Sad to see Claire Rayner has died. I didn't realise she was so old and ill. She was a welcome staple of TV-AM, if I remember correctly, and despite finding her grating in the extreme, her presence was welcome and necessary.There's something about her tied up with coffee, Woman magazine and my grandma and aunt that I find most comforting.
She's been off our screens for some time, but I'm glad - and I may well be alone in this - that her son Jay is on them. I like him on Masterchef and I gave that Food series a go on C4 but found the format wanting.
As I've said here many times, I fell down a pub cellar because I was walking down the street with a friend who'd spotted La Rayner outside Pret A Manger. In my effort to see her I plumemeted. That will be my abiding memory of her.
7 comments:
I never twigged the link between Clare and Jay so thanks for that little snippet. Another childhood memory gone.
She did an episode of HIGNFY in 1996 and a special "Agony Column" round was concocted in her honour. It was one of the single funniest things in HIGNFY'S 20 year history, and here it is... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXc8NB4k1Uk
I always thought she was really rather nice. I never found her grating at all.
I was waiting for you to give your pub cellar anecdote a commemorative airing, FC, and you didn't disappoint.
Do I ever, RS?
I liked her too, so much that I thought her Spitting Image puppet was unkind.
I went to a party at her house in Harrow once. Her son Adam was in my year at school and he had a party to celebrate the end of our A levels. I'd just passed my driving test, and driving a gang of friends to the party represented my first ‘solo’ drive.
I don’t think Claire was there, or if she was, she wisely hid from a gang of over-refreshed 18-year-olds.
PS: When did you start blogging again, F-C? You said you’d quit, so I haven’t bothered looking at the blog.
About a day later, TT. You can't keep me down.
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