Commercials

Orange are a rubbish phone company. I speak from experience. The one thing they do well, however, is make good commercials. There are all those lovely TV ads, for starters. And then there are those cracking ads in the cinemas, featuring Patrick Swayze, Alan Cumming and co. They can usually be more entertaining than the films themselves.

But for the last few months it’s been Sean Astin and I’ve got bored, despite the great voiceover. I think we all have. I want to hear the likes of “Make me bleed!” again.

Thankfully, there’s a new ad on the way. And fantastically enough, it has the legendary Steven Seagal in it. The full story is at the Media Guardian, but here’s the basic plot:

Continue reading “Steven Seagal to appear in the next Orange ad”

The latest series of Pot Noodle adverts have received 37 complaints, saying they’re racist towards the Welsh. Not sure you can actually be racist to the Welsh (Jingoist? Xenophobic? Nationist?), them not actually being a separate race and all, but the complaints are in, all the same.

I’m in two minds, myself. Can you oppress and stereotype a group of people as miners?

“Look at yous. You’re all a bunch of miners.”

Not really that upsetting, is it? It’s up there in the insult stakes with Nick Hancock’s put-down of Londoners: “Oh, go and sell some fruit and veg.”

But, as in all things, it’s the feelings of those on the receiving end that count more, and so far the reaction from the Welsh has mostly been, “Quite funny, really”, so it looks like the complaints are for nothing.

Anyway, I can forgive the ad most things, since it’s voiced by Philip Madoc, one of the best actors who’s ever lived and the Welshest Welshman alive. They’re aren’t many people that can star in their own hard-hitting crime drama, A Mind to Killl (aka Heliwr), shoot two versions of every episode simultaneously – one in Welsh and one in English – and be fantastic in both.

All the same, here’s the Pot Noodle advert, so you can make up your own mind (hopefully, not to kill).

No not the Buddhist one with his pals Pigsy and the sea monster. The OnDigital monkey! He’s coming back as the new face of PG Tips! Woo hoo. Johnny Vegas will, of course, be joining him.

PS My wife and her friends are very worried about Johnny Vegas. They suspect he’s going to be aphonic in a few years’ time if he doesn’t get treatment. Anyone fancy starting an online petition with me?