Halloween anti-smoking ad launch

A Halloween-themed TV advert aimed at "spooking" parents into giving up smoking has been launched.

The Department of Health ad is based on a child claiming she is not frightened of things such as spiders.

But then at the end she admits she is scared of something - her mother dying from smoking.

It is the latest in a series of hard-hitting adverts to discourage smoking. While numbers are dropping, over a fifth of adults still smoke.

Spiders

NHS stop smoking adviser Jen Anderson said: "I speak to lots of parents who know that their smoking has a negative impact on their children, not just through second-hand smoke but because their kids are scared for their mum or dad’s health."

The TV advert will be broadcast from Friday evening and will be accompanied by a poster campaign.

It opens on a darkened child's bedroom where a young girl is heard saying "I’m not scared of the dark".

The ad then cuts through a series of other images such as a crawling spider and the leering face of a clown, with the young girl saying "I'm not scared of spiders", "I’m not scared of clowns".

The ad ends with a group of young mums who are chatting together and smoking. The girl says "I’m scared of my mum smoking".

One of the mums then turns and smiles at the camera and the girl says "I’m scared that my mum will die".

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