FUNNY OLD WORLD
fow@private-eye.co.uk
£ Father’s Day is right around the corner,” a TV commercial for the direct-to-consumer telehealth company Pilot Health informed viewers in Australia, “so if you love your dad, don’t get him socks or a tie, get him something he really wants. Get your dad a boner this Father’s Day, with Pilot’s erectile dysfunction treatments. They’re a great gift for dads everywhere, and if they play their cards right, a great gift for mums too.”
The commercial has raised questions about whether its content meets the country’s guidelines for advertising medication. “This ad for erectile dysfunction comes amid a crackdown on the administering and advertising of prescription-only Schedule 4 cosmetic medicine,” observed senior health reporter Penny Timms, “restrictions so strict that practitioners are banned from using general descriptive terms such as ‘anti-wrinkle injection’ or ‘filler’, even on digital booking sites.” Yet promising your father a boner on Father’s Day apparently does not contravene any regulations. (The Australian, 12/10/25. Spotter: John Cockburn)