The bears are back

Doris and Edward Bair, stars of last year’s Heathrow Christmas advertisement, returned last week as the airport unveiled its 2017 version of the 50-year love story between the two veteran travellers.

The film opens in the 1960s as the pair first meet. Edward leaves his hat on a BOAC VC10 by accident when returning from a business trip. Air stewardess Doris notices and chases after him – she wouldn’t want to see a passenger catch cold.

The ad, set to the Petula Clark hit Couldn’t Live Without Your Love, continues with a series of episodes over the next 50 years as Doris and Edward are brought closer together every Christmas. 

Each time viewers see them, the story develops in different ways but always in the same location – the Heathrow arrivals hall – as they grow older and the backdrop and outfits change.

To create the historic backdrop, much of the filming was in Terminal 1, which closed to passengers in 2016 after over 50 years of travel reunions. British Airways provided an original BOAC aircraft, air hostess uniforms and other props.

Heathrow’s commercial director Ross Baker said: “Doris and Edward were such a huge hit last year, we had to bring them back.”

The Christmas ad can be viewed at   www.heathrow.com/heathrowbears

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Alistair Rivers, Cambridge UK

The VC10 was provided by the British Airliner Collection owned by Duxford Aviation Society based in the IWM facility at Duxford Cambridge