Golden Wonder Pot Noodle - Computer Graphic (1993, UK)
On February of 1993, Golden Wonder began airing a series of commercials featuring Phil Hartman. The commercials featured short films with intense visuals, intended to reflect the "intense snack" that is Pot Noodle.
Controversy
The most prominent advert of the campaign, Computer Graphic, featured intense strobing visuals at high rates of speed. This was inspired by the emerging rave scene at the time, which used similar strobe techniques. Questions about possible fits caused by the strobing were asked by TV insiders working for the Daily Mirror, but ad executives assured them that the ad "did not use a dangerous frequency".
Nonetheless, within a month the Independent Television Commission watchdog recieved 29 complaints about the commercial, with at least 5 mentioning that the commercial induced or nearly induced a seizure. The ITC banned the commercial shortly after it finished its 3 week campaign, and subsequent reruns had to be heavily modified as a result.
As a result of this incident, the ITC began to change its regulations to address photosensitive epilepsy more directly. This gave rise to the Harding test, used by television productions today which determines if the strobe or flicker in a program or commercial is sufficient enough to cause seizures.
References and Links
- Wikipedia article on Computer Graphic
- Daily Mirror article on the commercial
- The unedited version of Computer Graphic. WARNING: Contains intense flashing images. Do NOT watch if you have photosensitive epilepsy. If you find yourself feeling nauseous or upset during viewing, stop watching.
- Video by Chris Spargo on the commercial and its impact
Last updated: 2026-04-27