589:. 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
579:). 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."
316:
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.
622:: 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.
594:
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 "
77:
803:
513:: 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
36:
179:
463:. 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
308:, 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
593:
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
315:
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
352:
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
1109:
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
535:: 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.
559:: 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
610:: 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
505:
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.
353:
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.
367:: 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
319:
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,
407:
677:
320:
200:
245:) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied,
668:: 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 "
419:
824:
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391:: 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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253:(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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630:: A 1984 PIF about council tenants who were offered the right to buy their homes at discounted rates.
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399:: An animated series of PIFs with a ginger cat called Charley (whose warning growls were voiced by
342:
advertisement about what to do in the event of a gas leak can be considered non-governmental PIFs.
292:
during holidays and at weekends. Many of them involved or were narrated by celebrities of the day.
638:: A film based around a child losing his legs after being struck by a train. A modern equivalent,
571:: An Electricity safety film from 1978. It shows two main animated characters; a robin (voiced by
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423:: a 1979 film warning parents about the dangers of garden ponds to small children. Voice-over by
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680:" 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
739:
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403:) who advised children against various dangers they might encounter in their daily lives.
312:(now closed), and again by private contractors, which were usually small film companies.
278:
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338:, 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
415:
in discarded refrigerators. The film became well known due to its frightening message.
349:, 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
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A number of musical artists have been heavily influenced by the analogue,
435:: A series of films about the importance of seat belts, similar to the US
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486:
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offenders. An equally well-known and successful road safety campaign was
585:: An Electricity safety film from 1988, based on the same principles as
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727:, from 1991, which heavily sampled the meows of Charley Cat. The song
249:, to similar films from other countries, but the US equivalent is the
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543:: A 2007 copyright infringement campaign of videos about "Nigel", a
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cap and phones the desktop-PC-using coastguard on his mobile phone.
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1099:. The Central Office of Information for Home Office. 10 May 1971
347:
Charley Says: The
Greatest Public Information Films in the World
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270:
269:. They are sometimes thought to concern only topics related to
1149:"Children And Disused Fridges 1971 UK Public Information Film"
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in an episode where there was a constitutional crisis. The
520:
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321:
National
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
304:
years and shown in cinemas; many were made by and starred
411:: a 1971 PIF about the dangers of children playing and
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at a general election or how to fill in a census form.
273:, but there are PIFs on many other subjects, including
1207:
National
Archives exhibit of public information films
1129:. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 February 2006
709:
directly references or samples many PIFs, including
379:: A film about the dangers of racing through amber
356:
101:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
1202:https://communication.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/fillers
907:
658:are arguably not strictly PIFs, being produced by
911:Public Information Film - Green Cross Code Man 03
713:. Additionally, their debut album features a few
1218:
455:Comprehensive School about the consequences of
646:replaced the notorious and extremely graphic
753:contains Protect & Survive references.
64:Learn how and when to remove these messages
887:Learn how and when to remove this message
475:: A series of 1980s–1990s PIFs targeting
447:: A 2008 public information film made by
226:Learn how and when to remove this message
161:Learn how and when to remove this message
203:of all important aspects of the article.
300:The earliest PIFs were made during the
14:
1219:
823:Please improve this article by adding
760:satirised public information films in
684:
551:DVD's, and is ostracized by his peers.
199:Please consider expanding the lead to
27:UK government-commissioned short films
918:from the original on 13 December 2021
796:
172:
99:adding citations to reliable sources
70:
29:
908:Lextronica DaForce (19 July 2014),
24:
967:"Watch Protect and Survive online"
25:
1253:
1195:
997:"Watch Coughs and Sneezes online"
786:Beware of illegal video cassettes
693:sound of British PIFs, including
472:Drinking and Driving Wrecks Lives
45:This article has multiple issues.
801:
737:made use of the sirens from the
357:Notable public information films
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75:
34:
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743:films. Similarly the video for
191:may be too short to adequately
86:needs additional citations for
53:or discuss these issues on the
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1044:
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989:
959:
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563:("I'll be back-back-back...!")
201:provide an accessible overview
13:
1:
1242:Culture of the United Kingdom
1237:Society of the United Kingdom
1027:"Home - TV and Radio Fillers"
825:secondary or tertiary sources
792:
310:Central Office of Information
255:Central Office of Information
1096:Children and Disused Fridges
408:Children and Disused Fridges
364:AIDS: Don't Die of Ignorance
7:
780:Public service announcement
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281:, crime prevention, how to
260:
251:public service announcement
10:
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937:"Watch The Balloon online"
465:death by dangerous driving
295:
836:"Public information film"
735:Frankie Goes to Hollywood
110:"Public information film"
1227:Public information films
1052:"Charley Says: Volume 2"
697:and most artists on the
575:) and an owl (voiced by
501:: A character played by
383:before they turn to red.
239:Public information films
18:Public information films
660:British Transport Films
485:, fronted initially by
812:relies excessively on
482:Clunk Click Every Trip
432:Clunk Click Every Trip
666:Stop Look Listen Live
290:children's programmes
1232:Audiovisual ephemera
1174:"Children and Ponds"
1031:TV and Radio Fillers
711:Keep Warm, Keep Well
619:Reginald Molehusband
519:and listening to an
95:improve this article
750:Four Minute Warning
740:Protect and Survive
703:The Advisory Circle
685:Cultural references
607:Protect and Survive
701:label, especially
656:The Finishing Line
648:The Finishing Line
437:Crash Test Dummies
420:Children and Ponds
306:Richard Massingham
897:
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699:Ghost Box Records
678:Ain't Got No Home
277:, protecting the
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16:(Redirected from
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1007:on 26 March 2016
1003:. Archived from
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973:. Archived from
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943:. Archived from
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870:
829:
805:
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695:Boards of Canada
670:King of the Road
573:Bernard Cribbins
561:Donald Pleasence
498:Green Cross Code
302:Second World War
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1077:"Watch Apaches"
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977:on 7 April 2016
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947:on 7 April 2016
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830:
828:
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818:primary sources
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596:Yesterday's Men
540:Knock-off Nigel
510:Joe and Petunia
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186:This article's
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707:Other Channels
705:, whose album
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583:Powerful Stuff
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381:traffic lights
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332:advertisements
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275:animal cruelty
267:nuclear attack
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247:faute de mieux
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195:the key points
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151:September 2014
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877:December 2009
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838: –
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832:Find sources:
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810:This article
808:
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763:The Day Today
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756:The comedian
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674:Stayin' Alive
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612:Patrick Allen
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112: –
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106:Find sources:
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84:This article
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1181:. Retrieved
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1156:. Retrieved
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1131:. Retrieved
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1101:. Retrieved
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1059:. Retrieved
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1021:
1009:. Retrieved
1005:the original
1000:
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979:. Retrieved
975:the original
970:
961:
949:. Retrieved
945:the original
940:
931:
920:, retrieved
910:
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761:
758:Chris Morris
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647:
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640:Killing Time
639:
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627:Right to Buy
625:
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586:
582:
566:
556:Lonely Water
554:
538:
530:
514:
508:
503:David Prowse
496:
491:Jimmy Savile
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396:Charley Says
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188:lead section
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117:
105:
93:Please help
88:verification
85:
61:
54:
48:
47:Please help
44:
725:The Prodigy
650:. However,
577:Brian Wilde
487:Shaw Taylor
340:British Gas
336:Cartoon Boy
279:environment
1221:Categories
1081:BFI Player
1056:hive.co.uk
1001:BFI Player
971:BFI Player
941:BFI Player
847:newspapers
814:references
793:References
730:Two Tribes
691:overdriven
545:cheapskate
209:March 2020
121:newspapers
50:improve it
745:Mark Owen
587:Play Safe
568:Play Safe
547:who buys
449:BBC Cymru
369:John Hurt
193:summarize
56:talk page
1183:28 March
1158:28 March
1133:1 August
1127:BBC News
1103:1 August
916:archived
774:See also
768:Scarfolk
715:reprises
525:Burberry
453:Tredegar
261:Subjects
1178:Youtube
1153:Youtube
1061:24 July
1011:24 July
981:24 July
951:24 July
922:24 July
861:scholar
676:" and "
600:Madness
591:Walkman
549:bootleg
461:driving
457:texting
388:Apaches
296:History
135:scholar
1110:locks.
1036:13 May
863:
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652:Robbie
644:Robbie
635:Robbie
516:Hello!
271:safety
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868:JSTOR
854:books
747:song
598:" by
532:Julie
439:PSAs.
413:dying
330:Some
142:JSTOR
128:books
1185:2022
1160:2022
1135:2020
1105:2020
1063:2016
1038:2018
1013:2016
983:2016
953:2016
924:2016
840:news
672:", "
654:and
521:iPod
459:and
451:and
283:vote
243:PIFs
114:news
816:to
733:by
723:by
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