Armchair sleuths! Bodyguard fans obsessed by hunky David Budd try TEXTING his number from the show – and uncover a fascinating secret database of FAKE contact details
- PC David Budd (Richard Madden) gave out his number to sacked PR advisor Chanel Dyson in this week’s episode of the BBC’s political thriller The Bodyguard
- One fan of the show tried to text the fictional character’s number but to no avail
- Let to Twitter users uncovering Ofcom’s database of ‘fake’ contact numbers
Viewers have fallen for the charms of The Bodyguard star Richard Madden over the past three weeks.
So when PC David Budd handed out his mobile number during this week’s episode, it was bound to pique fans’ interest.
However, when a Twitter user texted the number – 07700 900 431 – it failed to deliver, leading to a fascinating revelation.
The troubled protection officer gave his digits to the Home Secretary’s sacked PR advisor Chanel Dyson in a scene aired on Sunday night after she asked him out for a drink.
During Sunday night’s episode, fans of The Bodyguard watched with interest as PC David Budd gave his number to PR advisor Chanel Dyson when she asked him for a drink (pictured)
It prompted viewers to wonder what would happen if they tried to get in touch themselves.
Scott Bryan texted David Budd’s number saying: ‘Hello Julia we know you’re alive’ but to no avail, as he tweeted: ‘Damn, back to the drawing board.’
Replying to tweet, Nick Walker referred him to a relevant Ofcom article writing: ‘Welcome to the mad world of fake phone numbers for dramas.’
In the article, Ofcom detail how a range of ‘fake’ telephone numbers have been allocated for TV and radio drama series.
Unsolved mystery: The scene during this week’s episode of The Bodyguard prompted viewers to wonder what would happen if they tried to get in touch with David Budd themselves
According to the BBC, there are some 20,000 fake numbers kept aside by the telecoms regulator, most of which are geographic numbers based around large cities and regions.
Explaining the reason for this database, Ofcom’s Joe Smithies said: ‘If you use a number used by someone else, that person or party could quite rightly be annoyed because they get calls from eagle-eyed viewers.’
The political thriller, which comes to an end on September 23, pulled in 6.7 million viewers in the first episode alone, making it the biggest new drama on British TV in more than a decade.
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