Shirley Tart: Why I won't go back to my old black and white TV

Or do you own something significantly smaller, but still about three times bigger than the first set you ever owned?

Of course, whatever the size or finish, you'll be viewing it in glorious colour.

A big majority of the nation doesn't have any idea that there was ever an alternative to colour anyway. Well, how else would anybody watch?

Unless, that is you are one of the 12,000 householders still switching on in black and white.

Can't you just see all the other little children from their colour TV owning, socially-superior households looking in amazement at their deprived pals who may never know that the Teletubbies come in red, yellow and green?

And as for their mums and dads, how on earth could they decide which settee, new bed or carpet they might choose without a clue on colour?

However, apart from the 12,000 black and white sets in homes, there are hundreds of old ones in the National Media Museum in Bradford. There's even a gang of folk dedicated to preserving the grainy, gloomy and absolutely wonderful invention of John Logie Baird.

Some of the historic footage – like the coronation of the Queen – is mesmerising and so of its time. But who chooses day-to-day viewing by the same medium?

A good few, it appears.

Actually, I think it's quite spirit lifting to know that the whole world isn't permanently hooked up to wrap-around-screens, with optional 3D, plus colour so vivid that it makes technicolour look pale and wan.

In my younger days, a group of us were quite proud to not have a TV at all, or at least have it in a study-like room (my friend Jeff was in the first category, I was in the second). Today, I'll bet the households still viewing in glorious black and white don't have their sets dominating every room and their lives.

But I couldn't go back to one of course, what about Sky Sports?