Hovis advert ITV
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TV’s iconic Hovis advert ‘Boy on the Bike’ returns to our screens after 46 years

Do you remember it?

An iconic advert from the 70s has returned – and, as well as filling you full of nostalgia, it might also make you feel a tad old if you can remember it from the first time!

Breadmakers Hovis have remastered and re-released their ‘Boy on the Bike’ ad, which first aired in 1973, and was directed by the now very famous Ridley Scott.

Hovis advert ITV
“It was a grand ride back though” (Credit: Hovis Bakery)

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The quaint short film followed a young boy delivering bread to a village, who was seen pushing his bike up a steep cobbled hill.

Trivia fans might like to know the scene was filmed on Gold Hill in Dorset.

Alongside a brass band playing Dvorak’s New World Symphony, a narrator told us: “Twas like taking bread to the top of the world…

“But it was a grand ride back though.”

Hovis advert ITV
Luckily the delivery boy gets to eat some of the delicious bread too (Credit: Hovis Bakery)

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The boy is then seen flying down the hill on his bicycle, before ending up at the bakery enjoying a piece of bread himself.

The famous advert returned to our TV screens this week, 46 years after it first aired.

Hovis chose to bring it back, with remastered visuals and a new recording of the music, after it was recently voted the most iconic UK advert of all time.

The remastered ad, which will air on TV throughout June, has been digitally restored by the British Film Institute National Archive and RSA Films.

Hovis advert ITV
The old-school bread advert was first released in 1973 (Credit: Hovis Bakery)

Jeremy Gibson, marketing director at Hovis, said the relaunch of ‘Boy on the Bike’ represents the “iconic, family-focused nature of Hovis that is at the heart of everything we do”.

Carl Barlow, who played the young boy at the age of 13, said: “This advert and Hovis have been such a huge part of my life and I am delighted it is coming back to the small screen.”

He was paid just £60 in 1973 to appear in the advert!

Hovis said it hopes to introduce the advert to a new generation of viewers who still relate to its “core message of hard work, family and the strength of community”.

Director Scott, who went on to make the films Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator, said: “I’m thrilled that the ‘Boy on the Bike’ is still regarded as such an iconic and heartwarming story which remains close to the heart of the nation.

“I remember the filming process like it was yesterday, and its success represents the power of the advert.”

Do you remember the Hovis advert from yesteryear? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!


Helen Fear
TV Editor