The Knowhere Guide

Local Heroes in Basingstoke, Hampshire*

Basingstoke, Hampshire Famous Residents

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

• Craig Bloomfield - used to hang around Homebase and now reached the dizzy heights of being a journo on Loaded magazine. Makes regular appearances in the mag due to his likeness to Alan Partridge.
• elizibeth hurley used to go to school in b'stoke she'll deny it but then who wouldnt.
• How come no one has mentioned that Kate Winslett was from near here? And how come you all accessed this via the net but were too dumb to look up the correct spelling of Tikarem?
• liz Hurley, Tanitta Tikeram and her brother (This life, Crossroads!)
• Tanita's brother? Ramon Tikaram - that's who! Very successful actor, (eg This Life, Karma Sutra, Crossroads - ok,ok so no-one's perfect). Brilliant singer, VERY good looking! Also a really nice guy.
• I saw Cheggers.
• Elizabeth Hurley who makes you wanna, last female to be hanged lived in bogstoke and murdered her husband apparently
• The guitarist of the TROGGS (60's band) Peter Staples lives in Basingstoke. They sang WILD THING. He can been seen playing in his new band 'The Wild Things' occasionally in vnues around town.
• Trojan from Gladiators, not something to be proud of
• Nick Moran from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fame - his family lives in Basingstoke (or in nearby Oakley possibly), and his father Dick works at the AA in the town. Nick is an occasional visitor to his family and has recently been seen in the town centre 'nightspots'.
• Kit Symons - erstwhile Portsmouth, Manchester City and Welsh national footballer. A bit of a ladies man at school apparently... Tanita Tikaram - why did anyone ever think that a mopey female Leonard Cohen impersonator was a good idea? The Fergusons of Dummer - lovely Sarah - friend of Weight-Watchers and plagarised helicopters everywhere. I'm surprised that there aren't more famous people from Basingstoke considering its size. It can't be because people are embarrassed of coming from there, can it?
• Liz 'up your own arse' Hurley - Her mum taught me at Kempshott Junior School - the whole family were potty! Tanita Tikerum - say no more. Steve Walsh (the big fat DJ who released a record in the 80's then died) Sarah Ferguson, I believe that Tom Moran from Lock Stock and two smoking barrels is an Oakley boy.
• Tanita Tikaram. Oh dear. What Alexei Sayle said about her was spot on. Er, I can't think of anyone else famous from Basingstoke.
• Arthur Nash - broom maker to Her Majesty still lives here (check out his new insignia on the side of his house!)
• Basingstoke was used as the filming location of the 1999 film 'Get Real' starring Ben Silverstone. The story is about gay teenage angst, however the apparent reason for its Basingstoke roots is because the guy who wrote the thing in the first place went out with another guy from this town. Well, you learn something every day.
• arther attwood local historian
• Stuart Rogen, the international adventourer and discoverer actually grew up in Basingstoke. Son of Terry Rogen, from Popley, he attended Cranbourne School where under the inspiration of Mrs Mogford, the Home Economics teacher, inspired him to become the internationally known chef he is today. BCOT and the Basingstoke Country Hotel ,near Hook, were his early culunary stomping grounds.
• Liz Hurley - loved the Channel 5 documentary of her early days in Basingstoke, including footage of QMC and, ahem, Harriet Costello. Tanita Tikaram - where are you now? Dr Hillary Jones Shaun Udal Paul Coombes - really scraping the bottom of the barrel Falcon off of Gladiators - classic mullet
• Tina Smith, Mike Wright oh yeah and Steve Parnell visits now and then.
• Tanita Tikarararam - Much too good looking to be from Baz. Obviously some sort of administrative error at the Maternity Hospital. Liz Hurley - As above. Never come to Baz expecting to see anyone remotely resembling the above. Try instead to think of Harry Enfield's 'Wayne and Waynetta'.
• Tanitka Tickeram!! (Something like that) Also, Sarah, Duchess of York lived at nearby Dummer.
• Probably the most recent of these people is "Falcon" from the television show "Gladiators", others who have lived in or near the area include Liz Hurley, who went to the premier sixth form college in the town, Queen Mary's College, and Jane Austen, who lived in Steventon just outside Basingstoke. But the most famous of all has to be the infamous Marmite fan, Rob Hooper (ask anyone at the sports centre for details).

Buskers, Street Entertainers

• That guy from It Ain't Half Hot Mum keeps busking here. He's quite good actually! Buskers are actually taboo in Basingstoke. Security seems to clamp down on it (these are actually the Culture Secret Police). Have you read the book 1984? Well, you might know what I mean. I just wish they would ease up and chill out a bit. Buskers are entertainment, and people don;t have to pay them if they don;t want to (mind you, would 10p hurt?)
• Market researchers should be banned. Basingstoke has the most and get on your nerves.
• Dedicated to everybody who sits outside McDonalds!!!
• Full of Marketing surveys and Big Issue sellers
• Tesco
• Check out "Darren' a young & v. talented accoustic guitar player and singer...moves around the town center and is actually placed by the council to busk...I hope he's still there...he's the only good one..except Tanita Tikarams Brother'..(Remember Her???????)
• Every couple of weeks "official" street enternainers perform, ie Punch & Judy or classical music. There are also a lot of "unofficial" buskers, mainly at the underpass by the train station, as the underpass is being demolisted, who knows where they're move to.
• A lot of very entertaining people who hang around town chanting "have you got any change mate"

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Credits

Last updated: 2007-06-14