British Telecom's speaking clock switched to a new voice on Monday, April 2 as Sara Mendes da Costa took over following the competition which was held at the end of last year. She becomes only the fourth "permanent" voice of the service since its inception by the old GPO in 1936.

Here's a quick collage of the voices I edited together last night:

GPO/BT Speaking Clock -- The Four Voices

In sequence:

#1. Jane Cain (also known as Ethel Cain), 1936 - 1963

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#2. Pat Simmons, 1963 - 1985

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#3. Brian Cobby, 1985 - 2007

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#4. Sara Mendes da Costa, 2007 -

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Only two other voices have ever been heard on the service briefly in more recent times.

For two weeks during March 2003 the voice of comedian Lenny Henry was used in support of Comic Relief:

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And in October 2003 the voice of 12-year-old Scottish schoolgirl Alicia Roland was used for one week after she won a competition:

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