IMET top WAG Colleen McLoughlin at Asda House in Leeds, where she was signing her book. I managed to have a chat with her, despite the fact that she refused to talk to reporters at a store appearance later that day.

Poised and serene, I could tell there was a bubbly Scouser in there, dying to get out - I just hope this slick media image she's adopted doesn't make her lose her sense of fun.

I suspect she was nervous about being questioned about the subject of wearing fur, after a row emerged centering on whether it's all right to cloak yourself in rabbit. Which she apparently believes is fine.

I wasn't bothered about that, I was more interested in finding out what she makes of Yorkshire.

It turned out it was Colleen's first trip to Leeds, and she'd heard it was a `good night out'.

She still goes out in Liverpool and Manchester with her mates, she told me, just like she did before she got famous - and she doesn't get pestered too much.

I purposefully didn't ask her about Wayne as it must be really annoying, being well-known by association. It was just as well he was nowhere to be seen because I definitely clocked Colleen checking out a gorgeous guy who stepped up to have his book signed.

Well, there's no harm in looking, is there?

* LAST week I talked about the time I met John Inman, the actor who died earlier this month. I recounted him granting me an interview at Leeds City Varieties when I was a teenager, and how he seemed reserved and even unfriendly.

Well, I might have given the wrong impression because since last week people have been saying to me: "So, you didn't like him very much?" The truth is, I did like him - I think he was very funny, a great comedy actor - and the more I think about it, the more important I believe he was for gay acceptance in Britain.

I took part in a debate on Radio Leeds the other day, in which the question was asked, were we laughing at him or with him?

We talked about the character of Mr Humphries in Are You Being Served? and the impact the outrageous, mincing shop assistant had on our collective consciousness at the time.

It's easy to dismiss the `old queens' like John Inman and Larry Grayson but their screen presence, however camp, did a lot to reassure the general population that gay men could be funny, friendly and approachable, rather than sinister, secretive and dark.

We're scared of the unknown, whatever that might be, that's human nature - so maybe Mr Humph- ries helped to remove that fear.

Times columnist Matthew Parris wrote that after Mr Humphries, people started to see that gay men could be warm and entertaining - despite the fact that the character caused an uproar at first, before people got used to him, and attracted complaints from many BBC viewers who found him deeply offensive.

Perhaps acceptance and understanding might not be as advanced as it is now, were it not for that simpering sitcom star, and he wasn't in fact the setback that the gay lobbyists like to think he was.

* I WENT to see James Morrison at Leeds University - the hottest venue in the city. They've spent £2m on it, apparently, and there's extra lights, but no air con. It was sweltering, as always.

I'm a huge fan of James' album and though I don't think the songs came across quite as well live as on CD, it was still a brilliant show.