A pair of TV personalities recording separate shows bumped into each other in Croydon recently as a host of recording crews descended on the borough.

Celebrity chef Jay Rayner and comedian Sue Perkins spotted each other in Surrey Street as the food critic was garnering support for buying cheap cuts of meat from markets, rather than more popular joints from superstores.

Miss Perkins, who studied at Croham Hurst School, was making her way through town as part of a tour of the seven car parks of Croydon, which is being made into a half-hour documentary for Radio 4.

Not ones to pass up an opportunity to feature a fellow TV personality, the Channel 4 producers of Food: What goes in your basket? roped in the comedian for a quick chat about her own meat-buying habits.

Surrey Street Market Inspector Fiona Woodcock said the street was a popular choice for film crews covering all manner of shows.

She said: “We had a Government Food Standards Agency advice film filmed here last week, and there are always people interested in coming here.

“From a filming point of view Surrey Street is a proper market, which I guess is why it’s so popular.

“It was quite funny seeing the two bump into each other like that doing two separate things, but it was bound to happen at some point.”

The walking tour was led by Vincent Lacovara from Croydon Council’s Urban Design and Conservation team, and aimed to shed the borough in a positive light by looking at its architecture from a new perspective.

Miss Perkins’ show plans to look at the architecture of Croydon and its history of innovation, especially in transportation, and will feature segments on Croydon airport and the Brit School for Performing Arts.

It is scheduled to be aired on Radio 4 at 11pm on October 25, while Mr Rayner’s piece for Food is expected to feature in an episode on October 6.