At the beginning of the 20^th century, television didn't exist. In the evenings, people talked and played games. They looked at books. Some people played musical instruments. After 1920, some people listened to the radio. Life was very different then.

In 1926, a Scottish engineer called John Logie Baird demonstrated the first working television in the UK. The images on the screen were in black and white, and they weren't very clear, but it was an important moment in the development of television technology.

In the 1930s, there were two hours of television programmes every day in the UK. But most people didn't have a television at home. Television wasn't popular. People preferred the radio.

In 1953, lots of people wanted to buy a television because they wanted to watch the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Suddenly, television became popular.

In 1967, for the first time, some television programmes were in colour.

In 2000, 96% of homes in the UK had at least one television.

Today, in the 21^st century, televisions are much better than in the past. They've got flat screens and the images are very clear. There are many different channels and various types of programmes to watch. Some people think we now watch too much television. What do you think?