It takes me five hours of travelling each day - two and a half hours each way, door to door - to get to and from the office, now that I'm working in London.

That includes four hours of coach travel a day. If on-demand downloadable television hadn't been invented, I don't know how I'd cope.

I used to think on-demand TV (like the BBC's iPlayer and Channel 4's 4OD) was a bit gimmicky, and that nobody really wanted to watch stuff whenever they felt like it. What would be the point? It'd be a phenomenal waste of time.

But then I discovered it proves incredibly handy for passing time on a coach and, in fact, makes you feel like you're making use of time you'd otherwise waste. Now, each night, I go to iPlayer and 4OD and make sure I've got at least three hours of brand new telly on my laptop ready for the morning, plus a DVD or two for good measure.

This week's menu has been:

Tuesday: QI, Family Guy, Have I Got News For You, Film 2007
Wednesday: Family Guy, Outtake TV, Top Gear
Thursday: Cranford, Family Guy, Sound
Friday: Waterloo Road, Cranford, Peep Show, The £800,000,000 Railway Station

Funny how shows like Cranford, the new BBC period drama with a hint of comedy, suddenly appeal when you know you can watch them at your leisure. I wouldn't have touched that with a bargepole if sat at home in front of the box. But stick me on a crowded coach in Friday evening rush-hour traffic, and escape to a Cheshire village in 1842 has a remarkable quality to it. And what a first episode, too! Loved it.

Already I'm planning next week's schedule - see, they talk about this in terms of "let the audience create the schedule", and they're actually bloody right!

The first three episodes of new Channel 4 series Nearly Famous, alongside a documentary on the Antarctic, another episode of QI and the latest Film 2007, are all ready and waiting. Plus I'll be having episode two of Cranford on Sunday night, and anything else that looks tasty.

Then, come another 5.30am start on Monday, I'll settle back, relax, and watch the telly I was too knackered to stay up for all last week. And anyway, why on earth would you want to watch telly when the broadcasters tell you to? Funny how a little experience can change an opinion, isn't it.