Watch this space: behind the scenes at Mitchell & Brown the North West's historic TV manufacturer putting British tech on the big screen

Then, in 1996, he teamed up with his two sons - Dan and Mat Brown, then 24 and 19 respectively - to open TVD, their own family TV business.

Now selling its ever-expanding range of top-end televisions to some 200 stockists in the UK alone, the company also supplies businesses dotted across the length and breadth of Lancashire, with outlets in Wesham, Fulwood, Preston, Freckleton, Fleetwood, and Pendle. And they also have another thing too: a new products line of personal TVs.

TVD launched Mitchell & Brown on the company's 20th birthday in tribute to their father, who died seven years ago, and their mother, whose maiden name was Mitchell. In fact, to this day, Jim's legacy lives on even in the finest details: all Mitchell & Brown own-brand models use his initials (JB) and birthday (1811) in their names.

"When it came to releasing our own products, we knew the market and we'd always thought about doing it, so we went for it about five years ago," explains Dan, now 49, who was born in Bolton. "Unfortunately, my dad never got to see it, but the brand name pays tribute to him. And we had to make sure the products were good if they were going to have his initials on them!

"Founding the company in the first place allowed us to be in control of our own destiny," adds Dan. "We were lucky because our dad was so well-respected in the industry, which meant that suppliers trusted us. That was all down to his experience and we learned a hell of a lot from him; as he'd say, 'look after the business and the business will look after you'.

"Looking back, I was a fiery little so-and-so but it's been a constant learning curve since then and it's such an interesting industry to work in because the products have changed massively over the 25 years," he continues. "The stuff coming to fruition these days is almost sci-fi, so it's always a case of 'what's next?'"

Having worked with Vestel, Europe's biggest TV manufacturer, for almost 20 years, Mitchell & Brown's own-brand line of products ranges from 24” to 75” LED TVs, offering customers the chance to buy British from a firm which embodies the local ethos and family values which were behind its founding in the first place. But the company isn't just about TVs.

"These days, we've got quite a few divisions within the company: retail, internet, trade, and commercial, which deals with clients such as betting shops, holiday parks, and pubs," says Dan. "And things have changed quite a lot during Covid. When lockdown kicked in, we were terrified along with everybody else in the world.

"Initially, just a case of working out how long we could look after the staff," he adds, with Mitchell & Brown employing around 50 people. "It was frightening and challenging and we were cut down to the bare bones, so it was back to old-school - we even did all the deliveries ourselves like in 1996.

"I've learned so much through Covid and the business has actually grown during the pandemic," explains Dan. "We're really excited about the future. As for five- or 10-year plans, we want to grow," Dan says. "But we want to grow sustainably."