It's hard to imagine as the rain pours down this winter, but Weymouth and Portland was once the place to spot stars.

Summertime in the resort attracted numerous stars back in 2009.

TV and radio presenter Jonathan Ross visited the Dorset Seafood Festival in Weymouth in July 2009.

It was a brief trip along the south coast for the star, who has a holiday home in Swanage.

He was pictured soaked up the atmosphere with his family at the two-day extravaganza on Weymouth harbourside.

Dorset Echo:

Dorset Echo:

Mr Ross was joined in the resort by comedians Rory McGrath and Paddy McGuinness as well as top chef Mark Hix and MasterChef winner Mat Follas.

Mr Ross sampled seafood from the stalls with his wife Jane and their children.

He said: “We had a great day. We had some fabulous oysters, lovely scallops and fish and chips. We had a lovely time that the whole family enjoyed.”

Mr McGrath and Mr McGuinness were in the town filming for a new series about travels around the country.

They have previously travelled around the country in a camper van to cover bizarre sporting events, including a nettle eating contest at Marshwood, near Bridport.

Dorset Echo:

Rory McGrath gets stuck in at the nettle eating competition at the Bottle Inn, Marshwood, west Dorset

The celebrity appearances were the icing on the cake for the seafood festival, which was at the time rapidly gaining in popularity.

Attracting big names at that time was also a coup for the borough, which at the time was three years away from hosting the sailing events of the London 2012 Olympics.