Dr. Who Fans Furious Over Fake Phone Number

Doctor Who finished its latest series on Saturday night watched by a huge audience of nearly 10million. But it was another set of figures that got some fans really worked up - the Time Lord's phone number. The digits had been flashed up on screen several times in the previous week's episode as the Doctor's sidekicks Sarah Jane Smith, Martha Jones and the Torchwood team contacted him.

More than 2,500 fans - whipped into a frenzy of anticipation after a cliffhanger ending in which it appeared that star David Tennant might be leaving as the Doctor began regenerating - dialled it before the last episode aired on Saturday. One fan complained: 'They showed that number so many times, as if they were asking for it to be called.' But their attempts to contact their hero on his personal number - 07700 900461 - came to nothing when they discovered that it would not connect.

Writing on the BBC's website, one disgruntled viewer said: 'Grrr - I phoned the Doctor's phone number but there was just an annoying network message. 'What's the point in showing a phone number if you're not gonna use it?!' Ofcom, the TV industry watchdog, said the number was simply one reserved for use in television dramas.