'Vile' death threats against Nationwide ad comedy duo to be investigated by police

Nationwide Building Society plans to work with the Metropolitan Police to investigate "vile, abusive and misogynistic comments" – including death threats – directed at Flo & Joan, the stars of their latest TV advertising campaign.

The duo's whimsical comedy songs have divided viewers since their first Nationwide advert was broadcast in December. 

"Used to hate those singing sisters on the Nationwide adverts but they’ve slowly found a place in my heart," one recently converted fan wrote on Twitter, while another asked: "Why does everyone hate the singing nationwide sisters? I love them!"

But other commentators have posted abusive messages.

Originally from Portsmouth, now based in Toronto, the pair toured the international comedy circuit to critical acclaim, before appearing in the advertising campaign.

The Telegraph's Rupert Hawksley praised their 2017 Edinburgh Fringe show as "song after song of comic, musical joy". In a four-star review, he wrote: "Covering everything from love to Brexit, in any number of styles, these intricately crafted, flawlessly performed numbers will have you howling with laughter one minute, wiping away a tear the next."

In a statement released yesterday, Nationwide's chief marketing officer Sarah Bennison said:  "Social media has provided a great instant barometer of reaction – good and bad. The huge amount of likes and shares have been great. But then there are others who have chosen to post the most vile, abusive and misogynistic comments about the duo.

"It is not just our Flo & Joan adverts that generate these comments, it is also our adverts that feature people of different colours, backgrounds and perceived sexuality, which attract the most criticism," Bennison told OK! Online. "That’s why it is important to call out those persistent offenders who put out vile comments on a regular basis and who should really know better.

"That is why Nationwide is looking to work with other brands, industry bodies, such as ISBA, and the Met Police to look at the true scale of this worrying trend to spread hate from behind a keyboard and attempt to create a solution to tackle the issue," Bennison continued. "It’s one thing not to like an advert, another to threaten to kill the stars of it.  Abuse is abuse and that’s never OK in our book.”

The Flo & Joan adverts are the latest in Nationwide's "Voices" advertising campaign, featuring work by writers and performance artists. The campaign, which has met with mixed responses, launched in 2016 with a two-minute poem about breastfeeding by performance poet Hollie McNish.