Carling Black Label 'dambusters' by WCRS

WCRS's Dambusters spot for Carling Black Label was a gem in what was a truly sparking campaign.

Not only has it been acclaimed as one of the funniest commercials of the past 40 years but won an elusive D&AD Black Pencil for its director, Roger Woodburn.

The commercial spoofs the 154 film classic about the World War Two raid on the Ruhr Valley dams by a squadron of RAF Lancasters and their bouncing bombs.

In the spot, the bomber is thwarted by some nifty goalkeeping from a Carling-drinking German sentry.

Because the commercial was only for cinema and because, at that time, video to film transfer quality was appalling, Wodburn had to resurrect some old film-based effects such as front projection and optical printers.

This ad was kindly donated by the , which contains all TV ads nominated for the BTAA Awards since 1977. The archive is maintained by the History of Advertising Trust.