Let's try and bring back adverts with style

Jon Bentley is worried that as long as ads continue to be weaponised’, we’ll never get to see any good ones again

Back in the heyday of broadcast TV, people often used to say the ads were better than the programmes. And they were often right. Masterly crafted mini-stories, like the Hovis Boy on the Bike climbing up Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, or Paula Hamilton discarding her possessions after a break up only to draw the line at her reliable Golf GTI, are unforgettable treasures.The 2000s saw creative masterpieces like Honda's Cog and Sony Bravia's Balls, and the tradition has continued nearly to the present day in the shape of those eagerly awaited Christmas ads, notably from John Lewis.

But these days ads don't seem there to be enjoyed. Rather, they're expressly designed to make you pay more for a subscription, usually to banish them altogether. The going rate on YouTube for example is from £12 a month. On Amazon Prime it's £2.99 extra and on Netflix a minimum premium of £6.