"Thrilling Engagement"

6 March 2025

60s

A little help from five friends.

Not to be outdone by the return of boy band Five, Great Western Railway presents another what-ho commercial centred around the Famous Five. The ninth instalment in a campaign that started in 2017, the animated film has Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and Timmy race to reunite a woman with her engagement ring before she pops the question.

The fact that it's a same-sex couple the gang wants to help is bound to annoy those 'disgusted' by the BBC/ZDF's recent adaptation, even if they never actually watched it. We can't wait to see how many people promise to boycott the train operator as a result, only to hop aboard anyway and hope nobody notices. Ironically, it would be hard to slip past the Famous Five.

The kids are, as always, all right, though Timmy steals the show when he runs under the legs of a surly maître d' in that London. Though it would be fun to see the group investigate overrunning engineering works or regulated rail fares, a well-rendered caper like this still hits the spot.

UK

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