Why David Bowie slept at Stockport train station

As commuters pass through Stockport railway station, many of them will not ever realise that they could be waiting for a train on a platform with a claim to fame like no other.

That is because 55 years earlier, it was graced by none other than singer David Bowie.

Forget five star hotels, the Ziggy Stardust performer spent the entire night under the stars (sort of) in Greater Manchester.

Now, a plaque is being unveiled to commemorate the exact moment Bowie missed his last train home after a sell-out at the Poco A Poco club in Heaton Chapel on 27 April 1970.

And the trio who booked David Bowie for a gig as sixth-formers have been reminiscing on the "incredible" night.

Roz Acton, 72, admits she had never heard of Bowie when the Stockport Schools Student Union (SSU) booked him, while Bill Frost recalled being called out of class when Bowie's agent called the school office to rearrange the gig.

Ms Acton said of the artist, who went on to global success with hits including Let's Dance, Changes, Space Oddity, Starman, Modern Love, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel Rebel and Life on Mars, "To be quite honest I didn't know who David Bowie was.

"That sounds incredible but I hadn't got a clue who he was and the boys said we'll book him."

Ms Acton added she soon became a fan of the singer, though.

"He was drop-dead gorgeous," she said.

Mr Frost, the chairman of the SSU at the time, knew all too well Bowie was on the verge of stardom, though.

"It was an amazing do," the 73-year-old told BBC North West Tonight. "It was incredible.

"I remember sitting at the back thinking 'good grief we've put David Bowie on in a concert'."

Mr Frost recalls Bowie costing "about £120" to book at the time and remembers leaving class to speak to Bowie's agent.

"One of the school secretaries came and knocked on the door and said 'there's somebody on the phone for you, something to do with David Bowie'.

"It was David Bowie's agent asking us if we could we change the date of the concert because they could not come up to Stockport on that day."

Mike McCormack said: "It just all went by us and then in later life and David Bowie became massive."

The 72-year-old said people are amazed when he tells them he was part of putting a Bowie concert on. It often leads to handshakes - and sometimes a pint.

Ms Acton said it was "great times".

"We had no fear. We just thought we could do anything and we did.

"It was a fantastic time," she added.

Bowie, who died in 2016 aged 69, ended up missing his last train to London after the gig though.

The famous night in 1970 is being marked at the station with a Stockport Music Story commemorative plaque, the tenth one in the town.

John Barratt of the Stockport Music Story said this latest plaque was "very special because I'm a lifelong David Bowie fan".

"He was recording The Man Who Sold the World album during the time he came up for the gig and that album and then obviously Ziggy Stardust just launched him as a global superstar," he said.

"The fact that he was booked by a group for Stockport teenagers on his rise to fame I think deserves commemorating."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.