Like most people in the UK, I have a visceral reaction when I hear the sprightly tones of Jess Glynne crooning, “Darling, hold my hand”. After all, it can only mean one thing: a Jet2holidays advert.
Whether it’s the dead of winter after the Christmas festivities are over, or at the peak of a stifling heatwave, you can count on your TV viewing being interrupted by the announcement of a discount of £50 off per person (that’s £200 off for a family of four, as the ad helpfully confirms for the numerically challenged) to a sunny beachside resort in Tenerife or something. And it’s unrelenting, broadcast across every UK TV channel that takes ads since 2015.
Yes, you heard right. A whole decade of Jet2 using that Jess Glynne song in their adverts and slowly infecting our brains. While the first nine years were nothing but annoying, somehow, in 2025, this advert has turned into a cultural phenomenon that’s sweeping the nation.
The voice of Jet2holidays performs live
Exhibit A: Last weekend, the voice artist for the ad in question, Zoe Lister, was interviewed by Capital DJ (and former Radio 1 host) Chris Stark. He invited her to perform live at a set at a festival in Newmarket later that day, culminating in this:
What gets me about this video is the two girls quoting the discount in the front row like it’s the national anthem. This advert is now embedded in the British public’s minds after ten years of non-stop onslaught, even being played in nightclubs up and down the country.
Jet2holidays becoming a global TikTok sensation
The full interview with Stark and Lister on YouTube even shows that this meme has somehow gone global, with commenters from Germany and the Philippines, plus Lister mentioning Americans complimenting her on her work.
That’s likely due to the craze’s explosion on TikTok, with most creators sharing disastrous moments from vacations, such as this hairy moment of a woman tumbling from an inflatable and going crashing into the sea (don’t panic, the creator in question confirms on the TikTok that she’s alive). Or of this man sharing the pitiful view from his hotel room.
If you become successfully advertised to and buy a flight with Jet2 (years of what we could call Costa del Sol Syndrome will do that to you), the ad even plays on the plane. There is no escape.
But how does Jess Glynne feel about the Jet2holidays meme?
Glynne, of course, is also aware of this craze, Back when she was interviewed in 2023 about the advert, the memes hadn’t quite taken off just yet, so she expressed sympathy for those that were annoyed by hearing it on loop, but conceded that it was “funny”. Now, her response is even more favourable, getting in on the TikTok action herself.
Many fans are even going to Jess Glynne concerts and performing the iconic line themselves. If they bought an expensive ticket just for that moment… it was worth it.
Voiceover artist Lister expressed her wish to perform with Glynne to recreate the advert live, and I’m certain now she’s spoken it into the ether, that’s where this trend is going next. Jet2 must be absolutely chuffed with all this free publicity… even if a lot of the content is mocking the budget travel company.
Why the Jet2holidays craze evokes 2000s nostalgia
What makes this Jet2holidays ad so significant is that its virality is rare these days. As streaming continues to dominate home entertainment, adverts aren’t quite at the forefront of our minds as they used to be in the noughties.
We’d be here all day if I listed every earworm from that decade, but just some include Barry Scott and Cillit Bang (I remember Bluetoothing the remix of BANG! And the dirt is gone), the Churchill insurance adverts with the very annoying animated dog, and of course, the increasingly ridiculous Halifax ads with Howard, who became a celebrity in his own right.
These sorts of ads very quickly picked up steam back in the day, as terrestrial TV was the main form of entertainment for the public. Nowadays, the process takes a lot longer – ten years in the case of the Jess Glynne-accompanied social media sensation.
Jet2 isn’t the only company that’s played the long game, of course – there’s CompareTheMarket with its ever-growing cast of Meerkats (I’m not sold on the recent Wombat addition, sorry to this man), but the list is a lot more sparse these days.
This Jet2holidays craze brings back that advert nostalgia, and I’m here for it. Long may the memes continue.
Related articles
