Blast From The Past

Each week, in Blast From The Past, John Tylee takes a look at a classic UK TV ad from the vaults.

All ads are kindly donated by the Arrows Archive, which contains all TV ads nominated for the BTAA Awards since 1977.

The archive is maintained by the History of Advertising Trust.

The Guardian 'points of view' by BMP

The director Paul Weiland cites the Guardian's "points of view" commercial as the best he ever made. And it's easy to see why.

Carling Black Label 'dambusters' by WCRS

WCRS's Dambusters spot for Carling Black Label was a gem in what was a truly sparking campaign.

Levi's 'laundrette' by Bartle Bogle Hegarty

Levi's looked a most unpromising account when it arrived at the fledgling Bartle Bogle Hegarty in 1982.

Fiat Strada 'handbuilt by robots' by Collett Dickenson Pearce

Hailed by many as the best commercial ever made, this spot was remarkable not just because it was the first to fill an entire News At Ten ad break but...

Tango 'orange man' by Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury

No commercial better symbolized the creative iconaclism of Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury during the early 90s than its first Tango spot for Britvic.

Hamlet 'photobooth' by Collett Dickenson Pearce

Of all the rich seam of commercials that presented Hamlet cigars as the perfect antidote to life's misfortunes, the "photo booth" spot is the one that lives longest in the...

Guinness 'surfers' by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

Guinness 'surfer' by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

The galloping sea horses of the Guinness "surfers" spot ushered in kind of advertising spectacular that had never been seen before in the UK.

VW 'lamp post' by BMP

LONDON - Briefed to come up with a campaign to persuade people that VWs weren't as expensive as they thought, BMP produced the simplest of creative concepts - and a...

Tango 'St George' by Henry Howell Chaldecott Lury

No commercial was more representative of HHCL at its irreverent and refreshingly different prime than the "St George" spot for Blackcurrent Tango.

Sony 'armchair' by BMP

A top Hollywood crew and a skydiving cameraman plunging from the sky above California's Simi Valley were responsible for a Sony commercial that was as spectacular as it was memorable.

Maynards Wine Gums 'hoots mon' by BMP DDB Needham

The Maynards Wine Gums TV spot that implored sweet-toothed consumers to "set the juice loose" has never strayed far from the collective memory.

Sainsbury's 'celebrity recipes' by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

If there's one campaign that marked the turning point in the transformation of Sainsbury's from a cheap downmarket chain to the grocer of the middle classes, the celebrity recipe series...

Levi Strauss 'creek' by Bartle Bogle Hegarty

LONDON - Judged even against the impressive stable of Levis commercials dating back to the early 80s, "Creek" is a true thoroughbred.

Nike 'kick it' by Simons Palmer Denton Clemmow and Johnson

The first TV commercial for Nike by Simons Palmer Denton Clemmow and Johnson was an instant winner.

Maxell 'israelites' by Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury

The arrival of Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury on the UK ad scene 19 years ago introduced an unconventional approach to creativity that was irreverent, different and never easy to ignore.

British Rail 'relax' by Saatchi & Saatchi

The highly acclaimed - and much awarded - 'relax" spot for British Rail's Intercity services, remains a testament to Charles Saatchi's intuitive feel for the right juxtaposition of words and...

VW Golf 'changes' by BMP

No ad from the 80s better captured the materialistic spirit of the decade than BMP's "Changes" spot for the Volkswagen Golf.

Castlemaine XXXX 'sherry' by Saatchi & Saatchi

Saatchi & Saatchi was famous for pushing the bounds of acceptability and the innuendo of the Castlemaine.

Holsten Pils 'George Raft' by Gold Greenlees Trott

The idea of embedding Griff Rhys Jones into old Hollywood movie scenes was a masterstroke that resulted in one of the most memorable series of beer commercials from the 80s.