FAME has never been far away where Sussex is concerned.

One well-known figure in Brighton in the 1950s was Gilbert Harding, as pointed out by several of our readers following a picture published in Timeout on Saturday.

It showed the "portly smoking man with glasses" (pictured again above) handing over what was quite probably a cheque for some worthy cause.

Chris Horlock wrote to say: "From the houses in the background, the scene might be in the Whitehawk area, and the money could be towards the youth football club there, or similar.

"The radio show Twenty Questions saw Harding's rise to fame, increasing with the early TV show What's My Line, where he was often rude to contestants - or drunk."

"He always stood up for ordinary people though, supported charities and fundraising in the town, which is probably what's happening, in some way, in the photograph."

Averil Older wrote to add that the grateful recipients in the picture were likely to be boys from Lewes Grammar School as her partner recognised their cap having attended the school himself from 1955 to 1961. She said the man on the right of Harding was headmaster Mr Bradshaw.

Denise Taylor of Brighton added that Harding, who died in November 1960, was known as "the rudest man in Britain".

In the spirit of celebrity, here are some other high-profile appearances from the past that may have slipped under the radar of recent times.

Famous comedian Tommy Trinder is snapped here admiring his own billboard in what is believed to be 1938.

Fast-forward 15 years and here's a shot of comic Arthur Askey with a couple of youngsters in 1953.

No stranger to the boards was late actress Dora Bryan, who had a soft spot for Brighton, residing in the hotel Clarges on the seafront. Here she is pictured in front of it.

Others have cooked up a few surprises over the years.

Famous chef and entertainer Jean Jaques Jordane is pictured here at the Laughing Onion restaurant in Brighton in 1987.

In the year 2000, a fresh-faced Jamie Oliver (the Naked Chef) made an appearance at Churchill Square, receiving a cake in his likeness from college students.