ITV shuts down Saturday night TV for mental wellness

ITV – Tune Back In - Britain Get Talking

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Agency Uncommon/London
Production Company Pulse Films/London
Director Nez

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Credits

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Agency Uncommon/London
Production Company Pulse Films/London
Director Nez
Editing Speade
Grade Raised By Wolves
Audio Post Soundtree Music
Producer David French
Editor Rich Woolway

Edit Producer David French
DP Harry Wheeler
DP Spike Morris
Colourist Vic Parker
Post Producer Jon Hollis / (Post Producer)

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Dead air is one of the most-feared situations in broadcasting. The loss of audio in a broadcast is normally met with panicked yelps from the channel and confused moanings from the audience.

However, on Saturday night's Britain's Got Talent (one of the country's most popular family shows), hosts Ant and Dec suddenly call a halt to proceedings, addressing the audience and viewers at home to turn their attention away from the acts competing for the BGT crown, to focus instead on one another and let mental wellness take centre stage.

We wanted to make something that went beyond advertising. Changing programming. Involving talent across the whole channel. And even pausing its most iconic shows to provoke important conversations across the nation.

Spearheading the channel's mental wellness initiative Britain Get Talking, led by agency Uncommon, the moment was designed to give the nation a chance to talk together and listening to each other, pausing the entire show to get people reconnecting in their living rooms.

The chat-space didn't stop there, with the following commercial break kicking off with hero film Tune Back In, shot by Pulse Films director Nez, which featured a wide cast across ITV’s most well-known shows, all fallen silent. The movement then continued with a silent ad break, with spots from Dunelm, Oral-B, Gillette, SEAT and Network Rail – all of which using their media to raise attention to the cause.

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ITV – Launch - Britain Get Talking

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ITV – Britain Get Talking

But that's not where the campaign stops. As part of ITV’s commitment to promoting this message, over the next month audiences will see Britain Get Talking spots hijack the entire channel, featuring familiar ITV faces using their silence to encourage viewers to catch up at home, and tune back in to their family’s story. The campaign will include promos, radio, break bumpers, website content and print.

The campaign will also feature specific creative on TV and social in the run up to World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10th October.

At the heart of ITV’s social purpose strategy is this new five year commitment to help make mental wellness a priority in all our lives.

Carolyn McCall, ITV Chief Executive, comments, “ITV brings people together for unmissable shared viewing moments. By disrupting one of our biggest shows this Saturday night, we want to reach a wide family audience and create the space to start a national conversation about mental wellness. At the heart of ITV’s social purpose strategy is this new five year commitment to help make mental wellness a priority in all our lives. We've worked with our long-term strategic partner, Mind, as well as Young Minds to develop Britain Get Talking. The campaign highlights the importance of talking and listening in building mental wellness, ensuring we make looking after our mental health as much of a part of our daily lives and culture as our physical health."

“ITV is a brand that matters," adds Lucy Jameson, Co-founder, Uncommon. "It is a positive and powerful voice in British culture. We wanted to focus that power on mental health and, in particular, the mental wellbeing of our children. All the statistics say there’s a rising problem amongst today’s kids, with people spending more time than ever ‘together alone’. We wanted to make something that went beyond advertising. Changing programming. Involving talent across the whole channel. And even pausing its most iconic shows to provoke important conversations across the nation, that’s what ‘More than TV’ is all about.”