The most often asked of cabbies is the question “Who you had in the back?” A rather indelicate way of phrasing the request to my mind, but this week with the untimely death at 69 of Steve Wright got me reminiscing.

My first brush with celebrities wasn’t very auspicious. Soon after gaining my badge, I picked up DJ Steve Wright and his young son from a restaurant. Upon arriving near Swiss Cottage he asked his 10-year-old son if he had the front door key. Needlessly to say the lad didn’t but suggested that they returned to the restaurant to see if the keys had been left on the table. A futile trip back to central London ensued with Steve returning from the restaurant to say the keys hadn’t been handed in, then it was back to their house with the pair of them walking off to a securely locked home.