In my latest gripping epic (well, I think so) I want to use a telephone number for a particular area of the country - Ringwood in Hampshire, actually.

How can I ensure that if I use the local Ringwood dialling code, I don't use somebody's legitimate telephone number?

Any ideas?

John

John, is it essential to the story that you use the right area code? Perhaps you could use one that doesn’t exist?

Other than that, I would suggest, (someone is going to shoot me down in flames for this) if BT or whatever can’t give you a safe number, you chose the number of a taxi firm in the area. They expect calls twentyfour-seven, probably wouldn’t worry about too many ‘wrong numbers’ and might even pick up some business…

It reminds me of the time when I moved into a house on the west coast. I started to get funny phone calls in the middle of the night from men wanting to discuss ‘imports’ from Northern Ireland. Changed my number pretty quick, I can tell you…

Dee.

John,

Just a suggestion, but in films, especially American ones, they use 555-###-###, add as many digits or as little as they like. I assume that 555 is an impossible number but movie fans, and I'm sure readers, accept it as valid, as a telephone number in fiction is invalid to begin with.

But there can't be any readers who are going to ring any telephone numbers they see in a book, surely not
You could always try using the real area code and add an extra digit or two on the length of the valid telephone number. Or distract the reader's attention away from the number by giving the sequence of numbers a catchy [ring] to it.

Steven

Dee

Thanks for this. I was trying to stay authentic. I could imagine the New Forest reader sniggering into his cocoa, and saying 'That isn't a Ringwood number', or some such comment.

Now, where's my directory of Taxi firms?

The scenario with the new house and the old phone number reminds me of Michael Connelly's 'Chasing the Dime' where the ex-owner of the number was a call-girl, now disappeared, suspected dead. I won't tell you the ending - in fact, I can't tell you the ending. I gave up on it about halfway through!!

Thanks again. Best wishes ... and all that

John

Steven

Yes, somewhere in the back of my mind I had the notion that films and TV use a 'safe' number - but 555-anything isn't going to look to authentic in my firmly UK based story.

Thanks for your help

John

John

there are I think you will find certain number combinations that are not used I think you will find 111 111 is one of them so why not use that and justto make sure try it beofre you use it

take care
david

David

Thanks for that. Much obliged.

John

How about using 118 118 - after all no-one else does!
Sue-the-ever-helpful.

Sue

Thanks for this. I was looking at 111-111 but 118-118 I think looks more credible on paper.

Much obliged.

John