1979 UK commercial for Hamlet cigars

Hamlet are a well known brand of cigar produced by Japan Tobacco. They are available in several varieties, miniatures and also a regular length. They are regularly referred to as the ‘mild cigar’ in their advertising.

Hamlet cigars were first launched in the UK in 1964. More recently, Hamlet cigars have been launched in a number of western European markets.

They are most famous in the UK for their comical advertisements, which present various frustrating circumstances, where a man finds himself in an awkward or embarrassing situation and lights a Hamlet cigar. Lighting and smoking this cigar makes him smile and forget his woes. These include one cast by Paul de Freitas, which feature Gregor Fisher as Baldy Man whereby he is unable to get a satisfactory passport photo from a photobooth and eventually lights up a cigar to calm himself down – to the tune of Bach’s Air on a G String, played by French musician Jacques Loussier.

Since the ban on tobacco advertising in the UK and much of Europe was implemented, the adverts are no longer aired.

The closure in September 2009 of the Cardiff-based factory producing Hamlet was announced on 16 October 2007.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia