Creatives' Best British TV Ads From The Past 50 Years

For much of the last 70 years, TV advertising has dominated the industry which, arguably, is still obsessed by the medium, even if spend has begun moving elsewhere. The UK has been a global powerhouse of creativity in that respect, and it remains a key fixture in big brand strategies with £5.27bn spent on TV ads in 2024 alone.

One constant through out those five decades has been the presence of the British Arrows in celebrating the work from the industry. Campaigns to be named Best Commercial of the Year have included unforgettable classics such as Hamlet Cigars 'Photobooth', Parker Pens 'Finishing School', John West Salmon 'Bear', and Channel 4 Paralympics 'We're The Superhumans' to name a few.

To commemorate the half-centenary of the awards and continue to celebrate the best of British, ‘The Ads of the Years’ exhibition will be hosted at Outernet London. The free activation will see 68 iconic commercials displayed on 7000 metres of 16k screens in a four-storey high, floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree immersive experience.

The hunt is also on for the Favourite TV Commercial of all time, being run through the British Arrows website, with each of the leading adverts also available to view on the British Arrows YouTube channel.

To mark the occasion, some of the UK’s current crop of creative leaders shared their choice for the greatest UK TV ad (or at least their favourite) from the last 50 years.

'Ice Skating Priests' for Stella Artois - Alex Grieve, global CCO, BBH

Like trying to choose your favourite book or film it's an impossible and frankly ludicrous exercise. However, one way to answer is to imagine the ad I'd most like to have on my showreel. And that ad would be Stella Artois 'Ice-skating Priests'. 'Reassuringly expensive' is my favourite strategy ever. And this ad, directed by Jonathan Glazer, is a love poem to Craft. 

'Nothing Beats A Londoner' for Nike - Franki Goodwin, CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi

I did my homework on this one (the request falling fortuitously during a nail appointment) and I watched every single ad on the Arrows shortlist. I desperately wanted to be contrarian and pick something obscure and forgotten to show how clever I am – but alas! My favourite, going into that ad marathon, was still my favourite at the end (and I’m sure is the fav of many others). It made me laugh, groove and punch the air with joy. So, nothing – not paint, not surfers, not French peasants, not even a hot guy in wet jeans – nothing could beat it. And that’s because really and truly… Nothing beats a Londoner!

'Protection' for Volkswagen Polo - Rich Denney, CCO, St Luke’s, and board member of the British Arrows

This is such a tricky one. A few favourites come to mind, all for different reasons, but I’m going to pick VW's 'Protection'.

I’d been in advertising for about a year and BMP DDB Needham were smashing out award-winning ads for fun. Then this came out. We were already witnessing the mastery of director Jonathan Glazer through his countless hits for Jamiroquai and Radiohead, and then he dropped this. Shot in black and white and set to an equally cinematic score, it’s a masterpiece of both idea and craft that captures your attention and never lets it go.

From a riot and a fallen jockey to firefighters and a boxer taking cover, the film constantly pulls you forward. You want to know what’s coming next. Then everything stops. A simple black frame. The line appears: “Have you ever noticed how protected you feel when you make yourself small?” and we cut to a side-on shot of a tiny VW Polo.

Perfectly judged. Confident. Unshowy. Beautiful. And it sold cars with barely any car in it.

That ad made me want to work at DDB. It made me want to work with Jeremy Craigen and Jon Glazer. It set a benchmark for the kind of advertising I wanted to make. I was fortunate enough, later on, to tick all of those off, and it all started with this film.

'Good Doctor' for Stella Artois - Helen Rhodes, CCO for Grey London

Stella Artois’ 'Good Doctor' is an absolute classic. The elegant collision of beautiful cinematic storytelling and razor-sharp dark humour is what makes it one of the best for me. Shot like a moody European arthouse film, it builds genuine drama around a doctor treating cholera victims until the chance of a sip of his Stella suddenly makes him irresistible. The idea is deliciously perverse: the beer is so good it’s worth risking a deadly disease. And just when the moment peaks, a perfectly timed cough cuts through the reverence and nails the final beat.

It’s a masterclass in comic restraint, bleak setup, deadpan delivery, flawless payoff, and proof that treating an ad like a proper short film makes the humour hit even harder. Timeless.

'Garage' for Cadbury's - Mark Elwood, CCO, Leo UK

This the Cadbury’s generosity platform at its best.

The script is all about what’s not being said, which is bloody tricky to pull off and bloody hard to buy as a client.

As a viewer, you’re unsure about the nature of the relationship between the customer and garage attendant. But slowly it unfolds, the generous customer who ‘accidentally' leaves behind the bar of Dairy Milk.

A series of compelling little looks and feints,  with the frost on the relationship there for all to see, all masterfully directed. Then the big reveal -  ‘Love you Dad’ over the Tannoy. Bringing a little heart-warming jolt of emotion. As the father of a 22-year-old daughter, I can hard relate. Beautiful.

'Lamp Post' for Volkswagen - Jonathan Parker, CCO, VCCP

"Well, it's surely Volkswagen (VW) 'Lamp Post'. Didn't make me buy a VW Polo but it did make me notice advertising for the first time in my life. I was gonna be an artist until the night I watched this in my student hovel. I'd never seen an advert with a wonky narrative before. It made you think. Question what was happening. It was so natural and unassuming. Two workers just going about their ordinary lives chatting shit. No jingles or jazz hands. And then the pay off is just brilliant. Makes you feel clever for getting it."

'Swimblack' for Guinness - Chris Clarke, UK ECD, T&P

Now more than ever, we mustn't lose sight of the importance of brilliant ideas and dedication to craft. Many of our best loved brands were built that way. Which is why my favourite ad is Guinness ‘Swimblack’.

Fantastic insight. 

Genius writing. 

Beautiful cinematography. 

Perfect casting. 

Exceptional editing. 

Amazing track. 

Before this ad people were too impatient to wait around at the bar for a Guinness. 

Now they happily wait in a queue for it.

Ideas and craft... Good things, eh?

'Surfer' for Guinness - Nicholas Hulley with Nadja Lossgott, CCOs, AMV BBDO

Is it dodgy to pick one of your agency’s ads as your choice? Hopefully not if your choice is Guinness 'Surfer'. Right?

It’s the ad so many of us got into advertising for.

It’s the ad most people outside of advertising know. And you just have to say Guinness Surfer and all of us can instantly hear that beat; hear those first few words…. “He waits. That’s what he does”; and see those white horses jumping out of the surf. It is the masterpiece of the last 50 years.

’Secret Lemonade Drinker’ for R Whites Lemonade -  Aidan McClure, CCO, Wonderhood Studios

The oldest ad I not only remember but can still recite every single word of is R Whites Lemonade ‘Secret Lemonade Drinker’. Unbelievable, considering I can barely recite my own phone number.

Looking at it again though, it’s nonsensical.  The idea that a grown man would get up in the middle of the night to secretly guzzle lemonade is ridiculous. There’s no way he’s going back to bed after all that sugar. He’d be high as a kite.  The next day would be a right off. Also, he’d have to brush his teeth afterwards leaving a horrible minty/sugary taste in his mouth.  Imagine trying to sell this idea in today? It wouldn’t get past the first creative presentation, let alone the tricky final boss level. It would be marketing madness. However, there’s something to be said for its commitment to silliness. We all know our competition is no longer the other ads but the random stuff the internet coughs up, yet much of our work remains committed to being sensible. It’s understandable.  Asking serious marketeers, at serious companies, to pump serious money into something that’s well…not serious takes nerve. Get it right though, silly becomes seriously memorable as this ad made in 1973 proves.      

'Wake Up To Milk' for Milk Marketing Board - Chris Birch, CCO, VCCP

For me it's 'Accrington Stanley'. I'm still somewhat obsessed by it. was it as good on paper? pre production was everyone saying this ad is gonna be talked about for decades to come? or did every little decision build its brilliance? Alan Parker, scousers, Accrington Stanley FC, one shot, just the face, never seeing the lemonade kid, Ian Rush rather than John Aldridge, the kick in throat of the 'ACC' of 'Accrington', the argy bargy cut right up against the calmest milkman in the world? Exactly.