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Ian Robertson's parents were both doctors. His father, Frank, was a consultant physician at Bishop Auckland General Hospital and his mother, Jean, worked in child health. Ian was the eldest of three, with two younger sisters, Heather and Elspeth. The family grew up in Bishop Auckland, where he attended Etherley Lane Primary School, then Bow School in Durham and Lees School in Cambridge.
In 1969 he went to Newcastle University to study economics but soon realised that this was not for him and that he actually wanted to be a general practitioner, having had insight into the life from his uncle Cliff, who was a GP. However, he did not have the necessary entry subjects to study medicine, so he left university, studied, and obtained the required A levels at a local college. He reapplied to university, and Newcastle medical school was persuaded of his commitment and accepted him. He had to work very hard to achieve this, and it was not easy for him, but it was an early example of his drive and tenacity once he had decided on a course of action.
He met his wife, Viv, while walking in the Cheviots with the student walking society in their first month at university. They married in 1975 while he was a medical student.
He completed his vocational training on the Northumbria vocational training scheme, working in Newcastle and Northumberland and in...