Court removes bizarre answerphone message after ridicule online

A Manchester court has changed its answerphone message after being ridiculed by people online.

The automated message that plays when callers ring the Manchester Civil Justice Centre gained attention on social media this week with a video clip of the bizarre recording viewed more than 1m times. The voice behind the message has been compared to Alan Partridge, the old classified football results on the radio and a 'sexy' phone line, with some suggesting that it is artificial intelligence.

Hundreds of people commented on the clip, questioning its authenticity, including British barrister and TV personality Judge Rinder. Some social media users said they had called the number themselves to find out for themselves and confirmed that it is in fact real.

However, on Wednesday (January 15), two days after the clip was first shared on social media, the automated message had changed. Although the new voicemail includes the same information, it is not read with the same dramatic delivery of the previous recording.

Responding to the clip on X, formerly Twitter, several social media users compared the voice behind the previous recording to that of the fictional TV character Steven Toast while one said it sounded like someone 'flogging jewellery' on shopping channel QVC. The clip of the automated message was also compared to scenes from the Simpsons, while many others some simple asked, 'who is this diva?'

Despite the ridicule though, the response was generally positive. One user wrote on X: "The automated messages are usually boring. I wouldn’t mind this eccentricity," while another person replied by saying: "This is the best automated message... ...in the world"

Another social media user added: "I'd like to hear him reading the