• by Fern Siegel , March 12, 2025

Great Western Railway's Famous Five campaign is well known in the U.K.

Adam&eveDDB’s multichannel campaign "A Thrilling Engagement" is the latest iteration to inspire train travel.

Accompanying the spot is a fully integrated campaign across cinema, OOH, social, digital and display, as well as a partnership with Global Radio.

The Famous Five want more passengers to take leisure journeys. So GWR is highlighting unexpected and lesser-known destinations, such as hot-air ballooning in Bristol, boating in Henley, lighthouse climbing in Plymouth and surfing in Wales.

The campaign begins with 60-second spot, directed by Oscar-winning director Peter Baynton. The ad is produced by animation studio Not to Scale.

The Famous Five’s "Thrilling Engagement" combines a love story with a frantic chase, as they race around the network to return a missing engagement ring. The quickest way to get around? The train. Ben Tollett, group executive creative director, adam&eveDDB, said: “After nine years of high-octane adventures with the Famous Five and GWR, we decided to slow things down a bit with a tender love story. Then we threw in a bunch of high-octane chase scenes for good measure.”

Amanda Burns, sales-marketing director, GWR, added: "This campaign highlights the joy and comfort of train travel and the unique experiences GWR unlocks. We're proud to show off the best of our network."