Exeter postie Rachel to appear in Royal Mail’s ‘We love parcels’ Christmas TV advert

A postwoman from Shillingford St George, near Exeter, will make her screen debut in front of millions of viewers as she features in the special 'Christmas Royal Mail’s TV advertising campaign.

Rachel Boyce, 46, who is based at Exeter’s Royal Mail delivery office, is starring in the advert called ‘We Love Parcels’ which celebrates the 1 billion parcels its postal workers deliver a year.

The advert will be screened at prime time on a Saturday during ITV’s the X Factor. The advertising campaign has been launched at the start of Royal Mail’s build up to Christmas; the company opened 10 temporary parcel sort centres across the UK on Monday, November 4, as part of its planning for the festive season deliveries.

Rachel was chosen to appear in the ad after Royal Mail issued a call to 132,000 of its front line staff to invite them to audition for a part. A total of 2,500 employees applied and Rachel was one of 25 who were selected to star in the commercial after auditioning in front of film producers and directors.

Rachel has worked for the Royal Mail for close to 20 years, said: “I love my job, especially the customer-facing part and seeing peoples’ faces when I deliver a parcel from their loved ones. Being part of the ad has been a great experience, and my husband and I can’t wait to see it aired on TV!”

Postal workers from Bath also appear in the Royal Mail advertising campaign.  The firm is featuring its Royal Mail Choir in its TV campaign. The choir – made up of workers from Bath and Bristol, and set up last year for the BBC2 series Sing While You Work with Gareth Malone, sing a version of‘ The Beatles’ classic All You Need Is Love.

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. This is not the first time that Rachel has appeared on television.

b. It is likely that a large number of people will see the advertisement  when it is shown for the first time.

c. Royal Mail need to make special arrangements because of all the post they have to deliver at Christmas time.

d. The people who sing the song in the advert had never met before.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. How did Royal Mail choose the people who appear in the ad?

b. What things does Rachael like about her job?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. preparations (par. 3)                          b. period (par. 3)                                   c. role (par. 4)

d. almost (par. 5)                                  e. to create (par. 6)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. Royal Mail issued a call to 132,000 of its staff to invite them to audition.

    A call to 132,000 staff …

b. Rachel said “I love my job. Being part of the ad has been a great experience, and my husband can’t wait to see it on TV!”

Rachel said that ……..

c. Rachel was selected to star in the commercial after auditioning in front of film producers and directors.

    If Rachel ….

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

“Music plays an important part in TV advertising”.  Do you agree?