The Daily Tonic: Shrine To 5ive

We mentioned in yesterday’s Popbitch that Cilla Black has a fish supper named in her honour – but she isn’t the only one. The chippy memorial is an oddly popular form of tribute.

The “Paul McCartney” was a flagship offering at the since-closed Sirius Fish & Chips in New Cross: pickled egg and chips, after he ordered it there one night.

The “Robbie Coltrane” was an off-menu special at L’Alba D’Oro in Edinburgh: double fish and chips, sausage, a slice of pizza and four Irn Brus (a meal, legend has it, that Coltrane once polished off while waiting for a taxi).

And, more recently, the Blue Lagoon chip shop on Argyle Street in Glasgow now offers a “Justin Bieber Haggis Special” to commemorate the time he came in after playing three nights at the SSE Hydro. Even though his full order was a plain haggis supper, a fish supper and two sausage suppers (and he only ate some of the fish) haggis is what you get when you order the Bieber.

Today, we want to know about celebrities at work. Specifically mentorships, apprenticeships and work experience.

Today’s Question: Have you ever trained someone famous? Has someone famous ever trained you? Pre-fame, post-fame, right in the middle of it – who have you taken under your wing, and who has taken you under theirs?

Send us stories about celebrity rope-showings to hello@popbitch.com and we’ll dish out some goody bundles to our favourites.

brightoned writes:
“I went to primary school with Ritchie Neville from Five (or Richard Neville Dobson as he was known then). His parents owned a pub in Bromsgrove called The Crabmill Inn. When Five became famous they turned the pub into a shrine to Five and their son. Loads of framed pics, jackets, magazine spreads etc – all signed by Ritchie.

“Also, the jukebox had every song they ever released in it – twice – and they were all set to freeplay. They kept all of the tat up for a good decade after his fame had waned. He was a lovely chap though.”

COL writes:
“Richard O’Brien used to live in my old hometown, Hamilton NZ. Not much happens there outside of agricultural stuff, so a statue was put up to honour him, dressed as Riff Raff.

“Cameras were mounted next to a plaque providing instructions on how to do the timewarp and you can watch people making the attempt.”

[Watch people trying it here]

JJ writes:
“Until a couple of years ago, there was a decidedly average B&B on Cathedral Road in Cardiff, not too far from the BBC, that had a lovingly polished brass plaque on one of the rooms proclaiming ‘Peter O’Toole Stayed Here’ followed by the date.

“Rooms were about 50 quid a night, IIRC, but you paid about a fiver extra for the Peter O’Toole Suite.”

Ten songs, all smashed up and stuck back together in totally the wrong order, are here for you to identify.

You get a point for every song title, a point for the artist, twenty points in total.

[Ears up, eyes down]

Want a little tour round the David Hasselhoff Museum?
[See it here]

The mystery of Elmo’s dad
[Read on MEL]

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams’ Eurovision film has a trailer
[Watch it on YouTube]