This is NOT a hoax........ Please Read!!!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I could have been useful to you in those days - I did the technical rig for the phones and facilities and knew the numbers of the three lines they used to phone you back and put you on air...

[Edward Cowling London UK]

In message , Bob Eager writes

Ahhh, yes I see the outcome. Well I always suspected she was a rug chewer, so at least she'd get some greens with her fish :-)

[Col]

And I bet you still know the number too.

01 (If you're outside London) 811 8055.

What a bit of glorious piece of London centricity that was.

85% of the viewers would be living outside London but still the implication was that living in London was the default situation and that special arrangements had to be made for those who attempted to call in fronm the provinces.

[Owain]

I recognise it now you've reminded me of it.

I suspect that at that time there were still areas without STD, and certainly areas with access at the 9x selector level to the London Director Area.

Owain

[Dave Plowman (News)]

What figures are you using for 85% of the viewers being outside the '01' area? What you can be sure of is that any other area code would have an even higher percentage of viewers being outside it.

IIRC, Swap Shop was before the various standard rate national numbers. And the phones were all answered by the operators in the studio - these days they'd use a call centre somewhere.

[<me9]

I can remember Hastings converting from a manual switchboard in 1974, the last changeover of a large manual exchange. This was several years after STD had come into use.

[Mark Carver]

I'm sure Newbury was also quite late, possibly 1974 too ?

[zaax]

Or it's your credit card co just to confirm you just brough ?1000 worth of goods in Abu Dhabi

[Andy Burns]

And if you don't answer, you're no more liable for someone else commiting fraud.