ALTHOUGH I don’t in general subscribe to the ‘everything was better in my day’ school of thought when talking to my children, there are some things that I am sad they will never experience.

Yes, it’s true they can communicate using live video streaming on their phones with someone on the other side of the world, which is pretty amazing.

Tech in general is light years ahead of what we had growing up; there was hysteria in our house when we got a Binatone videogame console ... which basically involved playing ‘tennis’ by batting a square from one side of the screen to another until someone missed it. The hours just flew by.

Technological advancements in the past three or four decades have been rapid and relentless. Journalists can now file their stories using their mobiles or laptops from anywhere they wish. I used to have to queue to get into a foul-smelling telephone box, then reverse the charges and read out my copy to a woman sat at a typewriter in the newsroom, while people waiting to use the phone glowered at me from outside.

But please don’t weep for me.

Because us kids of the 70s had something that no youngster nowadays is lucky enough to experience: children’s TV in the six-week summer holidays.

If you’re 45 or over, the thought of programmes like The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, The Flashing Blade, Why Don’t You?, Flash Gordon, Marine Boy and Heidi will probably spark a shiver of nostalgic delight.

These were very often foreign TV series (The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe and The Flashing Blade were French as I recall, both with memorable theme tunes) which seemed to have a billion episodes each.

I was stunned to discover recently they both had just a dozen.

But the best-ever summer holiday programme was without doubt The Banana Splits.

It’s hard to describe this programme to anyone who hasn’t seen it without sounding like you’re on drugs, but basically it followed the ‘zany’ exploits of four costumed hosts Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky.

The show was notable for its catchy theme tune (Tra la la, la la la la... One Banana, Two Banana etc) and animated segments which included The Arabian Knights and The Three Musketeers.

It was produced in 1968 by Hanna-Barbera, a company more famous for lots of classic cartoons, most of which unfortunately aren’t shown on TV any more.

These cartoons included well known ones like Top Cat, Wacky Races, Hong Kong Phooey, Yogi Bear and The Flintstones.

But there were also other gems like Huckleberry Hound, Pixie and Dixie, Help!... It’s the Hair Bear Bunch, It’s the Wolf, and Dastardly and Muttley, which featured Stop the Pigeon.

This was a time before cricket moved to satellite TV, so test matches were shown in full on BBC1, which meant days at a time with a cut-down TV schedule.

Today’s children can’t possibly imagine the euphoric feeling of hearing the continuity announcer declare: “Today’s cricket is postponed because of rain, so instead we will be showing a full-length Doctor Who story."

What joy. I’d take that over the latest iPhone any day of the week.