Meeting famous people is brilliant

Getting into journalism was the smartest thing I ever did. That decision led to me meeting my wife and having a family, while travelling the world and seeing some sights. The actual job hasn't been all bad either - I've worked with astonishingly smart and talented writers and editors and am proud to call many of them my friends.

And even though I do kinda hate to admit it, I'm as much a starfucker as anybody, and fucking love how this job has given me the chance to meet and talk with some incredibly famous folk.

Look, I grew up in a town of 3000 people, and it was a big fucking deal when John Hawkesby came to town with Its In the Bag - everyone was insanely jealous of Jeff Hughes because he got a two second shot in the taping. And I still remember how excited my exceptionally cool mate got about seeing somebody from Shortland Street in Echo Records in Dunedin in 1994.

For almost all of my career, I've worked in daily hard news, but have still been given the opportunity to talk to loads of famous people, including tonnes of local musicians and a few actors that you would have heard of, and I've been in the same room as several incredibly notable film directing heroes.

I also almost walked into the back of somebody who has played both Judge Dredd and Dr McCoy and he gave me the filthiest look back which still makes me laugh out loud when I think about it.

The biggest deal for me was when I got to talk to two Doctor Whos - one current and one my absolute all-time favourite - and sit down opposite the current companion for a proper one-on-one. 

And despite my historically bad habit of putting my foot in my mouth. It's surprisingly easy not to be a dick in these situations. I never asked for a selfie, even when I desperately, desperately wanted to, because that would have broken the professional contract, and I ain't got much, but I've got my pride.

The weirdest thing about running into famous people is that it's never really a surprise. Sometimes I'll run into a Game of Thrones actor in the elevator at work, or Richard E Grant in the car park, and they would be so familiar that I only end up saying 'good morning', like they're a regular neighbour out on the morning ramblings.

Celebrities can be strange creatures - we see examples of that every day - and they're really not like us. But sometimes they can also just be people you see around town, and should always be treated accordingly.

(My wife worked for the local version of the TV Guide for a while and got to speak to so many more famous people than me, including another Doctor Who, and she says the best of them was easily Bryan Cranston.)