The BBC is to target TV licence fee offenders with three new
documentary-style commercials featuring characters paying the price for
’forgetting’ to pay their licence fees.
In one, the tweedy owner of a stately home reveals how not paying his
licence fee led to ’a nice fine, handed out by an old school chum of
mine’.
As a result, he has had to open his house to the public.
’What a nightmare,’ he says, as he discovers crisp packets in the
antique vases and has touring families walk in on him in the
bathroom.
In another, a businessman talks about how his son, a Cambridge economics
graduate and a partner in the family firm, is afraid to get his hands
dirty and lacks attention to detail. It turns out his son has forgotten
to pay the company’s TV licence fee.
’He’s not so frightened of getting his hands dirty now,’ the businessman
says as we see his son up a ladder painting out the ’and son’ on the
company name.
The third film features a bodyguard who has gone into the business for
the ’excitement, danger and glamour’ associated with it. He signs up for
an expensive bodyguard course but has to pull out when he is fined for
not having a TV licence. This leaves his boss, Mr Randal, in a
vulnerable position and he ends up in hospital with a black eye and a
broken arm.
The 30-second ads were created by TBWA GGT Simons Palmer and break on 2
November.
They were written by Michael Burke, art directed by John Anderson and
directed by Paul Gay through Outsider. Media is being handled by New
PHD.
The films will run on the BBC until 1 December with an equivalent media
spend of pounds 7.5 million.
