"Go to work on an egg" commercial banned

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) An attempt to revive famous TV adverts from the 1950s that encouraged people to ''Go To Work On An Egg'' have been blocked by regulators on health grounds.

The British Egg Information Service (BEIS) had wanted to bring back the adverts featuring comedian Tony Hancock to mark the 50th anniversary of the British Lion mark.

But the Broadcasting Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) said the famous commercials could not be repeated because eating eggs every day went against the policy of encouraging people to eat a varied diet.

''The concept of eating eggs every day for breakfast goes against what is now the generally accepted advice of a varied diet and we therefore could not approve the ads for broadcast,'' a BACC spokesman told the BBC.

The BEIS had said it would put in an additional line saying eggs should be eaten as part of a balanced diet by this suggestion was rejected.

Author Fay Weldon, who headed the team of eggheads that came up with the slogan in 1957, criticised the decision.

''When you think of what can be run and what is run, like low cost airlines and cars ... cars kill and eggs aren't actually likely to do so, it is absurd,'' she told BBC radio.

Anyone who wants to see the adverts can go to the BEIS Web site: http://www.gotoworkonanegg.co.uk/watchttheteggtadverts.html REUTERS AGL KN1323