Promo video for Scots firm Thorne Travel goes viral

AN unintentionally hilarious promo video for a small travel agent featuring dodgy dancing, amateurish special effects and a cruise ship ‘captain’ in an ill-fitting uniform went viral today.

By The Newsroom Saturday, 11th October 2014, 1:13 am

Thorne Travel staff march down Kilwinning high street. Picture: Hemedia

Thorne Travel from Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland, made the three-minute advert with the help of customers, friends and families.

Thousands of users watched the video on Friday afternoon after Father Ted creator Graham Linehan tweeted the link.

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As of 5.00pm. it had been viewed almost 13,000 times on YouTube, and shared countless times on Facebook and Twitter, with one fan writing: “All it’s missing is Alan Partridge”.

Thorne Travel staff march down Kilwinning high street. Picture: Hemedia

The video features staff flouncing down the high street in Kilwinning to a soundtrack of Swedish House Mafia.

Various scenes show the travel agent employees transforming black and white scenes into colour.

In one memorable scene a bearded man appears as a cruise ship captain, in a uniform three sizes too big for him and approaches an elderly couple looking though a brochure.

Christina Haywood, 20, assistant manager at the travel agency said: “We wanted to show our customers that we’re quirky and like to have a laugh. So, we decided to make a video to show what we’re all about.

Aye, aye, captain. Picture: Hemedia

“We are a travel agency that is different to everyone else. We do everything from bus trips to Blackpool to luxury holidays at the other end of the world. We just wanted to spread the word.

“Filming the video was brilliant and a good laugh, but we didn’t expect what was going to happen.

“We expected a few people to watch it but it’s gone viral. It’s been great.

“People have been sharing it across social media and we’ve even had comments from Australia.”

The promo clip has proven exceptionally popular on social media.

On Twitter, @ScotsConsumers wrote: ‘@thornetravel video is hilarious - all it’s missing is Alan Partridge.’