If Salma Hayek knocked on my door stark naked every day I would initially welcome it. But by the 84th or 85th time it would get irritating. By the 592nd time I might no longer become aroused by the sight of Salma Hayek naked on my doorstep. By the 44,087th time I might even become vaguely irritated. And I like Salma Hayek.
It’s the same with some adverts. The first time I heard the new MoneySupermarket adverts I thought: “That’s Patrick Stewart. I like Patrick Stewart.” Now it’s getting tiring.
Advertising has pulled these tricks before. Cricket commentator David Lloyd. Doctor Whos Tom Baker and Paul McGann and David Tennant. Harry Hill. They’re all starting to grate a little bit.
Let’s get this clear, I don’t blame them. If I could make a few grand for doing an hour’s voiceover work I would – even if I were as rich as Patrick Stewart probably is.
No, I don’t blame them. I blame advertising. Like the way that advertising slowly but surely sucks the pleasure out of music it uses and abuses, it turns you against other things you like. Former Star Trek and Doctor Who actors, for example.
So, even though there’s aren’t the most egregious adverts on telly in their own right, they’re more annoying to me on a personal level. Here’s how it makes me feel.
It’s like Confused.com are paying my Dad to sing YMCA, only with Confused.com’s idiotic lyrics. I love my Dad, but I’d have to give him a Chinese burn after a while of hearing the Confused.com adverts if my Dad sang the tune.
Patrick Stewart is not my Dad. Neither is Tom Baker. But i’m very fond of them. And advertising is making me hate them. Just a little bit at a time. But enough.
Tom has done quite a few voiceovers over the years. Here’s a bit of an antidote to that – recording a voiceover for Symphony furniture (or something) and being irritable, sweary and very funny in the process.
And here’s Tom being brilliant in advert, just to cheer you up.