Mr Charisma bows out with more glittering scalps

It seems fitting that as Manchester basks in its successful staging of the Commonwealth Games, we should report on another massive achievement in the city, which in this case is down solely to outgoing Manchester Law Society President Michael 'Friend of the Stars' Clavell-Bate.

As Obiter has reported previously (see [2002] Gazette, 18 October, 14; 28 February, 12), he was set the considerable challenge - in aid of charity - of illustrating his column in the society's monthly bulletin with a picture of him meeting someone famous.

He got off to a ropey start with an Ali G-lookalike, but got going with the likes of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, Des O'Connor and Suranne Jones from Coronation Street.

Mr Clavell-Bate's year has now ended in triumph and the most recent additions to his collection are Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet fame, opera diva Lesley Garrett (the only Garrett in Manchester since the demise of the law firm of the same name, some unkind wags may note), Sir Alex Ferguson, Kevin Keegan and, erm, Neil Hamilton (presumably that was a rough month for celebrities in Manchester).

His ability to whip out his badge of office as and when he bumped into the great and good may be a little odd, but is clearly of gold medal standard.

Mr Clavell-Bate explains to Obiter that a president's year is so full of functions that the gong is almost always to hand, while he spent so much time in the city's hotels that he was almost bound to trip over celebrities now and again.

And all the time the society's executive director, Fran Eccles, was on 24-hour call-out with a camera to snap the big moments.

He also spoke wistfully of the ones that got away: Rolf Harris, Cat Deeley on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and, best of all, Kylie Minogue.

Mr Clavell-Bate said the trap was set for Kylie only for him to be called away to a client meeting in London.

'I had to make a career decision,' he said, adding that he went for the meeting.

'I may have made a mistake.'