Poll
AD TO BE DONE
From Peter Kay’s iconic ‘av it to Herbal Essences’ steamy showers – which classic ads do YOU want back on our screens?
DRUMMING gorillas, waterfall orgasms and Barry Scott barking at us about limescale – Britain's had some brilliant and bizarre TV ad campaigns over the years.
Now, after it was revealed that Asda is going to bring back its famous "bottom pat" commercial, we ask: Which TV ad would you most like to see return to the airwaves?
18
With Coca-Cola and John Lewis adverts now considered an annual event every Christmas, we're a nation which loves to judge the handiwork of advertising executives.
But which is the UK's favourite ad that's been confined to the ash heap of history?
Have your vote in the four categories below - the winners be revealed here when the poll closes.
And if your favourite isn't on the list, make your case for it in the comments section...
Drink
John Smith's - Peter Kay
18
Bolton's favourite son Peter Kay embodied John Smith's 'No Nonsense' slogan in a series of hilarious adverts between 2002-2005.
Fan favourites included Kay with the famous line "'av it!", along with another where he trains his dog to fetch his newspaper.
Others included Kay getting a perfect 10 in a diving competition after performing a cannonball.
Budweiser - Whassup?
18
One of the most successful campaigns of all time, became part of Western pop culture after airing between 1999 and 2002.
The adverts showed people calling each other and comically slurring the phrase: "What's up?"
Films and TV shows from Scary Movie to Friends parodied the adverts and Budweiser even brought back a Covid-19 version of the original clip to encourage people to check on each other during lockdown.
Guinness - Surfer
18
Repeatedly voted the best advert ever, hit screens in March 1999.
The black and white 60 second clip shows Polynesian surfers riding a gigantic wave to the techno tune Phat Planet by Leftfield.
White horses emerge from the wave as one surfer successfully conquers it, while all the others are wiped out.
It was made by Jonathan Glazer, who went on to direct the black comedy feature film Sexy Beast the next year.
Tango - You Know When You've Been Tango'd
18
The first ran from 1992 until 1996, before they returned in the 2000s.
They saw the Orange Man slapping Tango drinkers across the face and featured the tagline: "You know when you've been Tango'd".
One of the original ads was pulled after schoolchildren started slapping each other and saying "You've been Tango'd", but the campaign itself went on to boost the drink company's sales by over a third.
Food
Smash - Smash Martians
18
were the stars of 1970s and early 1980s adverts for Smash instant mashed potato.
The metallic robots would watch video of humans making mash by peeling, boiling and then mashing spuds, instead of using the superior Martian method of just microwaving pre-made Smash.
"For Mash Get Smash" became a legendary advertising slogan and the ad agency which came up with the Martians went on to make the wheeled red Direct Line telephone, as well as the GoCompare opera singer.
So they've got a lot to answer for, really.
McCain - Daddy or Chips
18
In the 1990s, by her sister on their school bus: "Who do you like best: Daddy, or chips?"
After a lengthy deliberation, little Sophie concludes that she likes McCain's oven chips best.
It's a horrible indictment on the parenting skills of Sophie's dad, but seems to have gone down as the most memorable advert for chips of all time.
Frosties - They're Gonna Taste Great
18
In 2006, the most infuriatingly catchy cereal advert ever made hit our screens with song.
It featured a zany teen enthusiastically singing and dancing at the sheer joy of his morning bowl of Frosties.
After the ad aired, dark rumours began spreading about its star, a 15-year-old South African actor called Sven Ruygrok, including that he'd killed himself after being bullied for the quirky commercial.
But while Sven did say he was teased, the vicious myths about his death are not true, and he went on to have a successful film career.
Cornetto - 'O Sole Mio
18
'O Sole Mio - which means 'My Own Sun' - is a classic Neapolitan song written in 1898, but it's probably best known in Britain for its use in from the 1980s.
The clip shows a man singing the romantic tune to a woman on a gondola, with the lyrics changed to: "Just one Cornetto, give it to me..."
Walls ran a in 2004, in which a woman tries to get a Cornetto Love Potion off a man by opening her raincoat to reveal a corset and suspenders.
18
Chocolate
Milk Tray - Milk Tray Man
18
From 1968 to 2003, the famous confectionery brand was , who appears as a secret agent-type character going above and beyond to ensure delivery of the box of chocolates to a woman.
The original tagline for the commercial, which made a comeback in 2016, was: "And all because the lady loves Milk Tray."
Cadbury's - Drumming Gorilla
18
The famous gorilla drummed his way into advertisement history in 2007, with a showing the beast playing along to Phil Collins 1981 classic hit, In The Air Tonight.
The hairy creature was played by actor Garon Michael, and the clip went on to be named the nation's all-time favourite ad by a Marketing magazine poll in 2015.
Which is just as well, as the total cost of the entire campaign was estimated to be around an eye-watering £6.2million.
Milky Bar - Milky Bar Kid
18
Since 1961, the has been used to help promote Nestle's white-chocolate bar with an animated (or occasionally live-action) advert taking place in a Wild West setting before using the quirky and catchy line: "The Milkybars are on me!"
The character was most recently used in 2010, when the brand decided to pick eight-year-old Kiwi Hinetaapora Short from as the lead character, making her the first girl in the brand's history to play the role.
Jaffa Cakes - Total Eclipse
18
In 1999, McVities released its hilarious advert titled which captured the hearts of the country by showing a primary school teacher demonstrating the phases of the moon by chomping a Jaffa Cake.
She takes one out of her pocket and first says "full moon" before having a bite and saying "half moon", before consuming the snack completely.
Amusingly, the teacher then repeats the advert only to allow herself to enjoy another Jaffa Cake.
And the rest...
Cillit Bang - Barry Scott
18
is the phrase that will forever be associated with cleaning products brand Cillit Bang.
Actor Neil Burgess played the brash fictional character in Cillit Bang adverts for a decade, and says it's ended up costing him other roles.
"I think casting directors truly believe I'm going to turn up in a blue shirt and shout at them, which is tempting," Burgess told in May.
Halifax - Howard Brown
18
In 2000, Halifax launched a new range of adverts for its financial services products featuring singing members of staff.
The standout star of the campaign was Brummie , who'd worked as a customer representative, singing a song called Extra to the tune of Tom Jones' Sex Bomb.
Brown starred in the banks' ads for nearly a decade, and also played himself in the 2003 Office Christmas Special.
In February this year, he went looking for love on First Dates.
Herbal Essences - Yes!
18
Herbal Essences raised eyebrows in the 1990s with adverts of women reacting orgasmically to washing their hair with the brand's shampoo.
The saucy segments continued into the 2000s, with women shouting the catchphrase
Advertising copywriters cheekily tagged the clips with line: "A totally organic experience."
Safestyle UK - I Said You Buy One, You Get One Free
18
Beginning in 1999, double glazed window and door merchants Safestyle UK employed Jeff Brown to inexplicably wear medieval clothing and yell: in its ads.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Brown, who also worked as a matchday host at Burnley F.C., made headlines more recently when he was convicted of dodging a £53K tax bill in 2016.
He was slapped with a 20-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
Asda release hilarious new pocket tap advert
Topics