Premium Bonds: Clerk

A cartoon city clerk escapes the binds of daily drudgery – thanks to a win on his Premium Bonds.

A cartoon city clerk who "slaved from dawn 'til dead of night" succeeds in escaping the binds of daily drudgery – thanks to a win on his Premium Bonds. This short advert promoting the popular savings bonds is unusual in featuring a fictional character, rather than the real-life winners who generally appeared. The comic poetic commentary is probably one of comedian Cyril Fletcher's Odd Odes, which usually featured a Cockney character.

This is one in a series of TV adverts made to promote Premium Savings Bonds, which were still relatively new, having been launched in 1956. The government-guaranteed bonds were unveiled by Harold Macmillan and soon became popular. Each £1 bond purchased qualified for a monthly draw with a top prize of £1,000. Premium Bonds are now held by more than a third of the UK population, and the monthly prizes range in value from £25 - £1,000,000.