THIS week we are looking back on when Hollywood scriptwriter Richard Curtis lived in Warrington.

The Love Actually and Blackadder writer even brought comedian Rowan Atkinson to stay in the family home in Appleton.

Writer Jeremy Craddock takes up the story of when the Curtis family was in Warrington, with help from a chat with Barry Jones.

His dad Jack was Mr Curtis' senior chaffeur from his time working at Crosfields.

The Curtis family lived at Merricourt on Windmill Lane, Appleton, in the 1970s and early 80s when Richard’s father, Tony, was chairman of Crosfields.

Barry tells me his dad was chauffeur until he retired in 1988.

He continues: “He used to pick Richard up from university at holiday time and bring him back to Warrington.

“He also used to bring Rowan too and I believe on a couple of occasions took him home to the north east where his parents lived.

“He also used to pick up Richard’s brother, Jamie, from school at Papplewick in Ascot. I went with him a couple of times when I was on school holidays and once attended a football match with my dad, Mr Curtis and Jamie at Anfield when Liverpool were playing Stoke City – Kevin Keegan was still playing then.

“My mum and dad also attended the wedding of Richard’s sister (Belinda I think her name was) and the reception which was held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London for which my dad also made the wedding cake (he was a master confectioner too).

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“If you have ever seen Not the Nine O’Clock News and remember the Father of the Bride sketch that Rowan did in the show – he did the performance at the wedding too.

“My mum received a lovely letter from the Curtises after my dad died and after his funeral.

“They were quite livid that no one had told them my dad had passed away.

“They only heard of his death from a copy of the Crosfield magazine, I believe, as Mr Curtis had long retired by then and I think they were living down south somewhere.

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“I still have a little silver boomerang somewhere which was sent to me when I was about 11 or 12 via my dad from Richard’s grandmother who I seem to remember was affectionately known as ‘Granny Wagg’.

“Mr and Mrs Curtis – in fact the whole family – were lovely people and my mum and dad always spoke of them in the nicest of ways.”