BT Phones Home Through AMV BBDO & Mustard

Since 2005, we’ve followed BT’s loving couple, Adam and Jane, as they exchanged soppy sentiments and wilting words down a landline phone until finally tying the knot last April. About time! Billed as the second biggest wedding of the year, viewers were invited to vote on aspects of the event in the wake of Jane’s pregnancy and the whole thing signalled a conclusion to the long-running campaign. Until now, that is.

Back with the next phase out of AMV BBDO, BT recently introduced three new characters to the fold in a storyline that will see them flat sharing – including ‘online gaming champion’, Simon; ‘snap happy sharer', Anna; and 'Intrepid online music explorer', Joe (who also happens to be Jane’s son from the previous campaign).

Flat 6, as the campaign is known, was a natural step for the telecommunications firm: “We tested a number of evolution ideas and this was the clear winner,” reveals David James, marketing director for Consumer, BT Retail. “Joe (played by actor Tommy Bastow) provides a bridge between the last campaign and this new campaign, whilst also enabling us to move in a very different creative direction.”

Kicking off with three initial videos, shot by Mustard’s Jonny Campbell, we are introduced to the roomies before they cross paths and find out about their current living arrangements and why they’re in need of a move. One shows Jane and Joe sharing an emotional moment as he moves into his new flat with new characters Simon and Anna, played by BAFTA winner, Daniel Rigby, and TV and film actress Rebecca Night, respectively.

“A number of different people were considered for the role and we weren’t necessarily looking for established actors, but right from the initial screen test there was great chemistry between the three of them and we felt Daniel and Rebecca encapsulated perfectly the characters of Simon and Anna,” explains James.

“You will get to know the characters a lot better, as the adverts follow the three characters through the laughs, trials and tribulations of sharing Flat 6,” he adds. “You’ll also see some familiar and new faces make appearances as the campaign progresses.”

The previous BT Family campaign was a massive success – with 1.6 million votes to decide whether Jane was pregnant or not and 480,000 votes cast to help plan the couple’s wedding last year. And now Jane, played by Esther Hall, will make guest appearances in the new sitcom-style adverts.

“They have a very different look and feel and we hope that people will love our new stars Joe, Simon and Anna – the new flatmates,” concludes James.

As well as TV and online, the campaign will also run in cinemas from 10 February and each of the characters will have their own avatar offering an alternative digital reality beyond TV.