Express & Star

Top 80s TV adverts: 'Chocolate On Your Biscuit' to 'The Water In Majorca'

Ah the heady days of the 1980s... Bananarama were queens of the charts, Findus Crispy Pancakes stacked our plates, and TV adverts were at the height of their glory.

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The classic 1989 advert for Milky Way

For those who remember, commercial brakes in the 80s featured characters and jingles often more famous than movie stars and top ten hits, and here we take a look and some of the most catchy, most memorable, and also, most missed.

Here are five of our favourite 80s ads. Got a top choice we've missed? Get in touch with us below.

Milky Way – Red Car Versus Blue Car

An absolute treasure of 1989, there was no school child in the land who didn't know all the words to this one. This ad for the delicious Milky Way bar was in fact so catchy and popular that in 1991 it actually made the Christmas charts as a single, 'Home For Christmas Day'! Go on Blue Car!

Glade Shake N’ Vac – Dancing Woman

"Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back"... To this one, we truly must doth our caps. First broadcast in 1980, this bona fide banquet of nothing but cheese starred actress Jenny Logan as the country's favourite all-dancing, all-singing, all-cleaning housewife.

At the time this advert was being made, Logan was in a leading West End role as Velma Kelly in the first British production of Chicago. We are certain for which she more widely remembered...

Aquafresh – Animated Toothpaste Family

"Three-in-one protection for your family"... Everyone's favourite dad and lad in striped pyjamas, along with 'mum' in a very fetching white dressing gown. This 80s toothpaste ad for Aquafresh will be remembered by many for its animation as well as its catchy jingle. We can definitely see the easy mileage in a family fancy dress ensemble here...

Club – If You Like A Lot Of Chocolate On Your Biscuit

Divers, gymnasts, dancers... the original version of this ad for the most chocolatey biscuit in town had it all! Though there have been many TV advert gems pertaining to this classic Jacobs' biscuit over the years, this 1985 belter has to be the most iconic. No other jingle on this list will get stuck in your head in quite the same way. If Jenny Logan had done a version it would have been unstoppable...

Heineken – The Water In Majorca

One of the greatest 'beerverts' of all time, yes ladies and gentlemen, it's true – the water in Majorca don't taste like what it oughta! Starring Sylvestra le Touzel as the girl who needs to get her Cockney on, this straight-up play on My Fair Lady was a rib-tickler back in the day and remains funny even now. Nowadays, they just don't make 'em like they use'ta...

-Got a telly ad from yesteryear that's close to your heart? Have we missed your favourite off our list. Contact Dan Morris on Twitter @ DMorris_Star

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