I WAS sad to read about the death of the detective fiction author PD James.

What a lovely lady she was and I feel privileged to have met her. My encounter with her was on the film set of Death Comes To Pemberly, which was shot in York. She asked me what I played in the film. I replied that I was the tailor.

She shook my hand firmly and her gaze was bright and youthful which masked her years. For only a brief encounter I will always think of her like the loss of a personal friend.

Phil Shepherdson, Chantry Close, Woodthorpe, York.