Gromit copies Maradona in Npower TV ad

The ad has been created by VCCP and Aardman Animations and imagines the duo, who have featured in previous Npower ads, selling pies at the 2018 World Cup hosted by England.

Their pie cannon malfunctions and in attempt to save a pie Gromit accidentally copies the infamous handball by Diego Maradona in the 1986 England vs Argentina World Cup match.

As we next see Gromit reading a newspaper bearing the headline 'Hand of Dog' a voiceover tells viewers that Npower believes England hosting the World Cup "would be fantastic for everyone, especially Britain's businesses".

The ad will break tomorrow on Sky channels including Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports 1, before going on terrestrial TV on Saturday 15 May, FA Cup Final Day.

"We believe a successful bid to stage the Fifa World Cup in England would be fantastic for the country and particularly for Britain's businesses," said Kevin Peake, marketing director at Npower. "Wallace and Gromit illustrate, in their fun and endearing way, how hosting the Fifa World Cup in 2018 could also benefit businesses' revenue."

The energy provider became a partner of the bid in March, alongside BT, Morrisons and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk