People are calling this 90s Tango ad ‘the greatest advert in British history’ and it’s certainly up there

It started on Twitter when Film Journal George shared a famous clip from Star Wars of the ‘Death Star trench run’, expressing astonishment at how such a shot was possible in an age before CGI.

How the hell did they even do this in 1977? pic.twitter.com/cyIJMZ5tRE

— Film Journal George (@FilmJournalGuy) August 20, 2026

Yep, it still looks hugely impressive nearly 50 years later.

Turns out the shot was achieved by a very subtle jump cut from a painting into a physical miniature 3D trench model, which makes it all the more impressive.

I never noticed the jump from the matte painting to the miniatures trench before, but now I can't unsee it https://t.co/zE2vOArGoJ

— Space Koala (@SpaceKoala) August 20, 2026

Somewhat bizarrely, this led to a discussion of another piece of filmmaking which made great use of jump cuts, namely a 1996 British TV ad for the soft drink Blackcurrant Tango.

Thanks to John Cotterell for sharing the magic.

It's an incredible cut, I would never have noticed if it wasn't pointed out.
Here's another example from an ad that is 30 years old now and still blows my mind – keep an eye on the location, the jumps are quite.. spectacular.😂@SpaceKoala @FilmJournalGuy https://t.co/DFLaSOWeLW pic.twitter.com/KNrBGM92Yp

— John Cotterell (@cotterzz) August 20, 2026

Brilliant stuff. It drew admiration both from people who remembered it from back in the day and from those who were seeing it for the first time.

1.

I sound old now but they don’t make good ads like this anymore

— Strong Tea 4 Me (@StrongTea4me) August 21, 2026

2.

Bumping into the mic at the start of the rant is chef’s kiss

— Sam (@Sam070770) August 21, 2026

3.

I still show this ad to summer placement students at work when I do the section on brand & marketing.
The response it gets is brilliant – they always can't quite believe what they've seen.
One of my all time favourites.

— Mark Worthington (@uncletel5705) August 21, 2026

4.

A guy I went to school with re-enacted this speech(including shedding his clothes) off the cuff down Bath high street …

— Alex Jamieson www.jammocomics.co.uk (@Alex_Jamieson) August 21, 2026

5.

Directed by Colin Gregg in 1996, with a budget of just under half a million.

— Francoesque (@FrancoesqueFilm) August 21, 2026

6.

This is amazing. So much effort to get the transitions just right. You just don't see that a a lot anymore. (though I guess it was rare back then as well).

— Narretz (@Narretz) August 21, 2026

7.

Holy hell I’m English how have I never seen that ad before? Genius.

— tednol 🛡️ (@tednol) August 21, 2026

8.

I’ve watched this several times, slowed and rewinded, and I still can’t tell when they went from the city to Dover other than the ground underneath the truck changing and there’s absolutely no visible cut there. Incredible.

— Phil Harmonic: The Worst Rapper of All Time (@ShaunMcAllist12) August 21, 2026

9.

That is incredible. All timer.

— Grant♟️ (@granawkins) August 21, 2026