I wish I were a spaceman...

Col. Steve Zodiac, Venus and Zooni.

The three lovable marionettes created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson caught my imagination early. In the days before cable tv, the adventures of the little explorers amused me and my younger siblings. We watched the show with the kind of devotion not seen in our household (for TV shows, at least) anymore.  

I remember once sitting behind my baby brother on a motorbike. As I held on for dear life, I remember feeling like I was Zooni clutching the gorgeous Venus as they sped away on their bike into outer space. I wrote a poem about it then.

Fireball XL5 turns up in our lives in the funniest ways. Just a couple of days ago, my sister in India sent me a text message late at night saying that they were watching a DVD of the series. I was nostalgic. Childhood was so much fun.

The series has long disappeared from TV screens. I do wish they would reintroduce it - even an occasional episode on a children's channel would do. It would make a change from all the rubbish that kids these days are exposed to.

Fans like me need not worry though - thanks to YouTube, we can see episodes and hear the marvellous song again.

 "I wish I were a spaceman, the fastest guy alive.."

Me too.