"Earworm"

4 November 2025

60s

Forever delayed.

A star is born in Shelter's 2025 Christmas ad. One of the youngest members of the Bonnie Tyler Appreciation Society, Henry Bell plays a boy who can't get 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' out of his head. First he hums it on the bus, then lets out a few words in the classroom—when he's told to be quiet, he nips to the toilet and checks the coast is clear. Now's his time to shine.

Bell's voice is the polar opposite of Tyler's (he's never had vocal cord surgery, that's for sure), but the youngster still puts his stamp on the 1983 track. The whole school is a stage, and boy does he make the most of it. Whether it's a table in the canteen or the main entrance at the end of the day, he makes full use of the space available to him, arms stretched out and legs akimbo. When he gets home, you understand why.

Home is a stretch, to be honest—it's cramped, dingy, temporary accommodation that mum wants them both of them out of as soon as possible... if anyone answers the phone. As the song plays on the radio in the background, "Forever's gonna start tonight" sounds almost impossible. The advertised charity wants to change that before more hearts are broken.

UK

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