Gary Turner was a 17-year-old A-level student who came to Coronation Street to visit his aunt Gertie Robson at the Community Centre flat in April 1974. Gary was preparing to sit his exams and leave school, following which he intended to take a course in catering management. However, his parents disapproved of his career choice and tried to push him towards professional football, as he had been playing in amateur teams since he was a boy. After a row on the subject with his father Eric Turner, Gary went to stay with Gertie, with whom he got on better than his parents. Turning up at his aunt's door with a box of chocolates from The Kabin, Gary was allowed to stay at the flat for a while on the condition that he told his parents where he was.