I must start this week by wishing all my long-suffering readers seasons greetings and may you all enjoy a happy and healthy 2019. We all say the same but it is true how rapidly time goes by. Another 52 columns written and still having showbiz encounters although I have been retired 10 years, so there is life in the old dog yet.

Next year I am due to interview two of the professional male dancers from Strictly Come Dancing, but beyond that I have nothing planned as I am very lazy nowadays. I hope to finish and publish my book on the old MGM studios in Borehamwood. I say that every year but keep finding new material. I already have typed about 170 pages of text and amassed 400 photos, old plans and aerial shots, nearly all never before published.

Some of my star encounters over the decades have taken place at theatres rather than at studios so let me bore you with three of them at random. To prove I write this without research to illustrate my laziness I shall start with The Rocky Horror Show, a camp musical that sends up those old horror and science fiction films. I went to see it on its original run in a semi-derelict cinema in Chelsea in the early 1970s and took my mum, who was a big cinemagoer in the 1930s and 1940s. It starred Tim Curry and the show's creator, whom I can't recall. Can you name him? To my amazement Mum fell in love with the show and insisted on being taken to every revival over the next 25 years, wearing the T-shirt and doing the Time Warp in the aisle when she was in her 80s. Two years before she died there was yet another revival in the West End and the BBC and the show's publicity people decided to do an item on her being the oldest fan. They paid for us to attend, provided a car and filmed her at the show and meeting the then star Robin Cousins in his dressing room. I must admit I miss my old Mum and only hope I have her zest for life when I get into my 80s. Mind you, I have a long way to go as it is my big 50 next year ­— give or take a couple of decades ­— unless of course I started writing these columns aged eight.

My second encounter to relate is with Billy Connolly, who sadly does not enjoy great health these days. My friend Sean is a great fan so many years ago I got tickets to see his one man show in London. I asked the management if it was possible to go backstage afterwards to say hello but naturally it was a tiring performance and they just said come to the stage door. I thought with a bit of luck he would send down an autographed photo and that would be great. I presented us at the stage door and a couple of minutes later Billy appeared and said "why are we standing out here?" and invited us up to his dressing room for a chat and photos. What a gentleman, as he could see how much 20 minutes of his time meant with my friend. I think these stars who fail to engage with their public should remember who gives them all the benefits they enjoy.

The last encounter was with actor and singer David Soul. Anyone remember him from the 1970s and 1980s? He became a big star in the Hollywood television series Starsky and Hutch and on the back of that had chart success as a pop singer. He was over here doing a concert at I think the Royal Festival Hall and I arranged with his people that I could run a competition in our local paper to attend the concert and meet him backstage afterwards. Two youngsters won it and were over the moon. They are obviously middle-aged now but if either of you read this I would love to hear from you.

Well, that brings to an end our trips down memory lane for this year but fingers crossed we will be together in 2019, for, as they say, nostalgia never dies.