A spoof Christmas advert from hardware retailer Robert Dyas is doing the rounds again after it resurfaced on Twitter - where those unaware of the joke have branded the clip the 'strangest Christmas advert ever' and 'a load of c**'. Take a look here:
The advert shows several supposed employees from the company introducing themselves to the camera as they show off a range of products.
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The first says: "Hi, my name's Marcus, I work at Robert Dyas and I'm gay.
″I like going out with my friends and playing volleyball. I also like showing our gay and straight customers our funky range of our Christmas gifts."
A man called 'James' then continues: "Hi, my name is James. I'm straight, and I work at Robert Dyas. I like sailing, baking and showing off all our Christmas gadgets to our gay and straight customers."
Someone posing as a customer also says they are straight, adding: "And I love shopping at Robert Dyas."
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The bizarre clip is actually a parody of another spoof ad from 2009, which came from The Red House Furniture Store in North Carolina, US.
However, many social media users aren't in on the joke, with one tweeting: "This is possibly the strangest Christmas advert ever."
Someone else asked: "WHAT DID I JUST WATCH."
A third wrote: "Hang On.....that can't be real?........ could it???"
A fourth said they were 'cringing at the thought of this being on TV', while another grumbled about 'how utterly woke insane this country is going'.
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One other person also added: "WTF is this load of c**p. This is definitely not a Christmas ad. The world [has] gone mad."
But others were quick to point out that the video wasn't actually a legitimate Christmas advert.
One explained: "Good few years old now. Sadly clearly an advertiser's idea that parodying an American ad would go down well with a British audience. Unfortunately few people get the reference and mistake it as genuine."
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Someone else said: "Old, but certainly worked if still being talked about."
The original US ad from 2009 was created by retailer The Red House Furniture Store and comedy duo Rhett and Link - who uploaded it to YouTube with the title 'Black and White People Furniture - Red House Commercial'.
A description thanks employees from the store for 'being such great sports', adding: "We knew this video was going to be controversial. Anytime race is discussed in any capacity, controversy ensues. The racial reconciliation concept was a joint effort between the Red House staff and us. They pointed out the fact that their employees and customer base were like the 'Rainbow Coalition', and we thought something with a comical racial reconciliation theme would be fun, as well as a conversation starter.
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"[...] To point out the obvious, the irony in this video is that it's completely ridiculous for people to relate furniture to their race. People of all colors are welcome at the Red House, which is something that is taken for granted today, but there was a time in the not-so-distant past during which things as simple as a water fountain were NOT for everyone."
At one point in the ad, someone called 'Richard' says: "Look at this sofa. It's perfect for a Black person. Or a white person."
The moment gets a nod in Robert Dyas' later version, with an employee saying: "Look at this Christmas tree. It's perfect for a gay person or a straight person."
Featured Image Credit: Robert Dyas
Topics: Viral, UK News, News, Funny