Skip to primary navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Back to The London Explorer Blog

Famous London Taxi Passengers: Part 1 ‘A – L’

I’ve been driving a taxi around London for over twenty years. I completed the world-renowned ‘Knowledge of London’ in 2000, entitling me to become an ‘All London Green Badge’ licensed taxi driver. The first ten years were a mix of taxi work combined with building up a parallel career as a tour guide. Since then I’ve been a full time tour guide and have done very little taxi work. During those first ten years I often had someone famous or well known (to me at least) sitting in the back of the cab. logo

They came from the arts, music, politics, sport, academia and the media – and occasionally ‘other’. I never let on that I recognized them and I never initiated conversation or intruded. If they were alone some of them did fancy a chat and some didn’t.

My list of over 100 famous passengers has been sitting in my documents file for over 10 years. Before I lose it I figured I should put it on record, as a kind of unique and personal documentation of who gets London taxis. I should really say ‘who got London taxis’ because most of the names below street-hailed me (a few booked in advance). I’m not sure if nowadays, in this age of social media and intrusion, a lot of the names below would just wander around London going about their daily lives with such openness.

 

Famous Taxi Passengers: Part 1  ‘A – L’.

 

Damon Albarn: Pop star – Blur, Gorillaz.

Lily Allen: Pop star.

Lord Michael Ancram: Conservative minister 1990s.

Clive Anderson: TV and radio presenter – Whose Line is it Anyway?

Adam Ant: Pop star – Adam and the Ants.

 

Richard Bacon: TV and radio presenter.

Lord Kenneth Baker: Conservative MP, minister 1980s.

Peter Baldwin: Actor – Coronation Street.

Bananarama (Keren & Sara): Pop stars – Bananarama.

Sir Peter Bazalgette: TV executive – Big Brother.

Angellica Bell: TV presenter.

Lord John Birt: BBC Director General 1990s.

Baroness Virginia Bottomley: Conservative MP, minister 1990s.

Edith Bowman: TV and radio presenter.

 

Jonathan Cainer: Newspaper astrologer.

Antoine de Caunes: TV presenter – Eurotrash.

Nick Cave: Pop star – The Bad Seeds.

Nicky Chinn: Songwriter – Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Mud.

Winston Spencer Churchill: Conservative MP, grandson of Winston Churchill.

Jarvis Cocker: Pop star – Pulp.

Michelle Collins: Actor – EastEnders.

Brian Connolly: Actor, singer.

James Cordon: Actor, writer, TV presenter – Gavin & Stacey.

 

David Davies: Journalist, sports executive.

Matt Dawson: Cricketer, TV panellist.

Baroness Brenda Dean: Trade union leader – SOGAT.

Nancy Dell’olio: TV reality star.

Frank Dobson: Labour MP, minister 1990s.

Gwyneth Dunwoody: Labour MP.

 

Chris Eubank: Boxer – WBO middleweight title.

 

Sir Terry Farrell: Architect – MI6.

Lord Julian Fellowes: Actor, writer – Downton Abbey.

Pam Ferris: Actor – Matilda, Telstar.

Irving Finkel: Philologist, writer, British Museum curator.

Roddy Frame: Pop star – Aztec Camera.

Matt Frei: TV journalist and presenter.

Stephen Fry: Writer, actor, radio presenter.

 

Nicky Gavron: Labour politician.

Charlie George: Football legend – Arsenal.

Beth Gibbon: Pop star – Portishead.

Mel Giedroyc: Comedian, TV presenter – Great British Bake Off.

AA Gill: Journalist.

Miriam Gonzalez Durantez: Lawyer, wife of Sir Nick Clegg.

Lloyd Grossman: Writer, TV presenter, food brand.

Haydn Gwynne: Actor – Drop the Dead Donkey.

 

Rich Hall: Comedian, writer.

Paul Heaton: Pop star – Housemartins, The Beautiful South.

Amanda Holden: Actor, TV panellist, radio presenter.

Kelly Holmes DBE: Runner – Double Olympic Gold 2004.

Sir Simon Hughes: Liberal Democrat MP.

Sir Harry Hyams: Property developer, businessman.

 

Lisa I’Anson: TV and radio presenter.

 

Oscar James: Actor – EastEnders.

 

Lorraine Kelly: TV presenter.

Charles Kennedy: Liberal Democrat MP, Party leader.

The Duchess of Kent: Royal family, charity patron.

Jemima Khan: Journalist.

 

Lord Norman Lamont: Conservative MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer 1990 – 1993.

Nigella Lawson: TV presenter, writer.

Sir Christopher Lee: Actor – The Wicker Man, Man with the Golden Gun, Lord of the Rings.

Maureen Lipman DBE: Actor – The Evacuees, Coronation Street.

Ken Livingstone: Labour politician.

Chris Lowe: Pop star – Pet Shop Boys.

Daisy Lowe: Model.

Nicholas Lyndhurst: Actor – Only Fools and Horses, Goodnight Sweetheart.

 

Part 2:  M – Z continues….

  • Posted in: