Me and My Mobile

Synopsis

In the last twenty-five years mobile phones have revolutionised our lives- ever since Ernie Wise made the first mobile call in the UK in 1985. Could we imagine not walking around with our mobile in our pockets as instant communication and often a portable office. For Radio Four, Dom Joly explores our relationship with mobiles during the past quarter of a century, where they've changed the way we work, socialise, communicate, get our news, pay our bills, do business.

When phones were first launched they were the size of a briefcase, cost about £2,000 and had a battery life of little more than 20 minutes. They were an immediate status symbol, now there are nearly two phones per head for every man, woman and child living in the UK, and as many as ten thousand of them are stolen each month. They've become small, sleek, slim objects of desire. When did we fall in love with our phones, and whatever did we do before them?

Producer: Anna Horsbrugh-Porter
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.