I watched the excellent Julie and Julia on DVD today and suddenly realised I have an impressively direct Julia Child namedrop. Here it is -

I once had coffee with friends (well, friends of the parents of a friend) in Cambridge Massachusetts, whose garden backed onto the house where Julia Child lived and filmed her TV programmes. This was in the 1980s, so Julia may have even been in residence. I didn't see her though.

Julia Child - how to make croissants

A friend of mine was at college with someone whose dad was in the Monkees and who was babysat by Alice Cooper, who also babysat Keanu Reeves. Hope he wasn't in full make-up.

Alice Cooper babysitting Keanu Reeves - apologies for giving the misleading impression that Alice is doing Keanu's hair

The Monkees

The mum of someone on my writing course this week used to be the English teacher of ... JK Rowling.

Dr Laura

Sue Sylvester mentioned Dr Laura on Glee this week. I once met Dr Laura Schlessinger, the US talkshow host. And I interviewed (aka 'had a row with') her on the BBC. That means I'm just one degree of separation from the entire Glee cast.

My friend Franklin was in a taxi in the Cotswolds the other day and went past Princess Anne. His cab driver confirmed that it really was her and not an impersonator or a drag queen. I asked Franklin what she looked like and he replied, 'I don't know - I only saw her face.'

The sister of the producer of my next Radio 4 programme is the producer of Gok Wan.

My friend V used to work on Beaumont Street in Oxford, very near to where Thom Yorke lives. I also once sighted him myself, on a bus from Headington into Oxford. And my friend C lives in Abingdon, where Radiohead are from.

Another exciting (but sadly indirect) namedrop. Someone on my BBC writing course the other day used to write scripts for Les Dawson and Tommy Cooper. Just like that.

I was talking to a guy at the gym today whose children are at Heath Mount School near Hertford, where the Beckhams' kids go, meaning I'm a mere four degrees away from Posh and Becks.

My friend Uwe (aka Oover Matic) has a fab new single out, on iTunes, on Monday 27 September. His cool electro band has recently been featured in i-D, French Vogue and Figaro and played for Comme des Garçons in Paris.

The new single's a classic catchy pop song. I love it. So does Boll. And we know what we're talking about.

Few and Far Between video

I was in a car in Hertford the other day, when the Rolls Royce belonging to boxing promoter Frank Warren went past in the other direction with Frank Warren himself driving. We made no eye contact and I only got a blurred glimpse.

Warren lives in Watton-at-Stone near here (childhood home of actor Rupert Grint). And his office is in Hertford, in Bircherley Green - which is a mere stone's throw from Peacock Towers.

This means I'm now only two degrees away from every famous boxer in the world, including Naseem Hamed, Nigel Benn, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan.

Jermain Defoe lives just down the road from Hertford, in Cuffley. I go through Cuffley quite a lot on the train. And I once overheard a guy at the gym say he'd been to a party at Jermain's house. I don't know the guy at the gym, but I did speak to him once.

Mike, recording Jedward in the studio

My friend Mike has just been producing Jedward in a commercial. You can even see the session on youtube. Mike's the one with glasses who smiles a lot.

This means I'm just one degree away from Jedward, which makes me a mere two degrees away from Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Louis Walsh and Danii Minogue, which means I'm just three degrees away from Kylie. I could go on.

Well done Mike. Very catchy. I assume you'll now be getting a Jedward hairdo.

Here's the latest pic of Canary James (with his pets Piggy Sue and Natasha) on their local beach in Gran Canaria.

As you'd expect, I'm extremely close to all three main party leaders.

Gordon Brown

I once worked for about three days with Sarah Macaulay (Mrs Brown). She made me a cup of tea in 1992. Or it might have been 1993.

David Cameron

I'm also one degree away from Dave, as he's met my friend Martin Popplewell, who made a complete idiot of him on TV and another friend of mine was at Eton so might have known him, but I can't be bothered to ask.

Nick Clegg

In 1986/7, I was at college with him. I vaguely recognise him, but don't think we ever met or spoke. He was a first year. By then, I was a postgrad and lived in Thornycreek which was an old house in the college grounds. But I'm sure we must have walked past each other or even stood near each other in the bar.

Nick old stick, you may recall I was MCR Ents Secretary. I liked Grolsch and Scampi Fries and used to put You Can Call Me Al on the jukebox. Please remember this if you become PM.

Nick also once acted with Helena Bonham-Carter, who was at school with my old friend S.

Can I have an OBE please?

I'm now just two degrees away from Robert Pattinson the vampire actor. I know someone at Radio 1 who met him this week. That means I'm only three degrees away from Taylor Lautner and Dracula.

My thumb is one degree of separation from Jeremy Paxman.

This is because flexor tenosynovitis, which my thumb has, was a question on tonight's University Challenge.

'What is its more popular name?' asked the Paxman. The answer was 'trigger thumb' or 'trigger finger', because your thumb clicks like a trigger when you have it.

I have worked in the same office as Jeremy, but my thumb's namedrop is more impressive I feel. Thumbs don't get many chances to namedrop, so I feel it deserves its 15 minutes of indirect fame.

My friend Amina Z goes to the same gym as the X-Factor contestants. This means that I'm only one degree of separation from them and two degrees from Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh. I'm also only three degrees of separation from Sharon Osbourne, Will Young and SuBo.

Boll and I watched the first audition programme. We were most impressed by Danyl, but we thought Joe was good too and we're rooting for him because he's a Geordie.

Continuing my occasional series of very sad, ludicrously indirect namedrops - it turns out that I'm just a few degrees away from Channel 4's Jonnie Irwin.

I was watching A Place in the Sun - Home or Away the other day and realised the UK section was from Newcastle. Or, more precisely the Cramlington area in Northumberland - not too far from where my parents live.

So I phoned them and they watched it. We then had a conversation about the houses, including one in Bedlington.

The next day, Dad was in town and got talking to an old lady who said she was, by coincidence, from ..... Bedlington.

'Oh - Bedlington was on Channel 4 last night,' said Dad.

'Yes,' she replied. 'I know. On A Place in the Sun. They were looking round my son's house.'

So - my Dad's met someone who's related to someone whose house has been looked around by Jonnie. I hope you're impressed.

RIP Mollie Sugden (most famous for playing Mrs Slocombe who was, like me, obsessed with her pussy).

And, in the Peacockshock tradition of ludicrously indirect namedrops, I feel obliged to tell you I once met Mollie's colleague John Inman (Mr Humphries in Are You Being Served?)

It was backstage at a theatre where I was doing an interview. He was there with Vanessa Feltz and ten semi-naked male dancers. It was one of my more surreal moments.

Mollie was a fantastic actress and great British institution. I feel sad that she's no longer with us.

Lea is a brilliant naive artist and her website leagoldberg.com features vibrant, imaginative, funny and uplifting paintings of cats, badgers, rabbits, crows, humans and angels.

As she puts it, 'naive art is characterised by a certain innocence, a rich colourful palette and idiosyncratic use of scale - often, but not exclusively, the artist is untutored and their work benefits from lack of classical training.' And so naive art offers a 'unique prescription for happiness.'

The site includes some great new paintings of angels, with curious titles such as 'The angel of the tulips - closely watched by a ginger cat'

Lea has recently exhibited in London and St Ives and will be appearing at the Festival International d'Art Naïf at Verneuil-sur-Arvres in 2010.

You can buy her wondrous paintings, bags, cards, post-its and so on via the site. I personally have an owl and pussycat bag, in which I keep my runcible spoons.

I once spent a day with Michael Jackson's sister LaToya in 1988. We were at an American airbase in Suffolk, with Bob Hope. Yes - Bob Hope. That means I'm one degree of separation from Michael (and Bing Crosby, come to think of it).

Another feeble namedrop to add to the pile. I walked past Morrissey on Monday in the reception of Broadcasting House. He seems to be wider than he used to be and looked miserable. There was no eye contact whatsoever.

I walked past Clare Balding on Portland Place today. She was having a jolly chat with someone and looked friendly. I estimate that she was roughly 4.5 feet away from me.

Continuing Peacockshock's occasional series of pathetically indirect namedrops, I was in a lift with Dawn French this week. I didn't actually see her. She was behind me. But I recognised her voice. She was talking about places she'd like to visit.

I've actually met Dawn French before, at an independent voiceover studio in London W12, where she expressed an interest in my baguette. And my friend Amina was once sandwiched between French and Saunders on an escalator, which means she gets two points.

I've also been working with Radio 2 people this week, so I'm one remove only from Dale Winton (who I frequently walk past in the street in Marylebone), Chris Evans (who I once bumped into in a bar at 1am when he was doing Radio 1 breakfast) and Steve Wright (who I've seen smoking outside the BBC).

I hope you're impressed. I was probably only five inches away from Dawn French, which gives me an extra half a point.

All my friends seem to be moving house this week, which is very confusing - especially as nearly all of them are called James.

Just to update you - Cambridge James has become London James. And Hertford James is now Canary James, as he's moved to Las Palmas in Gran Canaria.

Good luck to both Jameses in their new ventures.

London James (formerly Cambridge James) with a cat you may know, when she was a bit younger

Canary James (formerly Hertford James) - in Gran Canaria

Henrietta, looking extremely sane in Starbucks

Continuing Peacockshock's occasional series of pathetically indirect namedrops, I walked past Rhidian who came second in last year's X-Factor in the reception of BBC Wales the other day. He looked much less disturbing in real life. I half opened my mouth to say hello as I thought I knew him for a second. How embarrassing.

As you may know, I've walked past many famous people in the street in my time - Elton John (Oxford Street, making a video), Pavarotti (Wigmore Street, in an unironed shirt), Mark Owen from Take That (Marylebone High Street), George Michael (Carnaby Street, near the public toilets) and possibly Madonna (Marylebone High Street again, near Starbucks).

But I wasn't sure if it was really Madonna or just a lookalike. The same applies to my sighting of Enrique Iglesias on a zebra crossing in Camden, but he does apparently live in Primrose Hill.

I also stood behind Vanessa Feltz at a cashpoint the other day (Marylebone High Street yet again). She spent quite a long time fumbling.

Martin, wearing a zebra costume

My pal Martin Popplewell is interviewing Tony Blair about his religious views today (10am BBC1). Boll and I will be watching.

Mark Foster

Another preposterously indirect namedrop.

A friend of a friend of mine in Oxford used to go out with Team GB swimmer Mark Foster who carried the flag in the opening ceremony. The friend of a friend once came to my house, but I was out.

I love the Olympics, or 'the Limpics' as I like to call them. I am from Newcastle after all.

Continuing Peacockshock's occasional series of preposterously indirect namedrops - a former friend of mine worked with someone who has a family member who knows actor Ben Whishaw and has even met his cats.

Ben lives in these parts. He's famous for Hamlet and various films and is now playing Sebastian Flyte in the forthcoming Brideshead movie, with its controversially revamped plot.

Another namedrop - I once interviewed Jeremy Irons, who was in the original 1981 TV Brideshead. He was much smaller than I'd expected.

as Dylan Thomas

as Sebastian Flyte

I'm a big fan of Ant Smith's photos.

Ant actually works for the BBC (surprisingly not as a photographer) and was on one of my Writing for Radio courses, where he took the photo below. Yes - one of my handouts is now immortalised in a work of art.

His photos often tell a story or pose a quirky question. He's great at capturing and composing moments and spotting oddities. And he's very imaginative with processing and colour.

I was also agreeably surprised to discover via Ant's site that there are leopards in Welwyn (near Hertford)! They're at the Santago Rare Leopard Sanctuary. Here are some of his antastic photos.

BBC Writing for Radio

Where are my Passengers?

Snow Leopard - Welwyn Garden City

Southwark tube station

According to a totally unsubstantiated rumour doing the rounds in Hertford, Bollinger's vet also looks after the Blue Peter cats Socks and Cookie.

Inspired by Bollinger's impressive new connections, here are some utterly pathetic and desperate quasi-namedrops relating to me and Blue Peter. I can almost sense Shep in the room as I write.

Valerie Singleton once introduced a package I did for Radio 4's PM programme.

I worked in the same production office as Lesley Judd, but didn't recognise her and only spoke to her once when I needed help with logging into a computer.

I interviewed Diane-Louise Jordan for five minutes, in her kitchen at home. I've no idea what it was about, but she was nice and had a pleasing kitchen.

I met Michael Sundin once. We talked about trampolines.

Konnie Huq and I went to the same college, but several years apart. I've never met her.

I interviewed former Blue Peter editor Biddy Baxter for Radio 4. The interview was about badgers. I can't remember why.

Please sit down before you read this. I'm now a mere one remove from Sir Trevor Macdonald who's just come out of retirement at the age of 168.

This is because his new co-presenter Julie Etchingham was one of the undergraduates I chose to present BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's student programme On The Edge in 1990 (ish).

The programme, which I produced in a somewhat chaotic and random fashion, launched many a glitzy career and counted John Peel as one of its fans. I'm planning to write a bit more about OTE at some point soon.

A pre-Afro Kevin with a gold bracelet and terrified child

My first Six Degrees of Separation namedrop of 2008. Kevin Keegan is my mum's cousin's wife's cousin. I'm hoping he might read this and offer me a job as a Toon Army striker.

Stormingly impressive namedrops this week.

I've discovered that my accountant lives in the same village - just outside Hertford - as Lewis Hamilton.

Alex Lanipekun - the actor who plays Ben Kaplan in Spooks - was on a BBC course this year on which I ran a short session on how to do interviews.

I was in a room this week which had recently had Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins in it.

And a friend of my friend Amina Z reports a sighting of Rhidian from the XFactor in a gym in Finchley. He may be a freak, but at least he's sort of famous.

I'm finding it difficult to contain my excitement. My life is sooooooo showbiz these days. Would you like to buy my autograph?

Lewis Hamilton

Rhidian - frightening but real

Ewan, doing a Scottish pose

Another impressively indirect namedrop.

The hotel I've just stayed in in Inverness had Ewan McGregor (who once pecked my friend Henrietta on the cheek) as a guest recently. It's not clear whether I was in the same room. But I sat on most of the chairs in the dining room, so very probably sat on one which Ewan did.

I'll be signing autographs later.

More thrilling Six Degrees of Separation sightings. I'm now just one remove from three exciting new celebrities.

My friend J saw Tracey from Big Brother in a pizza restaurant in Cambridge last week. She was eating a pizza.

My friend H reports a sighting of Michael Caine talking to a vicar (or an actor playing a vicar) while filming near Hertford.

And, on Thursday, at precisely 17.21 hours, in Waitrose Hampstead, my friend Amina Z spotted Ruby Wax wearing black sunglasses and rushing surreptiously past with two bunches of flowers.

I also stood near to John Hurt at the BBC the other day, but thought he was Sir Ian McKellen.

More impressive namedrops to make you seethe with envy.

I met someone last week who once interviewed Mother Teresa.

I briefly worked in the same office as Gordon Brown's wife Sarah. I sat about five feet away from her. She made me a cup of tea.

My friend Julian has recently been to Geneva with John Barrowman. Julian's wife Rebecca is Jordan's ghost-writer.

My friend Henrietta is about to work with Melinda Messenger. And, as you may already know, Henrietta's parents had Margaret Thatcher for tea. My Peacockshock pal Hazel has slept in several beds previously occupied by La Thatcher.

Thatcher also came to my college in Cambridge a year before I was there and was hissed at by students in the library.

As for Big Brother - well, I live in the same county as the BB house. Pete with Tourettes from last year's BB walked past me a few weeks ago. And I chatted to Brian Dowling (well - said 'excuse me') in the Shadow Lounge bar.

I hope you're impressed by the extreme directness of these megastar namedrops.

BB Pete

Richard Branson with son Sam

It's a while since I've done a namedrop, so here are some preposterously-indirect ones, which go to show that it's a very small world, possibly. Six Degrees of Separation is an interesting and comforting concept. It's questioned by some, but scientists are now testing it. Here goes. Prepare to be impressed.

I once spoke to someone who was the plumber of the parents of Kate Winslet, whose knees were once sat upon by a former colleague of mine's twins.

My friends Frank and Henrietta were at a party and met a relative of Ricky Gervais, who I once sat near to in the second floor cafe in Broadcasting House.

My friend Amina Z sighted Rachel Stevens (who was once accidentally stood upon by my friend Henrietta at GMTV) in the lighting department of Habitat on Finchley Road in London. The sighting took place on 27 December 2006.

Amina, who stumbles on famous people with alarming regularity, also spotted Lulu in the queue of Yo Sushi. Lulu was wearing a white knitted beret. This occurred on 31 March 2007.

I recently stayed in a hotel which Christopher Eccleston frequents. It was a small hotel, so it's highly possible that I may have actually touched the same objects as him. I may even have sat on the same loo. This concept is known as Six Buttocks of Separation.

And – as my disgruntlement with Virgin rumbles on like a late train – it turns out that my friend J has met Richard Branson's son Sam who is apparently a famous model, and my friend Matt informs me that he once almost ran over Richard Branson in a village in Oxfordshire.

Peacockshock's occasional Six Degrees feature, in which I brag shamelessly about pathetically indirect namedrops, has attracted huge attention recently.

My pal Viv (who used to work on the street in Oxford where Radiohead's Thom Yorke lives) informs me that our mutual friend Cyn was actually at Owain Yeoman and Lucy Davis's wedding in St Pauls. She chatted to Lucy's dad Jasper Carrott and shared a taxi with Black Sabbath.

Meanwhile my aunt's nephew helps out at a stable near Andover which is frequented by Madonna.

And Madonna has been taught by my friend Amina's pilates instructor.

Amina used to produce Rolf Harris in Animal Hospital.

She's also stood next to Stephen Fry (whom I know, so there) twice. Once in a cashpoint queue and once on an underground platform.

At her local Waitrose, she stood in a queue behind David Soul. His hand was apparently a bit shaky (he dropped his change). She's also seen the Gallagher brothers and Chris Evans in there.

Meanwhile, in a deserted Homebase, she had to make way for Radio 1's Edith Bowman pushing a trolley laden with plants. She sighted an Appleton in there once as well.

Amina lives near the X-Factor House too, and reports a recent sighting: 'I was walking behind these two short blokes with hobbit haircuts chatting away in thick Scottish accents wearing the biggest sunglasses as it rained. It was the McDonald Brothers!'

And my friend Raymond once looked after Annie Lennox's dog - for two weeks.

Coming soon in the next thrilling instalment - my friend Wilhelm's famous hair colourist's other clients.

Big names guaranteed!

Lucy Davis - Dawn from The Office - married movie actor Owain Yeoman in St Paul's Cathedral today.

Owain is my friend Cyn's godson.

Yet more preposterously indirect namedrops.

I trained someone last week who was an extra in Barbra Streisand's film Yentl and was also a team member in Top of the Form.

I was standing within a few feet of Home Secretary John Reid yesterday. He was only an inch tall.

A guy I know at the gym told me in the steamroom the other day that he was once in a boyband that supported Blue.

Lee from Blue

Some new ludicrously indirect namedrops...

My friend Danny has danced on stage with Kylie Minogue.

My friend Paul's ex's parents once bought a house from The Crankies.

My friend Frank saw Paul Martin from Flog It! the other day in a multi-storey carpark.

Scene from Lommeoraklet - Pocket Oracle

My friend Laurence Kaye has an excellent new website lozkaye.com.

Laurence is a composer and musician. He lives in Århus, Denmark, but spends a lot of time in the UK and has worked everywhere from Nashville to Okinawa.

You can hear some of his music on the site. He's had some brilliant reviews. The Guardian gave a four star rating to his 'Beginner's Guide to Cybershopping':

'It features a frenetic, mock gospel score. Imagine hitting F1 for help and having a well-drilled ensemble whisk you through the process in a series of deftly executed musical numbers.' ****

The liberal American economist Professor JK Galbraith has died aged 97. He advised many US presidents, including Kennedy, and coined the term 'affluent society'.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a garden party at his house in Cambridge Mass a few years ago and had very interesting chats with him and his guests who included Kitty Dukakis and Seamus Heaney.

It was quite an afternoon. And I managed to avoid talking about economics as well, which was a relief.

The ultimate namedrop. I was walking down The Mall today on my way to the ICA when I stumbled on a military brass band in busbies and a lot of horseguards and police.

Suddenly, the band struck up, the horseguards broke into a canter (well - their horses did) and a large black car swept onto The Mall, heading for Buck Pal. In the back - the President of Brazil and ... The Queen.

I only got a glimpse but I must admit it was an unexpectedly exciting thing to happen on a dull rainy day in London.

Listen very carefully. I shall say zis only once. Another Six Degrees namedrop. A former friend's colleague's daughter Hannah's flatmate is the daughter of the actress who played Helga in Allo Allo.

I'm listening to 'Peel Night' on Radio 1. Very loudly. Apologies if you live within five miles of here. They just read out a message from a 17-year-old listener who said John's show was the soundtrack to his youth. The music's been excellent. Great to hear The Fall from last night, still sounding slurred and weird after all these years. And they ran a clip of John playing a 33 vinyl record at 45 rpm and getting confused (a regular occurence). Very funny.

Doing an outside broadcast with John in 1990
(the two old people in the background are bodyguards)

I'm looking forward to John Peel Day this week and to John's autobiography too, which is published on Monday 17th. I really miss John and still expect to hear him every time I turn on Radio 1 after 9pm.

My friend Wilhelm's new book Katalogue Volume One is out on 17th. Highly recommended.

Ted Rogers on 321

The indirect namedrops continue to flood in. M informs me that she was once kissed on the hand by no less than Ted Rogers from 321.

I've seen M's hand with my own eyes. I feel blessed.

Meanwhile, I've recently had several close brushes with fame. I walked past operatic boyband G4 on Frith Street Soho the other day.

And, in Hertford, just round the corner from my house, I was crossing the road while Rupert Grint (aka Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films) was crossing in the other direction. He almost looked at me.

Dr Aric Sigman

Aric's new book Remotely Controlled is out this Thursday and it's already causing a big row.

BBC Report

'The Idiot Box'

'TV Stunts Child Brain Development'

When your annoying snobby friends said they sold their house for a million, were they telling the truth? What's nextdoor's house really worth? And what have your predecessors paid for your own house over the years? The answers are all on the dangerously-addictive Houseprice Checker. Mine doubled in value over the space of one year before I lived here, which I found exciting but mildly shocking.

More absurdly-indirect claims to fame, via friends...

Henrietta was recently kissed (pecked on the cheek - not sure which one) by Ewan McGregor.

My parents once met Prime Minister Anthony Eden.

My mum also plays golf with a retired MP and has played 18 holes with Nicholas Parsons (without hesitation, deviation or interruption)

My former colleague Jasper's twins sat on Kate Winslet's knee.

And I sat near Ricky Gervais in a BBC cafe (BH 2nd floor).

Please keep them coming. Thank you.

As you can see, my friends Matt and Jaime have just been in Rome, where they had an exclusive audience with The Pope.

I was in my old haunt of Oxford on Saturday, driving around with friends Viv and Danny, when we suddenly noticed a very flash soft-top car in Headington. Then, on closer inspection, it turned out that the driver was no less than...Ant from Ant and Dec. We could hardly contain ourselves. Apparently, Ant's girlfriend lives in Oxford and he's been sighted recently at the Dogs in Cowley. I'm sure he was equally excited to see me. He just expressed it in an understated way. Following my Six Degrees of Separation entry, I've been bombarded by indirect namedrops. Eric sat opposite a CBeebies presenter on the tube the other day. And Matt once had a question directly answered by George Michael in a webchat. But, as I said to the Pope the other day, namedropping's a terribly bad habit and ought to be discouraged.

After the Six Degrees of Separation entry, Peacockshock has been bombarded with ludicrously indirect namedrops from friends, such as 'I once stood on a member of S-Club 7 in the GMTV green room.' And now I have another. I've just discovered that Ben from G4 (runners-up in ITV's X-Factor) was a student at Parkside in Cambridge, where I once taught English. I hope you're as impressed as I am by this spectacular connection.

Nick Hornby taught English there too, but ages before me. I once phoned him about something or other. He didn't reply to my message.

This is the most difficult piece I've ever written. As you'll no doubt know, John Peel died on October 26th. And OK...I'll admit it...I'm crying as I type this.

Weirdly, I was on holiday on 26th and spent ages in the morning actually thinking about John and how I'd got to know him. No idea why. But very strange.

I'd missed his recent 65th birthday do at Radio 1, but I did pass on a card via his producer and got a message back saying he was chuffed. That's the last communication I ever had with him, but I was delighted he'd bothered to say thanks.

I first encountered John when I was about 12 and heard his late-night Radio 1 show. He was my number-one broadcasting hero from then on and I was addicted to his programme throughout Punk, when I was a 5th and 6th former.

Then, when I was a producer at Radio Cambridgeshire in 1989, I was unexpectedly asked to 'produce' John's Sunday Night Show which went out on BBC stations around the South East.

I didn't produce it at all as John just brought in the records and the odd famous band. I just made coffee and made sure he got on and off the air OK. When he first arrived, I was so in awe, I merely mumbled "Hi John. Let me know if you need anything" and ran off behind the glass. John was also quite shy, so we never really said a huge amount. But I really saw him as a friend and couldn't quite believe that such a legend was so nice and normal.

The only difficult time was just after Hillsborough, when John cried on the air. But I just let him get on with it as it was just him being him.

I once asked him who he was broadcasting to and he said: "To myself when I was 17." That's probably why he always sounded like he was talking directly to you and not a multitude.

So it was a bit of a shock when I had to stand in for him as presenter a few times. My policy was to play loads of back-to-back music and do very few links in a very understated way. If I'd done my usual 'DJ Voice', I'd have felt I was really letting John down. I still sounded like a prat in comparison. 'Radio voices' are very difficult to shake off.

One of the highlights of my time at BBC Cambs was when John said he was a fan of the yoof programme 'On the Edge' which I produced just before his show. I think he liked the fact it was frequently very free-form (ie. chaotic) and we dared to play non-chart stuff like The Fall and The Pixies. He occasionally came in and contributed. I'll never forget the time he popped in to studio 1A during a 'sex special' and presenter Andrew Wilson asked him if he'd be happy for his teenage kids to have sex on the coffee table.

We then didn't see eachother for years after Cambridge, apart from a chance meeting at Kings Cross Station, when we had a good chat and traditional moan about the BBC.

But then Home Truths started and John specifically asked me to make features for it. I was unbelievably flattered and it was fantastic to see him again, nestled behind his computer making wry comments. I remember once going in during a violent thunderstorm and John said: "Was that lightning, or am I having a stroke?"

His cues and backannos to my features on Home Truths were absurdly witty. I remember doing a report about an eccentric family who ran their lives according to a speaking computer. I sounded slightly unnerved (perhaps even somewhat frightened) throughout the feature. John's backanno: "Ian Peacock, last seen running back to Ipswich station as fast as his fat little legs could carry him."

I hope you don't think I'm indulging in reflected glory here. I'm just so lucky that I listened to John so much over the years and, by sheer chance, got to know him. I'll miss him and his programmes terribly.

John...thank you.

The Six Degrees of Separation indirect namedrops continue. My friend Cyn's godson was in Midsomer Murders on Sunday, playing Henry the rower. Meanwhile, my friend H told me a story about having dinner at the Cadogan Hotel on Sloane Street when she saw an old tramp in the corner. She assumed he'd been brought in by a kindly diner. Then she realised it was Bill Bailey.

Following my Six Degrees of Separation namedrops (see Next Door section), Viv has pointed out that Cyn's godson Owain Yeoman (see pic), who played Lysander in Troy, has just been offered a lead role in a new Hollywood production (watch this space for more info).

Six Degrees is the theory that everyone in the world can be linked through just six friends-of-friends. In other words, you're only six friends away from The Queen, Madonna, Skippy the Kangaroo, whoever. This inspired me to list my favourite personal indirect namedrops. Please send me yours too. Here goes. These are all genuine...

My friend's English teacher's milkman was Sting's dad.

My English teacher was at university with Brian Ferry.

Neil Tennant of The Pet Shop Boys went to school just down the road from my school.

I once sat opposite James Dreyfuss on the tube.

I've walked past Pavarotti, Elton John and George Michael in the street. They weren't together by the way. Pavarotti was wearing a floppy (possibly unironed) white shirt. Elton looked somewhat cuboid. George seemed very short. I've also chatted to Elton's other half David Furnish on the phone.

I once walked into a studio and the composer John Tavener was sitting in the corner. I was so in awe of him, I couldn't speak.

Cliff Richard once brushed past me in a doorway.

I bumped into Joan Collins once in a corridor and said hello.

I once sat next to Julian Clary in a bar. A friend introduced him simply as 'Julian'. I pretended I had no idea who he was. In fact he looked completely straight and was quite shy.

Melvyn Bragg, Jenni Murray, Brian Redhead and Kathleen Turner have all opened doors for me.

Lesley Judd once told me how to switch on a computer in a radio production office, but I didn't recognise her.

My Mum has played golf with Nicholas Parsons.

I know the person who ghost-wrote Jordan's autobiography.

My friend Paul has met Nelson Mandela.

My friend Charles (not the Prince) has met Princess Diana.

My friend Henrietta's parents had Margaret Thatcher round for tea. Henrietta once stood on Rachel Stevens.

My Great Aunt Jane was related to Lady Diana Manners, who apparently met Queen Victoria. Diana Manners was very much the Lady Di of her era and considered the most beautiful woman in England. She was at the centre of The Coterie - an influential set of aristocrats and intellectuals. She was also quite eccentric and, during the Blitz, she suggested that giant magnets be put in London's parks to attract bombs.

My friend Frank was in the Queen video I Want to Break Free. He's had tea with Kate Bush and Lemmy from Motörhead. And his friend's piano teacher was Howard Jones.

My friend Cynthia's godson Owain Yeoman played Lysander in the movie Troy and knows Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom.

I used to chat to a chap called Mike at the gym and one day I asked him what he did. 'I'm in Bucks Fizz' he replied. It turned out he was their singer Mike Nolan. I just thought he looked like him.

I once worked with someone who was one of the Wombles on Top of the Pops.

I saw Alan Bennet once on Charing Cross Station concourse.

I've met Wittgenstein's landlady.

Take Part in a Six Degrees Survey