From Griff Rhys Jones Q. Is there a correct system
of hierarchical address between celebrities, people who might not have met but do still ‘know’ one another from the television? In the street it is not a problem — once I passed Sir Richard Attenborough and the acknowledgement was very casually done. He was with his people and I was with my people and we just ran up a couple of flags and fired a couple of guns, like two ships passing. By contrast, when walking through a club such as the Groucho, you feel an obligation to make some form of acknowledgement of the other celebrities, whether because of their status or because they are a colleague in the same business. The acknowledgement can’t be formal, like it can with Society. It has to have the right level of matiness and informality and also has to be sensitive to the hierarchies of celebrity film stars look down on television stars, televisions stars look down on journalists, and so on. The conventional Groucho greeting ‘All right?’ invariably leads one into a platitudinous trap. What do you suggest, Mary?
A. ‘Good to see you’ is a suitable all-serving remark to utter as you wade through the treacle of a club like the Groucho. It is seemingly anodyne — with pleasing innuendo implied should the recipient be the worse for wear. More to the point it will allow you to pay your respects without interrupting your purposeful progress.
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