Wallace and Gromit star in 'Hand of Dog' ad for England World Cup bid
Wallace & Gromit have been roped into supporting England's bid to host the 2018World Cup in a new TV ad.
The ad, which can be seen first on MediaGuardian.co.uk, is called "Hand of Dog" and plays on theinfamous Diego Maradona handball that knocked England out of the 1986 finals.
It will break tomorrow night, and is for the utilities company Npower, which signed up to back England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup in March.
The TV ad, created by ad agency VCCP and Aardman Animations, features Wallace and Gromit cashing in on the tournament being held in England by selling "Wag's Pies". As usual, the machinery Wallace is using goes haywire, threatening a game on the field, which ends with Gromit emulating Maradona's "hand of God" moment.
It is the first ad campaign that Npower has rolled out to back its status as official supporter of the bid.
An online 40-second version of the TV ad features the famous line from the 1966 World Cup, "They think it's all over... it is now".
"We believe a successful bid to stage the Fifa World Cup in England would be fantastic for the country and particularly for Britain's businesses," said Kevin Peake, marketing director at Npower. "Wallace and Gromit illustrate, in their fun and endearing way, how hosting the Fifa World Cup in 2018 could also benefit businesses' revenue."
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