I love Ross Kemp.

He’s my favourite cardboard cut-out on the box. He’s rightly become a highly regarded televisual acting personality (despite looking like a slightly retarded baked potato – albeit an adorable one).

I loved him on Eastenders where he played Grant an ex-soldier. I sat open-jawed as I watched Kemp with all the emotions at his beck and call: angry, sad, and er, well that was enough for the part really.

Oh and he was brilliant in Ultimate Force where he stretched himself by playing Henno a serving soldier. His mastery of the craft was stretched too, he did: angry, sad and, that was it too.

I love him in the new Norwich Union advert too:

He’s managed to get a new acting facial expression – neither “angry” nor “sad” – I think it’s “smug”. But I could be mistaken, it might just be a bit of wind.

Anyways, I love the bit where you think your prayers are going to be answered and he is finally going to run down by a bus.

“Come on… Come on… Come on… NOOOOO!!!”

Getting my hopes up then dashing them so cruelly. Damn you, Norwich Union! Damn you!

The pay off of after the near miss with the bus is a piece of pure, unadulterated TV advertising genius – well written, well directed, well acted.

And it all hinges on Kemp’s natural comic timing as he delivers the final killer line:

“What. Are. You. Waiting. For. A. Bus.”

It always makes me wish I did have life insurance too, as I nearly die laughing each time I see it.

More, please Norwich Union. More.

Just How Bad is this Ad?

(8 votes, average: 3.38 out of 5)