I used to help run the book signings at a big literary festival so got to meet all sorts who were in the news at the time including various politicians and a handful of the Beirut hostages.

The most famous, especially back then, was Salman Rushdie. His appearance made headlines as he was still in strict seclusion. I tried to throw out his close security guard who explained why that would be a bad idea. He was clearly the meatshield and I reckon if he'd have been around Riahide might not have been so badly injured.

The nicest celeb was Richard E. Grant who worked hard than anyone else to ensure that everyone got as much time as they wanted with him, despite also having one of the longest queues.

The one that really left an impression was Wilfred Thesiger - it felt like he'd stepped out from a different time.