Connolly campaign 'most irritating'

Billy Connolly's adverts for the Lotto have been named the most annoying of last year by trade magazine Marketing.

The ill-fated commercials, in which the 60-year-old comic sported a purple beard, beat offerings for Tampax and Ikea for the dubious honour.

The journal said the campaign, which was axed three months early, featured poor acting, a painfully bad script and a "preposterous" basic idea.

It said: "What was it about Billy Connolly that annoyed people? The silly walks? The manic facial expressions? Our money's on the purple beard."

But although the "don't live a little, live a Lotto" adverts were irritating, they did their job - with 83 per cent of people recalling the advert in any given week, the highest rate for any campaign.

Camelot's replacement ads start later this month

Published: 3 Jan 2003