LET ME ILLUMINATE YOU...

That shy and retiring, newly married Mr Robbie Williams is in my home town tonight. After calling round to my house for his tea and a quick snog, he'll be on Blackpool's promenade at 9pm to switch on Blackpool's famous illuminations. Robbie will be joined by Alesha Dixon, Russell Watson, Gabriella Cilmi and the Plain White T's. Great line up, pity Blackpool Council decided to put a free-for-all ticket only event. Pity still they couldn't give a high allocation of tickets to Blackpool residents who after all a fair proportion of their council tax towards the yearly illuminations (which incidentally is FREE to those who visit the town).
The illuminations will be shining bright for the next 66 nights. They started as a way of drawing in visitors for a few more weeks following the summer season. As kids and even as locals, to travel down 'the lights' each year was a heady, wildy exciting prospect. We'd have our baths early and mum would put us in pyjamas and we'd be loaded in the back of our car and head off for Starr Gate which was the start of the illuminations. Being the youngest, I could always be guaranteed to fall asleep by Starr Gate and miss most of the lights until the tableaux which was the highlight of the the lights nearing the end at Bispham. The tableaux were the animated displays which still delight young and old. The illuminations 'treat' would then be finished off at the chippy in Bispham where I would miraculously wake up at the prospect of chips and dandelion and burdock. I still go down the lights each year and still hope that I will one day manage to travel in style on one of Blackpool's illuminated trams. The rocket being my personal favourite is the one tram I've got my eye on. 
So Robbie heads this year's list as famous celebs who have switched on Blackpool's illuminations. Here's some of the people in the past who have flicked the switch....


1977 Red Rum
1978 Terry Wogan 
1979 Kermit the Frog 
1983 Cast of Coronation Street 
1985 Joanna Lumley 
1986 Les Dawson 
1989 Frank Bruno 
1992 Lisa Stansfield 
1993 Status Quo 
1994 Shirley Bassey 
1995 Bee Gees
1999 Gary Barlow
2000 Westlife
2007 David Tennant and Billie Piper
2008 Top Gear presenters
2009 Alan Carr