When were smoking ads popular in Britain?

Cigarette in hand, footballing legend Stanley Matthews beams out of this magazine advert from 1952. This was the year before the FA Cup final that would cement his place in sporting history, but it was also around this time that research began to deliver results that would change the image of smoking for ever. read more

They certainly were in the early 1970s, when there were many very witty and clever ads; Benson and Hedges in particular had comedy ads for 'Pure Gold' and for 'Silk Cut' This page may be out of date. Save your draft before refreshing this page. read more

In 1964, the US Surgeon General reported that smoking cigarettes caused lung cancer. Following this, advertising tobacco was banned from television and radio and tobacco companies were made to print health warnings on the packets of their cigarette brand. In 1973, the first restrictions on smoking in public were put into place in the US. read more