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I am certain that the late Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath appeared in a TV advert - probably in the late 1980s when he was still an MP but his Premiership was water under the bridge by then and he was on the backbenches in the House of Commons. I have a feeling that he advertised cheese, but not a certain brand of cheese, but a generic one for the cheese industry with the "Cheese It" slogan - I think it was just a ten second advert and probably was on screen in around 1988-1989. I know that Ken Livingstone appeared in one in that series of adverts, and no, I am not confusing him with the future London Mayor. The former lifelong bachelor PM did a piece-to-camera on how he liked certain cheese (probably Double Gloucester), accompanied with the "any way you please, cheese it" slogan. As milk is needed to make cheese, could it have been done on behalf of the Milk Marketing Board if it had still existed back in the late 1980s?
I believe that Sir Edward Heath has been the only British Prime Minister to appear in a UK TV advert, although I know that the late Sir Robert Mark, a former Metropolitan Police Commissioner appeared in a Goodyear Tyres advert in around 1979, mention that they were "a good contribution to road safety". i assume that the advert was made a couple of years after he stepped down from the role as Britain's most senior Police Officer, and I know that he wouldn't have been able to make the advert while he was still in charge at the Met. I know that he has been the only Police Officer on a more senior rank than Chief Constable to appear during the ad breaks.
Likewise, I believe that Heath wouldn't have been able to appear in the cheese advert had he still been Prime Minister at the time, but even then I had assumed that the old ITA and IBA rules probably wouldn't have allowed it back then as it would almost could bee seen as akin to a Party Political Broadcast or something. I have been looking on YouTube for the advert - I can see the Ken Livingstone version of that advert on there a couple of times, including an ad break from a film recorded, and I am certain that the Heath one was on YT for a short while in the recent past.
In addition to that, the Paul Daniels game show Wipeout in 1994 had a grid involving politicians in TV adverts - one of the correct answers was Sir Edward Heath, and he was the only Prime Minister on the grid which was correct - Sir John Major was also on the grid, I believe, but he was a Wipeout.
I believe that Sir Edward Heath has been the only British Prime Minister to appear in a UK TV advert, although I know that the late Sir Robert Mark, a former Metropolitan Police Commissioner appeared in a Goodyear Tyres advert in around 1979, mention that they were "a good contribution to road safety". i assume that the advert was made a couple of years after he stepped down from the role as Britain's most senior Police Officer, and I know that he wouldn't have been able to make the advert while he was still in charge at the Met. I know that he has been the only Police Officer on a more senior rank than Chief Constable to appear during the ad breaks.
Likewise, I believe that Heath wouldn't have been able to appear in the cheese advert had he still been Prime Minister at the time, but even then I had assumed that the old ITA and IBA rules probably wouldn't have allowed it back then as it would almost could bee seen as akin to a Party Political Broadcast or something. I have been looking on YouTube for the advert - I can see the Ken Livingstone version of that advert on there a couple of times, including an ad break from a film recorded, and I am certain that the Heath one was on YT for a short while in the recent past.
In addition to that, the Paul Daniels game show Wipeout in 1994 had a grid involving politicians in TV adverts - one of the correct answers was Sir Edward Heath, and he was the only Prime Minister on the grid which was correct - Sir John Major was also on the grid, I believe, but he was a Wipeout.
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