'The day that David Bowie called my house'

Jane Watts, sister of Mott the Hoople founding member Pete Overend Watts, said the band suddenly took off, thanks to Bowie

A woman who was a big David Bowie fan as she grew up has recalled the moment the singer phoned her at home in Ross-on-Wye.

Jane Watts remembered how Bowie used to come on Top of the Pops and how she would sit an inch from the TV screen to see him perform.

It was not a random call, her brother Pete Overend Watts co-founded Mott the Hoople with Dale Buffin Griffin.

Although the band had a big fan base, it had not yet achieved commercial success.

But then Bowie offered the band a song he had written, All the Young Dudes - which went on to become Mott the Hoople's best-known hit, and it was during that collaboration that Ms Watts got to chat with the star.

Remembering the talks leading up to the release of the 1972 single, she said: "I can remember Pete bringing the rough copy home and I was just sitting listening to it, going well, wow.

"It's my brother's band and it's David Bowie - what could be better?"

Soon after that, her brother came into the room and said: "Oh Jay, there's someone on the phone for you. I think he said his name's David."

She knew straight away it was Bowie.

The band formed in 1969 and split in 1974 - they reformed for five shows in 2009

"I spoke to David Bowie on the phone for about 10 minutes, and he was great," she said. "He was lovely. I was completely tongue-tied, I didn't know what to say."

She could not wait to call her best friend and share the good news, but laughed as she said: "She didn't speak with me for six weeks. She was so upset."

The group, seen here in 1971, released their debut album in 1969

After the band released the Bowie single, they became "really big", she remembered.

"They were fantastic on stage, and then it really took off. It really, really took off. We could hardly believe it."

She said her mother used to keep all the newspaper cuttings about the band, but after All the Young Dudes, she had to go out and buy more scrapbooks.

A bench and blue plaque are being unveiled on Sunday

This weekend, Ross-on-Wye has been celebrating the band and its roots in the Herefordshire town in a two-day festival including live music, film screenings and spoken word events.

A memorial bench is being unveiled for Watts and Griffin, who died in 2017 and 2016, on Sunday, along with a blue plaque.