When people say to me ‘you couldn’t make it up’ I can only agree. Imagination is not my strong point, which is why today’s instalment of WordPress’ ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ poses something of a challenge:

“Fictional Elevator. You’re stuck in an elevator with an intriguing stranger. Write this scene.”

You lost me at ‘fictional’. And by the way, here we call it a lift, not an elevator. (Actually, strictly speaking, here we call it an ‘ascenseur’, as we are in France – and quite a few miles from the nearest ascenseur).

In a recent post I wrote of some of the prominent people with whom I have found myself in a gentlemen’s convenience. Many, many years ago, I had a relative who lived in a high-rise block of council flats, which meant that I occasionally found myself in an elevator lift that had been used as a public convenience (‘gentlemen’s’ seems somehow inappropriate). Never, though, with a person of note – or anybody even vaguely intriguing.

In fact, to the best of my knowledge, I have only ever shared an elevator lift with one famous person: but what a catch that was – none other than the great Bobby Moore.

Now, if you’re not British and/or care naught for football (‘soccer’, if that helps), that name might mean nothing to you, but here’s a clue:

Bobby Moore was the captain of the England football team that won the World Cup in 1966. As such, his name liveth for ever more.

And one day, he and I – and nobody else – shared an elevator lift at Covent Garden tube station. I don’t think he recognised me, but I certainly recognised him. I smiled nervously and he smiled back. When we reached the top, the doors opened, I indicated he should step out ahead of me. He smiled again, said ‘Thanks’ and disappeared off down Long Acre, heads turning as he passed.

Perhaps, if the elevator lift had broken down, we could have struck up a conversation;  now, that would have been intriguing. But it didn’t, so I’m just happy with the thought that I once shared an elevator lift with one of British sport’s greatest heroes.

It was certainly a happier experience than this would have been:

But it could have been even worse than that. Imagine getting stuck in an elevator lift with these two gurning morons:

Dumb and Dumber