A Royal Navy advert centred on a man from Carlisle is back on our screens – and causing a bit of confusion.

The ‘Made in the Royal Navy’ ad, which first appeared at the beginning of 2015, features born and bred Carlisle man Gareth Keelor.

But the voice-over on the advert, which was produced by London based advertising agency WCRS, was recorded by another actor – whose North East accent is as broad as the Tyne.

The 26-year-old Navy man tried to clear up precisely why he was overdubbed with someone from the other side of the country.

He said: “Basically, we had a short amount of time to film, about three weeks. And I don’t think they like our accent.

“I knew it was going to happen – while I was filming they were away doing the voice-over.

“I know for a fact there were a couple of lads from Carlisle who auditioned for it.

“They changed it from a lad from Chester to a lad from Durham at the last minute.”

Gareth signed up for the Navy when he was 22 and now serves as a warfare specialist based in Portsmouth.

He recently completed a nine month tour, during which he visited 11 countries, took part in military operations with the French and US and took part in a record-breaking drugs bust.

He ended up in the advert, an experience he loved, after his friend put him forward for the audition but admitted he gets asked about the phantom Geordie accent.

He said: “I didn’t think people would really click on that much.

“But I got so many people asking why it wasn’t my voice.”

Apart from the apparent geographical confusion of the advertising agency, he said the rest was pretty accurate.

“I didn’t actually work in that pub we filmed in – but I do drink in there and I did work in a nightclub in town, what used to be Party Party.”

And he is indeed a Carlisle United fan – although he follows Liverpool too.


John Myers Carlisle media mogul John Myers, who has broadcast all over the country with his city accent, said: “It’s a bonkers decision from the advertising agency.

“I am very surprised that the Carlisle accent is deemed unacceptable.

“If the lad is proud of being from Carlisle we should hear his voice and not just see his muscles.

“We should celebrate accents.

“They are actually very ‘in’ right now in broadcasting but it’s very typical of a London based agency to do this.

“But well done to him – it’s terrific to have a Carlisle lad in it.”

The advertising agency involved in the production declined to comment.