SUPER Ted was an 80s kids’ TV show which charted the adventures of a cartoon teddy bear, who could fly thanks to rocket-powered feet.

And today (Thursday) a modern TV show, fronted by Top Gear star Richard Hammond, will attempt to revisit the idea of a supersonic soft toy, thanks to a boffin from the University of Hertfordshire.

Today’s episode of Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab, on CBBC at 5.45pm, will feature the university’s Ray Wilkinson.

Engineer Ray will be demonstrating the immense power of a rocket motor and will try to make the teddy bear break the sound barrier.

Ray and his team are also working on a dual fuel rocket which could provide technology suitable for a rocket to Mars and it is said it will “have a negative carbon footprint”.

Last year, Ray and a student team also developed a rocket which was powered by toffee and a sled which has reached more than 1,200mph in around a third of a second.

Rocketry started at the university in October 2005.

Ray said: “Our work in this field shows that engineering can be fun and can be used to develop novelty projects and the very same propellants can then be used to construct a space shuttle.”