Five things we’ll miss about analogue TV

The traditional television signal has been gradually switched off across the UK in the last few years. Today, for parts of Northern Ireland, analogue closed.

It will be replaced by a stronger Freeview signal. Everyone affected will have to change to Freeview, cable or satellite or face a blank screen.

Although it's great to have the choice digital TV brings, I'm going to miss aspects of analogue telly.

Wasting time on Bamboozle

Before the internet became such a fundamental part of everyday life, television viewers relied on Teletext and Ceefax pages for instant fixes of news, entertainment and TV listings.

Who remembers pressing '120' into the remote to find out details about the next episode of EastEnders? In addition, there was a hidden gem tucked away in Channel 4's Teletext that many enjoyed: Bamboozle.

Bamboozle was a quiz game I played if I had 10 minutes or so before my favourite show started. Over the years, it developed a strong cult following. I remember going up against my Dad and sister and attempting to answer tricky general knowledge questions. Bamboozle will be missed!

Being scared by the static TV screen

If you haven't switched over to digital yet, you'll be seeing a lot more of your static television screen in the near future. But for many others, it's a thing of the past. I will miss the static screen purely for the 'spook factor'.

I remember falling asleep watching a scary movie only to be woken up by the eerie glow of the static screen, accompanied by the creepy 'shhhhhh' sound. OK, maybe I've watched the Poltergeist movies too many times...

Being even more scared by the 'clown and girl test card'

One of the creepiest things on TV was the dreaded 'clown and girl test card', otherwise known as Test Card F. It was the BBC test card screen showing a young girl playing noughts and crosses with a clown dummy. It popped up on our screens when there were technical difficulties or when nothing was scheduled to be shown. I reckon they just used it when the BBC guys fancied giving us a fright!

Having a set TV structure

The saying that quality is better than quantity certainly applies to TV channels. Countless times I've sat on my sofa flicking through the never-ending list of channels only to find a selection of brain-numbing rubbish - Toddlers And Tiaras anyone? No thanks.

Sure, back in the analogue era our choices were limited, but maybe that was a good thing. These days you can watch what you want, when you want. More channels, but strangely - less worth watching.

Recording shows onto a VCR

These days, all you need to do is hit a button to record all your favourite television shows. Prior to digital and DVRS, it was VCRs. Yes, they were clunky (and timing it to record was sometimes unreliable), but oddly, I miss the sense of excitement I used to get rewinding the tape, knowing that I would be watching my favourite show in a matter of minutes.

Of course, VCR recordings often caused arguments - you couldn't change the channel while recording and I can vividly recall the fights I had with my sister after she recorded over my latest episode of Buffy. Still, these are the kind of memories I will treasure. Along with Teletext and Ceefax. It really is goodbye to analogue.

• On Bing: Find out more on the analog-digital switch over