578:. It shows of a group of boys, Darren, his brother Tom and Andy walking to school together. On the way they set off a gang of teenagers who chase them all the way to an electricity substation. Tom spots a football in there which Darren tries to break in and get, despite there being danger signs and foolishly believing you only have to touch what's inside to get hurt, but a reluctant Andy talks him out of it; instead, they play football with other friends to school. Once they enter the class, Mr. Jones who works for the electricity board, teaches them the dangers of electricity like touching overhead cables, being careless around cables and climbing pylons, showing clips of what happened when people ignored or did not know the danger that could be present in the situation, even stating that electricity can easily kill you, just by being near it, never mind touching it. Darren ignores all of this by listening to his
568:). The robin is looking for a place to perch and lands on the wires of a pylon. The owl who is perching on a tree nearby, berates him for doing something so dangerous, and the robin flies over and perches next to him, promising that he'll play safe in future. This begins their discussion of the golden rule "Play Safe", showing clips of the dangers of being around electricity and ignoring the warning signs, including touching over head power lines, flying kites and other toys around pylons, trespassing in substations and fooling around with electricity itself. The owl concludes "When you have time to kill, make sure time doesn't kill you," with both him and the robin ending with, "Have fun. But keep safe and play safe."
305:
1980s, and consequently, within both the COI and broadcasting companies, they were typically known as "fillers". They are still being produced, although the vastly reduced need for broadcasters to turn to third-party filler material to deal with unused airtime during breaks or junctions means they are now only seen rarely, during the late 1990s and early 2000s, they were frequently shown during and in between programmes on ITV in overnight, as advertising was generally difficult to sell during that time. Fillers are still produced and distributed by the
Cabinet Office by the Filler Marketing team.
611:: A man (Ian Gardiner) who demonstrated the correct way to park safely. His reverse parking was "a public danger", bets were laid on his performance and people came from all round to watch, until the day he got it right – "Well done! Reginald Molehusband, the safest parker in town." This film is now classified as missing and is not in the archives of either the COI or the private company, which now owns most of its archive footage, although an audio recording still exists. However, a remake was done in 2006, with Gardiner reprising the title role.
583:
him. Darren breaks through a fence while Tom keeps lookout. Darren runs up to the ball, and as Andy sees the deflated ball he realises that Darren has broken inside the substation to get the football. Darren throws the football but it gets him electrocuted. Tom runs in to help him but gets electrocuted as well, much to the horror of Andy and his friends. Later, the fire brigade, ambulances and the police arrive at the scene at night as Andy remembers Mr. Jones' lecture to the class about dangers of electricity followed by the song "
502:: A series of animated PIFs about a couple whose amazing stupidity caused dangerous problems for everyone around them. They appeared in only four PIFs ("Coastguard", "Water Safety – Flags", "Country Code" and "Worn Tyres"), but their popularity grew so quickly that it was decided to kill them off in the last one. However, they were "resurrected" when "Coastguard" was remade in 2007 with updated references: Petunia is reading
66:
792:
452:. The story is about 17-year-old Cassie "Cow" Cowan who causes a car crash due to texting and driving, and causes four deaths, including her two friends riding as her passengers. Cassie herself nearly dies but is revived. In the aftermath of the crash, Cassie's family ended up being ostracised by the local community and ultimately Cassie was sentenced to seven years in prison for
25:
168:
297:, an amateur actor who set up Public Relationship Films Ltd when he discovered there was no specialist film company in the area. They were commissioned by the Ministry of Information, and Massingham's work has since gained a cult following for their quirky, often humorous tone. After the war, PIFs were produced by the
582:
and daydreaming of going on a motorcycle that his friend was using earlier in the beginning. On the way back from school, the boys see the friend's motorcycle. They come over until Darren sees his friend's ball is deflated, thus making Darren remember the football in the substation and takes Tom with
304:
PIFs were supplied to broadcasters free of charge for them to use whenever they wished. Their usefulness as a cost-free means to fill the gaps in fixed-duration commercial breaks left by unsold advertising airtime led to their being used regularly and extensively in the 1960s, 1970s and much of the
341:
Public information films produced by the COI covered a wide range of subjects. The fillers listed above were for domestic consumption. However, COI films was also commissioned by the
British Foreign Office to supply films for overseas use. These films dealt with research and development, British
1098:
This public information film is concerned with the problem of children being suffocated in old fridges that, tempted by their playful imaginations, they want to climb into. The danger today has been largely eliminated by the introduction of magnetic seals instead of
524:: A film about the importance of rear seat belts, which ran for 5 years between 1998 and 2003 with a return in 2007, and was so successful it was adapted for broadcast in France. It was updated with the THINK! logo in 2001.
548:: A 1973 film warning children of the dangers of foolhardy behaviour around lakes and ponds. The film was shot in horror movie style with a menacing black-robed figure, featuring a memorably chilling voiceover from
599:: A series of films (never shown) advising the British public on what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. They would have been shown constantly on all television channels in the build up to a war. Voiced by
494:
who advised children about crossing the road safely. An earlier road safety campaign targeted at children featured the animated squirrel "Tufty", and a Tufty Club for young children was later founded.
666:
309:
342:
products and the
British way of life. They were usually distributed through the diplomatic network but not always. Some films were sold commercially to overseas outlets, mostly television.
356:: A major British information campaign in 1987 with a leaflet delivered to every household in the UK and short public information films ′Monolith′ and ′Iceberg′ with doom-laden voice of
308:
The COI closed on 30 December 2011 after 65 years, and no longer makes PIFs. However, there are a few companies still making distributing PIFs, such as THINK!, Fire Kills, DOE,
234:) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied,
657:: A series of animated PIFs created by copywriter Jack Stephens, about 2 hedgehogs crossing the road while singing road-safety themed covers of songs like "
189:
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83:
38:
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380:: A public information film shown in primary schools about the dangers of playing on farms. This PIF is notorious for being extremely graphic.
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242:(PSA). Public information films were commonplace from the 1950s until the 2000s. However, they became obsolete with the closure of the
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The films advise the public on what to do in a multitude of situations ranging from crossing the road to surviving a
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in the background along with the news report of the incident as Andy and his friends mourn for the deceased boys.
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619:: A 1984 PIF about council tenants who were offered the right to buy their homes at discounted rates.
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123:
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388:: An animated series of PIFs with a ginger cat called Charley (whose warning growls were voiced by
331:
advertisement about what to do in the event of a gas leak can be considered non-governmental PIFs.
281:
during holidays and at weekends. Many of them involved or were narrated by celebrities of the day.
267:
627:: A film based around a child losing his legs after being struck by a train. A modern equivalent,
560:: An Electricity safety film from 1978. It shows two main animated characters; a robin (voiced by
904:
412:: a 1979 film warning parents about the dangers of garden ponds to small children. Voice-over by
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669:" these aired from 1997-Mid 2000s (presumably 2008) and got replaced by The Tales Of The Road.
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The
Message Clicks – the first of a series of BBC articles about public information films
392:) who advised children against various dangers they might encounter in their daily lives.
301:(now closed), and again by private contractors, which were usually small film companies.
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327:, a 2002 campaign about child abuse produced by the NSPCC while films such as the 1980s
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with the suffix "PIF". Another example of PIF influence in music was that of the song
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in discarded refrigerators. The film became well known due to its frightening message.
338:, comprising the contents of two earlier VHS releases. A sequel was released in 2005.
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website and book feature parodic posters in the
British public information style.
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and charity appeals have gained the status of honorary PIF among fans, including
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PIFs have a nostalgic cult following and a DVD was released in 2001 called
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Many of these films were aimed at children and were shown during breaks in
167:
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A number of musical artists have been heavily influenced by the analogue,
424:: A series of films about the importance of seat belts, similar to the US
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513:
468:
offenders. An equally well-known and successful road safety campaign was
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574:: An Electricity safety film from 1988, based on the same principles as
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449:
445:
716:, from 1991, which heavily sampled the meows of Charley Cat. The song
238:, to similar films from other countries, but the US equivalent is the
259:
532:: A 2007 copyright infringement campaign of videos about "Nigel", a
516:
cap and phones the desktop-PC-using coastguard on his mobile phone.
1088:. The Central Office of Information for Home Office. 10 May 1971
509:
336:
Charley Says: The
Greatest Public Information Films in the World
271:
258:. They are sometimes thought to concern only topics related to
1138:"Children And Disused Fridges 1971 UK Public Information Film"
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161:
59:
18:
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in an episode where there was a constitutional crisis. The
310:
National
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
293:
years and shown in cinemas; many were made by and starred
400:: a 1971 PIF about the dangers of children playing and
274:
at a general election or how to fill in a census form.
262:, but there are PIFs on many other subjects, including
1196:
National
Archives exhibit of public information films
1118:. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 February 2006
698:
directly references or samples many PIFs, including
368:: A film about the dangers of racing through amber
90:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
1191:https://communication.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/fillers
647:are arguably not strictly PIFs, being produced by
900:Public Information Film - Green Cross Code Man 03
702:. Additionally, their debut album features a few
444:Comprehensive School about the consequences of
635:replaced the notorious and extremely graphic
8:
742:contains Protect & Survive references.
53:Learn how and when to remove these messages
876:Learn how and when to remove this message
464:: A series of 1980s–1990s PIFs targeting
436:: A 2008 public information film made by
215:Learn how and when to remove this message
150:Learn how and when to remove this message
192:of all important aspects of the article.
889:
289:The earliest PIFs were made during the
812:Please improve this article by adding
749:satirised public information films in
540:DVD's, and is ostracized by his peers.
188:Please consider expanding the lead to
16:UK government-commissioned short films
907:from the original on 13 December 2021
7:
88:adding citations to reliable sources
897:Lextronica DaForce (19 July 2014),
956:"Watch Protect and Survive online"
14:
986:"Watch Coughs and Sneezes online"
775:Beware of illegal video cassettes
682:sound of British PIFs, including
461:Drinking and Driving Wrecks Lives
34:This article has multiple issues.
790:
726:made use of the sirens from the
346:Notable public information films
166:
64:
23:
732:films. Similarly the video for
180:may be too short to adequately
75:needs additional citations for
42:or discuss these issues on the
552:("I'll be back-back-back...!")
190:provide an accessible overview
1:
1231:Culture of the United Kingdom
1226:Society of the United Kingdom
1016:"Home - TV and Radio Fillers"
814:secondary or tertiary sources
299:Central Office of Information
244:Central Office of Information
1085:Children and Disused Fridges
397:Children and Disused Fridges
353:AIDS: Don't Die of Ignorance
769:Public service announcement
270:, crime prevention, how to
240:public service announcement
1249:
926:"Watch The Balloon online"
454:death by dangerous driving
825:"Public information film"
724:Frankie Goes to Hollywood
99:"Public information film"
1216:Public information films
1041:"Charley Says: Volume 2"
686:and most artists on the
564:) and an owl (voiced by
490:: A character played by
372:before they turn to red.
228:Public information films
649:British Transport Films
474:, fronted initially by
801:relies excessively on
471:Clunk Click Every Trip
421:Clunk Click Every Trip
655:Stop Look Listen Live
279:children's programmes
1221:Audiovisual ephemera
1163:"Children and Ponds"
1020:TV and Radio Fillers
700:Keep Warm, Keep Well
608:Reginald Molehusband
508:and listening to an
84:improve this article
739:Four Minute Warning
729:Protect and Survive
692:The Advisory Circle
674:Cultural references
596:Protect and Survive
690:label, especially
645:The Finishing Line
637:The Finishing Line
426:Crash Test Dummies
409:Children and Ponds
295:Richard Massingham
886:
885:
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860:
688:Ghost Box Records
667:Ain't Got No Home
266:, protecting the
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996:on 26 March 2016
992:. Archived from
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971:
962:. Archived from
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943:
941:
932:. Archived from
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915:
914:
912:
894:
881:
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870:
867:
861:
859:
818:
794:
786:
684:Boards of Canada
659:King of the Road
562:Bernard Cribbins
550:Donald Pleasence
487:Green Cross Code
291:Second World War
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1066:"Watch Apaches"
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966:on 7 April 2016
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937:
936:on 7 April 2016
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895:
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871:
865:
862:
819:
817:
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807:primary sources
795:
784:
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585:Yesterday's Men
529:Knock-off Nigel
499:Joe and Petunia
348:
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210:
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175:This article's
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1185:External links
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696:Other Channels
694:, whose album
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572:Powerful Stuff
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541:
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512:; Joe wears a
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370:traffic lights
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321:advertisements
286:
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264:animal cruelty
256:nuclear attack
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236:faute de mieux
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184:the key points
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140:September 2014
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866:December 2009
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834:
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827: –
826:
822:
821:Find sources:
815:
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804:
799:This article
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752:The Day Today
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745:The comedian
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663:Stayin' Alive
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601:Patrick Allen
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478:and later by
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466:drink-driving
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414:Hywel Bennett
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390:Kenny Everett
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365:Amber Gambler
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314:National Rail
312:(NSPCC), and
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96:
95:Find sources:
89:
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73:This article
71:
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62:
61:
56:
54:
47:
46:
41:
40:
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1170:. Retrieved
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1145:. Retrieved
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1120:. Retrieved
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1090:. Retrieved
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1048:. Retrieved
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1023:. Retrieved
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998:. Retrieved
994:the original
989:
980:
968:. Retrieved
964:the original
959:
950:
938:. Retrieved
934:the original
929:
920:
909:, retrieved
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750:
747:Chris Morris
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632:
629:Killing Time
628:
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616:Right to Buy
614:
606:
594:
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555:
545:Lonely Water
543:
527:
519:
503:
497:
492:David Prowse
485:
480:Jimmy Savile
469:
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395:
385:Charley Says
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177:lead section
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82:Please help
77:verification
74:
50:
43:
37:
36:Please help
33:
714:The Prodigy
639:. However,
566:Brian Wilde
476:Shaw Taylor
329:British Gas
325:Cartoon Boy
268:environment
1210:Categories
1070:BFI Player
1045:hive.co.uk
990:BFI Player
960:BFI Player
930:BFI Player
836:newspapers
803:references
782:References
719:Two Tribes
680:overdriven
534:cheapskate
198:March 2020
110:newspapers
39:improve it
734:Mark Owen
576:Play Safe
557:Play Safe
536:who buys
438:BBC Cymru
358:John Hurt
182:summarize
45:talk page
1172:28 March
1147:28 March
1122:1 August
1116:BBC News
1092:1 August
905:archived
763:See also
757:Scarfolk
704:reprises
514:Burberry
442:Tredegar
250:Subjects
1167:Youtube
1142:Youtube
1050:24 July
1000:24 July
970:24 July
940:24 July
911:24 July
850:scholar
665:" and "
589:Madness
580:Walkman
538:bootleg
450:driving
446:texting
377:Apaches
285:History
124:scholar
1099:locks.
1025:13 May
852:
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624:Robbie
505:Hello!
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843:books
736:song
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521:Julie
428:PSAs.
402:dying
319:Some
131:JSTOR
117:books
1174:2022
1149:2022
1124:2020
1094:2020
1052:2016
1027:2018
1002:2016
972:2016
942:2016
913:2016
829:news
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510:iPod
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272:vote
232:PIFs
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