Culture

Bonnie Tyler TV ad resurfaces as Wales readies for today’s eclipse

12 Aug 2026 3 minute read

Amelia Jones

A Bonnie Tyler TV advert has resurfaced ahead of today’s solar eclipse in Wales, bringing back memories of one of the Welsh singer’s iconic hits.

The advert shows Tyler explaining ‘everything you need to know’ about the partial lunar eclipse that occurred in 2023.

The “Total Eclipse of the Heart” singer celebrated 40 years of her hit track by teaming up with McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes for the educational video.

The advert followed research that revealed almost half (49%) of Brits did not understand how they occur.

McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes have been educating Brits on eclipses since their famous 1999 TV ad, which saw a schoolteacher explain the phenomena using a packet of the chocolate orange treats.

The nostalgic ad later had a resurgence following the solar eclipse and continues to be impersonated by fans.

This was not the first time Tyler had drawn attention to the eclipse. In 2017, she sang “Total Eclipse of the Heart” live on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship during the solar eclipse backed by DNCE.

In the video, she describes the different types of eclipse using a Jaffa Cake as a prop. She says: “There are three types of eclipse. You’ve got the lunar eclipse, the solar eclipse, and then there’s the total eclipse of the heart.

“When the earth is situated between the moon and the sun it creates a shadow, and when it looks like someone has just taken a bite out of the moon. That’s a partial lunar eclipse.”

The advert has resurfaced at a particularly poignant time for Bonnie Tyler’s fans, following the death of the Welsh music icon last month at the age of 75.

Tributes to the singer are continuing in Swansea, with a special celebration of her life and music taking place at Oystermouth Castle on Sunday.

Simply the Best – A Tribute to Bonnie Tyler will feature local musicians, singers and songwriters performing some of her best-known hits, including, of course, Total Eclipse of the Heart.

There will be further opportunities for fans to pay their respects, with Bonnie’s coffin due to return to her family home in Mumbles on Saturday, before a public Celebration of Life service at Swansea Minster on Monday.

All of which makes today’s eclipse feel even more significant.

Tonight, skies across Wales will provide a rather fitting backdrop, as the country experiences a partial solar eclipse.

The eclipse begins at around 6.13pm, with the Moon gradually moving across the face of the Sun. It will reach its maximum at around 7.10pm, before coming to an end at around 8.07pm.

Around 90% of the Sun will be covered from much of Wales, making this the closest thing to a total eclipse seen from the country for decades. The next total solar eclipse visible from Wales isn’t expected until 2090.

You can watch the full video here.

Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.