This Hovis advert was supposed to show a timeline of what has happened throughout the timescale of Hovis production with the time of the advert in seconds relating to the actual timescale of Hovis production. Can anyone tell me why the WW1 segment of the advert has disappeared? I used this advert with Year 5 and t6 children last year in the lead up to Remembrance with excellent results and fortunately I have the download saved but how disappointing that the advert has changed.

The full version is on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4tFzuFGUOI

It's pretty common to make very long adverts and gradually shorten them for subsequent screenings, as the advertiser can get the same impact by evoking the memory of the earlier version though spending less. Alternatively, sometimes the longer versions are just shown as cinema adverts and the shorter ones on TV.

From what I can tell, it only seems to be the WW1 section that's been chopped

I noticed last night that the WWI segment was missing.

A lot more than that has been chopped. The original is over 2 minutes long (representing 122 years in 122 seconds). The version thet are showing now is much shorter than that at 60 seconds (just timed during Deadwood on Sky 3), so they've lost more than half of it.

Running them both side by side...
- The suffragette bit has been significantly shortened
- The Great War bit has been chopped altogether
- The section where he plays football in the alley with a tin can has been chopped out altogether
- Most of the coronation section has been cut
- The short bit depicting the Asian immigration of the 70s has gone
- His run home after the miner's strike part takes about 14 or 15 seconds in the original and is now down to 4 or 5

During the original filming we were told this was what was going to happen - the original long version being subsequently chopped down to make a much shorter version. Air time costs money, and once the initial impact has gone you want to save on it...

I wonder if there is any possibility that they might re-jig the bits that are left out so that the bits which are currently missing or shortened could be put back in and other bits reduced?

Just a thought, but I fail to see how the last century could be represented without even a fleeting mention of the Great War.

Cheers,

Nigel