When Barclays decided to include a gay couple in their new personalized debit card commercial in the UK, they didn’t just hire two actors. Instead they picked Niki Mahona, 23, outside his job at London’s famous Selfridges department store. And they gave him and his 19-year-old real-life boyfriend, Luis Donegan-Brown – who also works at Selfridges – a taste of fame.
The couple have only been together for just over a year but now they have the claim to fame of being one of the very few same-sex partnerships ever depicted in a British mainstream TV commercial. And it’s been a success – so far an incredible 300,000 Barclays customers have personalized their debit cards. With the help of Barclays LGBT Spectrum network, we found out more.
How did you come to be involved in the personalised debit card advert?
Everything happened so quickly, Luis and I were ‘street cast’ on 15 August and by the 24 August we were in Holborn Studio having still shots done for the photo booth scene and then on 31 August we were on location in Tollington Square, London, for the live shoot.
What was it like?
The whole experience felt awesome. We were just told to be ourselves and not to overplay. For the still shots, Luis and I were just fooling around against the blue screen, giving piggybacks and being silly. It quickly becomes clear what does and doesn’t work and I think they were pleased with the end result. There was a really good atmosphere at the shoot with pumping music so it was easy for them to capture our personalities in this way. It all felt natural apart from the excessive smiling – my jaw was sore at the end of the day!
What was the most memorable thing about taking part?
Definitely the wow factor when we saw our printed card for the first time. It sounds corny, but it was magical. I was like ‘oh my God, I want a card like that!’ It’s not just made me want to bank with Barclays, I want to come and work for Barclays! I have been so impressed by everyone I’ve met; all the frontline colleagues seemed like best friends.
How do you feel about being a visible gay person in a TV advert?
I feel really proud. I am proud that I can be open about my sexuality and not shy away from comments. For many people who aren’t able to come out, I would hope that this might help plant the seed in their mind that they too can be open.
Some viewers have commented that because there was no kiss, it’s not clear enough that you are a gay couple. What would you say to them?
When we were filming, this subject did come up, but we shouldn’t have to kiss. Men and women shown cuddling are assumed to be in a couple, so why can’t it be the same for us? Sex sells in advertising, but emotion stays; I think that’s what you remember as a viewer.
What do you get up to when you’re not starring in TV ads?
This was a first! I’m an assistant manager in Selfridges, but my passion is singing. I am from Denmark and I used to have a band there. I tried to do the same here, but there’s just not enough time; London’s a busy place to live. The experience of appearing in the Barclays commercial has motivated me to do more in the acting space, so you may see more of me again in the future – watch this space!
On the Buses was a hugely popular ITV sitcom - like, it had its own comic strip and the stars were mobbed in the streets popular - with seven series and three feature films produced between 1969 and 1973. It followed Stan Bulter (Reg Varney), his family, and his worklife as a bus driver alongside best friend and bus conductor, Jack Harper (Bob Grant) - most of which involved skiving off and / or avoiding the wrath of Inspector ‘Blakey’ Blake (Stephen Lewis).
This clip is from S2:E4 ‘Aunt Maud’, and originally aired at 7pm on 21st June 1969 to an audience of millions. When Aunt Maud comes to stay, she asks awkward questions about why Arthur and Olive (Stan’s little sister) have no children despite being married nine years, and why Stan still hasn’t even managed to make it down the aisle… Like most popular ‘low brow’ sitcoms of the day, On the Buses used camp innuendo for laughs - both Stan and Jack played up the limp wristed stereotype in a few episodes, usually as part of their neverending quest for ‘crumpet’ (women).
What is interesting about this scene though, imo, is that for 1969 - just two years after homosexuality was legalised in the UK - it’s a fairly frank and non-judgemental treatment. Arthur, Stan’s brother-in-law, comments ‘what a family I married into’ but Stan himself doesn’t fly off the handle, or spend longer than a few moments sulking. Nor does Arthur freak out about having to share a bed with Stan that night, so Aunt Maud can sleep in Stan’s room.
I generally think that sitcoms have been under-utilised in queer history studies because, yeah, the subject is rarely treated seriously. But. As extrememly popular entertainment, scenes like this arguably had a bigger impact - especially on younger viewers - than even highly acclaimed LGBTQ+ themed films like Ken Russell’s Women In Love, which was also released in 1969 with a X (over 18s only) certificate.
Bless This House was a popular ITV (Thames Television) sitcom which ran for six series between 1971 and 1976, and spawned a feature film in 1972. It followed stationery salesman Sid Abbott (Carry On star and household name Sid James) as he attempted to make sense of the cultural chasm between himself and his children, 16-year-old schoolgirl Sally and 18-year-old layabout Mike, fresh out of art college and more interested in political protest than finding gainful employment.
This clip is from the very first episode, ‘The Generation Gap’, which originally aired 2nd February 1971. Sid is worried about his kids - Sally has taken to wearing padded bras and appears to be on the contraceptive pill, while Mike doesn’t seem to be interested in attracting the opposite sex at all. Of course, it eventually turns out that Mike and Eugene are taking a pair of nurses on a double date, and that Sid has been worrying about nothing all along. I still like how they actually approach it with Mike though, for all the freaking out going on when he’s not in the room. He’s their son first and foremost.
The other thing I like about this episode is how it highlights the stupidity of Sid’s double standards. It’s completely unacceptable for Sally to want a boyfriend, but he’s dismayed that Mike - who is only slightly older - isn’t out with a different girl every night. His justification that ‘it’s different for boys, they can’t get into trouble’ is called out for the hypocrisy it is, and his plans to get Mike to act more promiscuously backfire spectacularly.
The double standard was a theme the show dealt with regularly, and more explicitly than a lot of its contemporaries. It was far from revolutionary, but it’s satisfying all the same to see Sid’s old fashioned ideas constantly challenged and get him into trouble.
You can watch the full episode on YouTube HERE.
