Final months

The Final Months,Due to the high cost of the internal Decca TV parts, Keracolor decided to start supplying their dealership network with non-working display models, these had false (GRP) silver screens fitted, these were also sold as marketing tools for a number of companies and charities, whereby a slot was cut in the false screen for people to insert completed questionnaires or donations to the charity, the 12” model was also used by a company making children’s toys. In late 1976, Keracolor’s technical director Howard Taylor decided to leave, although he carried on working within the television industry for many years. In early 1977 a local television repair company was employed to install the Decca internal components into the final remaining 20 cabinets to complete an export order for the Middle East, this was to be the very last run of original Keracolors Television. ​The Keracolor range of television sets was described in their 1970 sales brochure as “the most comprehensive offered by any manufacturer in the world”. Unfortunately, despite the company’s efforts to expand, Keracolor did sell a large numbers of TV’s during their seven years in business, it was claimed around 15000 were this figure seem very high considering the weekly production numbers. Nonetheless, the Keracolor Television remains one of the most innovative television receiver designs ever offered to the public, and a product reflecting the popular culture of its time – as expressed in television and film by The Prisoner (1967-1968), and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 (1968) among others. Keracolor ultimately served an exclusive “niche market”, a fact which, despite their hopes of entering the mainstream market, a fact acknowledged in one of the company’s first sales pitches – Keracolor “a colour receiver for the connoisseur”. Over their seven-year production run Keracolor made a number of special orders, including five suspended monitors fitted with the Decca 40 series chassis for a theatre in London, and 20 suspended models for the Barbican Centre, the TV sets have been owned by many famous people including the late great Manchester United football legend George Best, who was not only a football player but was also a fashion icon who had his own shop in Manchester call “Best’s Boutique” which he opened in 1967 with Mike Summerby, it’s also interesting to note that George also had a Lotus Europa sports car (NNB 730H) in the same colour Yellow as Keracolor fleet, as well as the Type Jag he is more famous for owning, the Manchester United Physio (sorry I can’t remember his name) also a special purchased a white 20″ remote control Keraolor in late 1976, which is now part of my collection, also the racing driver Chris Meek has a late 26″ VF White Keracolor.

keracolor