08 July 2023 , 09:35
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Killjoy bosses at Transport for London (TfL) have banned a poster for a West End play - because it featured a photo of an "unhealthy" wedding cake.
But the team for Tony n' Tina's Wedding had spent £20,000 to advertise the dinner show on the London Underground and bus network.
The ad for the show, which is being performed at Wonderville, Haymarket, featured a three-tier sponge cake. It has now had to be revised, with the image deleted, because TfL says it was seen to promote "foods high in fat, salt and sugar".
The new design has cost the production team a further £5,000.
But a TfL spokesperson said: "We are always happy to work with brands to help them follow our advertising policy."
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The original design (left), which was banned, was revised to a new one (right) - at the further cost of £5,000Producer of the interactive experience Paul Gregg told BBC London: "They said 'you can't put these up, they've got cake on'.
"It was a bit of a surprise... the poster was designed at great expense to begin with."
The dinner show is set at an Italian-American wedding, with a three-course meal, live music and dancing.
Although the cake is at the heart of the show's themes, TfL said it refused to run 20 adverts displaying foods and non-alcoholic drinks that were high in fat, sugar or salt, in the year 2021/22.
The spokesperson added: "We welcome all advertising on our network that complies with our published guidance."
Theatre-goers largely blasted the decision on social media today.
One posted: "It's more madness."
Another said on Twitter: "It's nanny-state killjoys."
A third wrote online: "I really don't think looking at a picture of two people dancing on a wedding cake is going to make anyone obese."
But some backed TfL's move, praising Sadiq Khan's team.
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Another Twitter user stated: "It does promote obesity to an extent."
Another posted online: "I really don't see why there's uproar. What's the problem really here?"