A CHANCE remark on television recently that the BBC's 'hard man' Newsnight presenter, Jeremy Paxman, had once lived in Bromsgrove flagged up an idea in the mind of well known local historian and author, Dr Alan Richards.

He wondered who else had found fame or fortune, or who had achieved a national or international reputation, and who had connections with the old town - and decided to compile a list.

He says it is by no means complete and is sure readers will know others who deserve to have their names added to the town's roll of honour.

Jeremy Paxman - Journalist and TV presenter of 'Newsnight' and 'University Challenge'. Attended the private Mount School in Bromsgrove and lived in Lickey Square.

Michael Burke - Journalist and broadcaster. His first job was on the Bromsgrove Messenger. Presenter of the 'Moral Maze' BBC programme.

Ian Carmichael - Film and TV actor. Attended Bromsgrove School.

Trevor Eve - Film and TV actor. Attended Bromsgrove School.

Professor Sir Michael Drury. Former head of the doctor's surgery in New Road. Professor of General Medicine at University of Birmingham.

Sir Digby Jones - Director-General of the CBI. Attended Bromsgrove School. Lawyer.

Alfred Wood CBE - Architect who designed Birmingham Airport. Lived at Broomhouse, Bromsgrove. First president of the Bromsgrove Society.

Amy Walford - Artist in metalwork. Leading member of the Arts and Crafts Movement (Art Nouveau style). She and her sister Mary Walford had an international reputation for work in metal and precious stones. Were founding members of the Bromsgrove Guild. Amy Walford exhibited her works at Paris Exhibition in 1900.

Anna Maria Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury and wife of Francis Talbot, 14th Earl of Shrewsbury, of Grafton Manor. Samuel Pepys called her the greatest whore at the court of Charles II. Her husband Francis Talbot was killed in a duel by one of her lovers, the Duke of Buckingham.

Edwina Currie MP - Secretary of State for Health in the Conservative government in the 1990's. A former teacher at Bromsgrove School who became John Major's mistress while he was Prime Minister. John Major's father once owned a small farm at Catshill in Bromsgrove.

Charlotte Badger - Pirate in South Seas. Born in Bromsgrove in 1778 and transported to Australia. Convicted of piracy. Escaped to Tonga and was one of New Zealand's first female residents.

Ros Weston - National Ladies' golfer and chairman of England's Ladies Golf Association.

JRR Tolkien - Author of 'Lord of the Rings'. Lived in a house at Rednal with his mother for several years while a schoolboy. He and his mother attended St. Peter's Catholic Church in Bromsgrove, regularly.

AE Housman - Poet and classical scholar. Lived at Perry Hall (now Housman Hall) and attended Bromsgrove School.

Laurence Housman (AE Housman's brother) - Writer and playwright. The most censored playwright in England because of his plays about Queen Victoria and her family.

Rev Henry Nott - Leader of missionaries sent by London Missionary Society to Tahiti in 1790 to convert Tahitians to Christianity and to establish an English colony. He was the effective governor of Tahiti 1790-1840.

Benjamin Maund FLS. - Botanist 1790-1864, Author of 'Maund's Botanic Garden'.

Rev John Hall - The Dangerous Vicar. Puritan vicar of St John's Church, Bromsgrove, during the Civil War. King Charles I called him "a dangerous stirrer of rebellion" and ejected him from his living.

Sir Humphrey Stafford of Grafton Manor - Commander of Royal Army sent to crush Jack Cade's rebellion in 1450. He was killed and Jack Cade appeared wearing Sir Humphrey's suit of armour.

Sir Gilbert Talbot of Grafton Manor - Very important courtier and diplomat in Henry VII's reign. Viceroy of Calais.

Sir John Allesbrook Simon - Lord Simon and Lord Chancellor. The son of Fanny Allesbrook of Chadwich Manor. Held most of top cabinet posts 1913-1945 in both Liberal and Conservative governments.

Charles Talbot, first Duke of Shrewsbury of Grafton Manor - Kingmaker and statesman during reigns of Charles II, James II, William III, Queen Anne and George I. No other man occupied so many offices of state under so many monarchs.

Sir Herbert Austin, KBE. Lord Austin. Baron Austin of Longbridge. Founder of the Austin Motor Company at Longbridge in 1905. Lived at Lickey Grange where he died in 1974.

John Corbett - The 'Salt King'. He developed the salt works at Stoke Prior using new processes. Lived at Rigby Hall and at Stoke Prior Grange (Avoncroft).

George Crane - Ironmaster. Born in Bromsgrove and the son of John Crane 'the Bird of Bromsgrove.' Inventor of a new process of smelting iron with anthracite at his ironworks in Swansea. His process was copied in the USA.

William Barnsley of Barnsley Hall - Merchant adventurer in Russia during the reigns of the Tsar Ivan the Terrible and Tsar Boris Godunov. He was an English 'casanova' at the Kremlin and was sent to the Siberian salt mines for having an affair with Boris's wife, the Tsarina.

Captain W Emmott - Fought under the Duke of Wellington's command in Spain and at the Battle of Waterloo. He was one of 12 Royal Horse Guards who formed the bodyguard of George IV at his coronation. He lived at Tutnall Mount. He died in 1865 and was given a military funeral at Tardebigge Church attended by over 7,000 people.

Benjamin Sanders - Inventor and entrepreneur. Inventor of a new process in the manufacture of buttons. Founded Button Factory in Bromsgrove after establishing factories in Copenhagen, New York and Birmingham.

Archibald J Davies - Artist in stained glass. Much of his work produced for the Bromsgrove Guild.

George & Edward Cadbury - Both owned a good deal of land on the Lickeys and both built country houses there, 'Beaconview' and 'Heanor' within the parish of Bromsgrove.

Professor Sir Oliver Lodge - Lived in Barnt Green. Physicist and the first Principal of the University of Birmingham. He investigated psychic phenomena.

Humphrey Littleton of Hagley Hall - Hanged, drawn and quartered in 1606 as a traitor for his part in the Gunpowder Plot.