My first ever TV commercial, and the first in the ‘There May Be Trouble Ahead’ campaign. Based on a true story of a Grey account man over-hearing that he was about to be fired.

The song got in the top 20, TV shows spoofed it, we spoofed it for Comic relief, football fans sang it when a free-kick was given against them, tube drivers sang it when there was a delay, and David Beckham sings it when he’s dressing for his wedding in the recent ‘Beckham’ documentary. I still hear people say it today.

Brand awareness jumped from 69% to 83% and the company went from 7th largest insurer to 3rd.

Graham Rose, who directed some of the funniest ads ever, directed the first two ads. He had a reputation for having a temper. Not knowing this or how the process worked, I spent the whole shoot interrupting his flow with helpful suggestions of non-scripted touches we could add. But Graham never lost his temper. Despite the whole crew waiting for him, he listened and laughed and even used some of the ideas. What a delight he was and, I hope, a friend. He didn’t just make funny ads, he was the funniest man I ever met.