Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman has become the latest Hollywood star to front an advert for Warburtons, lending his iconic voice to the British bakery's 150th anniversary campaign. The two-minute commercial, which premieres on ITV on 14 February during The Masked Singer, sees the 88-year-old actor question the very nature of a crumpet.
The advert narrates the 150-year history of the family-run business, which began as a grocery shop in Bolton in 1876, founded by Thomas and Ellen Warburton. It features historical moments such as bread playing a role in the 1969 Moon landing, and includes cameos from Olivia Colman (via a wanted poster) and Paddington Bear. Freeman's narration takes a humorous turn when he asks: 'One giant leap for bread, kind, white bread, seeded bread, crumpets, toastie. Hold up – what the hell is a crumpet?'
Freeman is then shown in a recording studio discussing the crumpet with bakery boss Jonathan Warburton, who describes it as 'a delicious round baked thing' with 'about 300 holes'. Freeman responds: 'You Warburtons are crazy.' The advert continues with a bread-based parody of Top Gun and concludes with Jonathan Warburton stating, 'There’ll always be a Warburton behind this desk,' to which Freeman retorts: 'Hey, that’s my line.'
Freeman said of the campaign: 'Lending my voice to chronicle 150 years of this family’s unwavering dedication to the simple, yet profound, act of baking… well, that’s a narrative that truly deserves to be heard.' Jonathan Warburton added: 'When it came to telling the story of our relentless passion for baking, who else could we possibly ask but the world’s most recognisable storyteller and the voice of God himself, Morgan Freeman.'
