Following in the footsteps of A-listers including Olivia Colman, Samuel L Jackson, Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman is the latest household name to lend his talents to Bolton baker Warburtons’ reliably hilarious conveyor belt of tongue in cheek TV spots.
Freeman injects “his characteristic, wry charm to the ad, humorously illustrating the family’s deep-rooted obsession with baking ad and setting it against nostalgic scenes from the 20th century,” complete with a self-mocking observation that “only the velvet symphony of my my voice” can do the baker’s 150th anniversary justice, a bread rocket making the moon landing, the must-have eighties montage, and confusion from the North American visitor about the logic of crumpets.
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Morgan Freeman said: “Lending my voice to chronicle 150 years of this family’s unwavering dedication to the simple, yet profound, act of baking… well, that’s a narrative that truly deserves to be heard. Their commitment to quality baking, passed down through generations, shines through, making it abundantly clear why they’ve remained a beloved household name for so long. And I confess, I found myself quite taken by that crumpet – 300 holes, I told you these Warburtons were crazy!”
Warburton’s chief Jonathan Warburton had a little extra context, however. He told the BBC at lunch time: “We did the same take about 17 times, so every time he gets a fresh buttered crumpet. I think at the first three or four, it was like ‘oh, these are really good.’ By the 17th, I think he’d had his fill of crumpets.”
Warburton added: “When you think of all the people that we’ve managed to work with over time, you do think ‘who on earth could do something to celebrate our 150th anniversary? Then when the voice of God is offered as a potential? You think that’s just got to be perfect. And he was great. And I might be biased, but I think he’s done a super job.
“He brings an epic and memorable scale to our history, making even our humble beginnings sound rather grand! We’re incredibly proud of our journey and truly excited for the nation to join us in toasting to the next 150 years.”
