I HAVEN’T sought fame as a journalist. I don’t want to be the story so to speak but obviously it happens to some reporters, especially TV ones.

Two men who have more in common than you would think at first glance -- the winner of James Watt College's best-decorated bra contest (note the two lollipops) and Dustin Hoffman at Stansted Airport (note the two watches).

A friend who lived in Africa told me how Prince Charles came on an official visit but she was more interested in seeing Jon Snow who was covering the occasion.

I was in London last week and visited a drawing event in Covent Garden where, attracting a big crowd, was BBC political journalist Andrew Marr. He had been enlisted to draw on a huge piece of paper. He seemed to be creating a cartoon of a crowded underground train. I admired his nerve and was reminded of my only recent brush with what could be called celebrity which had occured a couple of days before.

It came as I took photos at James Watt College, Greenock, during their ‘pink’ events raising money for cancer charities. The concourse was full of exuberant staff and students who had been line-dancing, many in eye-catching bright outfits. They were all now waiting to see who had won the best-decorated bra contest.

I was waiting too, as well as taking pictures of the entrants. The organizer turned to me and asked where I was from. Reasonable question when you are standing there taking photos of people – mainly women – in bras (although the undergarments all appeared to be outergarments). I shouted above the noise that I was from Inverclyde Now website and had been invited.

I was wrong to think she was suspicious of me for she turned to the crowd and announced on the loud-speaker that the man from ‘Inverclyde’ website was now going to judge the bra contest. My horror was tempered by the news that two members of staff were to help me in this high-pressure task. The three of us stared indecisively round the elaborate and colourful offerings not really knowing where to start. Perhaps if I had been given a bit of notice I could have prepared somehow.

Eventually, as the impatient spectators seemed on the verge of booing, we chose a student who wore a nicely understated effort featuring pink chiffon for second place, and the only man for first place. His bra was purple with sequins plus feathers and, at one stage, two lollipops sticking out – nice touch. I wouldn’t have swapped my moment in the spotlight for Andrew Marr’s.

Returning from London though, I saw a real celebrity – acting legend Dustin Hoffman at Stansted Airport. Ironically, if it hadn’t been for the 100 or so people in bright yellow vests and the stackloads of movie gear I probably wouldn’t have noticed the truly famous person sitting a few rows away waiting quietly to start filming Last Chance Harvey, a romantic tale set in London. The only noticeable thing about him was that, inexplicably, he was wearing two watches.

As I watched, I turned my thoughts to the films he had made and my mind went blank. I didn’t think of The Graduate or All the President’s Men or Kramer vs Kramer, Rainman or even Meet The Fockers. No, the first film of his I thought of was a quirky comedy called Accidental Hero about an aircraft disaster. This was not the time to be thinking about plane crashes. Fortunately Tootsie came to mind in which Hoffman famously pretends to be a woman to get an acting job. Which brings me neatly back to men wearing bras…