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The primary reason for not adopting colour on 405 line would have been that the decision was to introduce 625 line before colour was introduced and to phase out 405-line. So 405-line colour would have been pointless dead end.
The UK's adoption of PAL was almost a last minute thing. The Pilkington Comittee produced a report on the future of TV and gave a plan for the introduction of 625 line within 2 years with colour to follow on the new standard. However, the report preceeded the German PAL system (or at least its announcement in the trade press), so at the time it was almost certain that the plan was for 625-line NTSC (I say almost certain as there had also been experimental broadcasts using the SECAM system).
As to 405 and 625 not looking much different, even in the 50's some firms such as Ekco were already using a spot wobble system on their up-market sets (17"!) to try and mask the line structure and by the time of the Pilkington report early 60's screen sizes were 19" for paupers and 23" for toffs. There would definitely be a difference between 625 and 405 line colour, though in the early/mid 50's when many mono sets couldn't even fully resolve the 405 line system I accept that there 405 and 625 colour might have not shown much difference.
TTFN,
Jon
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