The comedian David Walliams is working with Electrical Safety First to revive the nation’s favourite safety characters and reduce electrical accidents in the home.
Charley Says, the nation’s favourite safety film, has been brought back to life by Electrical Safety First with the help of comedian David Walliams. Through a series of new adventures and near misses Charley the cat and his hapless young owner will teach the need for electrical safety in the home by highlighting what not to do.
The original Charley Says films, which were created by the government’s Central Office for Information and broadcast in the 1970s and early 80s, warning children about everyday safety issues such as not going off with strangers or playing with matches. Electrical Safety First is using the nostalgia of the original films to draw attention to electrical safety in a fun and memorable way.
Every year 350,000 people are injured by the everyday use of electricity, and so just as Kenny Everett meowed safety messages as the cat in the original films, David Walliams is on board to warn adults what Charley says about staying electrically safe in the home.
The first video, is set in the kitchen and sees Charley preventing the young boy from plugging in a toaster to an already overloaded plug socket. Charley burns his paw in the process and runs around the kitchen before extinguishing the flames in a vase of water. In keeping with the tone of the original films, he is awarded a fish for his savvy behaviour.
Emma Apter from Electrical Safety First said: “Many of us fondly remember Charley Says from our childhood and so we wanted to use these beloved safety characters to raise awareness of an issue that is often overlooked whilst still doing the videos justice. Many people will be surprised by just how dangerous overloading sockets can be, so we hope this inspires people to change their behaviour.
David Walliams comments “I loved Charley Says when growing up and I think it’s great that Electrical Safety First is bringing the characters back to life and creating some new storylines. We’ve all had a go at mimicking Charley the cat’s ‘meow’, so I just hope my version is up to scratch and will help people stay safe in the home.”
The first Charley Says video can be viewed at www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/CharleySays, where you can also use a Socket Overload Calculator to understand which combinations of appliances are safe to use at one time.
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