Watch: The banned Six Nations advert that continues to be shared online
Back in 2012 the BBC sent a promotional trailer for its Six Nations rugby union coverage to the sin bin over fears that it was anti-English.
On first appearance the advert looked to show a number of supporters from Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, supporting England.
A Welsh choir sing ‘England’ during a rehearsal. Youngsters from Ireland also scream out for England after a game of touch rugby.
However, it becomes clear they are being asked who they most want to beat. Unsurprisingly, those fans all choose England.
*This* is how you make a Six Nations promo. pic.twitter.com/91dDabTiIX
— Owen Williams 🏴 (@OwsWills) January 28, 2022
The trailer came to a close with the payoff line: ‘It’s not about who you want to win, but who you want to lose’.
The BBC said the concept was about fans being united in rivalry, but pulled it after complaints it was anti-English.
It was re-edited to give ‘more balance’ but ended up in the BBC archives never to be shown on TV again.
However, in 2014 the video was leaked online and continues to be shared every year around Six Nations time.
When the original advert remerged, the BBC said it was baffled how the controversial trailer had made a comeback.
A spokeswoman said at the time: ‘This trailer was part of our promotion for the Six nations in 2012.
‘The creative concept was around fans being united in rivalry.
‘We featured real fans from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland in the trail all talking about who they wanted to beat.
‘The non-English fans interviewed for the trail all wanted to beat England which made the first cut of the trail slightly unbalanced.
‘We therefore changed the balance of the fans in the next edit to make the trail more representative.’
It’s not the first time English rugby has been targeted by a promotional trailer.
In 1999, Stereophonics memorably recorded the song ‘As long as we beat the English’ for a BBC Sport Wales promotion ahead of their clash with England at Wembley stadium.
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Can you imagine if the BBC cut out all the Anti-Cymraeg stuff that they show? Have I Got Bews For You and all of the other panel shows/Middle-class Parlour games posing as entertainment would have to be binned, Alexander Armstrong’s career would be over, the entire BBC News department would have to go… in fact, the only things left would be Attenborough and all of the US television they buy in….. Anti-English? You better ban the entire rest of the world then, because EVERYONE,. except for the fascists in the US and North Korea, despises England for its national attitude,… Read more »
Here’s a new campaign for our doughty anti-woke warriors Andrew RT Davies and the Daily Telegraph – get this trailer back on the BBC and add ‘As long as we beat the English’ to the Principality Stadium playlist!
RT wouldn’t dare. His loyalty is to the English Crown
It’s true though! Everyone loves to beat the English, of course not for all the same reason. I’d argue the Welsh and Irish above everyone else loves to beat the English in something.
As do the Scots