25 April 2006
Anyone sending a BT text message to a home phone will soon have the option of having them read out by either gender.
The choice of a male or female voice will replace the voice of Tom Baker, currently used on the service.
The vocals of the former Dr Who and narrator of BBC comedy Little Britain were featured as part of a three-month special offer.
Research from BT suggests that people need to think carefully before choosing which voice to choose, however.
It found that seven out of ten people think that a male voice is more effective when telling a joke, with people texting to home phones also thinking that a man's voice is more effective for disciplining the children.
Hearing a female voice was seen by most as more effective when a bit of persuasion was required.
Wendy McMillan, a general manager at BT, said: "As the technology develops we want to give people the option to have their texts delivered to landlines in a gender that is the same as their own - or one they think will be more effective depending on the message they're sending!"
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