In 1978 Ronnie Barker made three adverts for Sekonda. The split screen work in this one is excellent.
This one achieves the same effect without any optical work, just good editing, and convincing stand-ins.
While this one features Vicki Michelle.
A year later, and Ronnie teamed up with Ronnie to flog us badly made motor cars.
This one has such a bizarre ending.
Six years later, and he was alone again, this time selling us Walkers Crisps.
With some more really good split screen work (bar the one terrible shot).
I can’t help thinking that this one might be the inspiration for Harry Enfield’s rich Brummie character …
He did another one in the style of his desk pieces from The Two Ronnies too.
Around this time he was part of the Castella cigar campaign, you know the ones that also featured David Jason and the man in an all over body cast?
Not sure when this one was, but it seems to be around the time that beer adverts were all about impotence and ‘brewer’s droop’.
Together again, the Two Rons wanted us to rent cars in 86-87. This one reminds me of Vic & Bob, and also, they must have actually done that roundabout gag.
Here’s a shorter, less interesting one.
Which has been excised from this longer version, with foreshadows of Ron Manager …
And this one has a few echoes of Keeping Up Appearances about it.
Enough cars. Having retired in December of 1987, this advert came out in 1988. Maybe he filmed it before retiring. It’s an odd choice to set an Alpen advert in this time period, though the gags are well executed, and his performances are great.
In 1999 Barker lent his voice to this Corbett Pizza Hut ad.
Before he popped up in this one a few years later.
I don’t doubt that I’ve missed some, so let me know what else Barker did.
