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It has overcome marital strife and embraced feminism and

vegetarianism.

But the pace of social change has finally proved too much for the Oxo

family.

Dinner isn’t the nightly family event it once was. Nor is it the forum

where domestic decisions are taken and problems are aired and ironed

out.

Brooke Bond Foods and J. Walter Thompson have bowed to the inevitable

and ended the 16-year-old soap opera. From now on Lynda and Michael will

doubtless be resorting to microwaved TV dinners on trays while their

grandchildren eat Pot Noodles in their bedrooms.

Sad, but advertising is no social engineer. The Oxo family values are

still relevant, but no longer credible.