But Knutsford butcher John Oliver was clearly not one of them.

For when a star from the BBC documentary Castaway walked into his shop, he did not have a clue who she was.

"I never caught that one. I don't even know what time of day it was on," he said this week.

"I work for a living and television is not at the top of my agenda."

Julie Lowe made Knutsford her first port of call when she returned from the Island of Taransay after her 12-month stay.

She had taken part in the ambitious BBC project which marooned 36 people on a remote Scottish island to see how they coped as they built a new community.

Fans of the programme saw her caring for cows, building a home and using a compost toilet.

It was a character-building experience and none of those taking part would forget.

Speaking from his shop in Canute Square, John said it was a pleasure to serve his famous customer.

"She had gone through that situation and has obviously come out of it very well," he said. "She was lovely, an absolute delight."

One of the keenest viewers of Castaway was Sally Aspin, of Free Green Lane in Lower Peover.

She never missed a moment of her niece Julie's experience.

"We are very proud of Julie and what she has achieved," said Sally, 49.

"We got to know the Castaways through her and some of them feel like friends now."

Knutsford eased Julie, 38, back into the real world before she returned to her London home.

Together they shopped in King Street and Princess Street, pausing regularly to sign autographs.

"She was surprised to be recognised, but she is quite striking with her auburn hair," said Sally.

As well as Oliver's Butchers, they paid a visit to Wares in Princess Street.

"It was strange for her to go into a shop and have the chance to buy things she didn't really need," said Sally.

During the two-day visit she also stopped at the Bells of Peover and signed the visitors' book at the village church.

Television cameras also put Knutsford in focus.

A BBC breakfast show crew visited Sally's semi-detached home to film Julie the day after she arrived.

Sally had written regularly to the niece.

"The problem was if the weather was bad, the letters took three weeks to get there," she said.

Julie, who now wants to publish a book, was picked for the show partly because of her qualifications as a teacher.

Last week, she called the Knutsford Guardian from her home in London.

She told how she was having trouble re-adjusting to her old life.

"What struck me was seeing people of so many ethnic backgrounds," she said.

"The other thing was everybody has got this growth sticking out of their ears because they all seem to have mobile phones."