BT tunes in to demands of television audience

Did Julie Martin fall to her death or was she pushed? Questions like this in the minds of Neighbours fanatics throughout the land could be answered ahead of time - by rushing to Colchester or Ipswich.

As part of trials to deliver television over the telephone network, BT plans to show Friday episodes of Neighbours on the previous Wednesday. This treat, part of the pounds 4.99 per month television service, will be available to only 2,500 households in East Anglia from this summer.

BT says the move is part of a vast experiment to see what attracts the viewing public. The BBC believes that in future, people will want to be in control - choosing not just what they want to watch but when.

Viewers will also be able to watch Coronation Street and EastEnders - albeit a day or so late - as well as favourites such as the World at War, Life on Earth and Brideshead Revisited.

The television service will run alongside a range of other offerings, including delivery of Nintendo games over the wires for between 99p and pounds 3.99, or a flat monthly fee of pounds 6.99.

About 300 films will be available, with a price tag of between pounds 1.50 and pounds 3.99. Music videos will cost between 99p and pounds 3.99 each for a day - or a monthly fee of pounds 5.99 to pick and choose from a large library. With these come a range of home banking, shopping and educational services.

The key to receiving all this is a computer-in-a-box sitting on top of the television. These will be free for the trial and would probably cost about the same as a satellite receiver should the service be offered more widely.

BT refuses to say when these sort of offerings might be available throughout Britain, but it is likely to be some years.