‘By ‘eck, it’s still gorgeous’: Boddingtons reunites with Mel Sykes in Tour de France spoof
More than 20 years after an unknown actress satirised sexy perfume ads with her distinct northern tones for Boddingtons, Melanie Sykes is back with the beer brand in a new ad ripping the high-intensity tropes of sports ads.
Sykes and Boddingtons reunite
In a further nod to the power of female creative humour, ‘Tour de Formby’ was created by Mcgarrybowen creatives Holly Fallows and Charlotte Watmough. It sees an American cyclist zipping up his yellow jacket – interspersed with shots of sweat and gloomy landscapes – as he reels off banal and meaningless inspirational quotes such as “take the punishment” and “take the road less hilly”.
Sykes interrupts close-ups of his bum crack with the line: “Eh Bradders – giddy up lad, I’m spitting feathers ‘ere”. It’s revealed she’s the passenger of the cyclist’s tuk-tuk, which is struggling up the hills of Manchester’s surrounding countryside.
The ad ends with Sykes enjoying a pint of Boddingtons in a beer garden, admitting that, decades later, “it’s still gorgeous”.
The spot was directed by the creative’s original director, Danny Kleinman.
Aina Fuller, UK marketing manager at Boddingtons, said: “It’s been fantastic to reunite the old dream team of Mel, Danny and Boddingtons. We wanted to create something which captures the magic each team member naturally brings, with that cheeky humour that Boddingtons is known and loved for.”
Sykes added: “Shooting the new ad with Danny and Boddies was so much fun. It brought back really fond memories from working on the original ads, which I know hold a lot of nostalgia not just for me but for many people.”
