[Nickthedentist]

For me, it was the smell furniture polish combined with that of a freshly-unwrapped new E-180 VHS cassette, specially bought from Woolworths, for mum or dad to record something special on our then-new Hitachi VT-11E video. That, and it's quiet, reassuring whirr, with its LEDs glowing away in the corner, the hiss of the gas fire and the purr of the cat.

My brother and I had to make do with the E-60 which came with the machine to record Knight Rider, The A-Team, The Goodies, The Young Ones, Benny Hill, The Kenny Everett Television Show or whatever we considered might be worth watching twice.