Wow! I mean wow. I had no idea so many of us tuned into the same radio shows. I thought it was only our family that sang ‘Have a go, Joe,’ at the wireless or yelled ‘open the box’ during Take Your Pick. How wrong I was.

I’ve been inundated with your emails telling me how important these shows were to your family. One farmer told me they had to finish milking before 7pm so they could listen to the Archers and dozens of you filled me on K-E-Y-N- S-H-A-M and Horace Batchelor’s Famous Infra-Draw method.

(Did you ever meet anyone who won money as a result of this?)

Did you know that Jimmy Clitheroe’s radio show The Clitheroe Kid had over 10 million listeners at it’s peak? Imagine that today. Not even the evergreen Terry Wogan could match that. Only a few current day TV shows get anywhere near it.

What was Jimmy Clitheroe’s sister called? I know her boyfriend was the gormless Alfie Hall and the butt of little Jimmy’s jokes but I can’t remember the name of his sister.

Sitting by the fire in my grandparents sitting room it never occurred to me half of Britain was listening to the same programmes as us. To be honest it hadn’t fully registered until I received your avalanche of emails.

Of course, you and I didn’t know each other back then but we were united via the radio. Now we can exchange memories and catchphrases like old pals.

That’s pretty damn good in my book. Julie, my local newsagent wanted to know who created the catch phrase ‘where’s my shirt?’ Any ideas? Okay, I’ll tell you – it was Doddy. He had a great run on radio didn’t he?

My dad loved Al Reed. Remember that sketch where an owner tells a terrified postman to make friends with his dog by rolling him over with his foot?

"Go on, roll him over. Don’t be scared, roll him over." (Lots of aggressive barking.) "That’s it, roll him over" (Loud menacing growls.) "Look, he likes you." (Frenzied snarling and snapping.)

"Now, try and take your foot away."

Those old radio shows touched us far deeper than I ever imagined. A lady in Tesco told me she’d been singing ‘Have a go, Joe’, all day since reading my column. It’s been a real eye-opener.

Sunday was Radio Luxembourg night when I had a bath and listened to the ‘Ovaltineys’ who were very ‘happy girls and boys.’ (Wonder what they put in that stuff?)

Rediffusion seemed to supply the only radio on which to reliably receive Luxembourg. I know ours was a brown Bakelite set with a strange clicking switch screwed to our window sill on which we changed channels. Sounds ancient now but it worked pretty well.

Quite a few of you reminded me about Quatermass and Journey into Space. How scary were they to little kids? I used to hide when my dad tuned in. Saturday morning was a must. Uncle Mack played songs about a Bold Hippopotamus and a Laughing Policeman (imagine that). Sunday lunchtime was Two Way Family Favourites with messages and requests for our troops stationed around the globe (wasn’t Jean Metcalf involved in this?)

Round the Horn was very popular in our house my mum loved Julian and Sandy. (I’m not sure she understood the double entendre but it made her laugh.)

Radio entertained, informed and united us in a way TV never would. We used our imagination to paint pictures that became part of the shows we loved.

Many that transferred to television didn’t make it and maybe it’s as well. I prefer to think of Jimmy Clitheroe as a cheeky little kid not a diminutive adult.

I preferred the characters I’d created in my mind, they were so much better than those on TV.

Thanks to all those early radio stars for great shows and a BIG thanks to you for sharing your wonderful memories with me.