I’ve always kept a list on my phone of people I’d invite to a dinner party.
Now that I’ve got this digital garden, it felt like the right place to share it. It’s a bit of a mixed bag. Some are still with us, some are long gone, and a couple aren’t even real… but they’ve earned their seat at the table all the same.
I don’t even know if there are rules for this kind of thing. Should it be a set number of guests? Should it only include people who are alive and could actually turn up? Or is the whole point that there are no rules?
I’ve got no clear answer yet, so for now I’m just letting it grow. I’ll figure out my own rules as I go… or maybe I won’t.
Here’s the current guest list:
- Derek William Dick (Fish) – for the great singalong
- Warwick Davis – grounded, funny, and quietly wise
- Stephen Fry – effortless intelligence and warmth
- Norman Wisdom – nostalgia and so funny
- Stan Laurel – gentle humour, perfectly timed
- Richard Branson – big ideas and bigger stories
- Paul Daniels – a touch of magic at the table
- David Nixon – classic showmanship
- Bobby Ball – warmth and one funny guy
- Paul Gascoigne – unpredictable, but unforgettable
- Sandi Toksvig – sharp, kind, and brilliantly funny
- Richard E Grant – energy, honesty, and joy
- George Best – talent and tales in equal measure
- John Cooper Clarke – sharp words, delivered perfectly
- Dick Van Dyke – pure charm
- Bruce Wayne – because why not
- Charles Hawtrey – chaos, comedy and my grans fave
- Lee Mack – quick wit, no pause button
- Fred Dibnah – stories from a different world
- Ade Edmondson – a bit of edge
- Steve Harris – the stories and a quick lesson
- Karen Carpenter – a voice you’d want to hear live
- Steve Pemberton – clever, dark humour
- Audrey Hepburn – grace and perspective
- Buster Keaton – silent, but says everything
- Tom Hanks – easy company
- Herbert Henry Scaife – my great grandfather; I’d just love to meet him
- Steve Davis – calm, thoughtful, unexpected humour
- Freddie Mercury – presence that fills a room
- Paul Heaton – grounded, sharp observations
- Grayson Perry – perspective and honesty
- Monty Don – calm and balance
I suspect this list will keep changing. New names will come in, others might quietly drop out.
That probably says more about me than it does about the guest list.
I might do a seating plan at some time, that will be fun!
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