GREGOR Fisher has opened up about being orphaned and adopted at three after his mother died – and that he didn’t find his siblings for decades.
Only Child star Gregor was born in a village near Stirling in 1953 and his mother Kit McKenzie had two other children, but she had a heart problem and died when the actor was three.
Gregor and his two sisters were split up – against his mum’s wishes – and he was adopted by Jim and Ellen Fisher.
However, Ellen died and Jim’s sister Cis took him to a place near Barrhead to live with her and her family instead.
He had a loving family with his mother Cis and it wasn’t until he was 18 that he discovered that he had a sister called Maureen – and to his surprise – other relatives.
In his memoir called The Boy From Nowhere, written with journalist Melanie Reid, Gregor went on a journey to find out the truth about his origins and to discover what happened to his birth mother.
In an interview with The Scotsman about his new comedy series, Only Child, which he stars alongside Greg McHugh from The A Word. Gregor revealed how his upbringing affected him.
When asked if it meant he looked for stability in his life he replied: “Yes. It’s not a conscious thing, but family is important to me. I suppose you always attract the things you need.”
“Sometimes the things you get are maybe not the things you want but you probably need them, in a lesson from the universe. You think why does this keep happening?
“Maybe you haven’t progressed Gregor, maybe because you haven’t learnt the bloody lesson boy!”
When prompted to explain what lessons he had learnt over the years Gregor replied: ““Ahhhhh, I knew that was coming. I think acceptance and to not take things too seriously.
“Not get so bloody wound up about things, and accept there are things you can do very little about.
“It’s a buggeration but there’s nothing you can do about it. And to be grateful, because there’s a lot to be grateful for.”
The Rab C. Nesbitt star then explained how he went into acting because he enjoyed pretending to be someone else and added: “I find that increasingly interesting now I’m an old boy. I just find it great fun and very engaging.
“I can remember as a child getting dressed up in bed sheets, and building a camp underneath the kitchen table and inviting my mother into my tent in the middle of the desert.”
In his new show Only Child, subjects like grief and pensioners losing the plot don’t sound like a barrel of laughs, but they’re handled beautifully.
Gregor explained: “We avoided mawkish. We’re not making a documentary. It’s a half-hour amusement so we held back on that and played the reality of it.
We look back at some of the best to ever grace the screen.
Fawlty Towers (1975-1979) – Only two series were made of the beloved institution. However, the cultural impact of the series starring John Cleese and Connie Booth spans decades. It follows rude and intolerant Basil Fawlty (Cleese) as he attempts to improve the reputation of his hotel.
Only Fools and Horses (1981-2003) – The show was crowned by some as the best British sitcom of all time by a TV poll in 2004. Seven series were broadcast on BBC until 1991 with additional sporadic Christmas specials airing until 2003. Sir David Jason starred as ambitious market trader Derek “Del Boy” Trotter whilst Nicholas Lyndhurst played his younger half-brother Rodney. Set in working-class Peckham in south-east London, it follows the highs and lows of the lives of the Trotters’, in particular their brazen attempts to get rich.
Blackadder (1983 – 1989) – Four series were made of the iconic show, created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson. Each series spans a different historical period as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder (Atkinson) tries to better himself in each society. Accompanied by his dogsbody Baldrick (Tony Robinson), trouble always ensues. A TV poll in 2004 found that Blackadder was voted the second-best British sitcom of all time
Absolutely Fabulous (1992 – 2012) – Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley star as failing PR guru Edina ‘Eddie’ Monsoon and alcoholic fashionista Patsy Stone. The pair embark on heavy-drinking sessions and abuse drugs in a desperate attempt to stay ‘hip’. Eddie constantly chases bizarre fads and fails to lose weight whilst her disappointed and neglected daughter Saffy (Julia Sawalha) looks on.
Little Britain (2003 – 2006) – The premise is simple. A sketch show which features different British people from all walks of life that are engaged in all sorts of comical scenarios. Starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, the pair created iconic pop culture characters. Viewers loved obnoxious council estate teenager Vicky Pollard, morbidly obese scrounger Bubbles Devere, slimming coach Marjorie Dawes, despondent office worker Carol Beer, disgraced politician Sir Norman Fry, of course the iconic Lou and Andy!
The Catherine Tate Show (2004-2015) – A sketch show starring the likes of Catherine Tate. She made iconic characters such as rowdy schoolgirl Lauren Cooper with her line ‘Am I bovvered?’. Other characters featured Bernie the nurse, the aga saga woman, complaining couple Janice and Ray, and of course her infamous ‘Nan’, Joannie Taylor. The last character herself spawned multiple specials and even a movie.
Gavin and Stacey (2007 – Present) The series tells the story of Gavin (Matthew Horne) and Stacey (Joanna Page). The pair embarked on an online and telephone romance for six months. But when they finally decide to be together properly, their friends and family get in the way. Ruth Jones and James Corden created the beloved show, which has been going for over a decade. The 2019 Christmas special was the most-watched comedy in 17 years and the most-viewed non-sporting event in a decade.
“I hope in these scenes where life and death get talked about, or whatever it is being talked about, we play the truth and move on.”
As well as Gregor and his co-star Greg, Only Child has appearances from Amy Lennox, Stuart Bowman, Clare Barrett, Robin Laing and Paul Rattray, with Jennifer Saunders as the voice of Richard’s acting agent.
Gregor plays Ken, a 71-year-old, strong-willed technophobe living in the north-east coast of Scotland, who has recently lost his wife.
His son, Richard has a part in a daytime drama until his agent casually tells him the show’s over, while he’s back in Scotland visiting Ken, who’s struggling.
Soon Richard’s battling bank call centres for hours about his dad’s forgotten passwords and diffusing tension with Ken’s neighbours.
But could being stuck with dad at least lead to romance for Richard?
Only Child starts tonight at 9.30pm on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
