Brits polish mobiles in preparation for BBC's ‘Joy of Text’ show

D U WAN2CIT?

By Linda Harrison • Get more from this author

Posted in Data Networking, 29th May 2001 11:11 GMT

Text messagers will next month get the chance to share their addiction with the nation as the BBC hosts an interactive show dedicated to SMS.

"The Joy of Text" will be a full Saturday night extravaganza, hosted by Ulrika Johnsson and an as yet unannounced male presenter, on the impact texting has had on Brits.

Kicking the programme off at 8.30pm will be a 40-minute "live entertainment show", where the audience will take part in text games, with viewers encouraged to send in funnies or pictures they have received via SMS.

Any jokes clean enough to be shown before the watershed will appear on a ten-foot reproduction of a mobile phone on stage behind Ulrikakaka.

There will also be "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush"-style holiday give-aways for the audience.

This frivolity will be followed by a 50-minute documentary about, you guessed it, text messaging.

Meanwhile, viewers up and down the country will be texted questions of the 'have you ever.....while texting' variety. Their answers will be compiled into a poll for later.

For those hard core texters, the programme will continue after the 10 O'Clock News, when Ulrika will host 'X-Text', a glimpse into the dirty and sordid world of text flirting.

Last month, Brits sent almost a billion text messages, according to figures from the GSM Association. ®