After many years commentating on Formula 1 racing, Murray now appears to be passing his time sailing a boat around the Fijian Islands along with Felicia from Priscilla: Queen of the Desert. What are the chances!!
Still in a successful film career (following the awesome Minority Report with Tom Cruise and Colin Farrell), Max still found time to hike up to Glacier point in Yosemite National Park this Autumn. Luckily for him, his walking seemed to be going better than the efforts of himself and walking partner Tom Clancy to chat up a couple of “spring chickens” on route!
Slade front man Noddy doesn’t seem to have aged at all since the 1970’s as he currently works his way around America’s east coast. Mr Holder, last seen in Washington DC, is reported to be adopting a strong Scottish accent as a means of disguise!
No, not Mr Bombastic himself, we are talking about the OTHER famous Shaggy. With Taupo proving about as easy to find accommodation in as Bethlehem during a Roman census, we find ourselves checking the last Hostel in town. At the front desk we are all desperately trying not to catch each other’s eye (and hence piss ourselves with laughter) as we are checked in by the scraggily haired stoner on reception. Eventually I can take it no more and quickly walk around the corner before cracking up…and to think, I would have got away with it had it not been for those pesky kids!!! (Almost seamless crowbarring I think you’ll agree!).
Perennial film bad guy Wes shows that, not only was he more than useful at bashing British Red Coats with a Tomahawk (in Last of the Mohicans), but that he is also a dab hand with a super-soaker during Thailand’s Song Kran water festival on the streets of Bangkok.
There are some faces that just bug you for hours. One night in outback Queensland we come across a British couple in the small town of Hughenden. After a few hours abuse about how I look like Nick Barmby and a few Victoria Bitters, it dawns on me in a flash of imagination that we are in fact diving with that long time Arsenal right back Lee Dixon. Even worse for him, he’s a Spurs fan!
On this one you are just gonna have to trust me. Ok, so he looked nothing like him, his name was really Paul and I was only able to place his accent somewhere between Sicily and Vladivostok, but what the hell, he looked like a Mobster! “Heeey, you’sa guys don’t needa no breakdown insurance” “You av any trouble, then I know guys who know guys, eh?”
Former World Footballer of the year Luis was the pick of a supreme boat of look-a-likes in whose company we toured the Whitsunday Islands. Also on board with the Portuguese grease-ball and me were Patrick Swayze, Libby Kennedy and Dr Greene from ER. Not to mention Lee from Steps!
A legend. On a freezing cold morning in the town that also doubles as the bright centre of the universe, Alice Springs, we first met our driver for the three-day coach trip to Cairns. He muttered something about taking us to a place where “everybody knows our names” and we were off, to the vicious tunes of his music collection. Cue “Every little bit of Australia” and “Waltzing Matilda”!
Merely a week before the Danson incident, by chance we got off of the Ghan train from Sydney and into a minibus heading to an Alice Spring’s hostel with one extra individual in tow. Despite his name being Chris Evans we skip that opportunity for abuse straight away, and head for the bar. Here Chris makes a great debut, dishing his Goatness a ripping about his “Reading townie wear” (always a good way to become our mate…mate…mate) before being hit with a backlash of pure genius “I’ve got it, you look like Richard Fairbrass” What? No really, what? Oh, who cares, it sticks and before long we and the Right Said Fred front man are off on a five day trip to Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon. High Quality.