The “Totally Tropical Taste” is no more as the Tameside Radio presenter reminisces, and talks about THAT press conference over the pond in the US…

Nostalgia is a strange thing. It's difficult to bottle or define, but in the case of the soft drink brand Lilt being scrapped after almost 50 years, I felt a palpable sense of sadness when I read the news. Why is that?

I suppose it's partly down to childhood memories of the exotic TV commercials, and a can of pop being a real treat after hours playing out on my BMX bike.

The "Lilt Man" was all over our tiny telly screens in the late 1980s. Essentially a parody of a milkman, delivering the soft drink in a "Lilt Float" on some far-flung Caribbean beach. It was a taste of a faraway paradise. Or at least that's what the marketing led us to believe, and as an 11 year old watching the advert, who was I to argue?

Fanta Grapefruit & Pineapple is a rubbish name. I will refuse to call it that. I rushed to Tesco Oldham on Valentine's Day after hearing the news, and was surprised to find at 6:25AM that I was just in time to swipe the final bottle from their shelves. It seems other eager early birds had done the same thing.

I also spotted several blokes taking care of their Valentine's Day purchases. I hope they weren't hoping to add a bottle of Lilt to the present pile, for I was holding the final one in Oldham that morning. It cost me £1, and I'm unsure whether to pour it over crushed ice or stick it on eBay.

We're told the rebrand is to make Lilt "fit in with the Fanta family". Who writes this nonsense? I didn't realise that, aside from Ireland, Gibraltar and the Seychelles, Lilt didn't make it across the border to many other countries, let alone tropical ones.

As much as I love a Fanta lemon, which used to be a treat you could only buy on holiday, I will miss the "Totally Tropical Taste" and a name that's been around since I was born.

Our attachment to brands is definitely an emotional one, and they are often tied up with memories. The ingredients and the taste may not change under the new moniker, but buying a can just won't feel the same. There's a reason why Morrisons brought back a limited edition retro edition of the Marathon bar in 2020. I'm pretty sure the same happened for Opal Fruits at one point, too.

The only thing guaranteed in life is change, but Lilt's demise feels like a rebrand almost as bad as when the Post Office changed its name briefly to Consignia. Remember that?! It cost £2 million to ditch a name that had been around for 350 years. We were told at the time it would attract new business, but it was a bigger flop than a misguided Chinese weather balloon shot down by the US President.

Talking of which, the most surreal Press Conference took place at the White House since the days of President Trump this week.

To quote Karin Jean-Pierre in her address to the media: "I know there have been questions and concerns about this, but there is no indication of alien or extra terrestrial activity with this takedown...I love ET the movie, but I'm just gonna leave it there". There was some giggling in the room, and understandably so. At times, it feels like the world has lost its marbles.

Imagine if ET landed onto this island where we are still searching for Brexit benefits seven years later, ruled by politicians who forget to declare millions on their tax returns, in a Parliament where you can deny parties took place but you can't use the word 'liar'. I reckon he'd be phoning home in no time for an Uber.

I love this country, but my goodness the state of it makes me feel sad at times. Perhaps the end of the road for Lilt has sent me into this deep spiral of thought. I think I'll make a nice cup of tea instead. That always makes everything better. Unless you put the milk in first, in which case see me after class. Have a good week.

You can listen to Alex every weekday from 7am to 11am and on Saturdays from 3pm to 6pm, on Tameside Radio 103.6FM.