I’m really liking Dancing the Stars this year.  Not only do I get to snigger at David Seymour’s dancing (okay, I’ll give him credit for giving it a good go), but I get to cheer on three of my childhood heroes.

Robbie Rakete  

As a child of the 80s and 90s, I grew up watching Robbie on TV as the host of RTR Countdown.  Watching the weekly music countdown used to be a ‘big thing’ on Saturdays, so seeing this upbeat, chatty, brown guy (yay, a face I could relate to!) made the show all the more appealing.  He also had super long hair and wore rad clothing too.

Chris Harris  

I don’t think many people know that I used to religiously watch the one-day and test matches on TV.  When I was about 10 or 11 mum and dad bought me a ‘Don Bradman’ cricket bat for my birthday…  Hmmm, I’m sure this random request baffled them greatly.  I remember Chris Harris well from the 1992 Cricket World Cup.  His loopy bowling and swashbuckling batting style had me trying to copy his technique in the backyard.  He always seemed happy-go-lucky on the field too.

Suzy Cato 

Most people (children) remember Suzy from ‘You and Me’ and ‘Suzy’s World’,  “It’s our time, Kia ora, Talofa, it’s our time, a special time of day”, but I remember her most from the Early Bird Show.  EBS was pretty silly.  It featured wacky puppets including Kiri Kea and the wonderfully annoying Russell Rooster.  Suzy played the role of the calm host and she was ultra good at keeping Kiri and Russell in check.

Watching these childhood heroes has been a real blast from the past and such welcome relief from the onslaught of reality TV celebrities.  I mean, when have they ever championed music, achieved sporting success, or positively impacted on the growth and learning of young people?

Childhood memories are important and enduring, so I feel grateful that many of them are positive and inspiring.  The TV producers clearly have tapped in the Gen X, Gen Y generations and I’m sure many of us we be rooting for Robbie, Chris and Suzy.

Call me nostalgic, call me retro, call me Al.  I don’t care if they’re not the strongest dancers in the show.  The feel good factor is high and these three have definitely got my vote.

One final thing to ponder…

Will Suzy rule the roost?!  #teamsuzy