The mobile numbers that will never, ever work

Watch a movie and, if a phone number is ever given out, you’ll always hear and see that fake area code…

It’s used in nearly every US-made movie because, if you try calling it, nothing happens. However, did you know that here in the UK there’s something very similar?

Yes, Ofcom actually blocked out certain sets of numbers here too. They go no-where, but they’re used in UK TV and film productions, plus they add a little more realism because they look more… errm… real.

In London, numbers starting 0207946… are for “dramatic purposes” and elsewhere there’s an entire area code which has been “created” – 01632. So, if you ever want to confuse one of those cold-callers, tell them to call back on your 01632 number – it’ll never work.

For UK mobiles, the prefix 077009 is used, and any digits after that can be added to make it look like a real number in films and TV dramas. Numbers like 07700932323 can appear on TV and, if viewers call, nothing will happen.

The excellent Tom Scott has a brilliant video on all this below..