The jingle is inescapable. It might surface during the most inappropriate moments. Picture this: you’re on a first date, and as your companion asks about your past relationships, your inner voice screams: GO COMPARE, GO COMPAAAARE. Or perhaps you’re at a somber funeral, mourning a loved one, and yet, unbidden, the melody intrudes: GO COMPARE, GO COMPAAAARE. Even in high-stakes situations, like a crucial English Literature exam where your degree classification hangs in the balance, the critical quote you desperately need is replaced by the relentless earworm: GO COMPARE, GO COMPAAAARE.
The “Go Compare” advertisement, with its operatic “Gio Compario” character, has burrowed its way into the collective consciousness, much like the alphabet or a universal awareness of right and wrong. However, this very omnipresence has bred resentment. Gio Di Compario, portrayed by actor Wynne Evans since 2009, has become the unexpected target of significant public animosity, manifesting both online and offline. The Facebook group “‘GO COMPARE! GO COMPARRRREEEEEE’ ‘GO FUCCK OFFFFFF’” amassed a staggering 74,000 likes. More directly, posts like “That fat guy on the go compare advert needs to be shot” garnered 1,200 likes, and “KILL THE GO COMPARE MAN!!!!!” exploded with 13,600 likes. This negativity even spilled into the physical world, with graffiti in Kilburn depicting Gio with his mouth as a sewer drain. In 2012, he was even crowned the “Most Irritating Man in the UK”.
The Man Behind the Moustache: Wynne Evans
Beneath the flamboyant persona of Gio Di Compario – the handlebar moustache, the bow tie, the flamboyant wig – lies Wynne Evans, a Welsh opera singer leading a decidedly ordinary life in suburban Cardiff. To understand the experience of being the focal point of such widespread public disdain, it’s essential to meet Wynne himself. What is it truly like to endure over a decade of public resentment, particularly with the continued presence of the Go Compare campaign, including the new January campaign that revives the infamous car crash advert?
Having hosted a lively 60-person party the previous night, Wynne greets me with a hint of fatigue. His garden reveals remnants of the celebration – large buckets, recently filled with champagne, stand as testament to the festivities. A pizza van had been present, and the status of the hot tub remains ambiguous. Wynne moves around his kitchen in a casual grey cardigan and jeans, rubbing his forehead.
Despite the after-effects of the party, Wynne’s demeanor is instantly welcoming, creating a comfortable atmosphere akin to being with a familiar family friend – the kind who would intervene with your parents’ nagging. So, how did this opera singer become the face of the relentlessly “Go Compare Go Compare” adverts?
Over a perfectly brewed cup of tea, Wynne recounts his journey. “My dad was a farmer who became a carpenter, but he truly had the potential to be an opera singer,” he shares. “My mum was the driving force behind the local amateur dramatics company in our small town, Carmarthen, which had a population of 16,000.”
Wynne’s path led him to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, followed by a successful career as an opera singer with the Welsh National Opera. His repertoire included notable roles like Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Cassio in Otello, The Duke in Rigoletto, and Rodolfo in La bohème. A chance opportunity arose when a friend suggested him as the singing voice for Gary Lineker in a Walkers crisps advert. This venture proved successful, leading to contact from an agent a few months later regarding an audition for an advert for the price comparison website, Go Compare.
Initially, the concept for the Go Compare advert envisioned a slender, flamboyant man, light on his feet – Wynne was intended only to lend his vocal talents. However, his on-screen charisma during the audition led to a change of plans, and he was chosen to embody the character fully.
The now-iconic Go Compare jingle is a playful adaptation of the First World War anthem “Over There,” originally designed to encourage recruitment and war bond donations. Wynne sang his version, infused it with comedic improvisation, and left the shoot without anticipating the seismic reaction that was to follow, content with his paycheck.
The scale of the public response was entirely unexpected. While on a family holiday in France, Wynne first encountered the social media storm. Relaxing on a sun-lounger, he scrolled through comments that ranged from body-shaming insults to violent threats against his family. His then-wife, and others around him, urged him to stop reading the vitriol. However, the constant accessibility of his phone made it a difficult request to heed.
“I was utterly devastated by the reaction because I genuinely believed everyone would love it,” Wynne confesses. “But within minutes, hate pages dedicated to me sprung up across social media. It became addictive, in a negative way. Every morning, I would wake up and compulsively read through them, and it was truly awful.”
A significant factor fueling the public’s ire was the sheer frequency of the advert’s broadcast. In 2010, Go Compare invested a substantial £28 million to ensure Gio Di Compario’s omnipresence across media platforms. By 2013, the jingle had become the most played piece of music in UK advertisements. Public saturation led to widespread irritation. The rise of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter provided a direct channel for viewers to express their displeasure directly to Wynne.
Beyond the personal hurt inflicted by the online abuse, Wynne also grappled with financial anxieties. “I had received a significant sum for the ads – not life-changing, but more than I’d ever earned at once. My immediate thought was that it was all over, that there was no way they would ask me back for another campaign,” he explained.
He also felt a sense of responsibility towards the company and its employees. “When I joined, Go Compare was a startup with about 20 people in a single room,” he recalls. “I felt like I had let them down.”
Upon his return from France, Wynne approached Hayley Parsons, the CEO of Go Compare, with trepidation. He immediately apologized as he entered her office. “I said, ‘I’m so sorry, this is terrible,’ and she responded, ‘Wynne, we’ve quadrupled our profits by 500 percent.’ Go Compare had transitioned from losses to substantial profits within six months. I remember asking one of the ad executives, ‘But I thought people found it annoying?’ Her reply was, ‘Annoying is just another word for effective’.”
The advertising agency, DDB, had strategically engineered this reaction. Rather than prioritizing product feature explanations, they focused on creating ads that sold an idea, a lifestyle, or, in this case, were deliberately irritating to ensure memorability. DDB’s portfolio included other highly recognizable, and sometimes polarizing, campaigns like the Smash Martians for Smash instant mashed potatoes, the red telephone for Direct Line, and the “glam blondes” of Shelia’s Wheels car insurance.
“I remember one of them telling me the night before the first ad aired, ‘Tomorrow, your life will change forever,’” Wynne recounts. “But I didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of what they meant.”
Following the unexpected success of Gio Di Compario and the “go compare go compare” jingle, Go Compare quickly commissioned a second wave of adverts. This time, the concept cleverly addressed the public’s dislike of Gio by acknowledging his irritating nature directly. One advert featured Ray Mears trapping him in a hunting net. Another depicted Stephen Hawking creating a black hole to engulf him. A third showed Sue Barker stalking and shooting him with a bazooka. Each advert concluded with the tagline “Go Compare: Saving the Nation,” implying that ridding the world of Gio Di Compario would bring about collective relief.
While capitalizing on the real-life animosity directed at Wynne Evans might seem insensitive, Wynne himself possesses a robust sense of humor. He recounts meeting Stephen Hawking on set: “You think, ‘How do you even begin a conversation?’ I’m talking to one of the most brilliant minds in the world, and I probably sound ridiculous. But as I turned to leave, he said, ‘Hasta la vista, fatty’.” When asked if he was offended, Wynne responded, “I thought it was hilarious. He was a funny guy, genuinely funny.”
Wynne’s weight is a recurring point of self-deprecating humor. He mentions an incident at the Royal Opera House where the receptionist inquired, “Opera or ballet?” Wynne quips, “I said, ‘What do you think?’” He jokes about not requiring a fat suit for the Gio role. Referencing a former Page 3 model’s issue with fake online profiles, he jests that his appearance likely protects him from similar impersonation. It’s unclear whether this reflects genuine humor, a coping mechanism developed from years of hate mail, or a combination of both.
However, even Wynne found some of the content in the second wave of ads challenging. “I didn’t particularly enjoy being shot,” he admits, his lips tightening slightly, signaling a reluctance to elaborate. He wasn’t alone in this sentiment; over 40 viewers complained about the distressing nature of the Sue Barker advert. “Sometimes I pretend not to care,” Wynne says, “but deep down, I do.”
Wynne has discovered that engaging with online trolls directly, by treating them as individuals, is often the most effective strategy. Once he responds, they frequently realize they are interacting with a real person who is affected by the insults.
“Once, I replied to a persistent troll, saying, ‘Look, I’m paying a mortgage, I’m an opera singer, and I’m in an advert for a price comparison website – use it if you want, or don’t, but this abuse is pointless.’ We ended up engaging in some banter and eventually met for a beer. We became good friends. Sadly, Jeff, the troll, is no longer with us, but he went on to host a radio show in Manchester.”
Wynne recounts another instance of online interaction after singing at the opening of the new Spurs stadium. “Someone tweeted, ‘You spent a billion pounds on a stadium and all you could afford was the Go Compare man,’” Wynne recalls. “I followed him, and we started chatting. He soon stopped the nasty comments. He just needed to see that I was a fellow football fan. People are generally good at heart, even those who initially seem aggressive.”
Despite the negativity, Wynne is ultimately grateful for the opportunities the Go Compare ads, and the persistent “go compare go compare” jingle, have provided. “People often ask me to sing it, and I always do because this character is what bought my house and gave me financial security. Why would I resent it?” The financial rewards from the Go Compare campaign have enabled Wynne to acquire four houses, enjoy a fulfilling relationship, host a radio show on Radio Wales, release two critically acclaimed albums, and even leverage connections to have Princess Diana’s wedding dress designer assist his daughter with prom dress shopping, mirroring a scene from Say Yes to the Dress.
In Wynne’s most recent Go Compare advert, Gio’s car crashes into a tree and overturns, seemingly ending the character’s run. The ASA has received 70 complaints regarding the car crash scene. However, Wynne is enjoying a comfortable life in a smart home with voice-activated heating, leaving one to ponder which scenario is preferable. Perhaps it’s time to go compare those options. After 11 years in the spotlight, online negativity still bothers Wynne, but the sting has diminished.
“People can say what they want. I have my friends and family, and I know who I am,” he concludes. “The first time you’re called fat, it hurts, but by the thousandth time, it’s like water off a duck’s back. Now, when I hear people complaining about online comments, I think, You should try being the Go Compare man for a day! It’s a tough world out there.”
