"This England"

28 May 2026

2 mins 07s

Cultured finish.

Say what you like about Wayne Rooney (many people have), but the man's done a lot in his forty years. He's smashed records for Everton, Manchester United, and England, won enough trophies to make a mantelpiece sweat, and stuck his ample neck out as a manager. Thanks to this Palace Skateboards commercial, he can say he’s done Shakespeare, too.

That's not a joke, an allusion, or even a random lie. In a considerable step-up from his punditry on 'Match of the Day' and elsewhere (a low bar to clear, but there you go) Rooney delivers a speech from 'Richard II'—the one about “this sceptred isle" and "this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England". If you somehow had no idea a World Cup was on its way, you do now.

It's not Rooney or former Lioness Jill Scott who steal the show, though: it's director duo Burnermunde's heightened imagery that incorporates Shakespeare, Stonehenge, and red stripes painted on white cars, as well as support for the national team that doesn't end in violence or unhinged social media posts. The brand insists there is a way to be patriotic and not be a pain in the arse... and those who believe it know what threads to wear this summer.

UK

Promos