So popular is the Bridget Jones phenomenon that the BBC ran a singletons night in 1998

"For singletons like Bridget, the phone is becoming a major means of human contact," Bridget creator Fielding said.

"Texting allows followers to hear from Bridget more often than they hear from some of their own friends."

Life and loves

Finnish wireless entertainment publisher Riot Entertainment is launching the service in conjunction with Fielding on 13 April.

That is the day the film version of Bridget Jones's Diary - starring Ren�e Zellweger alongside Colin Firth and Hugh Grant as the love-interests, opens at cinemas across the UK.

Almost a billion mobile phone text messages are sent every month, according to the latest industry figures.

But sixty percent of text messages are sent by teenagers, while fans of Bridget Jones tend to be women in their late twenties or thirties.

But Riot Entertainment are confident that plenty of text messagers will sign up for updates on Bridget's life and loves.

The Guardian recently launched a text message poetry competition

Bridget Jones's appeal is that she is in a permanent state of disarray over some element of her life.

As Fielding points her particular brand of neurosis may tie in well with the obsessive nature of text messaging.

"You can be in communication with significant others anytime and anywhere - or not, which can be heartbreaking and obviously requires major analysis and discussion through further texting."

Bikini diet

Bridget Jones's Diary began as a series of newspaper columns, written by Helen Fielding, which were collated in a best-selling book.

The original diary, grown from spoof newspaper columns, is a publishing sensation

The text messaging service is to include personality tests, an "Ask Bridget" service, Bridget Jones's Guide to Life and the expected discussion of dieting, dating, self-help and thigh circumference.

Riot Entertainment feel that such a service provides a further dimension to literary characters like Bridget Jones.

"Mobile is flexible, dynamic and has an immediacy which is not possible with any other medium," Riot-E chief executive Jan Wellmann said.

"Bridget can text others every day to report on the progress of her bikini diet or other urgent matters."