A tender and smooth road-safety-spot dealing with a highly delicate subject: Princess Diana's tragic car crash. It works with disappointed teddies combined with the British National Anthem. Strictly banned from any UK screens, it became a tremendous success in Germany, however, as a viral it spread its caretaking message wherever it went to.

The German magazines HORIZONT and W&V put it on their lists "Best Ads Worldwide".

In 1996 or 1998 - I cannot precisely remember myself - I wrote and realized this commercial for a fictional funeral company called "Mr. Sandman's Finest Funerals".

It was very hard to get it on air. I discussed this matter with a news channel. They were not interested in broadcasting it at all: "You know, we are a news channel. We cannot have that!" said the woman from the advertising sales department. I replied: "You know, there is one big thing funeral companies and news channels have in common and that is that they are making money with other people's death." End of discussion.

At least MTV EUROPE was so nice to broadcast it - only once - in the middle of the night. Enough to be noticed and screened again: in "Frontal". I am pretty far away from criticising the attractive TV presenter but I cannot help doing so because this is NOT a "Swedish ad". It is a result of pure German sense of humour. I feel very, very, very sorry to say so!

Thanks for listening
Hamlet Hamster

By the way: Director of Photography was Michael Göbel

Originally created in 1997, as a viral and TV-spot it made its way straight into UK's big TV event "Tarrant on TV".
Please enjoy!