Hovis ‘Boy on the Bike’ advert returns to TV with new music – here’s a first look

3 June 2019, 14:16 | Updated: 3 June 2019, 16:10

The iconic ‘Boy on the Bike’ advert by Hovis is making a comeback, with remastered visuals and a new recording of Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony – watch it in the video above.

Hovis’ ‘Boy on the Bike’ advert will return to our TV screens tonight, 46 years after it first aired in 1973.

The original advert, which was recently voted ‘most iconic UK advert of all time’, was originally directed by Ridley Scott. It featured the Ashington Colliery brass band playing Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’.

The music has now been re-recorded by the Ashington Colliery brass band, passing the baton down to a new generation of musicians.

Hovis 1973 Boy On The Bike TV Advert

The remastered ad, which will air on TV throughout June, has been digitally restored by the British Film Institute National Archive and RSA Films.

Jeremy Gibson, marketing director at Hovis, said the relaunch of ‘Boy on the bike’ represents the “iconic, family-focused nature of Hovis that is at the heart of everything we do.”

The advert shows a young boy, played by Carl Barlow, pushing his bike up Gold Hill in Dorset and delivering bread to the top of the cobbled street. Meanwhile, the narrator says the line: “T’was like taking bread to the top of the world – t’was a grand ride back though.”

Barlow, who was just 13 when the original ad was filmed, said: “This advert and Hovis have been such a huge part of my life and I am delighted it is coming back to the small screen.” He was paid £60 in 1973 to appear in the now-iconic advert.

Robin Baker, head curator at BFI National Archive, described the ad as “one of the most potent, popular and iconic films in British advertising history”.

He continued: “‘Boy on the bike’ is a mini-masterpiece of big, nostalgic emotion, but the original elements have been ravaged by time. It is now fully restored to its former glory for new generations to enjoy. It looks and sounds as good today as it did in 1973.”