Special Sub-Topic: On The Box...1970s Aussie TV Click Here To Play: On The Box...1970s Aussie TV

Before 'Sale of the Century' Tony Barber was on '$25,000 Great Temptation'. As a child I always thought his co-host's name had something to do with the fact that she was pretty and blonde like a Barbie doll! She was...

Barbie Rogers. If I confessed that before 'Great Temptation' I can remember Bob Dyer's 'BP Pick-a Box' I'd REALLY be showing my age!

I was never a good sleeper as a chid and my Mum used to let me sit up and watch the soap classic 'Number 96'. What Sydney suburb was it set in?

Paddington. I can't remember now who The Pantyhose Murderer was but I do remember that I learned an awful lot about the facts of life from Don, Dudley, Vera and the other No.96 residents!

'Number 96' is one thing, but to let me watch 'The Box' my Mum and Dad really must have been mad. Where was this juicy soap set?

in a TV station. Judy Nunn and Ken James were two of the stars of this 'classic'... the only other things I remember would be censored on a G-rated quiz like this!!

To something more wholesome... which of the following singers did not begin his or her career as a regular on 'Young Talent Time'?

Bon Scott. YTT was a Sunday evening ritual. I bet there's not many people in my age group who can't still sing the closing song word perfectly. I didn't realise for many years that it was a Beatles hit. I thought Johnnie Young had written it himself! "And then while I'm away I'll write home every day..."

My favourite programme in 1973 was the mini-series of Ethel Turner's late 19th century 'Seven Little Australians'. My favourite character by far was the ill-fated Judy(played by Jennifer Cluff). After all her adventures and escapades how does she end up dying?

a tree branch falls on her. This is one of my all-time favourite books and years later I wrote a third year history essay about why a strong, non-conformist 19th century female character like Judy had to be killed off!(I cried and cried!)

When I'd outgrown Young Talent Time, the next weekend ritual was 'Countdown'. How many hits did they actually count down at the end of each show?

the top 10. I loved it so much I was even on the 'Countdown Council'at school (we use to have to interview our friends every Monday and report back to the producers about what was popular and what wasn't - we got a t-shirt and everything!) . My strongest memory is of Abba's 'Fernando' being number one FOREVER!

There were lots of Aussie police dramas in the 70s as well...Homicide, Division Four, Matlock Police. One of the stars of Matlock Police, Paul Cronin, went on to star in a spin-off called...

Solo One. I can't remember much about this one except that he was motorcycle cop. I don't think it lasted very long.

Of course Paul Cronin was even more famous as Dave in The Sullivans. Dave's wife's name was Grace. What was their only daughter called?

Kitty. Grace Sullivan was played by Lorraine Bayley who was a regular on Playschool, which is probably the only one of all these programmes which is still running.

We watched lots of re-runs of American shows as well. My Favorite Martian, Gilligan's Island and Get Smart were all favourites...but F Troop holds a special place in my memory. What was F Troop's inept bugler's name?

Dobbs. I don't think there are any many current American sit-coms that live up to the standard of those classics from the 60s and 70s!

Some of those old comedies might seem a little 'politically incorrect' these days. Advertising standards have changed as well. In the 70s they still advertised cigarettes on TV. Which brand did Paul Hogan star in commercials for?

Winfield. Hoges hadn't long climbed down from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Hollywood and cosmetic surgery were a long way off. Some things change for the better, sadly, some for the worse!