Bake Off, Drag Race and Springwatch stars appear in new tongue-in-cheek climate campaign

VIDEO: Bake Off, Drag Race and Springwatch stars appear in new tongue-in-cheek climate campaign

•  A link to the video is here.
•  Photos of the celebrities are here. 

Crystal (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK), Dylan Bachelet (Great British Bake Off finalist), and Chris Packham (wildlife TV presenter and campaigner) are the stars of a new quirky and playful multi-media advertising promotion supporting Friends of the Earth’s latest climate campaign.

Launching on Wednesday 12 March with a creative and original video, it features the three celebrities trying to carry out a number of simple tasks – bake a cake, go for a job interview, trying not to get lost on a walk – but failing miserably because they don’t have an adequate plan.

The advertising promotion is in support of Friends of the Earth’s Big Climate Plan campaign, which is calling on the government to introduce an ambitious and fair climate plan later this year to meet UK climate targets – and ensure that people across the country feel the benefits of a building a greener future.

The multi-media advertising campaign, which includes digital adverts across several social channels, websites, and streaming sites, will run for four weeks until 6 April.

The celebrities will also feature on a range of digital out-of-home billboards positioned across 68 locations – such as bus stops, shopping centres and railway stations – in London.

Crystal (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK), said:

“We don’t have time to drag our heels on the climate crisis. We need urgent action now.

“The government must introduce a bold action plan to hit those climate targets – because Britain deserves to be greener, fairer and absolutely fabulous.”

Dylan Bachelet (Great British Bake Off finalist), said: 

“Just like you can’t whip up a showstopper cake without a proper recipe, the government can’t tackle the climate crisis without a proper plan. Half-baked climate solutions are a recipe for failure.

“That’s why I’m supporting Friends of the Earth’s campaign for a strong new climate plan for people and the planet.”

Chris Packham (wildlife TV presenter and campaigner), said:

“With extreme floods, storms and heatwaves battering the planet, and 2024 named the hottest year on record, the fight against climate breakdown couldn’t be more critical.

“This is why Friends of the Earth’s campaign for the government to deliver a new climate plan has my support.

“Crucially it needs to be strong and ambitious to not only cuts emissions but also deliver a greener, fairer and healthier future where cheaper energy, warmer homes, better transport, cleaner air and green jobs are the norm.

“A brighter future is within reach, but it depends on the government getting its new climate plan right.”

Big Climate Plan campaign

Friends of the Earth is campaigning for the UK government to introduce a bold and fair action plan to ensure UK climate targets are met.

The UK has agreed to meet a number of climate targets over the next decade to ensure we reach net zero by 2050, but some of these are in danger of not being met because the current plan for delivering them, introduced by the previous government, is far too weak.

Later this year, the government is required to publish a new climate plan. Friends of the Earth is urging ministers to make it ambitious enough to deliver on our climate goals, and ensure that people across the country feel the benefits of a building a greener future, such as lower energy bills, fewer people going cold in winter, better public transport and more well-paid green  jobs.

Members of the public can support Friends of the Earth’s campaign by signing this petition: foe.uk/BigClimatePlan

An explainer video, featuring Chris Packham, can be accessed here.

Rosie Downes, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth, said:

“We’re delighted that Crystal, Chris and Dylan are backing our Big Climate Plan campaign. They know we need a climate plan that's fair, focused and fit for purpose.

“That’s how everyone can benefit - from cheap and reliable energy, warm homes, clean air, widespread public transport, thriving nature and well-paid green jobs. The green economy grew by over 10 per cent last year, and with more government support it can grow even bigger.”

Amy Grant, Friends of the Earth’s head of content and creative, said:

“We wanted to reach audiences outside of the typical environmental bubble with this campaign, so the challenge was to take a pretty complex message – that the UK government needs to produce a lawful Carbon Budget Delivery Plan to meet its climate targets – and boil it down to something simple and relatable. Basically, you can’t expect great results if you don’t have a solid plan.

“Our creative concept harks back to the ‘You wouldn’t steal a car’ video piracy campaign from the 90s to emphasise the absurdity of the situation. You wouldn’t even bake the simplest of cakes without a recipe, so why is the government trying to tackle the climate crisis without a proper plan of action?

“And given the research linking humour and ad memorability, we were keen to lean into the funny side of a serious issue. There’s a tendency for environmental messaging to be po-faced but we wanted to entertain and bring new audiences to our movement.”

ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. Videos are available as YouTube embedded links or video files in this folder
2. The multimedia advertising campaign, which includes digital adverts across several social channels, websites, and streaming sites, will run on 12th March for four weeks until 6th April. The celebrities will also feature in a range of digital out-of-home billboards positioned across 68 locations in London.
3. The ads and content are part of Friends of the Earth’s Big Climate Plan campaign which is calling on the government to introduce an ambitious and fair climate plan. More info on the campaign can be found here: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/the-big-climate-plan