Commercial Christmas

I feel like I've been in transit for half the day.  Which, effectively, I have been.  And I've got it all to do again tomorrow.  I can't really go into any details, but as with most of the bad things in my life these days, it is work related.  Anyway, having got up at the crack of dawn today to catch the first of three trains, (there were another three back), I now feel completely drained.  The thought of doing it again tomorrow is even more tiring.  The fact that the whole exercise is utterly pointless just makes it all the more frustrating.  But most frustrating of all, it has left me at a loss as to what to write here today.  I'm sure I had an idea for today's post over the weekend, but today's antics and resultant exhaustion has seemingly wiped it from my mind.  So, I'm resorting to my usual fall back in such situations: a selection of old TV ads.  These are from 1989 and, as I've noticed that the festively themed commercials have started appearing already this year, they are from the Xmas season.



They are clearly from an ITV region other than the one I watched (Southern/TVS/Meridian) as I've never heard of Norman's Superstore, although it was obviously pretty big wherever these ads were shown.  The fact that the ad features Norman Wisdom leaves me deeply unimpressed.  Still, it was probably the only work he could get by 1989.  It gave me quite a start to realise that Sinclair were still marketing variations on their ZX micro computers as late as this, albeit reconfigured into a primitive games console.  The Hamlet ad is a classic of its kind and one of a long-running series.  It has a touch of class sadly lacking in many contemporary ads.  The Carling 'Treasure Hunt' ad is very much of its time - if you don't remember the Treasure Hunt TV series, where the hand held camera seemed relentlessy focused on Anneka Rice's backside as it followed her jumping off of things and running around a lot, then it will likely be mystifying.  The Quality Street ad emphasises the fact that, back then, you got a hell of a lot more sweets in the tin than you do now.  Another classic ad, featuring Neil Innes giving a good impression of a Max Bygraves-style crooner, the likes of which were still blighting our Christmases back then.  Finally, Michael Denison does his best Jeeves impression in a seasonal Croft Original commercial, once again, part of a long running series. 

So there you are - a commercial Christmas.  You never know, we might be back to normal by tomorrow.