The British Have Way More Latitude in TV Commercials Than We Do -- See Their Best

If you find American TV spots entertaining and clever, you should see the brief bits of brilliance concocted by the whiz kids on the other side of the Atlantic. The British Arrows Awards (a more colorful and less literal moniker than its predecessor, the British Television Advertising Awards) presents a 75-minute barrage of the best commercials produced for television, cinemas, outdoor venues, and the web. It runs through the weekend at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

One advantage the Brits have over Madison Avenue is that they can push the envelope on the telly on certain subjects -- sex and contraception, notably -- a good deal further than America's puritanical FCC will allow. One of the judging criteria for the Arrows, incidentally, is "Will you remember the brand?" Fortunately, there's no pop quiz, so sit back and enjoy the show.

The British Arrows Awards start at 2, 4, 6, and 8 p.m. through Jan. 29 at For more events in San Francisco this week and beyond, check out our calendar section. Follow us on Twitter at @ExhibitionistSF and like us on Facebook.