Helena Bonham Carter, John Boyega and Matthew Macfadyen star in a set of new commercials for U.K. streaming platform ITVX, which is set to launch next month.
In the trio of ads each of the actors endures a cringe-worthy audition with a director (played by Ed Night) and producer (Jordan Castle). Bonham Carter is asked to impersonate a lemur eating a millipede, Boyega pretends to be driving a car à la “Fast and Furious 4” while Macfadyen is made to do some improv in the style of Ryan Gosling.
David Shane (“The Board”) directed the skits, which were created by Uncommon Creative Studio, through O Positive films.
ITVX is the new streaming service from U.K. broadcaster ITV, which is set to launch next month on Dec. 8. It will replace their current offering ITV Hub.
Among the many original shows commissioned for the service are three-part drama “Nolly,” which was written by Russell T Davies and stars Bonham Carter as Noele Gordon, a British soap star who was unceremoniously fired in mysterious circumstances at the height of her fame in the 1980s.
Macfadyen, who is best known for his award-winning turn as Tom Wambsgans in “Succession,” is also set to appear in an original ITV drama for the service called “Stonehouse,” in which he plays a disgraced U.K. politician who faked his own death during the 1970s.
Meanwhile Boyega, whose blockbuster “Pacific Rim Uprising” will be available on ITVX, has curated a collection of favorite films for the platform.
“We wanted the ad campaign for ITVX to memorably bring to life the U.K.’s freshest streaming service, with more new shows for free than anywhere else,” said ITV chief marketing officer Jane Stiller. “It features amazing homegrown talent at its heart and is a campaign platform we can use for years to come. This is just the start of what will be ITV’s biggest marketing campaign for decades, running over a full cross section of media from December 8th, when our new exclusive programming goes live on the service.”
ITV isn’t the only brand to tap into some serious star power for its commercials in recent weeks. Belvedere Vodka hired Daniel Craig and Taika Waititi for a new two-minute ad, which dropped last week and quickly went viral after it showed the Bond star, wearing a grill with his initials, boogying his way through a Parisian hotel.
Check out the ITVX ad below:
Helena Bonham Carter
John Boyega
Matthew Macfadyen
