"Best Dad Ever"

12 March 2026

47s

Puppet regime.

This utterly charming commercial for Transport For Wales riffs on the idea that the rail network is 'woven through Wales' by depicting a train making its way through a woollen landscape. The characters on board are also woollen, and they include a dad and daughter who have spent a day at the seaside. The former has earned the title 'Best Dad Ever' for organising the excursion, and allowing his daughter to bring home an outsized souvenir.

This is a beautiful way of forging a connection between the community and the railway that serves them, generating a sense of belonging and ownership. While the privatisation of the railways and the resulting franchises have largely proven to be a flop, advertising like this reminds us that an emotional connection between a region and its transport infrastructure (as implausible as that sounds) may be the best way of rescuing the conceit.

Director Daniel Warwick has drawn lovely performances from Carwyn Flyn and Mali Charlotte Charles, only briefly seen at the end but heard throughout, and the superb puppets that represent them.

UK

Government Departments