Arthur Ashton, a makeup man working for National Television (a parody of Arthur Askey), finds himself in a chance encounter at the local laundrette with Sid Gibson, a shady pedlar trying to hawk Bonko—a washing powder sold in the shape of a pill. Money is tight, and television advertising is out of reach for him, so the bold idea arises: if they can swing a live plug, Bonko could suddenly become the talk of the town. Seizing the moment, they manage to insert an on-air advert for Bonko during a live National Television broadcast, a stunt that rattles the executives but captures the public’s imagination.
The fallout is immediate and chaotic. Arthur is fired as heads of the network scramble to regain control, yet the ad’s runaway popularity proves impossible to ignore. The commercial craze around Bonko spreads quickly, and the pair find themselves riding a wave of notoriety that they hadn’t anticipated. Their next move takes them beyond the studio walls: a repeat performance at Ascot Races builds the hype even further, and Sid, ever the opportunist, sees a bigger prize in sight. He strikes a deal with an advertising executive, and with Arthur’s collaboration the duo pushes another product—cake mix—into the Edinburgh Tattoo, turning a traditional ceremony into a showcase for their audacious scheme.
The plan continues to spiral into spectacle when Arthur somehow materialises on the stage of a Swan Lake production, a moment that underscores the unpredictable danger and farcical charm of their enterprise. After a close call, Arthur contemplates walking away from the high-stakes stunts, but Sid won’t let the moment fade. He motivates him to sign up for one last, monumental job: interrupt a press conference between the British prime minister and the American president. The route to this finale is fraught with tension—their Post Office van is hijacked by criminals, turning a televised disruption into a perilous chase. From the back of the moving vehicle, Arthur uses his broadcast apparatus to alert the authorities, effectively foiling the attempted robbery and setting the stage for a chaotic final showdown in a barnyard, where chaos and humor collide one last time.
In the wake of these escalating escapades, the public’s appetite for the duo’s pranks becomes a phenomenon. Arthur emerges not merely as a successful prankster but as a surprising celebrity, his name now synonymous with an era of irreverent television stunts. Sid, ever the schemer, negotiates a path for Arthur’s fame, helping to secure a TV show that cements their unlikely partnership. What began as a desperate attempt to boost a single product evolves into a living testament to how bold, reckless creativity can redefine a career, even in the face of professional reprimand. The film wraps with a sense of improbable triumph: a man who started as a makeup artist on a parody network ends up a household name, all through a string of audacious interruptions that blurred the line between television and spectacle.
