ERNIE 1, the first Premium Bonds random number generator, was technically groundbreaking. He was also much-loved: launched by Harold Macmillan in 1956, Premium Bonds quickly became seen as a secure way to save, and a good way of winning big money – ERNIE's association with them led to greater public faith in machines. Draws were televised, with millions of people tuning in to see if ERNIE would spit out their numbers, and everyone from celebrity to nobody wanted to visit and pose with him. Anthropomorphised by the public, he even received his own fan mail.

ERNIE (Electric Random Number Indicator Equipment) was the 'son of' Colossus, built at the same place and by some of the same engineers as the famous WWII code breaking computer.