"Skate Park"

4 November 2025

60s

No thanks, bros.

One of two Barclays commercials directed by David Shane, 'Skate Park' revolves around Isaac, a teenager whose revenue streams are limited, to say the least ("birthdays, Christmas, and occasionally babysitting"). You suspect his friends are the same, but they still watch the FinTok Bros like they’ve got hundreds of thousands of pounds to invest. They also seem to have forgotten what a skate park's for.

Level-headed Isaac, on the other hand, would love to get back to it, not "dominate finances" or howl like a wolf in a gilet. He does want a new skateboard, though—£43's not enough, but that's OK, says Katherine Parkinson's wise, well-cast narrator. Better to build on that than chuck it at whatever makes the FinTok Bros hard.

The result is another understated plug for the bank’s services (‘Orca’ focused on mortgages, while this one centres around its LifeSkills platform). Not only does Parkinson set the tone with her measured delivery, there's also some neat character work at play—note how none of Isaac's pals wear helmets to show how at risk they are.

UK

Banks