RAPIERS ARE GO!

Waiting for Walkers Work

Maybe you've seen the first. But unless you're an official Nathan J. Hulse Facebook friend you probably haven't seen the last two images in the triptych below of The Rapiers on the set of their Walkers Crisp advert, which saturated UK television this spring, in time for our lads' 25th Anniversary celebrations. 

By the way, in front of the red Routemaster and green screen that's ex-footballer and Walkers pitchman Gary Lineker between John Tuck and Colin Pryce-Jones.

Top Deck Rapiers

UPDATE 7 APRIL 2008: Stuart Bailey found this snippet of the edited Crisps advert. Not much is left (singing, message, dramatics, wit, er, point). But our lads made the cut.

UPDATE 6 APRIL 2008: Posted by Phil Jarvis: "I don't watch much TV—so I don't know if this is news or not—but the Walkers Crisps ad, with the offending scene edited out, was shown last night on ITV1 at 19.40 in the break during Harry Hill. The footage of The Rapiers playing on the top deck was in full as orginally broadcast. The crash and the shot of The Rapiers afterwards has been removed."

UPDATE 4 APRIL 2008: Nathan J. Hulse writes: "It seems we are still in the advert—I had a text message last night from someone telling me they'd seen me in it... I'm going to complain when they show Scary Movie on TV, because scenes of people being stabbed upsets me. Do you think they will take me seriously?" Meanwhile, further fogging the "Is it on or is it not?" guessing game, the blog A Transport of Delight reported yesterday: "Walkers Crisps has withdrawn an advert that shows a bus being de-roofed whilst driven by retired footballer Gary Lineker. Walkers apologised for the commercial after numerous complaints had been received."

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ORIGINAL RAG! POST

Subject to availability: A still from our lads' Walkers advert, snapped off SKY3 TV in my Notting Hill hotel room last week.

Meanwhile, still no visible or anecdotal confirmation of an edited spot airing around Britain. Wails YouTube poster Denjwj on the kerfuffle: "The Politically Correct Brigade and the Whingers and Moaners have struck again and been on about this advert—BUT I THINK IT IS BRILLIANT!"

Defaced Walkers Brit Trips Advert

No update on a reconstituted Walkers advert, but prankster DanielReidTheEditor from Exeter added several salacious destinations and sponsorship (e.g., the National Bust) to the original. Says DRTE: "I edit videos and remix music and all that kind of funky stuff. Enjoy my home made efforts. If not then up your bum!!!"

Warning: Avert your eyes if you're easily offended.

Rapiers Walkers Advert Withdrawn, Re-mixed Following Complaints Over Bus Losing Its Top

"Absolutely seething" over "political correctness gone stark staring mad", Dave Lawes tipped me this morning to the news. "I am thinking of contacting Hollywood to ask them to suspend every action epic just in case any scene in any film may offend someone somewhere!" he roared.

The article below ran in the Yorkshire Post. Has anyone seen the new advert? Do The Rapiers still get to go on holiday?

Crisp company pulls bus crash TV advert

A crisps manufacturer has withdawn a TV advert which shows the top of a bus being sliced off, following dozens of complaints from viewers.

Walkers said it had cut the offending scene from the ad and a a new version will be aired today.

Among those who complained was the survivor of a Glasgow bus crash in which two adults and three children died.

The advert shows former footballer Gary Lineker driving a bus while eating crisps. He is so busy munching away he fails to notice a low bridge sign and hits it. The top of the bus is sliced off with a loud crash.

Louise Penman spent two weeks in hospital after a double-deck carrying Girl Guides from the Drumchapel area of the city crashed into a railway bridge in 1994.

The 24-year-old, who now lives in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, was shocked by the advert. She was among 91 people who complained to the Advertising Standards Authority.

She said: "It has been a horrific couple of weeks. We feel more for people who lost family—we are still here. I do not see how they can justify an advert like that for a bag of crisps.

"It's so graphic and horrific. I can't believe they think it is fine because it was such a tragic time for us."

Walkers said they had never set out to cause offence and apologised for the distress.

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NB: Reader reaction in The Scotsman here, Evening Times Online here and at MSN Shadow Music here.

2 Rapiers for Walkers, Routemaster as Seen on TV

You're never alone with a packet of Walkers Crisps, eh, fellas?

Snowy Easter Sunday, the afternoon after their Silver Anniversary party, found John Tuck and Colin Pryce-Jones enjoying the 16th annual Pipeline Magazine Instrumental Convention at the Bushey Sports Club, run by Rapiers historian J.C. "Dick" West. Wisely, the venue's bar stocked our lads' favourite snack food.

Shadow Bruce Welch (below with Colin) made the scene as well, honoured as combos galore—e.g., Los Jets, Silhouets, Runaways—peppered their sets with Shads tracks. The affable host of the all-instro-no-vocals affair was Glaswegian George Geddes (bottom, chatting with my missus and John).

Meanwhile, during my five-night London holiday, SKY3 TV had the Walkers Routemaster ad in rotation thrice hourly. Anorakishly, I videoed the spot off my hotel telly for posterity. Here 'tis.

Is That Mr. Wilde on "Summer Holiday"?

Sorry Gary Lineker, rumour says the voice actually singing Summer Holiday in the Walkers Crisps advert is none other than legend Marty Wilde.

Rapiers Are Go! for Walkers Crisps in TV Advert

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Watch that low bridge, boys!

A month ago, Colin Pryce-Jones briefed us on the band's Walkers Crisps ad featuring British footballer Gary Lineker piloting a classic Routemaster bus through the English countryside, singing Cliff and The Shadows' Summer Holiday melody while our lads—Colin, Dave Lawes, Nathan J. Hulse and John Tuck—frolic upstairs as Gary's Shadows, all promoting "Great Brit Trips" and the fast food snack.

Colin, ever cautious, asked us to keep the news under wraps until today's official campaign launch during Sky-TV and ITV programing.

Media Time

• Beam.tv lets you play the advert double size or download a 16.4 MB version of the spot for close-up viewing of our lads' cheery and Uh, oh! expressions.
• YouTube has viewer comments.
• MSN Shadow Music does, too.

Colin Pryce-Jones on the Back Story

GO: Colin, How did this advert come about?

CP-J: We have Shadows manager Brian Goode and Bruce Welch to thank. Brian was approached by an advertising company to find a Shadows-styled group for a new Walkers Crisps advert. Brian phoned Bruce, who recommended us. He rang up, "Do you want to play The Shadows in new TV advert?" We said yes.

GO: Well, it's certainly a stretch.

CP-J: We were asked by the production company, "Do you have stage suits that look like The Shadows?" We said, "Why, yes we do!"

GO: That's not you on the soundtrack behind Gary Lineker?

CP-J: No, we had to mime to a new version of Summer Holiday with different words promoting British holidays. We were also given Squier guitars to play. In fact, one is being raffled off Saturday at Amersham, signed by us and Gary, to benefit Macmillan Cancer Support.

GO: Where was everything filmed?

CO-J: Outdoors at Goodwood Race Track in West Sussex, indoors at Shepperton Studios in Surrey. Two days altogether. We did eight takes on the bus. The first run with the top ripped off was hair raising. The bus was going only 15 to 20 mph but slammed on the brakes. We went all over the place. That got a good reaction from the director! Unfortunately, during one take, Dave Lawes cut his hand pretty badly—lots of bleeding. We had to summon the medics!

Walkers Watch

Says adbrands.net:

Walkers Crisps is the UK's best-selling branded food snack. Walkers have a special place in the nation's affections as a result of a long-running advertising campaign featuring former England footballer Gary Lineker, which has been running since 1995. Total sales are estimated at more than £1bn a year. Since 1981 the business has been the UK arm of global salty snack giant Frito-Lay, a division of Pepsico.

Perusing the Walkers site, I see perennial flavour favorites such as salt and vinegar, cheese and onion, even steak and onion, but spud oddities like, erm, marmite. Would you pack that on your holiday?

Waiting

Dreamily overexposed by Nathan J. Hulse, this crisp snap shows silhouetted John Tuck, Dave Lawes and Colin Pryce-Jones on break... yet on call. But where? For what?

1. A clue: Walkers might prefer this mode of transport.
2. Another: It's in the bag and you can get your fill (but it's got nothing whatsover to do with the Hippy Hippy Shake).
3. And this: Where does a Tottenham legend go on holiday?

UPDATE 16 MARCH 2008: Trust me, I don't like waiting, not even to "save a packet". Until all is revealed, here's a second "lads on the set" snap, this one blue on blue, thanks to Nathan J. Hulse. I see John Tuck's got sticks, but can anyone fathom what Colin Pryce-Jones is carrying?

UPDATE 17 MARCH 2008: At last, it's here—The Rapiers starring in a UK TV advert alongside Gary Lineker for Walkers Crisps.