Over 200 clients of Barclays trooped out to see the US premiere of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant's film Notting Hill., an event sponsored by the UK bank.
The film, in which a beautiful film star meets a bookseller (played by Hugh Grant) when he spills his drink over her, was launched at the Ziegfeld theatre in New York when and wound up with a party at the Cipriani restaurant - a converted bank lobby.
Those hoping for a glimpse of Hugh Grant got just that. Having travelled by Concorde, then by helicopter and finally with a police escort, he stayed 20 minutes for some photos with Julia Roberts before going straight home.
Julia Roberts was quite a different story, stunning those present with her Calvin Klein dress. One guest tested out the Hugh Grant style of wooing and spilt his drink down her dress. She didn't fall in love with him though. Some of the bankers present could have learnt a lesson from the film star. When asked if she'd like a Barclays hat, she replied: "I'd prefer a blank cheque." John Smitham