'Eccentric Brits' tourism advert

For many people "Britain" conjures up images of Empire, tradition and the monarchy, with perhaps a hint of Cool Britannia among the younger generation.

We probably don't see ourselves as a bunch of eccentrics. Yet that is how we are being shown to our friends and allies in an advertising campaign starring Tony Blair designed to lure more visitors to this country.

The commercial is to be shown across Europe, Canada and the US this weekend as part of the biggest effort yet to promote UK tourism. The £25million campaign comes in the wake of foot and mouth and 11 September which, together with the strong pound has decimated British tourism.

The advert opens on a Wellington Bootthrowing contest at Careg Cennan castle in Wales. It then cuts to Buckingham Palace where the wellies rain down on a taxi cab. We then see a close-up of a cup of tea and Castle Howard in Yorkshire with the Lloyd's building superimposed as its centrepiece.

The film then moves on to show a bowler-hatted man in a field of flowers in the style of Belgian surrealist Renee Magritte and 2,000 people waltzing in Trafalgar Square, followed by a shot of knights in armour playing tennis.

In 2001 the number of visitors fell by seven per cent to 23 million and the amount they spent declined by 14 per cent from £13billion in 2000 to £10.8 billion. The British Tourist Authority hopes the advert will attract a million extra visitors to the country this year.

David Quarmby, chairman of the British Tourist Authority, said: "We wanted to capture the imagination of prospective visitors with a distinctive and humorous reminder of Britain's diversity and cultural heritage."

The image of British eccentricity is confirmed by the voice-over supplied by Tim McInnerney, Captain Darling in Blackadder. So where is the pomp, where is the circumstance, where are the punk rockers and shots of Tower Bridge that usually characterise images of Britain?

Advertising agency BMP DDB is unapologetic for its approach. Advertising executive Richard Morris said: "What people like most about Britain is the individuality and approachability of the ordinary people. So we wanted to show that and as much of our diversity as possible."

While it may seem a little hurtful that other nationalities think we have clownlike tendencies it is a view we increasingly share. According to a poll carried out last month by consultants Corporate Edge, three of the best five ambassadors for modern Britain are comedians John Cleese, Billy Connolly and Eddie Izzard. The other two are Mr Blair and Prince William.