# 80's 'Perfect smoker' government campaign.



## J-WO (May 12, 2010)

This just popped into my head the other night and I was hoping someone else 30 or above will recall it.

Basically, the advert begins with a voice over asking what the perfect smoker would look like.  Cut to a polluted, *Bladerunner*-esque future and this, freaky mutant is slouching on an iron chez longe and smoking a cigarette in a holder.

The voice over then explains what the perfect smoker--ie; a human unaffected by the health dangers--would have to physically be.  As memory serves, it was hairless (Not sure of the reasoning why) and had gills on its throat. It had big eyes too, presumably for when it stared at the increased tax on its fag packets.

The voice over finished by saying 'But your not the perfect smoker, are you?' Or something like that.

Probably UK Health and safety's one foray into science fiction and, to be fair to it, not a bad stab.  My seven(?) year old self certainly wanted to know more about the world it was set in. Why _did_ a perfect smoker exist there, anyway?

I still ended up smoking later, however...

So, any memories? And would it exist anywhere? And would it look as good now as it did back then and still does in my head?


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## Lenny (May 12, 2010)

Not the best quality, but here you go:






Better here, but smaller: Public Information Films | 1979 to 2006 | Film index | Smoker Of The Future

Turns out there was a 'sequel', too:


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## Moonbat (May 12, 2010)

A Quick search online and I have found this

YouTube - 80'S Anti Smoking advert I think this is it, although I haven't actually heard it (no sound on this laptop)

It says it was directed by Barry Myers and inspired by Blade runner. So may well be the one you're looking for.

Ah! Looks like Lenny beat me to it!


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## J-WO (May 14, 2010)

Thanks, chaps, this is brilliant! Good effects for the eighties- must have had a bigger budget than Dr Who, at least.

However, like most sequels, 'natural born smoker baby' is crap. It completely disregards the logic of the first one. If NBS's are immune to cancer, why would their offspring be scared of it? They wouldn't even have heard of it.

Yeah, I know, its just a government health warning. Maybe someone should put a warning on my pedantry...

But thanks, once again. A real blast from the past. Loved the music, too.


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## Duchessprozac (May 14, 2010)

I remember this ad scared me s***less when I was little, I could go up stairs at night due to the light shining through the bannisters reminding me of the ad and I had nightmares about it for years after.

It took me a long time to actually find the ad and other people who had heard of it, and I only found the ad last year whilst going through all the PSAs that scared me as a kid.


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## J-WO (May 14, 2010)

To be honest, I'd be surprised if it had any effect on smokers apart from scaring their kids. And I ended up smoking when I grew up.


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## Duchessprozac (May 14, 2010)

The Superman anti-smoking ad had more of an effect on me as kid than the  NBS ad did, I actually took a pack of my Dad's cigarettes and crushed  them like in the ad. He was not best pleased with me.

The NBS just terrified me. It didn't even stop me from smoking when I  got older, either.

Mind, in the seventies and eighties there were so many ads that scared  the bejeezus out of me, thankfully, they've all but put a stop to the  really scary PSAs in the UK.


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## J-WO (May 15, 2010)

Remember all the 'What to do in the event of nuclear attack' PSA's? They seem like a dream looking back at them.


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