This week’s sitting of the House of Keys began with a tribute to former member and broadcaster Roger Watterson who died last week at the age of 77.

Mr Watterson (pictured below) served the constituency of Middle for five years from 1976 when he was one of 13 new members elected that year at the age of 34.

Leading the tribute was Speaker Juan Watterson who praised his ’wicked sense of humour’.

During the passing of a Bill for Greece’s accession into the European Community when 22,000 pages of secondary legislation had to be translated into Greek, Mr Watterson had remarked that ’many people are convinced that a great deal of European Economic Community legislation up to this point was written in Greek’.

The Speaker reflected on Mr Watterson’s 25 years on the Sunday Opinion and Mannin Line programmes on Manx Radio where he ’grilled guests’ and his ’insightful and persistent questioning done with unrelenting pleasantness hit its mark’.

Mr Speaker added: ’Roger’s interests were many and varied, but he will undoubtedly be remembered for his passion for Manx politics.’

Mr Watterson was born in 1942 and attended Douglas High School for Boys, cutting his teeth in business with FW Woolworth until 1964 when he branched out into broadcasting, publishing and film making.

Alongside his hosting of Sunday political shows, Mr Watterson was also known for his election night coverage on behalf of Manx Radio.