Let Dr. Who read your text messages

If you live in the UK and use BT's text-to-voice system to get your SMS messages delivered to your landline, you'll be hearing a familiar voice at the other end of the line for the next few months. BT has scrapped the computerized voice the company had been using for the system, and replaced it with the voice of Tom Baker of Dr. Who fame. Baker spent 11 days recording nearly 12,000 words and sounds, which were then processed by BT engineers for five months in order to be usable by the text-to-speech system. We're not sure who BT will tap next after Baker's three-month stint is over. They can, of course, just rotate through Dr. Whos; that'll give them enough choices for about 20 years.

[PaulBlake @ Jan 31st 2006 9:30AM]

So, is the Tom Baker text-to-speech software available in any other form? That would make for some nifty Dr. Who fan-produced audio dramas, if so.

[PodMonkeys @ Jan 31st 2006 10:02AM]

WOOOO! Dr. Who! Tom Baker!

I think I'd actually consider buying a Tom Baker Dr. Who text-to-Speech application if they ever sold one.

[mactavish @ Jan 31st 2006 10:07AM]

this is not due to Tom being Doctor Who, but due to the voiceovers he has been doing for Little Britain.

[flipper @ Jan 31st 2006 11:32AM]

Little Britain is shite, but perhaps some good has come out of it if I can get Baker on my phone!

[Dan Garbutt @ Jan 31st 2006 11:37AM]

everyone, but everyone, is going to text "I am the Doctor" to their own homephone, so that they can run home and hear Tom Baker saying it! WICKED!!!

[Dave 8o) @ Jan 31st 2006 12:06PM]

Just tried it in the office, loads of fun. He does all the swear words too, but of course we're all too mature for that.

[strider_mt2k @ Jan 31st 2006 12:56PM]

Nono have him say, "Destroy and be free!"

[Peter Kirn @ Jan 31st 2006 1:13PM]

Tom Baker's claim to fame as Little Britain? Ah yes, and William Shatner is known to Yankees as "that Priceline dude" (or, better still, that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds cover band).

Next up: the Daleks read your available minutes and balance due.

"YOU HAVE . . . EXCEEDED . . . YOUR ANYTIME MINUTES . . . YOU WILL BE . . ." (you know the rest)

[psicom @ Jan 31st 2006 1:27PM]

Wow this is awesome. I have the TARDIS ring tone on my phone and this would be great if we could get text-to-speech here in the States.

Baker rules. Check out his site sometime http://www.tombaker.tv/

[The Jeremy @ Jan 31st 2006 2:09PM]

Tom has a great voice. I really wish they would've picked him to be the Voice of the Guide in the *Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* flick. Of course, his voice might pop up on the upcoming season of *Doctor Who*. I'd really like to hear him annouce "previously on Doctor Who" at the very least...or be the voice of the TARDIS.

[KSB @ Jan 31st 2006 6:37PM]

I hate... HATE HATE dr Who... saw it as a kid on BBC, and my gawd that something could be that bad, and they made soooo many seasons :|

producers should have been shot lol .. sorry for the negativity :D

[Daniel Spisak @ Jan 31st 2006 9:25PM]

Could someone make a recording of what this sounds like for this Yank here to download and hear? I'm curious!

[Jack @ Feb 1st 2006 1:21PM]

Oh my lord! I mean TIMELORD! This is so damned cool! And you know what? Someone tell someone over at British Telecom that people would PAY to have this on their computer.

Apple already has text to speech capabilities built in. But with a TOM BAKER in my machine. Holy crap would I pay for that!

[The Doctor @ Feb 2nd 2006 4:35AM]

This is so cool Tom baker to me is the doctor or i shoud say my past regeneration.....omg......iv been texting my house and my mum and dad keeps thinking tom baker is leaving messages for me on the phone....they dont know he does the text to speech lol

[pattie anne @ Mar 24th 2006 9:40PM]

for Daniel Spisak ... try here:

http://www.tombakersays.com/

and if you are clever you will know how to SAVE all these files.

[Sup3rst4r S34 @ Jan 4th 2007 10:18AM]

How do you record these messages?