THE Yellow Pages

was first published as a section in the General Post Office’s phone directory for Brighton in 1966.

It was expanded throughout the UK in 1973 and later became part of BT, which was spun off from the Post Office in 1981.

Over the years the directory appeared in some famous television adverts. In one the fictional JR Hartley, played by actor Norman Lumsden ( pictured), is looking for a rare copy of a book on fly fishing – before revealing he was the author.

It was so popular a bestselling angling book was later published under Hartley’s name. Others featured actor James Nesbitt extricating himself from disasters, including one where he seeks a hairdresser after cutting his niece’s hair badly.

In 1996, an online version of Yellow Pages, Yell.com, was launched. Now, it is a digitalonly business.