Hitting a Half-Century: The Arrows at Fifty
As the British Arrows celebrates its 50th anniversary honoring excellence in TV advertising, Tim Cumming speaks with the newly appointed 2026 jury chairs, Lizie Gower and Ben Priest, along with Simon Cooper, Chairman of the Arrows Board of Directors. Together they explore the organization’s influence, enduring legacy, and its ongoing support of craft and creativity in a fast-evolving industry.
A half-century marks a milestone that invites reflection, speculation, and recognition of transformation. For the British Arrows, this anniversary offers a chance to look back at its origins and forward to future possibilities in an industry defined by constant change.
“They were set up in 1976 by Peter Levelle and called the London Television Advertising Awards,”
says Lizie Gower, recently named chair for the Craft Arrows. Gower, who founded Academy Films in 1985, has witnessed the ebb and flow of creative trends over decades.
“I was asked to join the Arrows board in 2006,”
she recalls. Three years later she became Chairperson and initiated a major rebranding — transforming the competition first into the British Television Advertising Awards and later into the British Arrows.
“In 1976 there were only three television channels and only one of those, ITV, carried advertisements,”
Gower notes, emphasizing how dramatically the landscape has evolved since those early days.
Author’s Summary
The article celebrates the British Arrows' 50-year legacy, tracing its beginnings, evolution, and impact on British advertising and creative craft amid decades of change.
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