Fundraising for Children in Need at the third stroke
Howard Lake | 22 October 2006 | News
For the first time, BT is giving people across the UK the chance to become the new permanent voice of the BT Speaking Clock, in a competition that will raise funds for BBC Children in Need.
The BT Speaking Clock will have a new voice to help celebrate its 70th birthday. A competition phone line will be open from Monday 23 October until midnight on Sunday 05 November 2006. Calls to the competition number 09067 533 533 will cost no more than £1.50, with £1.10 going straight to BBC Children in Need.
The new “permanent” voice will officially go live on the BT Speaking Clock in the New Year.
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So far, only three voices have been used (Jane Cain 1936-1963, Pat Simmons 1963-1984 and Brian Cobby 1985-present), apart from a two week period in March 2003 when Lenny Henry recorded a special version in aid of Comic Relief, and again, later that same year, when 12-year-old Alicia Roland won the same opportunity, this time for ChildLine.
Brian Cobby, the current voice, was also the voice of ‘5-4-3-2-1 Thunderbirds are go!’ in the famous Gerry Anderson TV series.
Sir Christopher Bland, chairman of BT, said: “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.”
The competition is open to men and women of course. However, in 1936, it was decided that the voice of the Speaking Clock should be female because the General Post Office felt it to be a better quality of voice than a man’s.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.