Have a couple of stories re Mike. My good friend was a good friend of his and he invited her to the enders set. We went backstage at his shows twice. Without the joke telling he was still much the same man but he was just a bloke getting ready to go to work really.
When he was opening a new window showroom nearby, my friend and I popped over. Striding towards the shop and the owners outstretched hands, Mike saw my mate and veered off calling out 'Hello Babe' and gave her a big hug. The others faces were a picture.
My husband, a painter, was painting the outside of a house in Essex in a harsh dark colour. Up the ladder one day the guy living opposite came out and in a loud voice called out to him. Peppering his talk with 4 letter words he asked what the colour was. 'Its called Madras' shouted back my hubby thinking that the guy looked familiar. 'Well it makes my eyes water like f***..g Madras makes my ar** water' he roared back. Yep, he thought, that is Mike Reid.
To continue a theme - yes v funny and my mate will be very sad today.