the dining hall and bought her a drink in the mess bar
- other colleagues of mine used to brief both William and Harry's flying squadrons