Locals have been sharing their fond memories of the late great Dame Diana Rigg on a nostalgic social media page.
Members of the Old Stirling Facebook group reminisced over the award-winning actress and former Stirling University Chancellor, who also lived locally for many years.
Dame Diana became a household name in the 1960s as karate-kicking Emma Peel in The Avengers and later played Tracy – the only woman who became Mrs James Bond – in the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
More recently, she starred as Olenna Tyrell in the series Game of Thrones, but her career spanned decades on stage and on screen, big and small.
The actress was married to Keir Estate landowner Archie Stirling, father of her actress daughter Rachael Stirling, from 1982 until 1990 and forged long-standing links with Stirling.
She died aged 82 in September last year, however memories of local encounters with her were shared more recently on the Old Stirling Facebook page.
Ian Kerr sparked the thread with his own tale of surprising her while on TV licence detection duties.
He said: “Whilst working for my current employer and at that time loaned out as a spare driver, I met this famous actress once – not that she was happy to see me or my colleagues as we trundled towards her farmhouse and outbuildings near Blairdrummond.
“We were after all in the television licence detector van that I was driving on behalf of the Post Office TV Licence Investigation Team way back around 1984.
“RIP Dame Diana Rigg – who incidentally had a TV licence – but the residents in the outbuildings next door did not.”
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Alison Muirhead described her as “an awesome woman” and shared: “My dad’s claim to fame was that she insisted on sitting next to him at the estate Christmas parties and called him handsome.”
Joyce Wright, meanwhile, said: “When I lived in Bridge of Allan I was asked to go to Ochtertyre House to make curtains and do some upholstery. I spent quite a few days there working and often came into contact with Mrs Stirling. I also made a bridesmaid’s dress for her daughter Rachael when she was five or six.
“Mrs Stirling was a lovely person and very down to earth. My favourite memory of her was when she arrived at my front door early one morning with toothpaste all over her mouth. Was she bothered? No.
“I met her again many years later when my daughter graduated from Stirling University. She still remembered me and we chatted like old friends.”
Lena Hopkins described her as a “lovely lady”, while Brenda Morgan Stevenson said: “She used to visit the Birds and Bees in Causewayhead and regularly at lunchtime and was a lovely lady. RIP Diana.”
Trisha Lie said: “I cooked for Diana often…beautiful woman.”
And Gregor Tweed added: “She was a customer at my old man’s shop. She was a lovely lady and always polite.”
Dame Diana was Chancellor of Stirling University from 1998 until 2008.
She also held the position of chair of the Macrobert Arts Centre Committee for many years. She was an active member of the local community, including serving as chieftain of the Bridge of Allan Highland Games and holding the role of patron of the Stirling and District Association of Mental Health.
She received an Honorary Doctorate from the university in November 1988 before being installed as its fourth Chancellor – becoming the first woman to hold the position – in October 1998.
During the installation at Stirling’s Church of the Holy Rude, she told the 300 assembled guests: “The academic world is a far cry from that of a thespian, although both have a lot of learning to do. I hope to be a credible Chancellor to Stirling University and to enjoy and learn about this new world.”
In a media interview to mark her appointment, she said she would “rather be proactive than just a figurehead”.
She added: “I think it will be fascinating. It’s an honour but it’s an honour you have to meet. I intend to do it to the best of my ability. I think it’s very nice that a woman who is not an academic and comes from an acting background is given this opportunity. I think it shows a lot of imagination and I am very grateful for that.”
