1 00:00:02,740 --> 00:00:04,860 Aside from Nigel, when it comes to British culture, 2 00:00:04,860 --> 00:00:07,500 few things are more iconic than the classic red phone box. 3 00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:12,340 But in today's digital world, they are gradually disappearing. 4 00:00:12,340 --> 00:00:14,260 For some people, they're still a vital lifeline, 5 00:00:14,260 --> 00:00:17,140 and broadcaster Rick Adams has been to meet a 90-year-old who fought 6 00:00:17,140 --> 00:00:24,260 to keep his community connected. 7 00:00:24,260 --> 00:00:28,180 Ah, the humble phone box, an iconic structure 8 00:00:28,180 --> 00:00:34,420 and landmark in Britain's towns and villages 9 00:00:34,420 --> 00:00:36,580 for more than a century, quietly connecting the nation. 10 00:00:36,580 --> 00:00:37,780 But hold the line, caller. 11 00:00:37,780 --> 00:00:43,300 Around 90% of the UK's phone boxes have been decommissioned 12 00:00:43,300 --> 00:00:45,660 since their peak in the 1990s, with about 8,000 shutting 13 00:00:45,660 --> 00:00:48,860 in the last two years alone. 14 00:00:48,860 --> 00:00:52,300 That's because most of us now carry one of these, 15 00:00:52,300 --> 00:00:57,220 making one of these feel somewhat obsolete. 16 00:00:57,220 --> 00:01:05,180 But in some communities, the phone box can still be a lifeline. 17 00:01:14,980 --> 00:01:17,140 Such as Sharrington in Norfolk, which has a poor 18 00:01:17,140 --> 00:01:22,580 mobile phone service. 19 00:01:22,580 --> 00:01:24,460 So back in October 2020, for 90-year-old resident 20 00:01:24,460 --> 00:01:27,100 Derek Harris was horrified to learn it was earmarked for closure. 21 00:01:27,100 --> 00:01:29,500 Derek, tell us about the role that this telephone box 22 00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:31,340 is played in this village. 23 00:01:31,340 --> 00:01:33,260 Absolutely vital because in the '50s it was 24 00:01:33,260 --> 00:01:34,940 an isolated community and it gave them, 25 00:01:34,940 --> 00:01:40,740 for the very first time, connection with the outside world. 26 00:01:40,740 --> 00:01:43,380 And how did you feel about the fact when you learned 27 00:01:43,380 --> 00:01:45,780 that the phone box was going to be taken away? 28 00:01:45,780 --> 00:01:47,460 I was not going to have it. 29 00:01:47,460 --> 00:01:49,220 It's got a dual function. 30 00:01:49,220 --> 00:01:52,620 It is a means of connection to other people. 31 00:01:52,620 --> 00:02:00,580 And secondly, it looks beautiful. 32 00:02:02,060 --> 00:02:04,940 Back in 2002, we spent 800,000,000 minutes on calls from phone boxes. 33 00:02:04,940 --> 00:02:12,900 By 2020, that dropped to just four million. 34 00:02:13,380 --> 00:02:15,500 But here's the important bit - of those calls 35 00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:17,180 150,000 were emergencies, 25,000 were to Childline 36 00:02:17,180 --> 00:02:21,580 and 20,000 to the Samaritans. 37 00:02:21,580 --> 00:02:26,660 But all was not lost for the Sharrington phone box. 38 00:02:26,660 --> 00:02:30,820 Ofcom says a phone box needs at least 52 calls 39 00:02:30,820 --> 00:02:35,780 a year to stay in service, so Derrick enlisted 40 00:02:35,780 --> 00:02:39,180 the help of his neighbours. 41 00:02:39,180 --> 00:02:43,780 With the help of our MP, got 50 people to turn out, 42 00:02:43,780 --> 00:02:49,020 all of whom made about three calls each. 43 00:02:49,020 --> 00:02:51,660 So we had our mass phone in. 44 00:02:51,660 --> 00:02:54,780 And when you saw those people in the line, how did that feel? 45 00:02:54,780 --> 00:02:55,820 Elated, I was elated. 46 00:02:55,820 --> 00:02:58,900 It's good to talk. 47 00:02:58,900 --> 00:03:01,860 It's good to have a bright and enthusiastic community, 48 00:03:01,860 --> 00:03:06,940 which Sharrington is. 49 00:03:06,940 --> 00:03:09,300 And thanks to Derrick's campaign, Carrington's box hit 146 calls, 50 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:16,260 resulting in him receiving a letter in March 2025 confirming 51 00:03:16,260 --> 00:03:21,540 that the phone box would stay. 52 00:03:21,540 --> 00:03:26,180 How did that feel when you read those words? 53 00:03:26,180 --> 00:03:28,140 More enthused and I thought, well, 54 00:03:28,140 --> 00:03:30,300 success breeds success, so why not have it refurbished? 55 00:03:30,300 --> 00:03:31,740 Derrick, you are going through something 56 00:03:31,740 --> 00:03:34,540 really quite challenging at the moment for your health. 57 00:03:34,540 --> 00:03:38,940 Yes. 58 00:03:38,940 --> 00:03:41,140 It is terminal inoperable cancer. 59 00:03:41,140 --> 00:03:44,700 So, it's motivated me. 60 00:03:44,700 --> 00:03:50,620 If I couldn't save my own life, 61 00:03:50,620 --> 00:03:53,260 I would jolly well make sure the kiosk's life was saved. 62 00:03:53,260 --> 00:03:59,340 So it will go on as a legacy, if you like. 63 00:03:59,340 --> 00:04:01,460 I'm also meeting some of the other Sharrington residents 64 00:04:01,460 --> 00:04:06,060 who joined Derek's campaign. 65 00:04:06,060 --> 00:04:08,420 Chris, tell us what this phone booth means to you, 66 00:04:08,420 --> 00:04:09,620 this kiosk that you're preserving. 67 00:04:09,620 --> 00:04:12,980 The phone reception is just really bad, 68 00:04:12,980 --> 00:04:16,500 it's there and it's an essential part of what we have. 69 00:04:16,500 --> 00:04:18,900 So at least we can rely on it. 70 00:04:18,900 --> 00:04:23,180 Tell us about the day when everybody came out to use the phone booth. 71 00:04:23,180 --> 00:04:25,820 Well, it was just nice to see this great big line 72 00:04:25,820 --> 00:04:31,820 of people down the road, because we don't see that very often. 73 00:04:31,820 --> 00:04:34,900 And, it was just nice to see the support that we had then. 74 00:04:34,900 --> 00:04:35,940 It was just amazing. 75 00:04:35,940 --> 00:04:38,580 There were so many people there and a lot weren't villagers. 76 00:04:38,580 --> 00:04:41,460 A lot had heard about the campaign and came to support us 77 00:04:41,460 --> 00:04:44,180 because their phone box had been removed. 78 00:04:44,180 --> 00:04:45,860 So they felt it was extremely important 79 00:04:45,860 --> 00:04:48,700 to support us so that they knew in the area there was 80 00:04:48,700 --> 00:04:54,220 a working phone box. 81 00:04:54,220 --> 00:04:56,820 What has been funny since was I was there one day 82 00:04:56,820 --> 00:04:58,980 and it looked like we had some Japanese tourists 83 00:04:58,980 --> 00:05:00,660 taking photographs of the phone box, which, 84 00:05:00,660 --> 00:05:03,060 you know, so it's obviously a major tourist attraction now, 85 00:05:03,060 --> 00:05:08,740 like the Eiffel Tower or stuff like that, you know? 86 00:05:08,740 --> 00:05:12,060 The majority of public service phone boxes in the UK are operated by BT, 87 00:05:12,060 --> 00:05:17,140 apart from in Hull, where they are handled by KCom. 88 00:05:17,140 --> 00:05:18,820 It's Ofcom's job to regulate these companies 89 00:05:18,820 --> 00:05:21,900 and stop essential phone boxes from being shut down. 90 00:05:21,900 --> 00:05:25,100 Katie Hanson is its senior consumer services manager, 91 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:28,420 who explained to me more about the criteria 92 00:05:28,420 --> 00:05:35,300 that need to be met before a phone kiosk can be removed. 93 00:05:35,300 --> 00:05:39,300 It needs signal from all four UK networks before BT can remove 94 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:43,180 the last call box in an area, and also if a call box has made 52 95 00:05:43,180 --> 00:05:46,540 or more calls in the last year, that will prevent it from being removed. 96 00:05:46,540 --> 00:05:48,420 If it doesn't meet any of those criteria, 97 00:05:48,420 --> 00:05:50,580 BT can propose it for removal. 98 00:05:50,580 --> 00:05:53,100 But they do have to tell the relevant 99 00:05:53,100 --> 00:05:56,700 local authority and they have to put up a notice at the box so that 100 00:05:56,700 --> 00:05:58,420 local residents know it's proposed for closure, 101 00:05:58,420 --> 00:06:01,820 and then they can make a case for keeping it 102 00:06:01,820 --> 00:06:05,060 if they think there are special circumstances. 103 00:06:05,060 --> 00:06:07,460 There are currently about 13,000 public call boxes 104 00:06:07,460 --> 00:06:10,540 in operation in the UK, and last year BT proposed about 1600 105 00:06:10,540 --> 00:06:16,220 for removal and then of that 1600, 28 were kept after local 106 00:06:16,220 --> 00:06:20,500 residents successfully made a case for keeping them. 107 00:06:20,500 --> 00:06:25,820 Are there any other ways to approach the problem? 108 00:06:25,820 --> 00:06:28,220 If people feel it's vital to have a working phone, 109 00:06:28,220 --> 00:06:31,060 they can make the case for why that particular call box 110 00:06:31,060 --> 00:06:33,300 should be kept open. 111 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:34,980 If they care about the heritage kiosk, 112 00:06:34,980 --> 00:06:38,940 which is quite a common thing. 113 00:06:38,940 --> 00:06:41,380 BT does have a scheme where local organisations, 114 00:06:41,380 --> 00:06:44,620 maybe a parish council or a local charity can adopt the kiosk. 115 00:06:44,620 --> 00:06:51,020 And what happens then is BT removes the phone but leaves the kiosk. 116 00:06:51,020 --> 00:06:54,860 Since BT introduced the Adopt a Kiosk programme in 2008, 117 00:06:54,860 --> 00:07:01,340 around 7400 phone boxes have been taken on 118 00:07:01,340 --> 00:07:03,660 by communities across the UK for just £1 each. 119 00:07:03,660 --> 00:07:08,820 Housing everything from libraries to art installations. 120 00:07:08,820 --> 00:07:11,660 Times change, technology moves on and you can't 121 00:07:11,660 --> 00:07:13,380 save everything from the past, 122 00:07:13,380 --> 00:07:15,300 no matter how tempting. 123 00:07:15,300 --> 00:07:17,700 But for some, phone boxes are more than just nostalgia. 124 00:07:17,700 --> 00:07:19,660 They're a lifeline. 125 00:07:19,660 --> 00:07:21,820 So, it's great to see communities like this answering 126 00:07:21,820 --> 00:07:25,380 the call to save the ones that matter most. 127 00:07:25,380 --> 00:07:26,740 PHONE RINGS. 128 00:07:26,740 --> 00:07:30,540 I better get that. 129 00:07:30,540 --> 00:07:38,220 Hello?