It’s inevitable that as children we’re influenced by what we see, hence the importance of parental control. There wasn’t much sex or violence on TV in the 70s…at least not on South African television.

South Africa in the 70s was insular and closed. Media was heavily censored. TV was only introduced in the late 70s. These TV shows opened things up a little for those fortunate few who had a TV.

Which 70s shows do you remember fondly?

Little House on the Prairie – Every Sunday night the whole family gathered around the TV to watch the latest episode. My sister and I identified with the Ingalls sisters – me with Mary, being the eldest. It was because of this series that we started calling my Mom and Dad, Ma and Pa. We still do. Enjoy the video below of the opening and closing music and credits.

MacGyver – I had a crush on Richard Dean Anderson. Because of him I started carrying a swiss army knife in my bag. And paperclips. I never knew when I’d need them – any tool would do!

Emergency! – This was when I discovered the existence of paramedics. I was bitterly disappointed that I couldn’t dial 911 from South Africa.

Chopper One – It didn’t last longer than 1 season. I had a crush on Dirk Benedict. At one stage I wanted to learn how to fly a helicopter. I never did.