Top Ten: 80's TV programmes we wish we could still watch

I loved the '80s. True I was a wee slip of a girl and Girl Power hadn't quite gone mainstream, but on the plus side there was the TV.. none of your Teletubbies rubbish, but high quality cartoons with epic story lines and what seemed ground breaking themes. So I dedicate this post to all the best TV* that exists no more.

1. Defenders of the Earth

Set in 2015 which feel frighteningly close, the Defenders of the Earth were a motley crew, comprising of Flash Gordon, Mandrake the Magician and the Phantom amongst others. The others though include their children, the telepathic Jedda and Kisa the panther. She has a love/hate thing going with Rick Gordon (son of Flash) and mostly the kids get into trouble while the adults are off saving the world. A lasting classic.

2. Mysterious Cities of Gold

An oldie but a great show, this never quite achieved mainstream popularity but has a harcdore underground set of incredibly loyal fans, sing with me, Ahhhh-ah-ah-ah-ah, Wishing for the Ci-ties of Go-old,Ahhh-ah-ah-ah-ah,Someday we will find,The Ci-ties of Go-old!' Did I mention it has a kick ass theme tune? Three kids (Esteban, Zia and Tao) are serching for the city, but have to battle evil baddies who want it for their own ends.

3. Thundercats

[Lion-o] Thunder, thunder, thundercats, Ho!
Thundercats are on the move,
Thundercats are loose,
Feel the magic, hear the Roar,
Thundercats are loose.

Probably the most memorable show for kids everywhere, the hundercats still have a massive following. escaping from planet Thundera, the Thundercats crash onto the Third Earth where they must fight the evil wizard Mumm-ra and protect the Eye of the Thunder , a mystical jewel in the hilt of the sword.

4. Dogtanian and the three Muskehounds

'One for all and all for one, Muskehounds are always ready, one for all and all for one, helping everybody..' Gods, they really knew how to write a tune back then! For those who don't remember, Dogtanian is our hero and him and his loyal Muskehounds (Musketeers) fight evil, have fun, and try to win the love of the princess.

5. Count Duckula

Poor Count Duckula! Born a vegetariian vampire he is hounded by those who just can't understanding his harmless habits, and stalked by the evil Dr Von Goosewing who tries to kill him. Count Duckula has faithful followers however in the form of his butler, Igor andhis housekeeper Nanny, and together they travel the world.

6. Inspector Gadget

Who didn't love this great show (despite the terrible movie remake) mainly because Penny was a completely adorable character and showed tech savvyness and maturity beyond her years saving her uncle over and over again; oh and pulling off those cute ponytails. Plus Brain her dog was a totally top pooch.

7.Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles

Way before the word ninja even got a look in, we had the mutant turtles, with an emphasis on the teenage part. They had food fight, ate pizza and loved to party, and my favourite was always the slightly geeky Donatello (he wore purple and liked gadgets: was that a sign), as well as competed for the affections of April, the intrepid girl reporter who I idolized. Good hearted clean fun.. even if I sometimes wanted Shredder to succeed.

8. Bananman 'This is 29, Acacia Road. And this is Eric, the schoolboy who leads an exciting double life. For when Eric eats a banana, an amazing transformation occurs. Eric is Bananaman. Ever alert for the call to action.' So the show started and it only got sillier from then on. The best part of it was that even though Bananman was now a world famous superhero he was incredibly brainless and more often than not slipping on his own bananskins. He would have died many of times if not for his long suffering sidekick Crow (who was a crow) who saved his bananas time and time again; proving that without a sidekick you are nothing.

9. T- Bag

Who could forget the eponymous T-shirt, the hapless assistant to the evil T-bag. Despite the show following the same formula every time; Witch loses objects, young girl tries to collect them, counters witch and befriends T-shirt, the show was always engaging and entertaining and made after school TV a much better place to be.

10. Knightmare

Everytime I watched this show I would get myself into a right palaver, shouting, 'left, LEFT! the sidestep right', at the screen, till the intrepid explorer either died in the virtual world or had to ask ask his guides a question. The clang of the bells for the goblins will haunt me forever, and I forever regretted that I didn't apply to participate. Thankfully, the show has now returned to obscure times of the morning on Challenge TV so you can enjoy it there.

* I realize that some of you will be outraged at the fact that some shows have not been included in this list, and I justify that with the fact that there are sooo many great TV shows from that decade and the ones I have picked are my top ten; not yours. On the other hand, feel free to suggest any shows you remember fondly.