@@GirlGoneLondonofficial got to say I do enjoy them for both the alternative perspective and often just the joy of seeing others enjoy something for the first time that I accept as common knowledge.
I appreciate your positive feedback Mark! I do enjoy watching react videos myself, just not sure if I'd be any "good" at them. May try a React channel though!
The psa I won’t ever forget is the Christmas one showing real video clips taken by families of little boys playing, children opening presents, a shy little girl smiling up at the camera, cuddling up with teddies and siblings on the sofa…and finding out at the end that every adorable little girl and boy in the film had been killed shortly afterwards by drunk drivers.
Most of the ads in the video aren't PSAs, they're Advertisements for charities, such as Barnardo's, the St John Ambulance Red Cross, etc. British advertising is the best in the world, and the production values are definitely the reason why campaigns to get people to wear seatbelts, not drink drive, etc, have been so effective in the UK.
The "I am a crisis" actress is Amy Watson, and she lost her 49 rear old mother to cancer a few months before making that advertisement for the Red Cross. Not the only complication in her life. She was born in Vancouver, and when her mother returned to Scotland after her relationship broke up, Amy and her brother and sister came with her (another sister remained in Canada). So I guess Amy knew well enough how a crisis can appear from nowhere. The dog was called Chive by the way and was not as sinister as its appearance...
Tbh the advert is a favourite for the way it gets the message across. The woman with the hound is a play on folklore, there's a specific example I have in mind but I'm struggling to remember the name. But basically a woman with shaggy hair walking a black hound an omen of misfortune
When I think of British PSA’s it always reminds me of the “Charlie Says” series. They are not quite as hard hitting as the ones you watched, but as a child they certainly got the message across.
I remember a PSA that showed a child sitting on the stairs and watching his mother being beaten up. Every time she was hit, he jumped. I later became a domestic violence specialist, dealing with abused mothers with children. Even babies feel the effects of the terror.
At 4:43 it’s saying to people to text if they want to learn first aid with St John Ambulance, so that you could be the person that’s there to help “save the boy” (or whoever needs help).
I always remember in the UK the PSA about Don't Play With Fireworks made in the 1970's that would be broadcasted for years. Every November 5th time for Guy Fawkes these PSAs would appear, even on the BBC (which doesn't show adverts). Some grim shots of people enjoying the event and then a girl getting her hands unspeakably injured when she picks up a used sparkler. Probably more horrifying as taking a joyful, fun occasion and bringing in the doom...Yup, the firework ones are really disturbing.
The PSAs of the 70s were really harsh and shown to us deliberately at school when we were very young. I remember a lengthy one called Apache about some children playing on a farm and they all got killed in increasingly grizzly ways. Also, I picked up a spent sparkler when I was a kid… clearly the films had no affect on me!
“Text to save the boy” was very clever, it gave life saving, first aid advice to anyone who text the number and you were able to see how to save the boy in this scenario.
# 2 was played by British actress Dame Emma Thompson she has appeared in many films, television programmes and stage productions. She has won and been nominated for many awards during her career, including five Academy Award nominations (winning two), nine Golden Globe Award nominations (winning two), seven BAFTA Award nominations (winning three), and six Emmy Award nominations (winning one).
UK television messages must be a lot more hard-hitting than the ones in the USA. You looked genuinely shocked and upset at some of them. Which I suppose means they have served their purpose of warning against the risk highlighted in each film. The AIDS adverts voiced by John Hurt, decades ago, showing gravestones etc stick in the mind. This was genuinely a great video by you.
I remember Tufty the Squirrel in the 1960's also about road saftey for kids, Made me walk to the kerb stop look right , look left, then look right again. I used to walk to school by myself...inLondon...aged 4 , can you imagine that these days ?
@@MAdams853 Troubles? Is that how they describe/d it? Even growing up in England I remember being scared of the IRA, so I can’t even imagine what it was like in Northern Ireland at that time.
As a child growing up in the 1970s in the UK I was probably most traumatised by the "protect & survive" series on what to do if there was a nuclear attack. With later trauma added by When the Wind Blows (1986)
Watching "Threads" after digesting "protect & survive" was quite defining as a 70s child. "when the wind blows" is still one of THE most heart wrenching and beautiful movies I have ever seen. It really makes me sad when I read reactionary comments like, "just nuke them" or "nothing a few kilo tonnes wouldn't sort out". We are a species with amnesia. ☮️❤️🙏
Protect & survive was both helpful and informative. Not frightening in any way. OK I was in my mid teens at the time. When the wind blows was entertaining if a bit exaggerated. If you found any of this 'traumatising' then I seriously (this is not meant as an insult) think you need fundamental therapy. There have been documentaries showing parents in Northern Ireland frightening children into hating the other (catholic or protestant) communities as a way to perpetuate the conflict. Maybe your parents for political reasons tried to frighten you with 'Protect and Survive'. That is abuse and you ought to very angry with them over it.
Protect and survive was made in the 1970s, ready to transmit in the event of an oncoming nuclear attack. It has never been transmitted yet you see it in Threads as a nuclear attack was about to happen.
UK PSAs are the best (although that's not an appropriate word) - they are hard hitting and real life. "You would never forget seeing that" - That is what they are designed to do… Hard hitting and thought-provoking.
One I always remember was a video showing a teenage boy and girl coming into an empty room in a house party. They start making out and the guy gets more forward and starts taking off her clothes and pushing her onto the bed. She keeps saying no but he doesn't listen and gets more aggressive. You hear a banging and muffled yelling and it pans to show the boy standing behind a glass panel shouting at himself to stop. The tag line was something like, "if you could see yourself, you would stop it". I thought that was really effective because it was a more realistic depiction of sexual assault i.e. they were a couple, they were drinking, he wasn't really forceful but didn't listen when she said no. "It's still rape" was basically the point.
The scariest PSA I ever saw was the AIDS one narrated by John Hurt - it was the 80's and AIDS was this new epidemic with no cure at the time - the interesting thing about American reactions UK is seeing their eyes opened to the reality that USA is way behind regarding workers rights - healthcare - etc - I'm a Brit 🇬🇧 another good reaction is to our comedy shows and British music
I'm not sure about health care. have to you tried to get a doctor's appointment recently? I had a lump under my arm and it took a month for me to get to a hospital to check it out
@@cashkitty3472 yes I agree am in the middle of trying to get a Dr appointment right now - I rang and was told could have telephone appointment 9 days later - this was cancelled at the last minute - I then went to the walk in clinic - they couldn't provide a prescription so made an appointment with push doctor on the app it's a zoom appointment I was in the 'waiting room' on my phone for an hour only to get a call saying the Dr was dealing with an emergency so re-scheduled for the following day - the call never came 🥴🙄🤷 my point about USA healthcare is the lack of access to affordable healthcare we know that they are being charged more than 10 times the cost of medication and medical procedures its extortion if you ask me 👍
I remember seeing a road safety one a few years back which involved a dead girl lying in the road with broken bones, and the clip rewound itself so her body cracked back into shape until she was alive again. That was very hard hitting. There are loads more from the 70s and 80s that warn about not playing on building sites or walking along live railway lines. Scared me as a kid!
Technically most of these are NOT Public Service announcements, they are adverts for various different charities. I was a volunteer with St John Ambulance. Retired now, but I can still remember the most important bits. P.S St John Ambulance, not St John's Ambulance :)
You should watch "The Finishing Line" - the original version though, it was banned by the government themselves for 20 years as the ending was so gruesome. I can still recall this short film quite graphically over 40 years after first seeing it. The reason these Public Information Films (rather than PSAs) were so graphic is that they were considered 'educational' and thus the censorship rules that applied at the time (60s-70s) did not apply. Some of the people who made them later went on to make horror movies, apparently
The wartorn PSA with the little girl is exactly what my mother went through during WW2. It started when she was a young child with the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, and lasted 5 years. One night, when she was 6/7 her bedroom wall was blown in by a bomb. Since then she has been stabbed, suffered 3 strokes & 2 heart attacks. Given birth to 8 children, gone through 2 divorces and buried a son. She's now 87 and lives in her own flat and a member of the family checks on her every day and she's still the one we all turn to in times of trouble. We know life can be really tough and often hearbreaking so we call it as it is, or should I say "use to", but certain people can't handle the realities so it gets "watered down" and ignored so a harsh reality check every now and then shows them it's not all clever cell phones, computer games and Bank of Mum & Dad.
Barnardos is a charity, if you been with em as a child, you will understand these to a different level. Also st John's needs so much more funding without a doubt.
The St John Ambulance segments are "downers" because the message is "Learn First Aid - YOU Could Save A Life". The idea being, usually there are no medical professionals on scene when you need one, and simple medical treatment done right away can make a huge difference. So the more people learn first aid, the more lives can be saved. The St John Ambulance run courses on First Aid for everyone, hence the message.
We call them PIFs (Public Information Films) here. They were also shown on BBC, normally before the National anthem was played and shut down. The one with the Grim Reaper was about swimming where you shouldn't and was voiced by Donald Pleasance. However, some PIFs were a little lighter, Bedtime Routine, a song about turning off all your lights and unplugging you plugs because 🎶fires can start in, o, so many ways🎶is an example📺😎
While serving in the RAF in Germany the forces police would have a expose of the drinking and driving at Christmas by placing a recent collision car with notices at the side of the road into camouflage. Brings it home!!!
A lot of these stick in my memory, but the most prominent one is not in this compilation. It's about texting and driving and it is absolutely goddamn horrific. It pulls no punches and is terrifyingly realistic.
For a shocking programme, not really public announcement but more of a what could of happened, watch a movie called 'Threads'. It really makes you stop and think.
Not even, could happen... Threads pretty much is how it will go down in the aftermath, especially as we see the longer term outcomes that Ruth faces. Barry Hines really did want it to be even more graphic than we saw. ☮️❤️🙏
Please don't go down the rabbit hole of doing endless reaction videos. Most of them are done by people who have never visited the UK, so they are genuinely surprised by many of the cultural differences. You have lived here long enough to recognise most of the key differences anyway and you can speak from lived experience. By the way, there was a film made in Wales about not using mobile phones when driving -if you can find that one it is absolutely horrific.
Hey David! Thanks for your comments - I definitely will not do endless reaction videos. I like my channel the way it is and glad to hear most of my audience does too. I have actually seen that Welsh ad before - horrific is definitely the right word and the fact that you mentioned it and I knew exactly which one it was I guess drives home how memorable it is! Thanks for watching!
These ad's are very hard hitting and effective in giving out their message, but watching so many at once is almost traumatic. Possibly leaving you with a mild PTSD. I have seen these before but I still feel the impact. Well done for getting through them all.
The PSA’s from the 70’s are legendary, I have very fond memories of them in a macbre way. In the late 80’s we started to get 24hr TV but the ad’s at 3am were all PSA’s. One horrific PSA after another; little toddlers drinking bleach and so on. It was a hoot if you’d come in from being out drinking ; )
If I had my way, first aid would be compulsory in school. I am a retired teacher. I know that the curriculum is overstuffed. However, having twice used my knowledge of first aid, I'm glad that I knew what to do. I used the Heimlich Manoeuvre to save a pupil from choking, and I was able to put another into the recovery position until a more qualified person took over. In both cases, I was told that my actions saved a life. Personally, the most upsetting PSA is the one where the speeding car crashes and lands on the nursery age children having a nature lesson. Even thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.
the best thing you could do is a first aid course , and as far as i know they are free to do , well in Scotland they are , i do a refresher course every few years have done from being in the scouts
Also the UK one I remember most was the think advert, a driver kills a little red head kid. Anyway he has to live with it, so the little boys body turns up everywhere he goes, including his own house. Used to creep me out a bit that one
A lot of these also reveal part of our dark humour. Like these are hard hitting but some of the bait and switch endings are delivered like a punchline. "You live and learn"
I’m too young to remember the “golden age” of scare you witless adverts, however remember vividly ‘Julie knew her killer’ from the late 90s. Also due to numerous horrific adverts, knew exactly what to do when having a chip pan (not quite but a pan of fat non the less) fire, when everybody else a few years younger than me stood frozen, perhaps the 80s PSA are all buried in my subconscious keeping me safe.
I think the main reason why there are so many videos on UA-cam concerning U.S. people reacting to British videos is that they get a lot of response from the British people. British people like to see their lifestyle being highlighted and liked by people from other countries. Unfortunately, the lifestyle in Britain isn't as good as it's portrayed. Indeed, as a 70+ year old man, I have seen the best of Britain when I was a child.
If anyone advert for a company is graphic, there would be a flood of complaints! When it comes to PSA advertising, what better way to make the public notice, not many people would complain also the more graphic are shown after the watershed (21:00)!
A big reason for British PSA's being this way is due to censorship laws that were brought in against horror and gore movies, the "Video Nasty" era. A shitload of horror movie directors needed work and the government hired them to do these PSAs. It changed the way we do them even after the censorship laws were repealed. Mildly unrelated, but a movie set in the era is Censor (2021), following the story of one of the censors who reviewed films and put some on ban lists or demanded changes before they were ready for public release, and what kind of person takes that job.
The thing about these adverts is all of them are *flagrant* violations of Ofcom's (the broadcasting regulator) policies about inappropriate content. However it is deemed that the public good they bring about outweighs the potential harm. No private company could ever get away with broadcasting stuff like this.
A uk fireworks safety psa from the 80s about sparklers traumatised me as a child, and as a result I have a phobia of them. I wouldn't touch them as a child, and still won't. I won't even walk past someone else who has a lit sparkler.
Some of these are public service announcements (paid for by government agencies) but many are adverts by charities ( paid from charitable funds). Smoke detectors and road safety are true public service announcements. The rest are paid adverts by charities, these are St. John Ambulance (2 adds), Motor Neurone Disease Association, Barnardo's (2 adds), British Red Cross, Helen Bamber Association and Save The Children, if you respond to "find out more", you will be asked for donation(s) some of which will pay for these adverts. No matter how compelling the adverts are, please look into the actual work done by charities and their incidental expenses.
I think the reason people like those other channels is because our way of life and our adverts are just so alien to them. You wouldn't be as shocked as you live here. That said, your reaction to this video is priceless 🤣
Please do learn First Aid I did and it really does make a difference when it is needed and I urge all of your followers to learn First Aid too, People think “oh I’ll never need first aid” but you never know when you’ll need it for family or strangers, I’ve used the things I’ve learned a few times and I’m very glad I knew what to do when the chips are down and it’s just you that is there to help, Yes I remember the grim reaper one as a kid i certainly kept away from doing silly stuff around ponds, PSA’s have to have an impact to get people to take notice of theirs and everyone else’s safety, BTW The Red Cross and The St. John’s Ambulance are the best places to go for First Aid Lessons.
The motocycle accident advert reminded me of when I was pulled over by police while on my bike when exeting the tunnel between Liverpool and Birkenhead (UK). I thought they were going to check me over and try to get me for something, when in fact they were just out there bringing awareness to motorcycle safety - and they were also pulling over car drivers to discuss the same thing. I had a good chat with the policeman who pulled me over, including a laugh here and there, and he gave me some free earplugs and a brochure for motorcyclists. He even gave me some tips, being a fellow biker, concerning filtering through traffic - and demonstrated that bikers can indeed legally filter (for all those who think they can't)! I'll never forget that moment - as it was when I felt most noticed, understood, and respected by my "bobbies" (police). Say what you want about the police, and I've had my share of a-holes (who clearly wanted me convicted of a crime I didn't commit when I was a kid), but some of them are great people just wanting the best for everyone and doing what they can. I support the po-po, just not the "no-po" lol. I feel the need to shout out all of the actors, writers, directors, cinematographers, etc involved in these ads and the like. They did a fantastic job, and they wouldn't be as hard-hitting without them! Kudos! Keep it up!
Your comments about the difference between American and UK PIFs are quite true. American PIFs tend to almost soften the issues, whereas UK PIFs like nothing better than to grab you by the nuts and squeeze! The same goes for the "What if..." nuclear war films made in the 80s. The US made The Day After, and America had an uneasy sleep the night of transmission. Whereas the UK made Threads, and no one in the UK slept for a week! (I actually gave a Polish friend my DVD copy of Threads to watch about seven years ago, and she said that she had a pretty sleepless night after watching it, so it still holds up even now.)
These psa's were usually shown after 9pm to inspire empathy in adults. The woman in the trafficking ad is the actress who plays trelawney in Harry Potter
The very last one is nothing new. It happened in England during WWII; children in London were evacuated to the countryside. Some of the children lost their entire families and had to rebuild their lives after the war. Some were shipped out to Australia.
There was one a few years ago of a family walking through a wood happily laughing and then a train speeds past, I can't watch it. We have to cross the rail tracks on one of our walks and people have died, not all accidentally, but they still died there. It gives me the creeps. Where I grew up the train tracks have an extra electric rail which will kill you if you step on it, and my school classroom had a poster showing a dead child lying on the tracks. It stuck in my head.
I’m 54 and lots of these safety films I still remember, I’ve always had a fear of escalators because of a safety film where the doll gets caught in the steps!
I actually saw a kid fall into some of the workings of an escalator and he had his arm ripped off.. i am terrified of them this was in the early 80's i think
In the old days they were known as PIFs (public information films) and were basically shown mornings/ afternoons where the TV station had not sold the commercial slot LOL, so kids got to see many... there would have been nothing about climbing trees though as kids were expected to climb trees and deal with it those days. Climbing into an electricity station to get your frisby was quite a 'sizzling' one.
Oh I can remember being shown that ad in the 80’s in Primary School and there was another one around the time with the body of a boy who drowned in wee lake, still haunts me now
Some of the ones I remember the most from my childhood are, of course, the Green Cross Code Man, who showed kids the safe way to cross a road, and 'Charley Says...' In more recent times, the drink driving ones have been horrific, but that's what makes them effective. You want enjoy them but I'd recommend you watch them.
I remember the Grimm reaper one from the 70s as they showed it at school the I was little in the 80s also the fireworks one they showed around bonfire night scared me silly !
I remember 2 PSAs in the early seventies. One involved kid`s daring each other to run across railway tracks, the other, kids dying from suffocation in chest freezers dumped in landfill sites (back in the day you couldn`t open a fridge or freezer from the inside). It's odd watching Americans reacting to dead UK sitcoms. I`ve seen a few. Some guy from the American deep south reacting to "Open All Hours". The idea of someone from Palm Springs watching an episode of "Coronation Street" from 1972 is just surreal.
I doubt I'll remember any of these as much as I remember The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water, or Rabies Kills, or the Glass on the Beach. The seventies ones were just as brutal and scary, but in a a slightly different way. There were some utterly laughable ones too - the Put a rub on a polished floor - you might as well set a MANTRAP one being the worst, perhaps.
they werent adverts by organisations those ones they were government sponsored PSA, whereas some of the newer one are from organisations only wanting to raise funds.. which its good but its not as impactful as when the government states it (not saying they arent effective but) i grew up int he 70's and 80's and some of the older ones still scare me 40 years later and i still rememeber them.
Hello Girl Gone London, I think you'd really like to see the Brit PSA film "Apaches" from 1977. Unfortunately you may not be able to watch the full 27min film. I've just tried to find a link to the full film on youtube but the only link I could find says it's been taken because of copyright, but there are some clips on youtube.
Yeah, that was hard hitting. Perhaps the worst aspect was that he was not a bad man, just an ordinary everyday fellow, haunted forever by his guilt at what he'd done.
For anybody fretting, this will not become a reaction channel so please don't worry!
Yeah I could do that, that's a good idea!
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial got to say I do enjoy them for both the alternative perspective and often just the joy of seeing others enjoy something for the first time that I accept as common knowledge.
I appreciate your positive feedback Mark! I do enjoy watching react videos myself, just not sure if I'd be any "good" at them. May try a React channel though!
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial The Singing Ringing tree series next please 😂 will scare the bejesus out of you.
The two American guys I watch were a delight to watch, their reactions to Fred Dibnah laddering a chimney were great.
I always remember the PSA about hitting a child with a car at 30mph means 90% will live. Hitting a child at 40mph means 90% will not.
The little girl being wrenched and twisted after the impact... Horrific but effective.
☮️❤️🙏
that one traumatized me as a kid
I remember it and it was decades ago.. shows how effective it was
That and the PSA about not climbing electric fences that we were all shown in school 😝
Yep, I remember that one too 😢
The psa I won’t ever forget is the Christmas one showing real video clips taken by families of little boys playing, children opening presents, a shy little girl smiling up at the camera, cuddling up with teddies and siblings on the sofa…and finding out at the end that every adorable little girl and boy in the film had been killed shortly afterwards by drunk drivers.
I’ve never seen this one, just reading that has made me cry.
@@Claire-zz9pj me too
@@Claire-zz9pj You can find it under the title "Kill Your Auden". Absolutely heartbreaking.
Most of the ads in the video aren't PSAs, they're Advertisements for charities, such as Barnardo's, the St John Ambulance Red Cross, etc.
British advertising is the best in the world, and the production values are definitely the reason why campaigns to get people to wear seatbelts, not drink drive, etc, have been so effective in the UK.
This is correct. British PSA campaigns are few and far between. I don't readily recall having seen one in decades.
Don't forget Darth Vader telling us how to cross the road 😊
I don't thinik there are any PSAs anymore (or are there?)
@@redcardinalist I remember Chris Witty making one for Covid.
Some of the Australian ones are very in your face too.
and we were shown these in PRIMARY SCHOOL!! literally 7 year old children being shown these traumatising videos
The "I am a crisis" actress is Amy Watson, and she lost her 49 rear old mother to cancer a few months before making that advertisement for the Red Cross. Not the only complication in her life. She was born in Vancouver, and when her mother returned to Scotland after her relationship broke up, Amy and her brother and sister came with her (another sister remained in Canada). So I guess Amy knew well enough how a crisis can appear from nowhere.
The dog was called Chive by the way and was not as sinister as its appearance...
😲
I hated her (in that advert), and now I feel bad about it.
Tbh the advert is a favourite for the way it gets the message across. The woman with the hound is a play on folklore, there's a specific example I have in mind but I'm struggling to remember the name. But basically a woman with shaggy hair walking a black hound an omen of misfortune
When I think of British PSA’s it always reminds me of the “Charlie Says” series. They are not quite as hard hitting as the ones you watched, but as a child they certainly got the message across.
Oooh, will check them out!
My cat is called 'Charlie' because of those films!
Suz A Dreamer you are so spot-on with the "Charlie Say's" films...2nd you 101%
Never forget that UK people in their fifties were taught how to safely cross the road by Darth Vader
The band The Prodigy had a banger called "Charly" based on the PSA, but then maybe also about.... you guessed it.
I remember a PSA that showed a child sitting on the stairs and watching his mother being beaten up. Every time she was hit, he jumped. I later became a domestic violence specialist, dealing with abused mothers with children. Even babies feel the effects of the terror.
There was the one with the baby in the cot too. Crying quietly because he knew no one would come
Epigenetic memory is a thing if you can trust the “science” ✌️
At 4:43 it’s saying to people to text if they want to learn first aid with St John Ambulance, so that you could be the person that’s there to help “save the boy” (or whoever needs help).
I always remember in the UK the PSA about Don't Play With Fireworks made in the 1970's that would be broadcasted for years. Every November 5th time for Guy Fawkes these PSAs would appear, even on the BBC (which doesn't show adverts). Some grim shots of people enjoying the event and then a girl getting her hands unspeakably injured when she picks up a used sparkler. Probably more horrifying as taking a joyful, fun occasion and bringing in the doom...Yup, the firework ones are really disturbing.
The PSAs of the 70s were really harsh and shown to us deliberately at school when we were very young. I remember a lengthy one called Apache about some children playing on a farm and they all got killed in increasingly grizzly ways. Also, I picked up a spent sparkler when I was a kid… clearly the films had no affect on me!
No matter how many times I see these , they still make me cry 😢
“Text to save the boy” was very clever, it gave life saving, first aid advice to anyone who text the number and you were able to see how to save the boy in this scenario.
# 2 was played by British actress Dame Emma Thompson she has appeared in many films, television programmes and stage productions. She has won and been nominated for many awards during her career, including five Academy Award nominations (winning two), nine Golden Globe Award nominations (winning two), seven BAFTA Award nominations (winning three), and six Emmy Award nominations (winning one).
It's ironic that she gets plowed like that in her latest film by a guy half her age.
From 1973, PIF: "The Spirit Of Dark And Lonely Water"; powerful.
UK television messages must be a lot more hard-hitting than the ones in the USA. You looked genuinely shocked and upset at some of them. Which I suppose means they have served their purpose of warning against the risk highlighted in each film.
The AIDS adverts voiced by John Hurt, decades ago, showing gravestones etc stick in the mind.
This was genuinely a great video by you.
That AIDS one hit me when i was about 8 years old and it still has an impact on me today
Ok those UK PSAs just goes straight for the heart…. And pulls it out of your chest.
I remember Tufty the Squirrel in the 1960's also about road saftey for kids, Made me walk to the kerb stop look right , look left, then look right again. I used to walk to school by myself...inLondon...aged 4 , can you imagine that these days ?
I'm pretty sure I've seen a drink drive ad before. Everytime I saw it, it felt like the whole world stopped for 30 seconds. Chilling
For a really shocking PSA you need to watch Northern Ireland don't drink and drive ads. My god they're hardcore!
Or Northern Ireland confidential telephone number ads from during the "troubles"
@@MAdams853 Troubles? Is that how they describe/d it? Even growing up in England I remember being scared of the IRA, so I can’t even imagine what it was like in Northern Ireland at that time.
“Better to be late than dead on time” I always liked that on, it really stuck with me
As a child growing up in the 1970s in the UK I was probably most traumatised by the "protect & survive" series on what to do if there was a nuclear attack. With later trauma added by When the Wind Blows (1986)
Watching "Threads" after digesting "protect & survive" was quite defining as a 70s child.
"when the wind blows" is still one of THE most heart wrenching and beautiful movies I have ever seen.
It really makes me sad when I read reactionary comments like, "just nuke them" or "nothing a few kilo tonnes wouldn't sort out".
We are a species with amnesia.
☮️❤️🙏
When the wind blows what blast from the past (no pun intended) I did not sleep properly after watching it
Protect & survive was both helpful and informative. Not frightening in any way. OK I was in my mid teens at the time. When the wind blows was entertaining if a bit exaggerated. If you found any of this 'traumatising' then I seriously (this is not meant as an insult) think you need fundamental therapy. There have been documentaries showing parents in Northern Ireland frightening children into hating the other (catholic or protestant) communities as a way to perpetuate the conflict. Maybe your parents for political reasons tried to frighten you with 'Protect and Survive'. That is abuse and you ought to very angry with them over it.
Protect and survive was made in the 1970s, ready to transmit in the event of an oncoming nuclear attack. It has never been transmitted yet you see it in Threads as a nuclear attack was about to happen.
We were made to watch threads in school. Gave me nightmares for 6 months straight
UK PSAs are the best (although that's not an appropriate word) - they are hard hitting and real life. "You would never forget seeing that" - That is what they are designed to do… Hard hitting and thought-provoking.
I remember some of these when I was a kid, think the most memorable one for me was the “kid hit at 30” speed kills one
One I always remember was a video showing a teenage boy and girl coming into an empty room in a house party. They start making out and the guy gets more forward and starts taking off her clothes and pushing her onto the bed. She keeps saying no but he doesn't listen and gets more aggressive. You hear a banging and muffled yelling and it pans to show the boy standing behind a glass panel shouting at himself to stop. The tag line was something like, "if you could see yourself, you would stop it".
I thought that was really effective because it was a more realistic depiction of sexual assault i.e. they were a couple, they were drinking, he wasn't really forceful but didn't listen when she said no. "It's still rape" was basically the point.
I've seen these growing up and they did it to me but to see you reactions just gives me chills again
Anybody remember Apaches? A group of kids playing on a farm that die in accidents one by one.
The scariest PSA I ever saw was the AIDS one narrated by John Hurt - it was the 80's and AIDS was this new epidemic with no cure at the time - the interesting thing about American reactions UK is seeing their eyes opened to the reality that USA is way behind regarding workers rights - healthcare - etc - I'm a Brit 🇬🇧 another good reaction is to our comedy shows and British music
"There is a disease..."
Still freaks me out today. John Hurts narration was incredibly menacing.
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Wasn’t the punchline ‘don’t die of ignorance’?
I'm not sure about health care. have to you tried to get a doctor's appointment recently? I had a lump under my arm and it took a month for me to get to a hospital to check it out
@@cashkitty3472 yes I agree am in the middle of trying to get a Dr appointment right now - I rang and was told could have telephone appointment 9 days later - this was cancelled at the last minute - I then went to the walk in clinic - they couldn't provide a prescription so made an appointment with push doctor on the app it's a zoom appointment I was in the 'waiting room' on my phone for an hour only to get a call saying the Dr was dealing with an emergency so re-scheduled for the following day - the call never came 🥴🙄🤷 my point about USA healthcare is the lack of access to affordable healthcare we know that they are being charged more than 10 times the cost of medication and medical procedures its extortion if you ask me 👍
Some really amazing ads there. Really brilliant. Hats off to the people that made them.
One thing about the last psa...the dad isn’t in the next birthday scene
Brutal.
I remember the slow down or live with it. Psa, where a man is haunted by the boy, he hit with his car.
I remember seeing a road safety one a few years back which involved a dead girl lying in the road with broken bones, and the clip rewound itself so her body cracked back into shape until she was alive again. That was very hard hitting.
There are loads more from the 70s and 80s that warn about not playing on building sites or walking along live railway lines. Scared me as a kid!
OMg i'd forgotten about that one made me wince to watch it.
Technically most of these are NOT Public Service announcements, they are adverts for various different charities.
I was a volunteer with St John Ambulance. Retired now, but I can still remember the most important bits. P.S St John Ambulance, not St John's Ambulance :)
40 odd years old (ish) I have never noticed that.
Direct and to the point, which often doesn't make for comfortable viewing..
You should watch "The Finishing Line" - the original version though, it was banned by the government themselves for 20 years as the ending was so gruesome. I can still recall this short film quite graphically over 40 years after first seeing it.
The reason these Public Information Films (rather than PSAs) were so graphic is that they were considered 'educational' and thus the censorship rules that applied at the time (60s-70s) did not apply. Some of the people who made them later went on to make horror movies, apparently
The 70 PIF's made sure a generation never slept again😁 I always remember the British waterways Grim Reaper one
The wartorn PSA with the little girl is exactly what my mother went through during WW2. It started when she was a young child with the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, and lasted 5 years. One night, when she was 6/7 her bedroom wall was blown in by a bomb. Since then she has been stabbed, suffered 3 strokes & 2 heart attacks. Given birth to 8 children, gone through 2 divorces and buried a son. She's now 87 and lives in her own flat and a member of the family checks on her every day and she's still the one we all turn to in times of trouble.
We know life can be really tough and often hearbreaking so we call it as it is, or should I say "use to", but certain people can't handle the realities so it gets "watered down" and ignored so a harsh reality check every now and then shows them it's not all clever cell phones, computer games and Bank of Mum & Dad.
There's one warning to aware of train tracks where a kid straight up gets hit by a train in front of their family, these PSAs definatly stay with you
I don't think you'll forget these. Please do learn First Aid, I hope you never need use it, but the knowledge could save a life
You're not supposed to forget them. That's sort of the point.
Molikai They didn't say supposed , keyboard warrior.
I will never forget the last one.
Nor the dead boy under the desk of the guy who hit him while driving drunk.
the point of the add for the boy falling with the tree was to get viewers to text the number to find out about first aid lessons
I still remember the 'glass on the beach '40 years later shocking, good.
They're brutal,but they aren't designed to make you happy! 🏴
Barnardos is a charity, if you been with em as a child, you will understand these to a different level.
Also st John's needs so much more funding without a doubt.
The St John Ambulance segments are "downers" because the message is "Learn First Aid - YOU Could Save A Life".
The idea being, usually there are no medical professionals on scene when you need one, and simple medical treatment done right away can make a huge difference. So the more people learn first aid, the more lives can be saved.
The St John Ambulance run courses on First Aid for everyone, hence the message.
We call them PIFs (Public Information Films) here. They were also shown on BBC, normally before the National anthem was played and shut down.
The one with the Grim Reaper was about swimming where you shouldn't and was voiced by Donald Pleasance.
However, some PIFs were a little lighter, Bedtime Routine, a song about turning off all your lights and unplugging you plugs because 🎶fires can start in, o, so many ways🎶is an example📺😎
While serving in the RAF in Germany the forces police would have a expose of the drinking and driving at Christmas by placing a recent collision car with notices at the side of the road into camouflage. Brings it home!!!
I'm lucky that I don't drink and never have. I don't know how anyone can stomach booze
These adds genuinely make you think how a moment in time can change your life and someone else's .
Fun fact. The number plate on the motorbike starts P54, or "PSA"
A lot of these stick in my memory, but the most prominent one is not in this compilation. It's about texting and driving and it is absolutely goddamn horrific. It pulls no punches and is terrifyingly realistic.
For a shocking programme, not really public announcement but more of a what could of happened, watch a movie called 'Threads'. It really makes you stop and think.
Not even, could happen... Threads pretty much is how it will go down in the aftermath, especially as we see the longer term outcomes that Ruth faces. Barry Hines really did want it to be even more graphic than we saw.
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Shocking PSAs , But memorable and very effective , no sugar coating dangers or difficulties
Please don't go down the rabbit hole of doing endless reaction videos. Most of them are done by people who have never visited the UK, so they are genuinely surprised by many of the cultural differences. You have lived here long enough to recognise most of the key differences anyway and you can speak from lived experience. By the way, there was a film made in Wales about not using mobile phones when driving -if you can find that one it is absolutely horrific.
Hey David! Thanks for your comments - I definitely will not do endless reaction videos. I like my channel the way it is and glad to hear most of my audience does too.
I have actually seen that Welsh ad before - horrific is definitely the right word and the fact that you mentioned it and I knew exactly which one it was I guess drives home how memorable it is!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for showing this, for this open people's eyes 🇸🇪
These ad's are very hard hitting and effective in giving out their message, but watching so many at once is almost traumatic. Possibly leaving you with a mild PTSD. I have seen these before but I still feel the impact. Well done for getting through them all.
Lol I still recall a number from the 1970s that have put their hooks in me and I'm 54 .
The PSA’s from the 70’s are legendary, I have very fond memories of them in a macbre way. In the late 80’s we started to get 24hr TV but the ad’s at 3am were all PSA’s. One horrific PSA after another; little toddlers drinking bleach and so on. It was a hoot if you’d come in from being out drinking ; )
If I had my way, first aid would be compulsory in school. I am a retired teacher. I know that the curriculum is overstuffed. However, having twice used my knowledge of first aid, I'm glad that I knew what to do. I used the Heimlich Manoeuvre to save a pupil from choking, and I was able to put another into the recovery position until a more qualified person took over. In both cases, I was told that my actions saved a life.
Personally, the most upsetting PSA is the one where the speeding car crashes and lands on the nursery age children having a nature lesson. Even thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.
the best thing you could do is a first aid course , and as far as i know they are free to do , well in Scotland they are , i do a refresher course every few years have done from being in the scouts
Also the UK one I remember most was the think advert, a driver kills a little red head kid. Anyway he has to live with it, so the little boys body turns up everywhere he goes, including his own house. Used to creep me out a bit that one
I don’t like to see you sad but this type of PSA hits home more effectively. We still lose too many lives but not as many as there could be.
A lot of these also reveal part of our dark humour. Like these are hard hitting but some of the bait and switch endings are delivered like a punchline.
"You live and learn"
You should look at the DOE Irish driving PSA's. One in particular could only be shown on T.V after 9pm it was so bad, but all extremely effective.
I'm presently crying like a baby, so sad what some children go through, and have to carry into adulthood.
The advert. of the boy falling from the tree is for more volunteers to join the St. John's Ambulance Brigade. It's supposed to be manipulative
I’m too young to remember the “golden age” of scare you witless adverts, however remember vividly ‘Julie knew her killer’ from the late 90s.
Also due to numerous horrific adverts, knew exactly what to do when having a chip pan (not quite but a pan of fat non the less) fire, when everybody else a few years younger than me stood frozen, perhaps the 80s PSA are all buried in my subconscious keeping me safe.
I remember watching the 70s grim reaper ad when I was young, it was frightening-and there were more that was as frightening back then
The USA needs adverts like these.
I think the main reason why there are so many videos on UA-cam concerning U.S. people reacting to British videos is that they get a lot of response from the British people. British people like to see their lifestyle being highlighted and liked by people from other countries.
Unfortunately, the lifestyle in Britain isn't as good as it's portrayed. Indeed, as a 70+ year old man, I have seen the best of Britain when I was a child.
If anyone advert for a company is graphic, there would be a flood of complaints! When it comes to PSA advertising, what better way to make the public notice, not many people would complain also the more graphic are shown after the watershed (21:00)!
A big reason for British PSA's being this way is due to censorship laws that were brought in against horror and gore movies, the "Video Nasty" era. A shitload of horror movie directors needed work and the government hired them to do these PSAs. It changed the way we do them even after the censorship laws were repealed.
Mildly unrelated, but a movie set in the era is Censor (2021), following the story of one of the censors who reviewed films and put some on ban lists or demanded changes before they were ready for public release, and what kind of person takes that job.
The thing about these adverts is all of them are *flagrant* violations of Ofcom's (the broadcasting regulator) policies about inappropriate content. However it is deemed that the public good they bring about outweighs the potential harm. No private company could ever get away with broadcasting stuff like this.
Haven't seen lots of these before, my memories of this sort of thing are also from the 70s. Boy flying his kite near powerlines...
I see you referenced "The spirit of open water" another was about loose mats on polished floors.
A uk fireworks safety psa from the 80s about sparklers traumatised me as a child, and as a result I have a phobia of them. I wouldn't touch them as a child, and still won't. I won't even walk past someone else who has a lit sparkler.
I'll never get that girl's scream, when she grabbed the wrong end of the sparkler, out of my head. 😱
@@davidpowell8249 I have seen a clip of that ad recently on UA-cam, and the scream doesn't sound the same as it does in my memory.
Some of these are public service announcements (paid for by government agencies) but many are adverts by charities ( paid from charitable funds). Smoke detectors and road safety are true public service announcements. The rest are paid adverts by charities, these are St. John Ambulance (2 adds), Motor Neurone Disease Association, Barnardo's (2 adds), British Red Cross, Helen Bamber Association and Save The Children, if you respond to "find out more", you will be asked for donation(s) some of which will pay for these adverts. No matter how compelling the adverts are, please look into the actual work done by charities and their incidental expenses.
I think the reason people like those other channels is because our way of life and our adverts are just so alien to them.
You wouldn't be as shocked as you live here.
That said, your reaction to this video is priceless 🤣
Please do learn First Aid I did and it really does make a difference when it is needed and I urge all of your followers to learn First Aid too, People think “oh I’ll never need first aid” but you never know when you’ll need it for family or strangers, I’ve used the things I’ve learned a few times and I’m very glad I knew what to do when the chips are down and it’s just you that is there to help, Yes I remember the grim reaper one as a kid i certainly kept away from doing silly stuff around ponds, PSA’s have to have an impact to get people to take notice of theirs and everyone else’s safety, BTW The Red Cross and The St. John’s Ambulance are the best places to go for First Aid Lessons.
It should be on the curriculum.
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@@charlielynes Absolutely right it certainly should be I agree 100%. 👍🏻
The motocycle accident advert reminded me of when I was pulled over by police while on my bike when exeting the tunnel between Liverpool and Birkenhead (UK). I thought they were going to check me over and try to get me for something, when in fact they were just out there bringing awareness to motorcycle safety - and they were also pulling over car drivers to discuss the same thing. I had a good chat with the policeman who pulled me over, including a laugh here and there, and he gave me some free earplugs and a brochure for motorcyclists. He even gave me some tips, being a fellow biker, concerning filtering through traffic - and demonstrated that bikers can indeed legally filter (for all those who think they can't)! I'll never forget that moment - as it was when I felt most noticed, understood, and respected by my "bobbies" (police). Say what you want about the police, and I've had my share of a-holes (who clearly wanted me convicted of a crime I didn't commit when I was a kid), but some of them are great people just wanting the best for everyone and doing what they can. I support the po-po, just not the "no-po" lol.
I feel the need to shout out all of the actors, writers, directors, cinematographers, etc involved in these ads and the like. They did a fantastic job, and they wouldn't be as hard-hitting without them! Kudos! Keep it up!
Your comments about the difference between American and UK PIFs are quite true. American PIFs tend to almost soften the issues, whereas UK PIFs like nothing better than to grab you by the nuts and squeeze!
The same goes for the "What if..." nuclear war films made in the 80s. The US made The Day After, and America had an uneasy sleep the night of transmission. Whereas the UK made Threads, and no one in the UK slept for a week! (I actually gave a Polish friend my DVD copy of Threads to watch about seven years ago, and she said that she had a pretty sleepless night after watching it, so it still holds up even now.)
nz and aussie PSAs are also like this - they don't muck around and get right in your face
My brother saved an old man in a restaurant who was choking . He literally saved the mans life .
I remember the Charlie Says PSAs from the 70s.
I live in California now, and yes, the PSAs here are less effective!
These psa's were usually shown after 9pm to inspire empathy in adults. The woman in the trafficking ad is the actress who plays trelawney in Harry Potter
The very last one is nothing new. It happened in England during WWII; children in London were evacuated to the countryside. Some of the children lost their entire families and had to rebuild their lives after the war. Some were shipped out to Australia.
There was one a few years ago of a family walking through a wood happily laughing and then a train speeds past, I can't watch it. We have to cross the rail tracks on one of our walks and people have died, not all accidentally, but they still died there. It gives me the creeps. Where I grew up the train tracks have an extra electric rail which will kill you if you step on it, and my school classroom had a poster showing a dead child lying on the tracks. It stuck in my head.
'Lonely Waters' ! Yup, I remember that lol, scared the crap out of me when I was 8. It was narrated by Horror film actor Donald Pleasance.
Welcome to the UK, we don't sugar coat it. Can I suggest "Appachies" , a farm safety film we got shown in primary school?
I’m 54 and lots of these safety films I still remember, I’ve always had a fear of escalators because of a safety film where the doll gets caught in the steps!
OMG! I remember that one! And the shoes being crushed.
I actually saw a kid fall into some of the workings of an escalator and he had his arm ripped off.. i am terrified of them this was in the early 80's i think
In the old days they were known as PIFs (public information films) and were basically shown mornings/ afternoons where the TV station had not sold the commercial slot LOL, so kids got to see many... there would have been nothing about climbing trees though as kids were expected to climb trees and deal with it those days. Climbing into an electricity station to get your frisby was quite a 'sizzling' one.
Oh I can remember being shown that ad in the 80’s in Primary School and there was another one around the time with the body of a boy who drowned in wee lake, still haunts me now
Some of the ones I remember the most from my childhood are, of course, the Green Cross Code Man, who showed kids the safe way to cross a road, and 'Charley Says...'
In more recent times, the drink driving ones have been horrific, but that's what makes them effective.
You want enjoy them but I'd recommend you watch them.
I remember the Grimm reaper one from the 70s as they showed it at school the I was little in the 80s also the fireworks one they showed around bonfire night scared me silly !
I remember 2 PSAs in the early seventies. One involved kid`s daring each other to run across railway tracks, the other, kids dying from suffocation in chest freezers dumped in landfill sites (back in the day you couldn`t open a fridge or freezer from the inside).
It's odd watching Americans reacting to dead UK sitcoms. I`ve seen a few. Some guy from the American deep south reacting to "Open All Hours". The idea of someone from Palm Springs watching an episode of "Coronation Street" from 1972 is just surreal.
The ones from the 70s are definitely terrifying!!
Hahaha, I can see it now re: Americans reacting to UK sitcoms! Will have to go find that on UA-cam.
You see the one where a football was kicked over to an electrical substation, the kid enters and literally gets fried!
@@CrazyInWeston Amazed any of us made it to 1980.
You should watch the sparklers one from the 1980s, I'm still scared of them, and I'm 49.
I remember that grim Reaper one and the water. It used to be on at lunch times between the kids programme's 🤣
You're absolutely amazing at reaction videos you did a wonderful job 💙
I doubt I'll remember any of these as much as I remember The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water, or Rabies Kills, or the Glass on the Beach. The seventies ones were just as brutal and scary, but in a a slightly different way. There were some utterly laughable ones too - the Put a rub on a polished floor - you might as well set a MANTRAP one being the worst, perhaps.
they werent adverts by organisations those ones they were government sponsored PSA, whereas some of the newer one are from organisations only wanting to raise funds.. which its good but its not as impactful as when the government states it (not saying they arent effective but) i grew up int he 70's and 80's and some of the older ones still scare me 40 years later and i still rememeber them.
Hello Girl Gone London, I think you'd really like to see the Brit PSA film "Apaches" from 1977. Unfortunately you may not be able to watch the full 27min film. I've just tried to find a link to the full film on youtube but the only link I could find says it's been taken because of copyright, but there are some clips on youtube.
The one I remember is called Apache it featured a group of kids living on a farm and most of them died through numerous accidents
The one I can never forget was a drink driving PSA, a man had killed a child and saw his tiny broken body everywhere. It was horrifying.
Yeah, that was hard hitting. Perhaps the worst aspect was that he was not a bad man, just an ordinary everyday fellow, haunted forever by his guilt at what he'd done.
I remember that one , worse than any horror movie I’ve seen.
the christmas don't drink and drive campaigns have been very good over the years - look at some 70's and 80's ones especially
29 year old man from The uk and recently seeing the guy as an adult in therapy doing well and it going back till he's a kid makes me choke up
I seem to remember at least one if not more 'stranger danger' videos we were shown at primary school that were pretty hard hitting. Early 80's.