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Please note: This is a site which looks purely at historical telephones & telecoms through the last 100 years plus.
Telecom Systems
UK
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Telephones UK has its own popular Speaking Clock
Service which
features the
authentic voice of Pat Simmons. Being radio controlled
(synchronised with the main MSF atomic
clock which broadcasts from Anthorn in Cumbria, UK), it is normally very
accurate. It is a TIM2000
Speaking Clock project designed by Andy Emmerson.
When dialled the clock will speak for 90 seconds, you can hang up
before this time, but the line will be engaged until the 90 seconds has
elapsed.
A London telephonist, Jane
Cain, also known as Ethel
Cain, became the first voice on 24 July 1936 and lasted until 1963. She
won a prize of 10 guineas (£10.50) in a competition to find the right voice.
Miss Cain passed away in September 1998, aged 87.
LISTEN Miss Pat
Simmons, a supervisor in a London telephone exchange became the second
voice from 1963 until 1984. Miss Simmons passed away in November 2005, aged
85.
LISTEN The third voice, belonged to Brian Cobby who was an assistant supervisor at Withdean
exchange in Brighton. He became the
first male voice at 11 am on 2nd April 1985 until 8 am on 2nd April 2007. Brian Cobby, an actor by
profession before he joined BT, was selected from 12 finalists in BT’s
Golden Voice competition, on 5th December 1984.
LISTEN Sara won a competition BT ran during
October and November 2006 to find a new voice from the public, which had
almost 18,500 entrants, simultaneously raising more than £200,000 for BBC
Children in Need.
LISTEN
more..
The BT Speaking Clock has also been known as TIM (the
three-letter code, that subscribers dialled in Director areas). The BT
Speaking Clock receives around 70 million calls a year.
The BT Speaking Clock has been
ticking 24-hours a day, seven days a week since 24th July 1936 and is now 70
years old! The service was initially only available in the London directory
area and was rolled out nationwide in 1942. The Speaking Clock service was named
Timeline during the 1990's.
Originally the accuracy of the BT Speaking Clock
was one-tenth of a second, it is now correct to within
five thousandths of a second!
There have only been four permanent voices for the BT
Speaking Clock. There was also a two week period in March 2003 when Lenny
Henry did a special version of the Speaking Clock in aid of Comic
Relief and a week long stint by 12 year old Alicia Roland in October 2003.
Before Brian Cobby worked for BT, he recorded the
“5-4-3-2-1… Thunderbirds are go!” for the theme tune to Gerry Anderson’s
TV series!
Brian Cobby has received fan mail from ‘mature
ladies’ who say they listen to him late at night when they can’t sleep!
The longest distance call to the Speaking Clock is
from a factory in Hong Kong, which makes handsets for the VideoPlus VCR
programming system. The in-built clock is set to British time, courtesy of BT's
Speaking Clock service.
The timing of most television programmes is
synchronised to the BT Speaking Clock as well, so when your local station goes
over to ITN for the News at Ten, this
is done "at the third stroke".
The world’s most famous clock, Big Ben, checks its time with the BT Speaking Clock and
many
major organisations have permanent feeds of the clock from BT into their private
internal phone systems so employees can check the time without making an outside
call.
The 1936 Speaking Clock was an of array of motors,
glass discs, photocells and valves and took up the floorspace of a small room!
The current Speaking Clock, with a built-in crystal oscillator and
microprocessor logic control, the complete apparatus is made of solid-state
microchips and occupies no more shelf space than a small suitcase does – and
has no moving parts at all.
Describing
the BT Speaking Clock as a National Institution is probably fair, since as a
nation we seem to be remarkably keen on ringing up. Even in its first year,
1936, the service registered nearly 13 million calls and it was not a nationwide
service then - that came six years later. Today we make around 100 million calls
a year and that's a lot of watches being checked.
The
original Speaking Clock message was recorded and replayed rather like the
optical sound track of a film and the equipment represented the state of the art
of current technology in those days. This lasted until 1963, when it was
replaced by more modern recording technology, using a magnetic drum. It gave way
to the present digital system in 1984 and this has no moving parts at all.
The
unquestioned accuracy of the Speaking Clock has also led to the association of
Accurist Watches, who since the end of March 1986 have sponsored the BT Speaking Clock
announcements. With those 100 million calls a year, this may well be the most
frequently heard advertising message of all time.
But what did people do before the speaking clock was
invented if they wanted a time check? Simple: they rang the operator and asked
her the time by the exchange clock on the wall, but this was not precise to the
second, nor could the exchange always answer just when the customer wanted. The
first genuine speaking clock machine was introduced in the USA in 1927, coming
to Paris in 1933, The Hague in 1934 and Switzerland in 1935. But automatic time
service (of a Heath-Robinson kind) had been available to telephone users in San
Francisco since the late 19th century; by listening to an observatory clock
Between
9 am on 10th March 2003 and 12 noon on 23rd March 2003 Lenny Henry became
only the fourth person ever to be the voice of the BT Speaking Clock in its
67-year history. By calling 123 callers helped to raise around £200,000 for
Comic Relief - and, of course, got the most accurate time available.
For
two weeks Lenny took over from the current voice, Brian Cobby, and added his
own special touch to the immortal lines: "At the third stroke, the
time from Comic Relief will be ... precisely!"
Lenny
Henry said, at the time: "I can hardly believe it, but those good
people at BT are letting me be the voice of the Speaking Clock for two weeks
to raise money for Comic Relief. That's right, me, Lenworth George Henry
from Dudley in the West Midlands! The Speaking Clock is serious stuff - over
100 million calls were made to the Speaking Clock in 2001! - and the time is
still going to be 'precisely' right, even when I'm doing the voice! It's a
national institution, but you should hear what we've done to the
pips!"
Lenny's
version of the Speaking Clock featured different character voices each day
to raise the £200,000 for Comic Relief.
For the
first time ever, BT is giving people across the UK the chance to take their
place in history and become the new “permanent”* voice of the BT Speaking Clock
– and all in aid of BBC Children in Need. A special competition phone line will
be open from, Monday 23 October until midnight on
Sunday 05 November 2006. The BT
Speaking Clock will have a new voice to help celebrate its 70th birthday, while
aiming to raise significant funds for the charity. Established in 1936, the
Speaking Clock has only ever had three “permanent” voices, so the lucky winner
will take his or her place in British history. The UK-wide
competition is officially launched by BBC Children in Need and Brian Cobby (77),
who has been the voice of the Speaking Clock for almost 21 years. Entry details
can be found at
bbc.co.uk/pudsey. The new “permanent” voice will officially go live on the
BT Speaking Clock in the New Year.
Sir Terry
Wogan says: “How would you like to be the most listened to voice in the UK? You
can be the new BT Speaking Clock, and at the same time help BBC Children In
Need. Just by calling 09067 533 533, answering a question about BBC Children in
Need, and then recording your own unique version of the Speaking Clock message,
you could be in with a chance of winning this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
And I’ll announce the winner on Children In Need's big night, Friday 17th
November live on BBC ONE. Let’s be hearing from you!” Calls to the
competition number will cost no more than £1.50, with £1.10 going straight to
BBC Children in Need. Callers must have the permission of whoever pays the phone
bill. Every penny raised will help BBC Children in Need provide practical and
lasting support to disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. These
include youngsters who have experienced homelessness, neglect, abuse or poverty
and encountered serious illnesses, disabilities, psychological disorders and
addictions. Sir
Christopher Bland, chairman of BT, said: “The BT Speaking Clock is a national
treasure. Even though we live in the Digital Age, more than 70 million calls are
made each year to the BT Speaking Clock to get an accurate time check. We hope
that this competition raises significant funds for BBC Children in Need and
celebrates the Speaking Clock’s 70th birthday in style.” BT has
supported BBC Children in Need since the first televised Appeal in 1980 and
handles more than 200,000 calls on the night of the appeal from more than 50
call centres.
Sara Mendes da Costa, a telemarketer and part-time voiceover
artist from Brighton has won the competition to become the fourth 'permanent'
voice of the BT Speaking Clock. Sara Mendes da Costa, 40, of Clarendon Road, Brighton, Sussex, a Ms Mendes da Costa has been working part-time as a voiceover
artist and in telemarketing while she puts together her first novel. She said:
"Wow! The Speaking Clock has been part of my life for so many years, its amazing
to have been shortlisted. I only entered after my dad heard the competition on
the radio and suggested I give it a go". The judging panel included Sir Christopher Bland, chairman of BT, Nicola
Loftus, general manager of Accurist, Brian Cobby, BBC presenters Natasha Kaplinsky and Alan
Dedicoat (the voice of the lottery balls), as well as independent judge, Louise
Crowley, who is a voice coach. Sir Christopher Bland said Ms Mendes da Costa's
voice "had warmth and clarity and would be an excellent choice to succeed Brian
Cobby". A spokesperson for BT said the panel were looking for a voice with "clarity,
character and one which is easily understandable". The shortlist also included
Keith Gladman, 60, a coach driver from Torquay, David Battersby, 37, a
stockbroker from Leeds, Emma Jesson, 37, a weather presenter on ITV Central TV
from Edgbaston, Birmingham, Scott Crawford, 29, a DJ from Dundee, John Kinge, 29, a
health and safety manager from Cwmbran, Torfaen and Tracy Cunningham, 34, a new
mum from Glasgow.
The voice of the
speaking clock is to be
The change marks the end of British
Summer Time and is part of a deal with Disney to promote a film of the
1904 JM Barrie play due out on 10 November. The deal will temporarily
replace Sara Mendes da Costa with Mae Whitman who also plays Tinker Bell
in the film.
On 03/02/09 BT announced that the Speaking Clock will help fundraise for Comic
Relief by using different celebrity voices each day between February 3 to March
23, 2009. Five of the Red Nose Day celebrities that are climbing Mount
Kilimanjaro will share the time-keeping duties over the next two months. The fun
starts at 08.00 on Tuesday 3 February. When callers dial 123 they will be given
an accurate time check by celebrities, including: Girls Aloud’s Cheryl Cole and
Kimberley Walsh, fellow popstar, Gary Barlow and presenters, Chris Moyles and
Fearne Cotton. Each celebrity will replace the ‘pips’ with their own special
Comic Relief sound, ranging from kisses, raspberries and piano chords in a bid
to Do Something Funny for Money. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’ll be a
special guest voice featuring in the run up to Red Nose Day on Friday 13 March
but you’ll have to dial 123 to find out who it is.
BT is aiming to raise more than £300,000 for Comic Relief by donating 10 pence
per call* that the BT Speaking Clock receives during this fundraising period.
The only other previous Comic Relief voice on the Speaking Clock was Lenny Henry
back in 2003, which helped to raise around £200,000. Gary Barlow, said: “BT
is helping to make a massive difference to the lives of thousands of people
across the UK and Africa. Call the BT Speaking Clock before March 23 and guess
which famous voice will answer your call, it could even be me!”
John Petter, consumer managing director, BT Retail, said: “We‘re delighted to
support The BT Red Nose Climb with the BT Speaking Clock, which will help raise
funds, as well as help vulnerable and disadvantaged people at home in the UK and
in Africa. This builds on the vital support BT gives to Comic Relief’s
telethons. The more people that dial 123, the more money Comic Relief will make.
And we hope each of the celebrities will make callers smile, as well as giving
an accurate time check.”
BT’s support of Red Nose Day will be raising funds via a number of high profile
activities, including sponsorship of the BT Red Nose Climb, a celebrity
expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. BT will also be raising money with
cause-related marketing initiatives in different business units such as BT
Vision, BT Total Broadband, BT Business and the BT Shop, as well as a major
employee fundraising programme. To find out more about how you can help BT raise
money for Comic Relief visit
www.bt.com/comicrelief. There is also the opportunity to win flights to
Tanzania to meet the celebrities before they start their ascent up Mount
Kilimanjaro, as part of the BT Red Nose Climb.
BT has supported Comic Relief since 1988 providing telephony, call centres,
network management and thousands of volunteer hours, enabling the charity to
take millions of pounds in pledges on Red Nose Day. Hundreds of thousands of
people are expected to call the BT donation line on the night. BT’s eDonate
system will provide a secure online back-up for Comic Relief’s website. *If you call the Speaking Clock from a BT fixed
line in the UK between the 2nd February and the 23rd March
you will be helping BT to raise funds to support Comic Relief. BT will donate
10p to Comic Relief for every call made from a BT fixed line in the UK to the
Speaking Clock during this period. Calls cost 30p from BT Residential lines.
Mobile and other providers’ costs may vary. Comic Relief, registered charity
326568 (England & Wales); SC039730 (Scotland).
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![Brian Cobby & Pat Simmons [Courtesy of Justin McKeown of Harrison Cowley]](images/large/Brian%20&%20Pat.jpg)
![Brian Cobby [Courtesy of Justin McKeown of Harrison Cowley]](images/large/brian_cobby.jpg)
