For over 60 years, the Central Office of Information gently persuaded, humorously cajoled and even terrified us in the name of keeping us safe and well. The COI oversaw all kinds of government messaging in print, posters and radio as well as film and video, and much of it bypassed the British public (intended to encourage trade or other overseas interests, or as training for officials). But the COI is best remembered for its public safety campaigns, especially its 'public information fillers': short, direct messages warning us off myriad dangers, from cigarettes to slippery floors, fireworks to fridges, and shown in advert breaks on big screen or small. Many fillers from the 1970s and 80s - like Charley Says, the Green Cross Code Man and The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water - are now considered classics, enjoyed by generations who weren't even born when they were made. This collection takes up the story after that 'golden age', and sees the COI enter the digital era. In the process, the public information fillers took on a new visual sheen and their makers embraced a new bag of video tricks. But they also faced off new dangers, from the distractions of texting while driving to the menace of online predators. Ultimately, though, the COI met a foe it couldn’t fight, when at the end of 2011 it closed after 65 years, a victim of the coalition government's austerity.