When the telly told us what time it was.

Before ‘just one more episode’, there was being on the sofa at the right time. How television went from a shared ritual to an endless choice.

There was a time when watching television meant making an appointment. You checked the listings, found your programme and made sure you were there. Miss it, and the conversation at school the next morning might make very little sense.

The television was a piece of furniture as much as a screen. It took up a corner of the living room, often wrapped in woodgrain, and everyone negotiated over what went on it. There was choice, just not an endless amount of it.

Then the video recorder changed the rules. We could record something, watch it later and build a slightly chaotic library of handwritten labels. Provided, of course, nobody recorded over the thing you wanted to keep. Even freedom came with a timer to programme.

Now a whole evening can disappear into choosing what to watch. Films, box sets, clips and recommendations compete for attention. It is extraordinary that so much is available whenever we want it. It is also surprisingly easy to watch separately, each on a different screen.

What changed was not just the technology. It was the rhythm. Television used to give people a shared timetable. Today it fits around our individual lives. Both have their pleasures — but there was something special about knowing everyone would be talking about the same programme tomorrow.

Perhaps that is the bit worth bringing back: choosing something together, putting the phones down and making an occasion of it. No woodgrain cabinet required.