VIP Corrie Blogger - Cllr Fraser Macpherson

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog September 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Cllr Fraser Macperhson is a top Coronation Street fan - and the Liberal Democrat Councillor for the West End, Dundee City Council.  He's taken time out of his Councillor duties whilst on holiday to write about his love of Coronation Street. And in return we've donated £10 to Cllr Macpherson's charity of choice which is the Multiple Sclerosis Society

Cllr Fraser Macpherson writes :

"Looking back, I suppose I was, as a child, sort-of reluctantly spoon-fed Coronation Street.  My mother was and is the Street’s greatest fan and therefore, in the Macpherson household of the late 1960s and 70s, Coronation Street was compulsory viewing.

I have a distinctive memory of a caravan holiday in a windy and rainy Lossiemouth. I must have been aged about 7.  There was only one TV in the communal lounge on the site and who in 1970 had a portable telly in their caravan?  The ladies descended upon the communal lounge on Wednesday at 7.30pm to see what was bound to be a memorable edition of the street – the death of Jack Walker, landlord of the Rovers. On their arrival, many of the children were already watching the TV (Star Trek if I remember correctly). Battle of the TV buttons then took place between the ladies switching to Grampian (our then local version of ITV) to get the Street on, with various children switching it back to BBC1. The tenacious children won, and, in the days before video recorders and repeat showing on ITV2 later, the opportunity to see that edition of the Street was lost!

My other distinctive early memory of the Street was the death of Renee Roberts, hit by a lorry on the way back from Alf and her concluding the deal on their buying a rural sub-post office. Not entirely sure why that immediately springs to mind, but the departure of Renee did prevent the departure of Alf to the countryside and Alf was always one of my favourite Coronation Street characters, along with Hilda, Elsie, Rita, Audrey and Annie Walker.    

I suppose that, Coronation Street was a permanent TV fixture when I was a child, I have just kept on watching and enjoying the Street – brainwashed at 7, still watching it at 49!

For me, Coronation Street evokes that sense of community – of belonging – that so many people, particularly older constituents, say is missing in the 21st century.  The Street is warm, welcoming, you sort of feel part of it, and 52 years on from its arrival in 1960, it is still coming up with the great, gripping storylines that has kept it as my – and the world’s – favourite soap!


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