Pye Electronics: John Cleese

From the collection of

East Anglian Film Archive at the University of East Anglia

The East Anglian Film Archive, the UK's first regional film archive, offers a unique record of the East of England's social and cultural history. As part of the University of East Anglia, we continue to lead moving image heritage research and inspire audience participation through community projects and events. Our collections represent a broad range of amateur and professional creativity, from 1896 to the present day.

Pye Electronics: John Cleese

East Anglian Film Archive at the University of East Anglia
Cambridge
1970-01-01
Sound
1m

Actor, comedian, and Monty Python, John Cleese plays to type as a sophisticate loony in this advertisement for Pye Electronics of Cambridge.

A cinema and television advertisement from Cambridge-based electronics manufacturer, Pye featuring comedian John Cleese, who at the time would have been a very familiar face appearing on television screens every week as a member of the Python team in the BBC comedy sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Celebrity Sells

A celebrity endorsement is one of the advertisers' most powerful weapons.

For generations, movie stars, television personalities and sporting heroes have all bought in to selling out. A famous face can trigger a string of associations that advertisers hope will reflect well on the product. And for new faces, an advertising gig can be the path to recognition, and a career which enables you to be the star turn.

Behind the camera, too, advertising commissions can kickstart a career or offer a lucrative sideline. Directors like Alan Parker, Ridley Scott and Hugh Hudson got an early boost from advertising work, and many continued to shoot ads long after they 'made it' in features.