Fred Jackson was the owner and manager of Jackson's Chip Shop in Victoria Street in the 1960s. He lived in the flat above the shop with wife Mary. In February 1961 he was his usual lugubrious self, complaining that they'd only had six customers since opening but his more cheerful wife pointed out that that was usual and the first house at the Luxy Cinema would soon be coming out. A few days later, several customers including Minnie Caldwell and Martha Longhurst complained about their wait in the queue and asked if he was suffering the same gas pressure problems that they were. Fred told them that they were cooked by electricity and that chips couldn't be hurried.