Public Information Films are TV commercials which show the viewing public how to behave in certain circumstances where they can't be trusted to look after themselves. In order to catch the attention of as many viewers as possible, they tend to be a) comically animated, b) star-studded, c) very, very scary, or d) all three.

Popular subjects for Public Information Films have included:

Road safety

Apparently in the 1970s it required the entire cast of Dad's Army to show the public how to use pedestrian crossings. Of course, it doesn't matter where you cross the road if everyone has ignored the other Public Information Films, gone out drinking, and driven home like Michael Schumacher, in the fog, with an incorrect mix of crossply and radial tyres on their car.

Home safety

It seems people couldn't even be trusted not to burn their house down unless there was a Public Information Film to remind them to put out cigarettes, put a guard in front of the fire, not leave the iron plugged in, etc.

Water safety

It wasn't David Wilkie's tales of Olympic success that convinced people to learn to swim. Nor was it Rolf Harris' heart-rending story of how, as a youngster, he fell in the river at his place, couldn't swim, somehow managed to scramble his way up onto the bank and frightened the wits out of his mum and dad. It was a cartoon bloke called Dave, whose girlfriend dumped him for Mike, who swam like a fish (the fact that he was taller, fitter and better looking probably helped too). 'I wish I didn't keep losing me birds!' 'Then learn to swim, young man!'

Childhood safety

Perhaps the best-remembered series of Public Information Films involved Charley, the cartoon cat who saved his young and incredibly foolish owner from all sorts of drowning, abduction and conflagration-related mishaps simply by going 'meow reowr rooeor reeow'. Fortunately his owner was able to speak cat, and knew that Charley was actually offering such pearls of wisdom as 'Always tell your mummy before you go off somewhere'.

Generally not being an idiot

Don't polish a floor and put a rug on it! Don't fool around with dangerous machinery! Don't pin a sign to your front door saying 'Attention burglars: we have gone away for a month!'

While frequently shown during peak viewing time in the 1960s and 1970s, the TV companies now only show Public Information Films when they can't give away advertising space (3 o'clock on Tuesday mornings is usually a good bet), and the public can go jump on a dog for all they care.