David Fishwick stars in his own TV ad

David Fishwick, whose business is one of the UK’s largest van and minibus dealerships, has filmed a 40-second advertisement which will be shown on ITV1 during breaks for shows including “Coronation Street,” “The X Factor” and “Emmerdale”.

The spots cost ‘a six-figure sum’ and will air from next Monday for 65 spots during October and November.

Mr Fishwick, who runs his firm from its base in Byron Road, Colne, said he hoped the exposure would add 20% to sales figures.

He added: “No one has ever sold minibuses on TV before, but I want to get through to the teachers and charity leaders who buy them. There are so many people out there who buy minibuses but we have never tried to get to them through TV before.

“As far as our company and our industry goes, this is something really momentous.”

Mr Fishwick filmed the advert, including a sequence featuring him piloting his helicopter, last month using Darwen-based White Noise Productions.

The finished advert had to be checked over by TV watchdog Clearcast to ensure Mr Fishwick’s boast of being the UK’s largest supplier of minibuses was legitimate. Now with the spots lined up, he is confident it will boost business.

He said: “I would like to increase business by about 20% on the back of this. But this is not a one-off. I will be booking more space at the beginning of next year and next summer.

“We have done lots in newspapers and on the radio in the past and this was the only thing we had left to do.”

David Fishwick Vans sells Ford, Iveco, Volkswagen and other vehicles across the world. The firm also owns an assembly plant in Swansea.

Mr Fishwick is also a big Clarets fan, of course.