The death of a legend.

RIP Peter Stringfellow. For so long regarded as a naff figure of fun that it’s easy to forget that in the 80s he really was the epitome of cool. Stringfellow’s was the most glamorous nightclub in London and its eponymous owner a brilliant frontman. I met him because I worked there for two nights while the regular DJ was away. Peter Stringfellow was loud, generous and terrific fun. He told fantastic stories but I imagine there are hundreds more about famous people that he’s now taken to the grave. At the height of its fame, celebrities were as desperate to get into Stringfellows, none more so than Ben Elton. One night around 1987, I saw him pleading with the doorman to let him in. He actually said the words “Don’t you know who I am?” As I walked past smirking, I couldn’t resist saying “I know you who are, Ben”