Anyone recognise this? Curved corridor, abandoned phone ringing

[HareBrain]

There's a scene keeps playing in my mind at the moment, a sort of eyeworm, that I think is from a TV series between 15-25 years ago. A phone (with an actual dial, I think) is ringing relentlessly in a dusty, abandoned office which is one of many either side of a curved corridor in some kind of administrative building. Clearly it hasn't been used for many years. I think the suggestion is that the office only exists to house this phone. Eventually it is answered, and this is an important moment in the series (or maybe film) in question.

Anyone know what this is? I think it might be the X Files, but I can't place it and Google is no help.

 

[Narkalui]

When you say curved corridor do you mean than it has vertical walls and horizontal ceiling and floor but it leads around a curve? Or do you mean that the corridor is kind of tube shaped but leads in a straight line?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Sounds quite Sapphire and Steel-ish

 

[HareBrain]

When you say curved corridor do you mean than it has vertical walls and horizontal ceiling and floor but it leads around a curve?

Yes. And as far as I remember the walls are a mix of grey paint and glass windows (which look into the individual offices). There's nothing SFF about the corridor itself, BTW, it's just in some kind of possibly circular building. I'm pretty sure it's set in the US.

Sounds quite Sapphire and Steel-ish

Far later than that, alas.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I know exactly which scene you’re talking about, and I have no idea what it’s from.

Happy to (be of no) help.

 

[HareBrain]

Happy to (be of no) help.

It was help. At least I know it's not false memory syndrome like that Byrds thing probably was.

 

[Narkalui]

Yes. And as far as I remember the walls are a mix of grey paint and glass windows (which look into the individual offices). There's nothing SFF about the corridor itself, BTW, it's just in some kind of possibly circular building. I'm pretty sure it's set in the US.

The straight tube corridor sounded familiar, maybe X-Files. Sorry, can't help you with this one...

 

[HoopyFrood]

Oh here we go again, another weird Harebrain brain-thorn!

 

[HareBrain]

No, this one's real, honest. Not like that bloody Pokemon thing.

 

[Narkalui]

No, this one's real, honest. Not like that bloody Pokemon thing.

it's ok, we want to believe you

 

[Abernovo]

My first thought, like Jo's, was Sapphire and Steel, but then my mind turned to one of my favourite miniseries ever, Edge of Darkness. There is a scene, where running for his life Craven (Bob Peck) makes a call to a dusty office in an almost disused bunker/basement(?), with long corridors, windows looking into them, glass panels in doors. UK setting, but with some US actors.

Pretty much everything you describe chimes with my memory of that scene, which is pivotal in the story.

It is one of the eeriest, and worrying thrillers ever, even now, although has some (necessary) stress-relieving chuckles in it.

 

[HareBrain]

My first thought, like Jo's, was Sapphire and Steel, but then my mind turned to one of my favourite miniseries ever, Edge of Darkness. There is a scene, where running for his life Craven (Bob Peck) makes a call to a dusty office in an almost disused bunker/basement(?), with long corridors, windows looking into them, glass panels in doors. UK setting, but with some US actors.

Pretty much everything you describe chimes with my memory of that scene, which is pivotal in the story.

It is one of the eeriest, and worrying thrillers ever, even now, although has some (necessary) stress-relieving chuckles in it.

Aargh! That sounds like the perfect answer, except I've never seen it! (Though it sounds like I should.)

 

[Vladd67]

It’s from an advert, the phone was in the Heineken or Carlsburg complaints department and it was a wrong number.

 

[Vladd67]

Found it, it was Carlsberg

 

[Vladd67]

My first thought, like Jo's, was Sapphire and Steel, but then my mind turned to one of my favourite miniseries ever, Edge of Darkness. There is a scene, where running for his life Craven (Bob Peck) makes a call to a dusty office in an almost disused bunker/basement(?), with long corridors, windows looking into them, glass panels in doors. UK setting, but with some US actors.

Pretty much everything you describe chimes with my memory of that scene, which is pivotal in the story.

It is one of the eeriest, and worrying thrillers ever, even now, although has some (necessary) stress-relieving chuckles in it.

I believe the line was Get me Pendleton!!

 

[mosaix]

It’s from an advert, the phone was in the Heineken or Carlsburg complaints department and it was a wrong number.

Spot on, Vladd. Was about to post the same.

 

[HareBrain]

Found it, it was Carlsberg

Thank you!!!

I could have sworn it was a US setting, and the phone was ringing for ages, and I was 90% sure it was the X Files, but what you've found is definitely what I was thinking of. Clever ad, too.

Do you know what year it was, by any chance?

I know exactly which scene you’re talking about, and I have no idea what it’s from.

I assume it wasn't the same thing, in the end? I can't imagine you would have seen that advert.

 

[Vladd67]

There was a similar bit in Edge of Darkness when Craven was being chased through the caves that made up a nuclear storage area, he hides out in an old control room and makes a call on an old phone that seems to be linked to a phone in a forgotten office in the MOD.

 

[HareBrain]

Ah, actually I have seen Edge of Darkness, but forgot. I mistook it for Doomwatch, which I know I haven't. EoD had the mad American with the plutonium, right?

I think the US-style police siren at the very start of the ad (possible quite rare in the UK then) might be the reason my brain linked it with America. Also, it's the kind of scene that ought to be in every conspiracy-type show like X Files. But it seems very likely now that EoD was in there too, somewhere. Funny how the memory (doesn't) work.

 

[Abernovo]

I believe the line was Get me Pendleton!!

That was it.

Ah, actually I have seen Edge of Darkness, but forgot. I mistook it for Doomwatch, which I know I haven't. EoD had the mad American with the plutonium, right?

Yes, you have EoD* bang to rights, re the kind of mad American.

*Considering the subject matter of that series, the acronym is apt. I know it's not explosive per se, but it go boom!

I think the US-style police siren at the very start of the ad (possible quite rare in the UK then) might be the reason my brain linked it with America. Also, it's the kind of scene that ought to be in every conspiracy-type show like X Files. But it seems very likely now that EoD was in there too, somewhere. Funny how the memory (doesn't) work.

Glad you found the answer. That was very similar to the scene I was thinking of. Great advert, which I'd never seen before.