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The voice of BT - 1471


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Old 23-07-2010, 00:31
_ben
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Kind of related, my Mum thinks that when the BT callminder voice says 'the caller did not leave a message', she sounds really cross about it!
And when she says 'message deleted' she sounds rather sad.

Before they got a new system there was a Virgin Trains announcement that sounded like the same woman. When she said 'please stand well clear of the platform edge, the train approaching does not stop here' she sounded really wistful as if remembering a long gone time when even the most minor rural stations had a regular service.
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Old 23-07-2010, 16:52
Nick_London
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I think its rather funny, all the same voices talking you through the UK

Like the voice for 3 Voicemail, I heard it on one of London Undergrounds lifts, at Goodge Street station.

And the O2 Customer service voice, the same voice is used for the recordings for the Circle Line telling you what stop you are at and what the next stop is before you reach the next station.

And that BT Call minder one has been used for years! A decade even! And the same person has updated it because of the new features,
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Old 23-07-2010, 17:51
PhilH36
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Examples include Julie Berry,who can be heard on Southern Railway trains and the Piccadilly line on London Underground,as well as doing loads of tv and radio commercials and promos,and Emma Hignett,who provides the voice messages on London Overground and can also be heard on London Buses telling you what number bus you're on,where it's going and the name of the next stop.
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Old 23-07-2010, 18:30
Nick_London
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Wow so Eleanor Bron voice has been on that system and been heard by millions of people probably billions of times all those years from before I was even born!

Amazing how some things stick around!

If they ever replace it I think they should use the same person who does BT Business on 152 or the one that did BT Cellnet, it's clear and professional unlike the customer service advisors who either have really strong accents. I think it is stupid what they did with 150, strong scottish accent which I find difficult to understand with a hearing problem as well!
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Old 09-10-2010, 17:42
aquaplex
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She was on Graham Norton once, they had a line up of people whose voices were famous. was rather amusing to see an actual person say it
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Old 08-04-2011, 01:51
Pencil
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It's been over 2 years, 4 months and I'm still none the wiser.

If any next generation Digital Spy people know the answer to this, please comment here!
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Old 08-04-2011, 03:14
QTC13
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It's been over 2 years, 4 months and I'm still none the wiser.

If any next generation Digital Spy people know the answer to this, please comment here!

I should give up!

It pains me to say it, but is that all you got to think about?


ETA I wonder if the woman herself gets fed up of hearing herself on the phone
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Old 08-04-2011, 12:35
Mezzo
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It's been over 2 years, 4 months and I'm still none the wiser.

If any next generation Digital Spy people know the answer to this, please comment here!
BT use a few different voices, but it could be the lovely Pat Whymark, I know she does a lot for them:
http://www.voice-prompt.co.uk/bio.html
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Old 08-04-2011, 12:55
nessyfencer
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Don't know, but someone should teach her that O is a letter; not a bloody number
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Old 08-04-2011, 13:03
Mezzo
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Don't know, but someone should teach her that O is a letter; not a bloody number
That's a bit unfair. Most people say 'oh' instead of 'zero' don't they?
They do round here anyway...
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Old 08-04-2011, 13:06
nessyfencer
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That's a bit unfair. Most people say 'oh' instead of 'zero' don't they?
They do round here anyway...
Someone should tell them too

ETA: Just for fun, we should change another number for a letter. Try saying H instead of 4 for a while
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Old 08-04-2011, 13:15
UKMikey
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Someone should tell them too

ETA: Just for fun, we should change another number for a letter. Try saying H instead of 4 for a while
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet
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Old 08-04-2011, 13:18
nessyfencer
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lol, I know 1337 Don't think people use it in real speech though... I hope?
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Old 10-10-2013, 23:44
Simon Rodgers
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I've been searching for this information and now I found it! Even though this thread is over two years old. I started a new thread up to ask
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showt...=#post69125667

I wondered who it was as her voice has not only been used for a while but she appears to be the voice of fairly recent messages too so she would have to be alive.

Only thing is, why isn't she on EVERYTHING BT do? Like 144, 150, 100, etc?
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Old 10-10-2013, 23:50
Simon Rodgers
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I thought they were electronically generated.
I definitely remember reading that they recorded a cross section of different ages and genders, and then electronically combined them to come up with a voice that wouldn't be too offensive to anyone, but I don't remember if they then selected the person with the voice most closely resembling this 'average' to record the messages or actually used a computer generated 'average voice'.
On the 1471 service, it is a woman who was recorded saying each number and then when you call, it is "pieced" together, that's why it sounds a little automated.

It annoys me as she says O instead of zero and she stresses the 1. When call return was introduced it was shortly before Phoneday in 1994 where all area codes starting with 0 became 01. It sounded like she was trying to remind everyone about it!
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Old 10-10-2013, 23:50
deev1ne0ne
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I've been searching for this information and now I found it! Even though this thread is over two years old. I started a new thread up to ask
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showt...=#post69125667

I wondered who it was as her voice has not only been used for a while but she appears to be the voice of fairly recent messages too so she would have to be alive.

Only thing is, why isn't she on EVERYTHING BT do? Like 144, 150, 100, etc?
Even some BT exchanges uses different voices for part of the 1471 messages. My local exchange's 1471 in the late nineties sounded like it had multiple personality disorder.
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Old 26-01-2014, 21:06
Steven L Hunter
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Even some BT exchanges uses different voices for part of the 1471 messages. My local exchange's 1471 in the late nineties sounded like it had multiple personality disorder.
I think I know what you mean is that the faster version of the 1471 message? I have heard it at a relatives house it is different to mines.
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