The National Archives of Malta posted a reminder that today marks 43 years since the first consignment of colour television sets arrived in Malta. Before 26th June 1981, it was illegal to possess a television set that was not in black and white.

Television Malta began transmitting in colour soon after, from July 8th, although few benefitted from this at first, as back then colour televisions were still quite expensive and difficult to obtain.

A few years later, the colour TV became more commonplace in Maltese households, so television owners could enjoy broadcasts from the national stations, as well as the Italian RAI, in colour.

Given the endless choices that modern televisions provide, it’s hard to believe that all this was happening just over 40 years ago!

Do you remember televisions in black and white?