WLTM - Russell Tovey

I've written before about Russell Tovey and my wish to speak to him just the once to confirm a theory I have. I wanted to expand on this, to explain it a bit more.

I can't actually remember when I first heard of Russell, but it was a few years back. By the time he appeared in the Christmas special of Doctor Who, "Voyage of the Damned," he was already known to me. This was 2007 and the next year he was one of the stars of the brilliant Being Human. It felt like he was already an established star, and his talent was undoubtable.

My interest in Russell first came when I first heard that he originated in Essex, not from the fact that he is gay. I was intrigued because I am from Essex too and I used to work with a woman whose married surname was the same as his. Tovey is not a common name and I was further intrigued when I learned that he was from the same general area that this woman lived at the time I knew her.

I have seen him drinking in Soho, usually at Rupert Street bar, several times and have been tempted to go and speak to him and ask him the simple question:

"Are you, in any way, related to Denise Tovey?"

I am always reticent to approach anyone I recognise as a "celebrity," especially when they are not "on duty." It just doesn’t seem fair to me to bring them from a private moment back to a work state of mind. I even feel guilty when someone famous realises that I have recognised them. With just my glance, and maybe a second take, it feels to me that I have intruded in their personal time.

I'm not a great conversationalist, especially when it comes to people I do not know already, but with my recent increase in confidence and my "breaking the ice" with my first celebrity last week, when I spoke to Gareth Thomas (albeit very briefly), I hope that, should the right opportunity arise, I will have the confidence to speak to Russell and ask him the question that has been on my mind for the last few years.

I don't even think that the answer matters, just that I know what it is. Once that has been dealt with and I have opened the "encounter doorway" I hope that conversation can be more diverse and I can enquire about him personally as well as professionally.