Remote controls: questions and Band 8 answers

Yes, pretty much every evening, to be honest. I usually reach for the television remote as soon as I sit on the sofa after work. Just yesterday, I spent ages flicking through different channels trying to find a decent documentary to unwind with.

Mainly the telly and the soundbar in my living room, but I have also got one for the air conditioning unit in the bedroom. It is really handy during the summer months because I can adjust the temperature without actually having to get out of bed.

Oh, all the time! They always seem to slip down the side of the sofa cushions or end up under a pile of magazines. Last week, I spent a good twenty minutes hunting for the remote, only to realise my flatmate had left it on the kitchen counter.

Not nearly as much as I do now. We only had one main remote for our chunky old television set, and my parents were usually the ones in charge of it. My brother and I were always squabbling over who got to change the channel.

I would definitely go for a physical one. While phone apps can be convenient if you misplace the real thing, I find tapping on a touchscreen a bit fiddly without proper buttons to press. A traditional remote just feels far more tactile and responsive.

I suspect they might slowly die out. Voice-activated gadgets and smart home systems are becoming so popular that we probably will not need handheld devices anymore. In ten years, I imagine we will just tell our appliances what to do instead.