Ross Noble's odd encounter

For anyone who's witnessed Ross Noble’s elaborate set designs, it ought to come as no surprise that he fancies himself as a master sandcastle builder.

What might be more of a surprise is that  he once found a kindred spirit in Rod Stewart.

Guesting on Jessica Knappett's Perfect Day podcast, Noble described how he  and his family were on a beach in France, 'building a massive sandcastle … attracting some attention’.

Among those observing were Stewart, his wife and some of his children when they were young.

'His missus goes, "Is it alright if his kids join in?"' Noble recalled. 'And there's Rod Stewart and he's just an auld feller that wants to live his life and have a bit of a sleep. And she nudged him and went: "Go on Rod, join in."

‘So the next thing you know, I'm there, building a sandcastle with Rod Stewart. And he was right into it, he was going "this is falling down!"

'We're both digging like dogs, like a couple of puppies in a way.'

At a certain point though, Noble realised something.

'I looked across and I went, "have you noticed anything Rod?"

'"Another battlement fallen down?"

In fact, Noble’s children had gone off to collect shells while Stewart’s were  playing football.

'It was literally me and a classic rocker building a sandcastle. That's a proper showbusiness story isn't it?'

Sadly, it appears to have been a fleeting holiday bromance. Noble had 'never met' the singer before and has 'never seen him since’.

Published: 26 Jun 2026