Major retrospective at Outernet London celebrates TV adverts from the last 50 years

The first major retrospective of British TV advertising is coming to Outernet London celebrating the best advertising from the last 50 years. The Ads of the Years exhibition features the top adverts from 1976 to the present day, which have been selected from the archives of the British Arrows as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.

The free exhibition at Outernet London, the UK’s most visited cultural attraction, will see 68 iconic commercials displayed on 7000 metres of the world’s most advanced 16k screens in a four-storey high, floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree immersive experience that lets visitors get close to the very best of British advertising.

Classic TV spots including Parker Pens “Finishing School” (1976), directed by Sir Alan Parker and starring Penelope Keith, Courage Best “Gercha” (1980), soundtracked by Chas and Dave, and LEGO “Kipper” (1981), narrated by Tommy Cooper, will feature alongside modern hits including Levi’s “Creek” (1994), which helped created a chart-topper for indie band Stiltskin, Cadbury’s Phil Collins-inspired drumming “Gorilla” (2008) and Nike’s internet-breaking “Nothing Beats a Londoner” (2019) with cameos from Giggs, Skepta, Harry Kane, Mo Farah and Dina Asher-Smith, to name just a few. Visitors will also be able to vote for their favourite advert of the last 50 years, which will be announced as the first People’s Arrow award in March.

The British Arrows, one of the world’s most-respected advertising awards bodies, hopes the retrospective will not only celebrate the history of British advertising, but also inspire a new generation of advertising professionals. UK advertising, which supports 1.7 million jobs (5% of UK employment), has recently been identified by the Government as a key sector for growth in its Modern Industrial Strategy. The UK is already the second largest exporter of advertising after the US with the sector adding 109 billion in indirect GVA (Gross Value Add) across the UK economy more broadly.

Simon Cooper, Chairman of British Arrows and owner and managing director of Academy Films, comments: “British television advertising is recognised as the best in the world, offering a compelling and entertaining reflection of popular culture, and creating pieces of film that can define an era and stay with you forever. This remarkable collection of iconic Arrow-winning adverts from the past 50 years provides a vivid snapshot of British society and a joyful reminder of why beer-drinking, cartwheeling dogs, drumming gorillas, bouncing balls, bear-fighting fishermen, happiness-inducing cigars and patient surfers, among many others, hold such a lasting place in our collective consciousness. It also demonstrates the power of contemporary public-awareness campaigns to challenge taboos around menstruation and to save lives by opening conversations around suicide. With the sector now more culturally and economically important to the UK than ever, we hope this retrospective, exhibited on Outernet’s extraordinary screens, not only celebrates its legacy, but inspires a new generation of creatives, craftspeople and innovators.”

Moving-image advertising has been the launchpad for some of Britain’s most celebrated filmmakers, including Alan Parker, Ridley Scott and Jonathan Glazer and in more recent years powerful women directors Kim Gehrig and Lucy Forbes. The British Arrows has a legacy that spans five decades, from honouring the craft of the past to nurturing the future through the British Arrows Young Arrows Awards.

Jessica Dracup-Holland, CMO Outernet, comments: “British advertising is one of our most powerful creative forces – shaping culture, sparking conversation, and delivering real-world impact far beyond the screen. This curated experience celebrates an industry that not only drives the UK economy, but uses creativity for good, from changing behaviours to saving lives. We’re incredibly proud to elevate our long-standing partnership with the British Arrows as they mark this milestone moment, and to bring these iconic, unmistakably British adverts to life on Outernet’s immersive canvas. It’s a showcase the advertising community will revel in, and one our audiences will love, taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane.”

The 68 adverts on show are:

Best Commercial of the Year

• 1976 Parker Pens, “Finishing School”
• 1977 Sony Trinitron, “Tuning People In”
• 1978 EMI Records, Supremes greatest Hits, “Three Little Girls”
• 1979 EMI Records, Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits, “Animals”
• 1980 Courage Best, “Gercha”
• 1981 Lego, “Kipper”
• 1982 Courage Best, “Margate”
• 1983 Orange Tango, “Stanley Gimble”
• 1984 Irn Bru, “Culprit”
• 1985 John Smith's Bitter, “Song and Dance”
• 1986 Levi’s Jeans, “Airport”
• 1987 Hamlet Cigars, “Photobooth”
• 1988 Whitbread Best Bitter, “Switcheroo”
• 1989 K Shoes, “Creaks”
• 1990 Maxwell Tapes, “Israelites”
• 1991 Electricity Association, Domestic Heating, “Pablo”
• 1992 Schweppes Tonic, “Strange Taste Test”
• 1993 Levi's Jeans, “Swimmer”
• 1994 Levi's Jeans, “Creek”
• 1995 Levi's Jeans, “Drugstore”
• 1996 Pirelli, P6000 Tyres, “Carl In New York”
• 1997 Britvic Soft Drinks, Blackcurrant Tango, “St George”
• 1998 Volkswagen, Polo Affordability, “Lamp Post”
• 1999 Sony Entertainment, PlayStation 2, “Double Life”
• 2000 Diageo, Guinness, "Surfer"
• 2001 John West, Salmon, “Bear”
• 2002 Stella Artois, “Doctor”
• 2003 NSPCC, "Cartoon"
• 2004 Honda, "Cog"
• 2005 Honda, “Grrr"
• 2006 Honda, “Impossible Dream”
• 2007 Sony Bravia, “Paint”
• 2008 Cadbury, “Gorilla”
• 2009 Hovis, “Go on Lad”
• 2010 T Mobile, “Dance”
• 2011 T Mobile, “Welcome Back”
• 2012 John Lewis, Christmas, “The Long Wait”
• 2013 Channel 4 Paralympics, “Meet The Superhumans”
• 2014 Unilever, Marmite, “Rescue”
• 2015 Honda, “The Other Side”
• 2016 Currys PC World, “Spare The Act Laptop”
• 2017 Channel 4, Paralympics, “We're The Superhumans”
• 2018 Essity, Libresse/Bodyform, “#Bloodnormal”
• 2019 Nike, “Nothing Beats a Londoner”
• 2020 Apple, Airpods, “Bounce”
• 2021/22 Burberry, Winter 2020/21 collection, “Festive”
• 2023 CALM x ITV, “The Last Photo”
• 2024 Channel 4, “Idents 2023”
• 2025 Essity, Libresse/Bodyform, “Never Just a Period”

Best Crafted Commercial of the Year

• 1996 Guess Jeans, "Cheat"
• 1997 Britvic Soft Drinks, Blackcurrant Tango, “St George”
• 1998 BMW, 3 Series, “Science”
• 1999 Diageo, Guinness, “Surfer”
• 2000 Diageo, Guinness, “Bet On Black”
• 2001 Levi's Jeans, “Twist”
• 2002 NSPCC, “Cartoon”
• 2003 BBC Radio 1 Xtra, “Street Music”
• 2004 PlayStation, “Mountain”
• 2005 Stella Artois, “Ice-Skating Priests”
• 2006 Diageo, Guinness, “noitulovE”
• 2007 Škoda Fabia, “Baking Of”
• 2008 Sony Bravia, “PlayDoh”
• 2009 Motor Neurone Disease Association, “Sarah's Story”
• 2010 Nike, “Write The Future”
• 2011 TalkTalk, “Homes Within Homes”
• 2012 The Guardian, “Three Little Pigs”
• 2013 Southern Comfort, “Whatever's Comfortable – Beach”
• 2014 IKEA, “Beds”
• 2015 John Lewis, “Monty's Christmas”
• 2016 Channel 4, Paralympics, “We're The Superhumans”
• 2017 Waitrose, Christmas, “Coming Home”
• 2018 Samsung Gear VR, “Ostrich”
• 2019 Nike, “Nothing Beats A Londoner”