Five adverts banned from the London Underground – as horror film poster pulled

Five posters promoting different products and events have been banned from the London Underground, including one for the horror film The Mummy, due to concerns about their content potentially causing distress or violating advertising regulations. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 30 complaints regarding the Mummy advertisements, which included a poster on the tube and an outdoor billboard. The poster depicted a close-up image of a mummified female figure with one eye swollen shut, covered in brown material. The accompanying text read: “Some things are meant to stay buried. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.” The poster was removed after fears that its realistic portrayal of a deceased child might be disturbing to passengers. Warner Bros, the studio behind the film, stated that the advertisements were created with “due responsibility to consumers and society” and were not intended to provoke fear or distress. However, Tube advertisements must adhere to strict guidelines, such as prohibiting political content or images of food high in fat, sugar, or salt. These rules were cited in several other cases involving banned posters. One notable example involves comedian Ed Gamble, who had to replace a hot dog on his tour poster with a cucumber in 2024. Originally, the posters for his stand-up tour titled Hot Diggity Dog showed him holding a hot dog, but this violated Transport for London’s (TfL) policy on featuring foods high in fat, sugar, and salt. Gamble posted about the incident on Instagram, joking that it was a “career highlight.” He wrote: “TfL told me I couldn’t have a hot dog on my poster to promote my @hackneyempire shows in June. I guess I’m dangerous? So I’ve replaced it with a cucumber. Eat your greens, Kids!” Another banned poster advertised the Irish rap trio Kneecap, which was removed in 2025 over concerns that it might cause “widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public.” The poster featured the Kneecap logo, inspired by the balaclavas associated with paramilitary groups during the Troubles. It read: “Kneecap. OVO Arena Wembley, London. Thurs 18th September ’25.” In response, the group posted on social media: “Speak out against genocide and they’ll use every single angle they can to silence you.” In 2023, a poster for an artisanal cheese company was also banned from the London Underground. The advertisement, produced by business premises provider Workspace, promoted an unhealthy diet high in saturated fat. The poster included text reading: “From crunching numbers to selling cheese online, it all happens at Workspace,” along with images of a hand typing at a calculator and cheese. The names of two Workspace tenants, an accountancy company and an online cheese shop called Cheesegeek, were also listed. The ad was rejected for violating TfL’s policies on food advertising. Edward Hancock, founder of Cheesegeek, criticized the decision as “ridiculous,” arguing that cheese should not be grouped with “genuine junk food.” A Red Bull advertisement was banned in 2019 for implying that the energy drink could enhance focus and concentration. Posters on the London Underground suggested that consuming Red Bull could help workers finish tasks earlier in the day. One poster read: “The secret to finishing early … Because to leap every hurdle a hectic day brings, you just need to know: Red Bull gives you wiiings … For a flying 4pm finish on 14th September visit Redbull.co.uk/4pmfinish.” A reader complained to the ASA, claiming the ad suggested the drink had health benefits, particularly in terms of focus and concentration. The ASA upheld the complaint, stating that the ad’s tone was misleading.