Fictitious Telephone Numbers

I probably will get a few visitors to this page because they are looking for the Arun Hostel in Swanage, telephone number 01632 960874.

The actual dialling code for Swanage is 01929 so why am I quoting 01632? The answer is that the Arun Hostel in Swanage only exists in fiction. Specifically it appeared in Episode 1, Series 2 of the Inbetweeners, a comedy series on Channel 4. Changing the subject slightly, the actual filming was done in Littlehampton, on the river Arun.

Ofcom, the regulatory body for telecommunications in the UK have set aside blocks of telephone numbers, such as the dialling code of 01632, that will never be allocated which may be used in works of fiction. The danger is that if Delboy gives his telephone number out as 020 7946 9573 someone somewhere in viewerland will want to give him a call. Thats another fictitious number by the way, the major cities with their well known codes have their own ranges. In this way, Ofcom pander to the realism. Most people know Delboy lives in the 020 area, and some will complain when they know the 01632 is not a valid code.

Mobile numbers and freephone numbers are all handled within the scheme.