And thus, it came to pass, the "repeat" became a small cog in the great wheel of television.
Today, with what seems like 7000 channels all running for 28 hours a day, they are no longer a small cog.
They are a necessary staple, because there would simply be no other way to produce enough screen copy to fill all those channels for all that time.
Repeats and the eventual arrival of big-screen movies ... and then even the movies eased their way into the landscape of "the repeat".
There is indeed, a lot of it about, but they are like anything on television.
If you don't want to see them, simply don't look their way.
But something out there will hook someone ... again.
As I have been on several occasions with Fawlty Towers, Dad's Army, Last of the Summer Wine and Only Fools and Horses.
Oh if only they'd unearth the Steptoe and Son file ... and Bootsie and Snudge.
But I really don't want to see M*A*S*H any more (it's on about its fifth or sixth round) and I'm well over feature films like Jaws.
But hey, each to their own.
And repeats can be very handy.
When Ridley Scott's Alien came out in 1980 on the big screen we were looking forward to going and seeing it because it sounded really cool.
So I went and had a major motorcycle crash and ended up in hospital and that was that.
So when it was eventually advertised as making its first appearance on television several years later I stayed off the bike for a fortnight before the scheduled screen time.
Being catapulted down the road at high speed was one repeat I did not want ... although I have to say the hospital tucker was pretty good.
Television today is a landscape of repeats.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
But for those who created or starred in hugely successful shows which are constantly on the repeat circuit somewhere, there's nothing to complain about.
Jerry Seinfeld made a very wise decision when he pulled the pin on his quirky show Seinfeld when it was at its peak about 15 years ago.
Because people couldn't get enough of it and just wanted more.
So they got more ... more re-runs.
And what did Jerry get out of it?
Well, estimates indicate that he and co-creator Larry David have earned about $560 million each in syndication deals with networks wanting to run them all again.
That's half-a-billion ... each.
No wonder he's always smiling.
Ditto for Larry David ... these lads are grin machines.
So anyway, over the next three nights across the free-viewing TV1, 2, 3 and Prime there are 21 repeats through the evening hours but don't despair if you miss one you really wanted to catch up with again ... it'll probably be back on in a fortnight.
ON THE BOX
● Walliams and Friend, TV1 at 9.40pm Thursday: David Walliams, I think it would be fair to say, is every so slightly "out there".
He is equally comfortable wearing make-up and a floral skirt as he is wearing a serious face and sensible trousers. And accordingly, he can step into many a diverse role and create many a colourful (occasionally bewildering) situation.
This is the pilot for the six-part series which follows and it's all about Walliams teaming up with a colleague, a friend, from the entertainment landscape and rolling out skits and sketches before a live audience.
In this entree to the following six-courses he links in with Joanna Lumley so it could be interesting. Further down the road he will link with the likes of Harry Enfield, Miranda Richardson and Hugh Bonneville.
● Iti Pounamu, Maori TV at 10.15pm Friday: These are indeed iti pounamu - small treasures. Short films created by Kiwis.
Written, acted, filmed and generally produced by aspiring storytellers and filmmakers. Telling a story, any story, and getting the message behind it all through in just 15 minutes on screen is a great challenge, and therefore a great foot in the door of creativity for those who make them.
They come from a creative head and heart, and it's great to see our talent being showcased here.
This one is about a 14-year-old lad who has to make a decision - to stay and protect his younger siblings in an abusive environment, or get out, take off, and begin to live a new life on his terms.
● Sherlock, TV1 at 8.30pm on Sunday: This is kind of like a traditional old English drama, one once draped in tweed and smart hats, being rolled out in the acting sense by a couple of pop stars.
Which I guess is what it is.
The sage-like and perceptive Sherlock Holmes and his curmudgeonly assistant Watson are played by the highly recognisable faces Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman - and while purists may disapprove it has to be said that the result is very good and very watchable.
I mean ... 12 Baftas and seven Emmys ... something's working.
