The Famous People

This year, largely as a result of living and working in central London, I have seen a lot of famous people. Just the other day, Meg and I literally ran into Kenneth Brannaugh, for example. As always when you run into a leading man, he was shorter, and not as good looking as you'd expect. Earlier in the year, I ate pizza at Spiga on Wardour Street sitting next to Emma Thompson and some pastey English chap. She was I would say, as she is - quite stunning, but very comfortable looking as she does. I was so hungry that I didn't even notice it was her until she got up to leave. I had noodles sitting next to Jason Statham, best known as Turkish from the movie Snatch, and he looked like he'd been run over by a five gallon vodka martini. But it could have been for effect, who knows. A little while later Ralph Fiennes jumped into a cab on Wardour Street, looking suspiciously like someone "trying not to be noticed" in a big Woody Allen style "hide me" hat. Michael Palin popped into Patisserie Valerie on Old Compton Street for a croissant on the go looking smart and healthy and like he'd stop to give anyone directions if they had the guts to ask. There was the rumour of Madonna at the Dog and Duck that I was not able to corroborate. The capper to all these sightings however was the other night when Meg and I were walking home along Drury Lane having jumped off a bus near Aldwych. We were passing by the theatre where "The Producers" is playing when we heard a little commotion. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles were exiting the theatre to their car. Meg and I were no more than 5 or 6 meters from them. I couldn't believe how polite and respectful everyone suddenly got in their presence. People actually backed up and gave them room. There was one paparozzi guy who spent a roll of film, and I thought to myself how odd that seemed given that in my experience, most Londoners are quite comfortable being "amongst the famous."