Phone numbers for use in TV shows, films and creative works

Fictitious / “Drama” Numbers in Different Countries

• Links shared for North American 555 numbers, UK “numbers for drama”, and Australia’s ACMA list; people note similar schemes exist but surprisingly few countries officially reserve drama ranges.
• Clarification that the ACMA rules apply only under country code +61; others are under different numbering plans.

History and Nostalgia Around Phone Numbering

• Several detailed reminiscences of UK numbering changes (London’s 01 → 071/081 → 0171/0181 → 020), short local codes, and rotary-dial slowness with long numbers.
• Memories of directory enquiries with human operators, everyone being in the phone book, and frequent wrong numbers but fewer scams.
• US commenters recall area-code splits in the fax/modem era and social status attached to old “core” area codes.

Pop Culture Numbers and Real-World Impact

• Many references to song and TV numbers: “867-5309”, “777-9311”, “Pennsylvania 6-5000”, “Beachwood 4-5789”, IT Crowd’s gag number, classic BBC call‑in numbers, etc.
• Some of these were real numbers at the time and owners reportedly had to change them once songs became hits.
• Mixed feelings about 555: some like its clear “don’t call this” signal; others say obvious 555-xxxx numbers break immersion and wish reserved numbers were less conspicuous.

Using Fake Numbers in Everyday Life and Testing

• Multiple people use local fictitious ranges or well-known numbers (especially 867‑5309 and xxx‑555‑1212) for:
  • Website signups that demand a number.
  • Retail loyalty programs and travel discounts.
• Anecdotes suggest these shared “house numbers” often work across big US chains, sometimes yielding huge accrued rewards.
• Testers and developers emphasize always using such reserved numbers in test data to avoid harassing real people.

Payphones, Phreaking, and Culture

• Story of a home landline mislisted as a payphone on an early-internet directory, leading to repeated calls from foreign radio shows.
• Explanations of why you’d call a payphone: saving someone coins, coordinating callbacks, and classic crime/spy tropes.
• Broader nostalgia about payphones, phone-phreaking, and how early hacking culture was tightly tied to the telephone network.

Technical Numbering Details and Media Tricks

• Discussion of NANP rules (no area codes starting with 0/1; 1 as country code and long‑distance prefix) and UK misconceptions about the London area code.
• Notes that some shows (Futurama, The Simpsons, Last Action Hero) play meta games with phone-number conventions; some productions even maintain real numbers with custom recorded messages as Easter eggs.