Commuters to London and Birmingham may be pleasantly surprised to find that the standard train platform and in carriage announcements have been infused with an injection of humour, thanks to a new project from Chiltern Railways and the comedy channel GOLD, to cheer up Britain’s commuters.
The project which aims to bring a smile to British commuters’ faces was launched in response to a survey commissioned by GOLD, which found that seven in ten British workers admit that their daily commute can often be one of the most stressful times of the day.
The GOLD comedy team led by the Green Wing and Smack the Pony comedy writer Richard Preddy and Blackadder star Tony Robinson, held several meetings over the last month with Chiltern Railways staff to identify the key announcements which would benefit from a comedic touch and a series of loosely scripted suggestions were made to the staff.
Richard Preddy specifically wrote a series of witty and sometimes surreal lines for usage both in station and in transit. The final list includes a series of ‘pearls of wisdom’ alongside an inter-active game entitled ‘Horse’ to help speed customers journeys.
Both Richard and Tony then worked closely with the Chiltern team to finesse the delivery of the material. The results will be rolled out for a trial period in May before being implemented in staff training across the network.
Example announcements which will form part of the launch campaign include:
- ‘Will any passengers listening to noisy ipods please get a better taste in music. Thank you.’
- ‘I’d like to welcome passengers boarding this 7.33 from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone. If you’ve just bumped into someone who you barely know, you now have one hour and thirty minutes of awkward small talk. Good luck!’
- ‘For any passengers who’ve not visited London before, do please prepare yourselves for the capitals overwhelmingly calm and relaxing pace of life.’
Tony Robinson said: “Rail commuters can get a bit glum, but we’ve come up with a cunning plan to put smiles on their faces.”
