The National Archives on Wednesday recalled the arrival of the first consignment of colour televisions in Malta, on June 26, 1981.

The importation of colour TV sets had been illegal up to that time. Television Malta started transmissions in colour on July 8 of that year.

Malta was in the run-up to a general election in 1981 and the introduction of colour televisions - way behind most European countries - was not without controversy.

Importation was restricted to one type of television and one brand - Grundig. Distribution was tightly controlled by the government and there were many reports of political favouritism, with people paying Lm50 over the sales price to get their hands on one.