Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
John Cleese’s 1985 BBC ad asking for a star-studded venue “What has the BBC ever given us?” is one of the most famous examples of an organization that blames the public on the cost of paying fines.
In salesCleese complains to the bartender that he bought his TV license. “Eighty-eight questions about the fortune of sitting in your house, watching television.” It is demonic. he says, before being well-placed by a host of actors, from David Attenborough and John Humphrys to Terry Wogan and David Jason.
Now, more than 40 years later, as the organization begins its charter campaign that allows it to work for renewal, it has relaunched the business with new songs directed by Romesh Ranganathan directed by Dougal Wilson, the man behind Paddington in Peru and the John Lewis Christmas ad campaign.
The cast stars as grumpy ticket-payers grunting in EastEnders’ Queen Vic pub to a host of housemates including Chris Martin, Claudia Winkleman, David Jason and Greg James.
The actor then hosts a whistle stop song and dance for BBC shows and services, featuring around 90 famous faces, from Alan Carr to Cate Blanchett, from Hey Duggee to Clive Myrie.
The BBC is dealing with what its chief executive Matt Brittin recently revealed “time of danger” due to the decrease in license fees and the rise of competitors such as YouTube, TikTok and advertisers. The number of people paying BBC license fees has fallen more than expected in the past year, with some half a million households choosing not to pay.
To explain what could be lost, towards the end of the ad Ranganathan is chased backstage of Strictly Come Dancing to meet Louis Theroux, who says: “You know, this shouldn’t exist,” putting his hand in the risk of a giant on/off switch written by the BBC, “if we don’t want it”.
The video is being shown on TV during the World Cup finals and was posted on social media on Sunday morning. It has attracted interest from viewers, but a lukewarm response from other quarters, and Telegraph complaining that the BBC selections provided were “mediocre” and Time to complain that – as “a big sign of what’s on TV today on the BBC, and everywhere else” – was an old idea.
after advertising
There have been a number of BBC commercials over the years which aim to present its public service in a way that informs, educates and entertains.
It also includes star types of Beach Boys’ God Only Knows and Lou Reed’s Good Day. But Cleese’s commercials (only from Monty Python’s Life of Brian What Did the Romans Do to Us?) was recently reviewed by Chris Packham as “intellectual” while promoting an open letter in defense of the organization.
Ranganathan defended the introduction of the new format, saying: “I strongly believe that the BBC should exist and, look, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s wrong.”
“There have been times and challenges where I wish we could have handled things differently – but I’m so glad we got to have it and it adds so much to our lives. And I’m proud of it.”
“I feel very strongly that we should have the BBC and I think there is nothing else that does what the BBC does.”
He said when asked to direct the film, “I was very surprised that they chose me and respected me so much, but I thought it was not smart, really.”
Growing up, it was the BBC Goodness of Grace Me What made him believe that he would have a career as an actor, he said: “I never thought that people who look like me could do comedy.”
Advertising acknowledges that the BBC has done a lot for Ranganathan himself, with Myrie pointing out that he hosts The Weakest Link, Sara Cox reminding him that he supports the Radio 2 program and Chris McCausland highlighting the “hip-hop podcast on Noise”.
