In a 2006 appearance on Wogan, Now and Then, Sir Christopher Lee shared a wonderful little story about meeting J.R.R. Tolkien in the mid-to-late 1950s, one of those moments that feels like the universe quietly arranging a perfect geek alignment.

Lee was sitting with friends in The Eagle and Child, the famous Oxford pub where Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and the Inklings met regularly, when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure walking in.

Pipe in hand, cheerful expression, looking exactly like every photo you’ve ever seen of him.

“My God, there’s the Professor,” Lee said.

A friend who had worked for Tolkien offered to bring him over, as casually as if he was offering to pass the salt. Moments later, Tolkien himself approached their table, smiled politely, and said, “How do you do?”

Lee shook his hand, all while trying to remain calm and not, as he joked, drop into a full kneel right there in the pub.

It’s a small story, but an unforgettable one: the future Saruman quietly meeting the creator of Middle-earth long before either of them knew just how intertwined their legacies would become.

A delightful moment! Go give the clip a watch: