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Louise Thomas
Editor
Cher, Barry from EastEnders, and Don Draper from Mad Men now have something in common – they all appear together in a surreal new advert.
UKTV’s ad starts with two executives pitching the new streaming service to the 78-year-old pop star, explaining that they want her to help share the news.
“Stop. I can see it now,” she responds.
Cher then goes through a montage, where she is superimposed into scenes from the channel’s most beloved shows, singing a new rendition of her 1965 hit track “I Got You Babe.”
She sings karaoke with Shaun Williamson’s Barry from EastEnders, who was killed off in the soap in 2004, at the Queen Vic; brings her cake up to the judges on MasterChef Australia; presents an ad campaign to Mad Men’s Don Draper; and even hitches a ride in Sons of Anarchy.
Fans are most excited about seeing the popstar with Barry, with one viewer on X writing: “Seeing Cher duetting with Barry from EastEnders was not on my Gay Bingo card today.”
“I did not know that what I needed today was Cher duetting with archive footage of Barry from EastEnders,” wrote another.
“I Got You Babe” was a No 1 song in both the UK and US for Sonny & Cher in 1965, spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Cher recorded the song with animated characters Beavis and Butt-Head in 1993, and hit No 35 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song was covered in 1985 by British band UB40 with American singer Chrissie Hynde, charting at number one on the UK Singles Chart and hitting No 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“We wanted to create an ambitious advert to launch U to highlight the variety of quality programming and to stand out in a hugely competitive landscape,” UKTV creative director, Scott Russell told PA.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
“It had to be joyful, have content at its heart, and to tell the story of whatever you love, we’ve got U.
“What’s more, it needed to be memorable and have a surprise factor that was not only authentic but connected with current and new viewers. Who better to do this than mega superstar, Cher? Performing a brand new version of her iconic song, ‘I Got You Babe’, whilst meeting some new and familiar friends on the way.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
