Dr Who fans upset over on-screen phone number

Warning: This story contains minor SPOILERS for Doctor Who’s “The Stolen Earth.” 

In the old days, every television shows giving out a number used the standard number starting with “555.”  Over the past several years, phone numbers included in television series have become more and more of an Easter egg for fans, willing to freeze-frame the show and call the number.  In some cases, the number rang through to a producer or cast member’s phone on-set or has connected to a specially created number for the show in question.

So, when UK fans saw a phone number for the Doctor highlighted on-screen as part of last week’s “The Stolen Earth,” they decided to give it a ring…

…and discovered it didn’t connect to anyone or anything.

Naturally, this upset a few Doctor Who fans. 

“They showed that number so many times, as if they were asking for it to be called,” said one fan. 

Another said “What’s the point in showing a phone number if you’re not gonna use it?!”

Other fans wondered why the series didn’t take the time to get a number and put some kind of recorded voice-mail message on the other end.

A BBC spokeperson said, “BBC complied with Ofcom who supplied the programme with a safe number that was inactive and reserved specifically for the use of TV programmes.”