In light of John Cleese reigniting the loveable Basil Fawlty for Specsavers’ latest ad, we took a look at a number of other brands that have piggy-backed off the nostalgia and reputation of TV and movie characters.

The use of loveable personalities in ads is no new thing, and one which is delved into “time and time again”, writes Jeff Beer from creative publication Co.Create.

“Over the last few years we’ve seen it happen again and again—brands diving head first into our endless appetite for TV and movie nostalgia by bringing back classic characters in a completely transparent, yet still pretty fun, move to use the halo of a still-strong popularity to distract fans from the fact they’re actually watching an ad,” he writes.

Below are just some of the ads the B&T team brainstormed – let us know if we’ve missed your favourite!

Basil Fawlty for Specsavers

Doc Brown and Marty McFly for Toyota

Sheldon Cooper for Intel

Mr Bean for Snickers

The Matrix for Kia

Bumblebee for Chevrolet

Dame Edna and Sir Les Patterson for News Corp