OH no, cover your ears with shame! Ipswich is to blame for the latest must-have gadget wanted the world over…for crimes against music.First there was the singing bass, but now, the BT chameleon and harmonica playing bug have captured the heart of the nation in the telecom giant's most recent advert featuring the Karma Chameleon telephone.

By Victoria Knowles

OH no, cover your ears with shame!

Ipswich is to blame for the latest must-have gadget wanted the world over…for crimes against music.

First there was the singing bass, but now, the BT chameleon and harmonica playing bug have captured the heart of the nation in the telecom giant's most recent advert featuring the Karma Chameleon telephone.

Today the Evening Star can reveal the novelty phone is the brain child of Ipswich-based company Burostat who hope to make its endearingly clumsy stab at one of Boy George's biggest hits a real money-spinner.

Karma Chameleon is no doubt about to become one of the tunes you love to hate to rival the Birdie Song and Agga Do when the accessory arrives on the shelves next month.

Even the man responsible for the tune that just 'comes and goes', Boy George himself, is interested in buying the reptilian phone.

Forget Jingle Bells and White Christmas - Karma Chameleon is the song every phone will be playing, hoped Andy Abraham, commercial director for Woodpecker Plc, which owns Burostat, based in Cavendish Street.

"The phone came about because BT were inundated with request for it after the advert began running in May. They received more than 50,000 enquiries but the phone in the advert was only a dummy. We manufacture lots of novelty phones and so we also received calls about the phone.

"Manufacturing a phone and getting it in to the shops usually takes at least six months but we have done this one in 12 weeks so that it is in the shops in time for Christmas, " he said.

The phone, which is set to be one of the biggest sellers this Christmas, was manufactured in China and Mr Abraham said the company have already sold more than 40,000 to retailers.

He added: "This will be a multi-million pound seller this year and we have even had people from Sussex phoning to find out when it will be available. We have even spoken to Boy George who is interested in the phone."

* Boy George will be appearing as a DJ at Kartouche this Friday