New Years Greetings & the Speaking Clock As our thoughts turn to the New Year, the Clocktime digital museum team caught up with Alan Steadman, the distinguished Scottish broadcaster living in Dundee, who is the voice of the BT Speaking Clock. The service was first launched by the Post Office in 1936 and was originally accessed by dialling 846, coinciding with the letters T.I.M – giving its colloquial name. It is now accessed by calling 123 from a BT landline. Alan Steadman told Clocktime News, “I’ve always been time-sensitive and punctual, consistently arriving early. I ran a jazz club for 35 years and insisted that the bands started at 8.00 PM - precisely. It’s no mean feat given that jazz musicians' awareness of time was somewhat more fluid than mine. When doing voice-overs I seem to have a built-in appreciation of the time available.” When asked if his very important involvement with keeping time over the last eight years has an influence on his view of timekeepers he said, “My role has changed my perception of clocks and watches. I look at them more now in shops and I certainly notice stopped clocks. I wear a watch – a Daniel Wellington. “I have a French brass carriage clock with repeater in the house. My late father dabbled in antiques and always claimed it was worth a lot of money. It was passed to my mother and then to me. Sadly, when I had it valued it fell considerably short of my dad’s expectations. So I still have it. “My iconic clock would have to be the one in the tower of the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. And its interesting feature is that it's set three minutes fast so that travellers don't miss their trains at Waverley Station, next door. I understand that on New Year's Eve however it's set at the correct time. “One year I listened to the Speaking Clock whilst watching the countdown on TV and the latter was about a second out! “I'll be bringing in the New Year at home but very quietly - a few glasses of malt whisky and a piece of shortbread.” That sounds like a lovely way to see in 2025! Let’s raise a toast to Alan and all those in the timekeeping community who not only organise our lives but give us much happiness too! As you can see, we wish to spread the message about Clocktime to as many individuals as possible throughout the globe. Please feel free to forward this message to friends, family and contacts who you think will find it of interest. Thank you in advance for your kind support. Alternatively, if you are reading this because a friend has forwarded this to you, please sign up to our newsletter here. The Clocktime Team
