SHE was already honing her money-spinning Queen of Mean persona, but this week in 2002 Anne Robinson had some kind things to say about Swindon people.

Her thoughts about driving in the town were another matter.

The personality came to sign copies of her autobiography at WH Smith’s Greenbridge headquarters.

We wrote: “Weakest Link star Anne Robinson says she would love to go shopping in Swindon – but that she never bothers because of the town’s ‘appalling’ road signs.

“The straight-talking broadcaster from Cirencester, who has been dubbed Britain’s rudest woman, says she finds Swindon the most difficult town in the country to navigate.

“She criticised our high number of roundabouts and says she finds it impossible to find her way from her home to the Designer Outlet Village.”

In spite of that, she had nothing but positivity toward local people, describing them as an “affable bunch” with artistic talents.

She added: “I’m a Swindon Town fan. The last match I saw was when they played Norwich. I think they were beaten.”

Another arrival in Swindon that week was Chris Kinchin-Smith, the new chief executive of beleaguered train firm First Great Western.

Mr Kinchin-Smith, we revealed, believed the firm was back on track – pun no doubt intended – but admitted there was a long way to go. We said: “At the age of 52, it is a challenge that could take him through to retirement.”

The man himself told us: “The transformation will not happen overnight. But I am in it for the long haul.”

Mr Kinchin-Smith left First Great Western in 2004 to take charge of a transport consultancy.

A part-time judge, Recorder Christopher Frazer, also had a message for Swindon people, but it didn’t go down well.

Presiding over a case involving a family feud, he couldn’t have sounded more out of touch had he telephoned his comments over a bad line from the dark side of the Moon.

He said: “I want to send a clear message to estates around Penhill that this sort of silly violence has got to stop.”

Understandably, plenty of people pointed out that an act of violence happening in a given place didn’t mean everybody in that place had the same attitude.

Veteran local councillor John Archer said: “The judge is talking through his wig. He is making Penhill sound a really terrible spot – which it isn’t.

“I doubt if he has ever seen the place, yet he has taken an isolated incident and seems to be tarring most of the people who live here with the same brush.”

In other news, a Swindon-built Honda CRV sports utility vehicle was driven at full pelt into a concrete wall, and bosses at the firm’s South Marston plant were delighted.

The car in question was being tested as part of the tough European New Car Assessment and was rated one of the safest of its type. The battery of destruction left barely a scuff mark on the crash test dummies.

A Honda spokesman said: “It shows you can build an SUV with safety in mind both for pedestrians and the occupants, creating a car capable of going off road and being safe at all times.”

Still in the world of business, IKEA announced plans to build a store in Swindon, and rumoured sites range from the Front Garden to Blunsdon Stadium.

Local VIPs were delighted at the likely boost to the local economy once the purveyors of furniture, fixtures, fittings, meatballs and roll-mop herring were bedded in.

South Swindon MP Julia Drown said: “This is really very exciting news. I am really glad that yet another company has seen what a great place Swindon is.”

The response from other furniture firms ranged from silence to feistiness.

A spokesman for Mr Ashcroft’s Pine Furniture in Old Town said: “Although we both sell furniture, we are aimed at a different market. We specialise in high quality solid goods and you don’t have to build them yourselves.”

As things turned out, of course, the Swindon branch never materialised.

The most striking picture of the week was of Swindon theatre and music personalities Helen and Barry Ganberg, who had recently married.

They were photographed wearing joke teeth which made them look like time-travelling fugitives from a daytime television show which didn’t yet exist.

Barry, originally from New York, said: “I just wanted to do something completely different and to have a bit of fun.

“It was a condition of our marriage that we would have the photographs taken with the hillbilly teeth in.

“A friend of mine found them and I thought they were fantastic. Traditional wedding photos can be so stuffy and boring and we’re a couple who definitely know how to enjoy ourselves.

“We wanted to have a marriage with a difference and we certainly did.”