Halifax advert icon Howard Brown’s very different life – including pronoun row

In a bizarre twist of fate, Howard became famous in the early 2000s.

Howard from the Halifax adverts is one of those bizarre celebrities who could have only come to fame in the early 2000s. A staple of the bank’s adverts for nearly a decade, the former cashier became a celebrity almost overnight for his energetic singing and groovy dancing.

But nearly two decades on, Howard’s life took a different turn from the cult following he achieved in his acting days. But first let’s go back to the beginning.

Bring back your 2000 memories. Howard Brown, 34, was a manager at a Halifax branch in the West Midlands at the time and wanted to advance.

He auditioned for one of the bank’s TV ads on the spot and was shocked to learn he had the part. Whoever made the decision to head the national banking chain to Howard was undoubtedly paid their due.

Howard was instructed to bring only a suit, a tie, and his passport when he went to film the advertisement. He was unaware that something was about to change in his entire life.

Howard first hit our screens on Boxing Day 2000, when the whole nation saw him booging to a parody of Tom Jones’ hit Sexbomb, before being magically transported to a farm, where he sang to a fish – obviously – and continued to have an all-round great time. This was before YouTube or TikTok, but the advert still managed to become a massive viral hit.

Follow-ups also featuring Howard were even more successful, with shouts of “Who gives you extra!” echoing around beer gardens, school playgrounds, and high streets the length of breadth of the UK. Howard even appeared as himself in the 2003 Christmas Special episode of The Office.

Howard filmed his final Halifax commercial in 2008 before deciding it was time to put his dancing shoes on. Before leaving the company entirely in 2011, he began working for the bank’s public relations team. Howard appeared in a Hotels, but he wasn’t off our screens for very long. In 2017, a new ad appeared on Channel 4’s First Dates.

And in 2022 Howard hit headlines once again – but this time for a very different reason. He spoke out against his former bosses at Halifax after the bank introduced a policy including pronouns on its employee’s name badges.

The Brummie told the Daily Mail he wouldn’t want to wear a pronoun badge if he still worked for the bank, calling the attitude toward customers “shocking, wrong, and disappointing.”

He remarked, “I think it’s scandalous.” You should leave politics to the politicians because it is a service sector. This one is incorrect, they have.

I would be very upset if I were a customer, she said. A customer is a priceless commodity. You must take care of them. You are there to serve your customers when you work in the service sector. ”

What Happened, a song railing against the diversity initiative, was even released by Howard so far.

However, the lyrics to “Why do you hector me with your identity” are inappropriate. “Is there a new pronoun every day,” and “Is there a new one?” When it first appeared on the 2023 compilation, the song was labeled as “crazy” and left many listeners perplexed.

Source: Mirror