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The comedian was easily distracted at school, but fortunately his English teacher knew how to channel his interests.
Mrs McMurray was tall and willowy with a kind face. I guess she was in her mid-forties. Between ourselves we called her Deirdre - I can't remember why we gave her that nickname. Her real first name was Alice.
She stands out for me because she treated students as young adults; she was never patronising or condescending. I think she saw us as trainee citizens and her job was to prepare us as best she could for the future.
She was my English teacher at the Harris Academy in Dundee for two years in the early 1990s and she was passionate about literature and the arts. I wasn't good at maths or science, but I loved English language and music. She could see that - and she encouraged me. My written English was appalling, I couldn't spell and I found reading difficult, but she helped me to improve.
I had...