Many people will generally hide their love of repeat tv. Retro, drama, musicals, crime, films – doesn’t matter what the genre – there’s a certain embarrassment in admitting watching repeats.

However, so much factual knowledge can be contained within retro fictional tv!

Did you know Thomas Hardy started out as an architect?

Did you know he was charged with moving all the disturbed headstones of displaced corpses formed during the railway development of Kings Cross and St Pancras?

Did you know instead of throwing away all of the headstones, Thomas arranged them in a circular design at the base of a tree in St Pancras Churchyard which you can still see today?

I didn’t know any of these  facts until watching a repeat of a retired fictional police drama whilst on my cross-trainer (walking, not running!)

The episode featured The Fleet River in London – which still runs under the City.  Did you know about this? – I didn’t.

My history interest was spiked just by distracting my mind whilst exercising and watching a 10 year old repeat.

I’ve learnt more about the City in which I live and more about Thomas Hardy – who I never knew was a trainee architect.

So, don’t be embarrassed by what you watch.  Open your eyes and your mind.  There will be something new to learn.

Knowledge is all around us but often we don’t see it unless we consciously look.

So, what do you watch?