The Knowhere Guide

Local Heroes in Reading, Berkshire*

Reading, Berkshire Famous Residents

Cringing Cult of Celebrity (Famous residents and ex-residents.)

• Uri Gellar lives in Sonning Court, Sonning
• Mike Grigsby - documentary maker for granada and carlton
• I went to school in Tilehurst (Highlands) with Mike Oldfield and Sally Oldfield (they lived in Elm Park Avenue), Minette Walters (nee Jebb). Twiggy (Lesley Hornby) had some connection with Reading, her mum lived here I think.
• I went to primary school (St Mary's) with Kate Winslet, and her sister Anna, who I think is also mildly famous now. I kissed one of them in the wendy house once. I like to think it was Kate.
• Throwin eggs at Glen Hoddle, always a gud past-time 4 saints supporters!
• chriss tarrant and antony from blue
• Lenny henry and Dawn French. Chris tarrant used to live in swainstone road.
• kate winslet sam mendes -both avoiding reading like the plague now?
• Well The Cooper Temple Clause went to The Forest School in Winnersh, and isn't that just lovely? They do all have sex hair. That's right. They can often be spotted en masse at the Turtle, although I reckon Ben Gauntry is in there the most according to my statistics... he's freakishly tall - I wanted to thank the a lot a lot for their music but they seemed a lil' unapproachable, I suppose that's fair enough - who'd want a load of young girls going off on one when the band's off duty eh? They have also been seen in wheelies. Um .....I met someone from the Libertines' cousin once in that t shirt prining place, does that count?
• kate winslet and sam mendes..
• Ayrton Senna, or whatever his name was, lived in Reading. We threw Oscar Wilde in Reading prison for being a bummer! I saw Elvis wearing a Beatles T-shirt the other day...what's that all about.
• A few that haven't been mentioned. Jenny Hanley - The fit one from Magpie and sister of disgraced tory MP Jeremy Hanley. She used to run the Crown Inn in Playhatch I don't know if she still does but I saw her at the Tesco's Petrol station the other day. Gordon Greenidge - West Indian cricketer, faced with the choice of playing test cricket for England or the West Indies probaly made the right desicion. Stacy Keach - American actor and coke head another famous inmate of Reading Gaol. Lawrie Snachez - Footballer, most famous for scoring the winning goal for Wimbledon in the 1988. I think he used to own Oscar's on guns street. Jane Austen - Novelist went to school in the Old Abbey arch by the Forbury. Spent her lunch breaks in the Forbury with cider drinking misfits scaring old ladies. Screaming Lord Sutch - Lived and died in Woodley. Rebecca Cook - Swimmer won a few medals at last year's commonwealth games.
• george michael lives in goring. its a small place. uri geller lives in sonning. the day when michael jackson came for his wedding was hellish. I JUST WANTED TO GET TO CAVERSHAM.
• Apparently (read this in a magazine) the bird who plays or played "Lisa Mitchell-Fowler" whatever her name was, was born in Reading.
• i swear i keep seeing becca from hollyoaks in reading.not that i watch hollyoaks. ever.
• Rumoured that the steel-bending-spoon gnarler, Uri Geller lived in Reading.
• People keep telling me that Ghandi lived in Castle Street whilst doing a degree.
• oh there lots of famous ppl in 4bury here r most of them kermit bubbles fang jason all the old 4bury lot r v well knowen am well know as well as the northern girl who hangs around wiv um the old 4bury lot n gets drunk n like hurting ppl
• Kate Winslet used to live in Tilehurst, west Reading
• James Lydyeard used to live here, if anyone knows where he is, can u inform him i have had his child and he owes a lot of benefits.
• Chris Tarrant host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was born in Reading and went to school there. Also a bloke who appeared in Z Cars used to live (maybe he still does) on the Shinfield Rise Estate and used to pop into Mr Crusty for his farmhouse loaf. Then there's Chad Shepperd famous for staring in ads such as Quavers and appearing in Casualty (I think) as well London's Burning but perhaps best known for throwing up in the end of year assembly at Maiden Erleigh School!!!!
• The Dooleys a band of the 60's or 70's i think live in Reading never heard any of there music but they do live in Reading and Kenneth Branagh and Robbie i dunno his last name but he was my Holiday rep when i went skiing in Feburary and he goes to Reading University and is the best singer of "i love you baby" i have ever heard GO ROBBIE YOUR GONNA BE FAMOUS
• Kate Winslet, Richard Burns (Some bloke that won the world rally championship) Oscar Wilde( the gay writer who was in reading Jail) and Ayrton Senna (Formula 1 racing driver killed while racing)
• Dave James, author of West Australian historical book 'Climb When Ready', lived in Reading - although he's barely known by anybody in Western Australia, let alone remembered by anybody in Reading!
• Lenny Henry & Dawn French live in Spencer's Wood, and Paul & Helen from the shite that was Big Brother2
• Kate winslet, Paul clarke, John altman, the old guy who is the dad of the doctor in eastenders, Mrs West primary school teacher at Thameside how nasty and scarey was that welsh woman!
• The Sports Presenter, (Steve Ryder) his mum lives in Emmer Green! I used to wash her hair when training to be a Hair Consultant. I thought you might like to add this to your Celebrity list.
• Paul Daniels????
• Naturally we're all very proud of Big Brother's Paul Clarke who has advertised Reading as a home of Mockney F**kwits.
• big brothers paul (yes its true people like that can now be classed as celebs. grr. oh and me and my mum are famous in the area cos we're a bit weird-look out for a purple haired woman and a tall thin pale freakshow (thats me) dressed in every colour of the rainbow.
• Garthy out of Birds of a Feather lives locally. Paul Clarke (house mate off Big brother). Famed for his mockney accent, tall stories and tepid romance with Welsh blonde Helen. Paul is so typical of a middle class Reading lad it's hillarious - he lives with his parents in a 5 bedroom house in Earley, he's on a huge salary but is actaully quite thick, he went to a former poly where he was remembered for tucking his jumper into his jeans(and no doubt read something like BSc Bird Table design) and his main interest in life is going on a death-bender with his mates. That all sounds quite bitchy which is a shame because I actually quite like Paul. Chris Tarrent - he is the son of a former managing director of Huntley and Palmer. Made his name in Tiswas and frolicked with Prince Edwards missus. Lovely lovely Kate Winslett. Parents live in the Oxford Road and she is sometimes spotted in Waitrose. Referred to in local press as "Our Kate". Neil Webb of Manchester United and England fame in the 80s came from Reading.
• Bryan Adams dad was in the services & was based at the Brock Barracks they lived in a house off Hardwick Road Tilehurst this was in the early seventies
• Barry Lamb the lead singer with the Insane Picnic spent his most prolific years in Reading '85 - '89. The underground cult heroes recorded their album "The Purple Orgasm" during this period as well as "Magistrates and Saints". He is now a preacher in London and has just written a book entitled "The spirit is thrilling but the Church is weak". He apparently lived in Sherman road and worked at the old B & Q store for a while !
• Ricky Gervais is from Reading, isn't he?
• Current celebrity resident is Detta Regan. She is the Youth & Community worker at the Silverdale Centre in Earley and is currently European Woman of the Year because of her work with young people and for her part in the Palestinian - Israeli Peace Process
• chris tarrant les rythmes digitales' jacques lu cont
• Elvis does like in Reading it's true. However he abandoned his jumpsuit and has taken to wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a picture of himself on (self advertising i suppose). His memory has also failed over time and he can only recall about the first three lines to any song. He also carries with him two cans of lager at all times.
• George Bernard Shaw was in Reading nic!
• John Altman - "Nasty" Nick Cotton from EastEnders was born in Reading, which may explain an awful lot. King Henry I - established Reading Abbey, and liked it so much he was buried there. The only trouble was, they've since "lost" the body, which is a tad embarrassing for the town.
• Prog Rock band Twelth Night from the early 1980's. Never trendy by anyones standards, but I saw them at the Festival in 1983 and thought they were good. Oh yes and that bloody awful family in the 1970's fly on the wall documentary of the same name
• An ex-member of Boney M used to live in Emmer Green. I can't remember her name, but my mum used to know her well and says she's very nice. Also the likes of Punky Paul and Beverly down the Turtle, good people to get pissed with. Finally, and some readers will disagree with this one, but Army Dave was a character, God rest his soul.
• Titanic's Kate Winslet - she got out while the going was good. Reading is still sinking...
• Cathy Taylor -Miss Autocue- lived in Earley and attended Bulmershe School. Her highly intelligent brother was in my class. Cathy improved her interpersonal skills working on the food tills of M&S in Reading. The smell of chlorine was overwhelming.
• When I was a student in Reading Kate Winslet used to work in the Deli oposite St Mary's Butts. She must have eaten well because she was pretty plump back then. In fact we used to go to the Deli just to chat up the other girl who worked there. She was gorgeous. Whatever happened to her?
• The boys from the Chemical Brothers started playing with music in a terraced house just off Pell Street, my mate left their band cos he thought they weren't going anywhere ! hahahahaha GUTTED !
• Ayrton Senna and Brian Adams used to live here as do the likes of Lenny Henry. Billy Connolly used to live near Bugs Bottom. David Coverdale of Whitesnake was born in Reading and most of Deep Purple live nearby. Kenneth Brannagh and Kate Winslet are from Reading. Clive Sinclair went to school in Reading. Simone Jacobs the former Olympic Athlete is from Reading AS is Cathy Smallwood, the British 200 metres record holder. I also believe that the World Junior Power lifting champion lives in Tilehurst but I don't know his name.
• i aint met any1 yet
• Deon Burton the footballer (Tilehurst) Mike Oldfield Janet Reger (used to live in that crumbling old Italian villa on the Tilehurst Road) Ayrton Senna (lived in The Potteries Estate when driving for Williams - there is now an Ayrton Senna Close nearby. It has speedbumps.) Lenny Henry and Dawn French now live in Shinfield Nigel Starmer-Smith (rugby commentator) in Emmer Green Uri Geller (spoonbender and freeloader) in Sonning
• No one I can think of. That Danny from the purple turtle seemed to fancy himself as a bit of a star, though he always struck me as being a bit of a nob.
• Marianne Faithful
• Elvis. He still lives there. I saw him outside Mr Cod once.
• Apparently, Bryan Adams was actually born in Reading, but his parents moved to Canada shortly after. Can anyone shed any further light on this, or did I just imagine it?
• Felix Bowness, the diminutive ex - jockey from HI - De - HI
• Elvis & White witch of Purley.
• Oscar Wilde, a sometime 'resident' of Reading Gaol, during his fudgepacking days.
• Kate Winslet used to live off the Oxford Road
• Okay - Emma Thompson, Kenneth Brannagh and Kate Winslett. Not that Reading deserves such levels of acclaim... but the place can lead to some fame and fortune after all!
• Well Lenny Henry and Dawn Frenchs children used to go to Chiltern Nursery along the Peppard Road, and you can some times see Lenny doing his daily jog up that road with a big army rucksack full of I don't know what but it looks pretty heavy.
• The Revolutionary Dub Warriors live/lived on London Road.
• ME! Well... maybe I'm not famous now... but I will be. I'm starting to do quite well on the stand-up comedy front. Apparently I'm the only stand-up from the place (dunno if that's accurate though) I've been on TV before and I'm listed in TimeOut magazine quite a bit. So... put that on your page if you will. How's that for confidence? All the best. James Barker aka Jimbo.

Buskers, Street Entertainers

• Sleeping man with two dogs on string leads, Not much of an entertainer but at least he isn't in yer face like some of the others, Can ussually be found opposite Yates in Friar Street.
• Buskers they always has some poor bloke outside Heelas (I WILL NEVER CALL IT JOHN LEWIS) playing a guitar with a dog that looks half dead and the dog shows no sign of life.
• The guy outside Heelas who plays 60's ballads. Top summer entertainment.
• in he main street theres allsorts..yesterday it was a guy juggling fire..
• Giv money to the buskers they deserve it, not the bums who beg... i see them buying crack and drinking in pubs.
• Lenny the tramp was fantastic, he lived under the bridge near Rivermead for years - sadly someone set fire to his self build house... there's Elvis too. He won the lottery rumour has it and he gave it all to the salvation army. Also breaks into elvis like moves and turns at random moments down Broad st. Sometimes accompanied by a Uh huh Auh.
• Robot Man. Every few weeks, you get a man dressed in spray-painted cardboard boxes dancing in the middle of Broad Street. There's also a guy convinced he's Elvis, and some annoying buskers who play Simon & Garfunkle. Plus fundy Christians trying to recruit people to become Scientologists.
• Reading has a huge selection of mentally ill people who (are paid?) to roam the streets in obvious need of assistance and supervision. This form of street performance is going to really take off when fairmile is closed and the new hospital is built in prospect park.
• The 'Pattergoniuns', if thats how u spell it, they always seem 2 be here! Also the Chinaman & his twangy foot guitar thingy!
• Not as many as there once was. Unless you count the people who sell Socialist Worker on a Saturday (who hope to god thattrue socialist action never happens because they'd have to find something else to do at weekends)
• Dr Didg. Try his tapes, he's excellent.
• Dunno if he's still around but 'Elvis' was always a bit of a character. If you've ever seen him you'll know who I mean.
• THe council actively encourages busking on the pedestrianised Broad St. THe standard varies from excellent to embarrassing. There is an excellent Folk-rock band who seem to play quite regularly and the Peruvian Pan Pipers have been busking in Reading for about 20 years. However there is usually a kilted pillock drowing out everyone with his bagpipes.
• I can't believe no-one's mentioned the bagpipe player yet ! He's normally on the corner of Smelly Alley deafening the hell out of everyone. He's very good, but doesn't play for more than 20 minutes at a time, thank God. Practices on the roof of the Ramada hotel !
• Everywhere you look!!!
• there were your normal middle class pretenders doing oasis covers on inferior acoustic guitars, nothing to write home about really.
• Broad Street on a Saturday is excellent for street entertainers... and quite a few beggars too unfortunately.
• The Huckleberries come to Reading lots- they're a folky string band and they're great!
• HAs anyone seen the Digeridoo Man lately?
• Brilliant violinist, young lady, often outside Hellas, Broad street. Elvis... well known in Reading, ask him to give a song and he will be more than willing. He lives...?
• There is no end of music going on Broad Street, in there today and I walked past DR. Didj, the didgeridoo player and violinis who was actually quite good a trumpet player who wasn't and a blind man with a white stick whistling the neighbours theme outside boots. But on a saturday the entertainment can range from a huge band of drummers doing your head in, the salvation army or some woman walking around quoting the bible. Or for alternative therapy theres always a great laugh instore for all those who venture into the broad street mall. Lokk out for a guy nickname "Mr T" at the bottom of the escalators. You'll know why he's called Mr T when you see him, try gold jacket about 50 gold medallions and chains and a fistful off rings. But don't be fooled it's all fake. He thinks he's bad but he ain't I mean come on, two strip adidas trouser just aren't dapper style now are they?
• A little harsh but there's a care-in-the-community type who wanders the highstreet and answers to the name of Elvis. Give him a lollipop ask him if he is "lonesome tonight" and get the best rendition this side of Las Vagas. This could sound cruel but he generally seems to enjoy himself. Wears jeans and elvis t-shirt and Jeremy Clarkson hair. A must
• One known professional beggar - sits outside the Royal Bank of Scotland on Station Road. Don't give him anything - he drives a red BMW on his "off days" and has three properties. Usually starts at 7am and knocks off at 9pm with a break for lunch around 1pm. Has a Psion organiser and wears designer trainers.
• Peruvian PanPipe players every four weeks. Blind Whistler - stands outside WHS and whistles tunes - very good. Didgeridoo - sits in the centre of Broad Street with a didgeridoo and flanger making outback-y music.
• On Saturdays, Broad street is starting to become quite lively. Two noteworthy fast food stands sell hot dogs and sugar-coated peanuts. In the winter, there's also one selling roast chestnuts. Every other week there are (alternating) mini merry-go-rounds and mini-big-wheels for the kids. These are either outside Waterstones bookshop, or the Broad Street Mall.

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Last updated: 2007-09-29