Premium rate phone-in saga: ITV Play Channel Axed

Premium rate numbers are a relatively new invention - late 80's. But even then they weren't really used by TV programmes, which all used normal telephone numbers (01 811 8055 for example). The only non-normal phone lines I can remember were things such as 'cricketline' which were short numbers

IIRC it was around the Live & Kicking era when numbers like 0891 started being used on TV for competitions, until then (and for a while after) Competitions were done by writing the answer on a postcard and sending it in for the following week!

The first programme with phone voting was 'Bob Says Opportunity Knocks, can't remember what type of number they used, might have been 0898?

I remember that or Mitch announcing the number first thing every show.

I still remember when 01's were introduced and they had to try and fit the 1 into the usual jingle, they had the neon sign altered and andi spent the whole show pointing it out, aah the memories.

They were certainly in The Big Breakfast from the start in 1992 - they had a London 081 number for general phone ins and an 0891 number for competitions - 25p a time in those days.

The first programme with phone voting was 'Bob Says Opportunity Knocks, can't remember what type of number they used, might have been 0898?

FiveLive still use 0500 909 693