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The most recent reviews and news stories added to the site.
Much ado about masonry.

TV Spot

Are the pyramids all that? Samuel L Jackson thinks so. The actor, dressed head to toe in Adidas, has fallen head over heels for the ancient wonders. To an extent. He still calls them "big old piles of rock in the middle of the desert", then goes full TripAdvisor for good measure: "They ain't shiny, they don't light up, no WiFi, no holograms, and not even a food court." Shoddy work all round, eh?

10 July 2025 - 16:00

In Short

TV Spot

Brògeal
'Tuesday Paper Club'


Fans of 'Still Game' and 'Dept Q' will love how Sanjeev Kohli tears Brògeal frontman Daniel Harkins a new one in the promo for 'Tuesday Paper Club', set in the band's home town of Falkirk.

TV Spot

Nike
'Free Psychic Readings with Alexia'


Nike's 'Scary Good' campaign turns its attention to 'psychic' footballer Alexia Putellas, though the Spain and Barcelona midfielders reads opposition players instead of fortunes.

TV Spot

Lenovo
'Every Race, Every Emotion'


Emotions run high in this Lenovo spot—so much so that steam comes out of a man's ears; a woman screams loud enough to shatter china and glass; and a guy explodes in a cloud of confetti.

TV Spot

Spotify
'Oasis'


Spotify hitch a ride aboard the Oasis train as the unruly brothers and their backing band continue their sold out tour around the world.

Promo

Boko Yout
'9-2-5'


Boko Yout's '9-2-5' is not a cover of Dolly Parton's '9 to 5', but a song blessed with a zany promo directed by Axel Byrfors, who forces Yout's fish out of education alter ego, Mordecai, to get a job.

TV Spot

NHS Blood and Transplant
'Be There'


'Line of Duty' and 'Amandaland 'star Rochenda Sandall lends her voice to a heightened NHS Blood & Transplant spot directed by Novemba (Oliver Clark and Blair Macdonald).

Promo

Rival Consoles
'Soft Gradient Beckons'


One of the few people to emerge unscathed from 'MindsEye', one of 2025's most reviled video games so far, is Ryan Lee West, also known as Rival Consoles, and his reward is a promo directed by Anthony Dickenson.

TV Spot

Nothing
'Come to Play'


The Nothing Phone (3)'s Glyph Matrix—a round patch of LED dots on the back of the device—let the cast of this commercial play a game of spin the bottle, where the loser has to cough up for dinner.

TV Spot

Cirrec
'A Responsible Future'


There's a bit of nominative determinism at play here as creative-turned-director Malcolm Green flashily illustrates the responsible approach to the environment cultivated by recycling firm Cirrec.

TV Spot

British Gas
'Taking Care of Things—Channel 4'


The Things are back in a series of sponsorship idents courtesy of British Gas, agency The&Partnership, and directors Si&Ad, who ensure these Channel 4 spots work just as hard as the main film.

TV Spot

Citroën
'Beyond Fitness'


This tie-up between Citroën and The Big Issue revolves around Carl Davis, founder of Living in Fitness, which helps keep older members of the community stay fit and healthy for longer.

TV Spot

Currys
'Full of Knowledge'


The latest instalment in this generally persuasive campaign for electrical retailer Currys once again leans into the idea that its staff's knowledge is a good reason for shopping there in person rather than purchasing online.

News Bite

Susan Pratchett becomes Studio RM's Interim CEO.

Studio RM has named Susan Pratchett as its new Interim Chief Executive Officer, with Founder Robert Moore "excited" to have the former Spring Studios and Virtue Worldwide ace on board. He says Pratchett will focus on "strengthening client partnerships, supporting internal talent, and identifying immediate and long-term opportunities to drive innovation, operational efficiency, and creative excellence."

News Bite

Sarah Pauley is Object & Animal's first Head of New Business.

Object & Animal's maiden Head of New Business is none other than Sarah Pauley. As she gets stuck into the role Founding Partner Morgan Clement says: "Sarah's sharp commercial acumen combined with her deep understanding of the creative landscape will be invaluable as we enter this exciting new chapter. Her leadership will play a key role in shaping our future and elevating our position in the industry."

News Bite

It's Maikel Popic for UNIT.

UNIT has hired Venezuelan VFX hotshot Maikel Popic as its brand new Head of Grade Assist and Workflow. He says: "Having already worked with a number of the UNIT team on past projects, it's been a great start. There's a really strong energy here, and it's exciting to be part of it. When things run smoothly, it frees everyone up to focus on the creative."

Short Film

Ben there done, that.

Ben (Hideyoshi Akai) has made it. He's worked hard to become the man he is today—a careerist who's visited every time zone and stayed in more hotel rooms than you've had hot dinners. OK, so he struggles to get any sleep whatsoever, but rest's no good to him anyway ("The moment you stop in this business, you're behind... so I can't stop"). That's how Dad did it, that's how Ben should do it.

New Signing

Dark Energy swoops for Greg Bray.

Dark Energy Films has signed Greg Bray for commercial representation. The New Zealander's already popped his cherry with a spot about Mary, an Aldi customer addicted to Special Buys. When Mary goes by in her mobility scooter, Derek's your archetypal nosey neighbour. Tired of this regular back-and-forth, proud Mary tries to make a quick getaway, but the trailer connected to her scooter has other ideas.

New Signing

Bite Collective signs Kristy Snell.

Bite Collective has a more South African flavour with the arrival of director Kristy Snell. After graduating from the University of Cape Town in 2009, she began her career as a food stylist. Once she'd arranged every plate under the sun, Snell thought it was time to put her own stamp on food and drink as a director. Executive Producer Alex Katz is glad she did.

10 July 2025 - 17:13

10 July 2025 - 12:48

10 July 2025 - 12:39

TV Spot

Dribble trouble.

Part one of Nike's 'Scary Good' campaign looks at a very particular kind of post-traumatic stress disorder: the one caused by France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé.

Got the time?

TV Spot

The Adidas Superstar was born in 1969 and hit store shelves in 1970. Fifty-five years later, the shoe has some famous admirers, to say the least. Samuel L Jackson, Missy Elliott, Jennie, GroRilla, Anthony Edwards, Mark Gonzales… each big name has all the time in the world for the sneaker. Time, as it happens, is Jackson's new obsession.

9 July 2025 - 16:31

10 July 2025 - 15:52

TV Spot

Must be nice!

Director Robbie Samuels, who struck a chord in 2018 with the excellent 'Hip Hop Café', helms a characterful commercial for Hyundai as part of its Black charm offensive. The brand launched 'OKAY Hyundai' in 2021 to attract more Black drivers—almost four years later, the campaign's still in rude health, with Samuels tapped for the latest instalment, 'He Got Money'.

Short Film

Summer of '23.

At one point in Ajuan Isaac-George's 'Seventeen', a teenage roller skater says: "This is probably the least threatening thing a Black man can do." He and his friends use a multi-storey car park to practise, hang out, and shoot the breeze. They also let Isaac-George document their last summer with zero responsibilities and the right to roll left, right, and centre.

TV Spot

A royal rebrand.

With Charles's elevation from prince to king, the charity he established forty-nine years ago as The Prince's Trust has also had a rebrand and has, since October 2024, been known as The King's Trust. This reassuring ad, scored by Joy Division's 'Atmosphere', lets us know that it is continuing with its mission of supporting young people and enabling them to contribute to their communities.

9 July 2025 - 15:07

9 July 2025 - 13:06

9 July 2025 - 08:46

The Recap

Promo

The furore over Kneecap, most recently visited via their appearance at Glastonbury, has consistently raised the question: why is a band from Northern Ireland so supportive of Palestine? As this excellent promo from Riff Raff's Finn Keenan observes, you have to dig into the history of the island of Ireland to gain an understanding of why the Irish republican movement has, for several decades, aligned itself with Palestine.

New Signing

Nora Kirkpatrick arrives at Spindle.

Writer, director, actor, and accordionist Nora Kirkpatrick, whose career has taken her from the Grammy Awards to Dunder Mifflin, has joined Spindle for commercial representation.

10 July 2025 - 07:58

10 July 2025 - 07:58

Promo

Know Yourself

One of three music videos directed by Boy Dykes (Juliette Larthe, Jess Kohl, Lydia Garnett, and Jesse Glazzard) for trans perfomer Kae Tempest, 'Know Yourself' is the most personal one yet. Tempest goes to a barber shop where the TV shows footage of his early performances. He was known as Kate Tempest back then—suffice it say, he's changed the channel.

TV Spot

Service charge.

Not every waiter or waitress is cut from the same tablecloth. For every rude server that makes you boycott a restaurant for life or vent your spleen on Reddit, there's one who goes beyond the call of duty. Take the guy in this Square commercial—when the heavens open, he rushes to help two older diners take shelter. If any garçon deserves a tip, it's him.

New Signing

MindsEye signs Matty Crawford to EyeCandy.

British-Filipino writer and director Matty Crawford is now a key member of EyeCandy, MindsEye's developmental roster. A former Sundance Institute Ignite fellow and graduate of the National Film and Television School, Crawford's hit his stride with short films like 'Stomach Bug', a whole new take on empty nest syndrome that won the 2025 SXSW Midnight Jury Award.

8 July 2025 - 17:14

8 July 2025 - 16:40

8 July 2025 - 12:43

TV Spot

Tooth crowd.

One of two headstrong commercials directed by Aidan Gibbons for TurtleWax, this spot iterates on the 'You Are How You Car' idea with aplomb. To the strains of 'Born Free' by Matt Monro, a car shaped like a man's head (it is a man' head, in fact) is happy as can be on the open road. That is until he stops at the traffic lights and revs his engine at another bloke on four wheels.

TV Spot

Drive to thrive.

Australian rock band Wolfmother, best known for songs like 'Woman' and 'Love Train', provide the soundtrack for a CommBank commercial about dreams—the good kind, not the ones where you fail an exam or lose your teeth. Scored by a cover of Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life', the ad centres around a convoy in the Outback. Everyone's got a dream to chase, but who's got the self-belief to go the full distance?

New Signing

Three is the magic number for Imagine This.

Live-action directors Kelly McKay, Will Innes Smith, and Rodrigo Siqueira have signed on the dotted line (the best kind of line) for Imagine This, much to the delight of CEO and Founder Toby Walsham, who says: "We're proud to welcome them into the fold and can't wait to bring their unique perspectives to our clients and collaborators around the world."

7 July 2025 - 17:52

7 July 2025 - 17:15

7 July 2025 - 14:35

TV Spot

Northern roots.

There's nothing showy about Lucky Generals' debut work for Asda as the emphasis, right out of the gate, is on the retailer's excellent value when it comes to the prices paid by its customers.

Meat me on the dancefloor.

TV Spot

One of the most famous slogans in American fast-food history is "Where's the beef?", a phrase introduced by Wendy's in 1984. It was then used by Walter Mondale that same year in the US presidential election (a fact your faithful correspondent learned from 'The Simpsons', of course). Forty years later, Rustlers thought it would deliver its own twist on the formula: a mouthful of madness courtesy of agency Droga5 and director Alex Southam.

7 July 2025 - 09:12

9 July 2025 - 19:08

Promo

Diagnoses

Juliette Larthe, Jess Kohl, Lydia Garnett, and Jesse Glazzard are a four to be reckoned with. Under the name Boy Dykes, they directed the powerful music video for Kae Tempest's 'Statue in the Square' (one of the songs of Glastonbury 2025). Next to get the Boy Dykes treatment from 'Self Titled' is 'Diagnoses', a heady track about C-PTSD, ADHD, OCD, PMDD, and more.

TV Spot

Shirt to kill.

Retro football shirts are big business, both online and offline. It's why fashion retailer Cult Kits has launched its first TV ad—a riff on New York and New Jersey gangster films. Before he's murdered by the Mob, Carlos has one last request for Vincent, Frank, and Jimmy: "Shoot me in the face." If he wanted to confuse his captors, then Carlo's played an absolute blinder.

TV Spot

Stuck on you.

If you ask Adidas, it's not what keeps you going, but who. Directed by Molly Burdett, this commercial explores how rivalries both fierce and friendly keep players like Aitana Bonmatí, Alessia Russo, Jule Brand, Kadidiatou Diani, Lia Waltí, and Stina Blackstenius sharp. After all, only the sharpest win tournaments like Euro 2025.

4 July 2025 - 16:56

4 July 2025 - 15:16

4 July 2025 - 13:17

Scare tactics.

TV Spot

There's good and there's scary good—all Nike cares about is the latter. Led by a cross between the Front Man from 'Squid Game' and some kind of digital daemon, this 60" commercial features snippets of eight, count 'em, eight, commercials that explore the 'Scary Good' concept with gusto. Ian Pons Jewell directs the greatest hits spot, if you will.

New Signing

Editor Sam Hardy joins OkayStudio.

OkayStudio have added versatile editor Sam Hardy to their roster of talent, and the company are extremely pleased to have him on board, just a few months after an ad he worked on was broad cast during the Super Bowl.

8 July 2025 - 17:01

8 July 2025 - 17:01

TV Spot

Amazonian flexing.

Amazon, in the guise of their cloud computing services division AWS, takes the opportunity to have a flex in this ad boasting that they provide support to the likes of BMW, Epic Games and Formula 1. Communication like this is mainly aiming to reach over the heads of the public to capture the attention of corporations and companies so they can consider the possibility of using AWS.

TV Spot

Under laboratory conditions.

Don't let the brand name fool you—Nothing knows a lot about audio. Enough to launch Headphone (1), at least. Jon E Price writes and directs a launch commercial set in a research and development facility, where technicians wear clear raincoats à la Patrick Bateman in 'American Psycho'. No one gets an axe in the face here, though, as the brand prefers to keep its test subjects alive.

TV Spot

The Italian job.

Forty years after Michael Jordan after broke a backboard in Trieste, Italy, Nike (the brand that sponsored Jordan’s trail of destruction) celebrates with dinner and a show—a puppet show, that is. In a welcome turn of events, marionettes are used to show how Jordan, perhaps the greatest basketball player of all time, turned an exhibition match into an execution of sorts.

4 July 2025 - 08:43

3 July 2025 - 18:01

3 July 2025 - 16:31