Alex was born and grew up in Bellshill in Lanarkshire, near Glasgow. His mum and dad were Robert and Margaret, and he grew up with his sisters Anne and Cissie, and brother Robert. He was a pupil at Bellshill Academy and then did an apprenticeship at Belmos, where he trained to be an electrical engineer. During his youth he was a keen footballer, like so many young men from this part of Lanarkshire. He played for the Busby Rovers and became a Rangers supporter. He married local girl Janice in November 1970, and they had two children, Jan and Lorraine.

Things didn’t work out as planned and he travelled down south to find work, where he spent many happy hours working on the electrics in London Underground (his most common anecdotes were based on these jobs), and also spent some time working abroad in Dubai. He ended up in Nottingham, where he married Doreen, and they spent many happy years in their small flat in the city. He started going to watch Forest play and enjoyed their holidays to visit Doreen’s son in New Zealand, friends in Weymouth, and his family back in Scotland. After he retired in 2015, he liked nothing more than getting a tram and meeting up with friends for a pint.