One of the things that government agencies in Britain seem to do really well is advertise themselves. The HEBS is famous for its ad campaigns, and the ITC's adverts, despite their age, still raise a smile.

Here the ITC promotes awareness of the 9-oclock watershed:

A car drives along a bridge, being chased by police cars. A police van, coming from the other side, swerved to block the road. The car is forced to stop. Two joyriders get out, and attack the policemen
J1 - Take that Mr. Policeman!
Policeman - Ouch, that hurt!
The two joyriders are restrained, and bundled into a police van
J1 - I say, old chap, unhand me at once!
J2 - I'll be dashed if I'll forget this in a hurry!
J1 - Just you wait until I get out of these nasty handcuffs... They really chafe me, you know!
Policeman - Right you lot, any more of your lip and I'll give you a right ticking off!
Voiceover - Some things just don't make sense without strong language. We're not here to ban it, we're here to see that it's broadcast at an appropriate time. ITC.

'We're here to ITC some common sense'


ITC = Independent Television Commission A body set up to regulate independant telly. They make sure that adverts are accurate, and that programs don't offend people.