As the UK’s TV viewing habits change, the success of BBC iPlayer has become seen as key to the corporation’s future. Yet it was struggling to connect with younger audiences, who assumed that neither the content nor the brand was for them. BBC Creative was asked to challenge this perception and prove that the platform was indeed relevant to under-35s.

In response, an irreverent brand campaign was created around the tagline Wasted on Some, which features caricatures of what young people believe the typical BBC viewer to be – a little prudish, a little conservative, and very British – before playfully suggesting that many iPlayer shows are in fact wasted on this audience.

The campaign, which was directed by Tim Godsall, features three 60-second spots starring young talent from popular programmes, disguised as uptight, out-of-touch characters, hilariously missing the point of their own shows. Included were Peaky Blinders’ stars Kate Phillips and Aimee Ffion-Edwards (Esme Shelby); Natasia Demetriou, star of Jemaine Clement’s comedy horror series What We Do in the Shadows; Kiell Smith-Bynoe, star of BBC One sitcom Ghosts; and Guz Khan, writer, comedian and star of BBC Three hit comedy Man Like Mobeen.

Agency: BBC Creative
ECDs: Laurent Simon, Helen Rhodes
Head of Planning: Mike Lean
Head of Production: James Wood
Creative Director: Becca Pottinger
Creative: Andy Parkman
Senior Producer: Rachel Roberts
Project Manager: Phoebe Bibbings
BBC Creative Planner: Rosanagh Ker
Off Air Producer: Jessica Greshoff
Production Manager: Caroline Greig
Production Coordinator: Beth Morson
Head of Audio: Michaela Hallam
Audio Producers: Dominic Ross, Gavin Matthews
Creative Director for Innovation & Technology: Ashley Temple
Pictures: Jane Record
Senior Designer: Marc Hardman
Static Designer: Dan Cavicchia
Motion Designers: Kieran Ahmed, Mark Robertson
BBC Portfolio Head of Marketing for iPlayer: Kerry Moss
BBC Marketing Manager: Nick Gilmer
BBC Marketing Executive: Lucy Hodson
BBC Media Portfolio Lead: Tony Dalton
BBC Campaign Planner: Sam Cuthbertson
Production Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Tim Godsall
Executive Producer: Tor Fitzwilliams
Producer: Ben Roberts
DP: Ben Smithard
Art Director: Morga Kennedy
Assembly Rooms Editor: Adam Spivey
Factory Studios Sound Designer: Mark Hills
Audio Producer: Deborah Whitfield
Post: Electric Theatre Collective
Colourist: Jason Wallis
Online Editor: Mark Chapman
Compositor: CJ Gaikwad
Post Producer: Oscar Wendt
Stills Photographer: Alex Telfer
Unit Photographer: Ian Weldon
Stills Post Production: Stanley Post
Cast, Paranoid Parkers: Natasia Demetriou, Kiell Smith-Bynoe
Cast, Queen’s English: Guz Khan
Cast, Name Blame: Kate Phillips, Aimee Ffion-Edwards