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BBC Reply To Girl Who Offered To "Bong" In Big Ben's Absence

BBC Reply To Girl Who Offered To "Bong" In Big Ben's Absence

This is great.

Mark McGowan

Mark McGowan

When we were young not many things worried us, but those that did we were really passionate about.

Things like what order your Pokémon deck should be in and what condition your Beyblade was in took priority, but for this girl her biggest worry was of a completely different nature.

Eight-year-old Phoebe Hanson was rather skeptical about how the BBC would recreate the "bong" Big Ben makes when the news comes on, while the famous clock is out of action.

So much so that she wrote a letter to the Beeb offering to stand and shout "bong" so the show could continue as it is.

An editor of the PM show on Radio 4 took the letter very seriously and passed on the offer to 'those who make the decisions', letting Phoebe know in a reply which he sent to her.

In full, the letter reads: "Re. Big Ben's Bongs (lack of).

"Dear Miss Hanson,

"Thank you for your letter and your very imaginitive idea about what to do when Big Ben falls silent for repairs early next year. Some of the cleverest and most important people at the BBC are scratching their heads, wondering quite what to do.

"Once before, when Big Ben fell silent for repairs, we played different birdsong every evening. The listeners loved that. Then the people behind Tweet of the Day (that's on each day just before 6 in the morning) stole our idea... so we can't do that again.

"I must say I was very much taken with your idea... and we have passed it on to those who make the decisions. As you know, the Bongs are live... and (you may not know this) the beginning of the Westminster Chimes (the bit that goes BimBom BimBom BimBobBimBom before the first BOOONNNGGGGGGGGGG!) is always at a slightly different time (which is why you sometimes hear someone accidentally talking when they start). It depends on things like temperature and atmospheric pressure and stuff like that.

"So it would be quite a task for you, doing the Bongs: you'd have to rush in after school each day (and at the weekend), rush home for tea, homework, a bit of chillin', then a quick sleep. And then - here's the hard bit - you'd have to rush back again at midnight, because there are live bongs again before the midnight news. That's an awful lot of work for someone who is still quite young. I know I wouldn't like to do all that.

"Thank you very much for writing to us. I'm very impressed that you listen to Radio 4. I wish my two children did.

"Have a spiffing Christmas and a stupendous and lucky 2017.

"Roger Sawyer.

"Editor: PM, Broadcasting House, iPM - BBC Radio 4."

Credit: PA

Phoebe's dad shared the letter on Facebook calling it 'priceless', saying that his daughter was stunned to receive it.

This is class.

Featured image credit: PA/Facebook

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Topics: BBC