Who does the voiceover for the Cunard advert

The voiceover on Cunard's 2019 cinema advert, titled Dreams, is performed by Alan Watts, the late British philosopher. Cunard used an archival recording of Watts speaking about dreaming and self-discovery, set against footage of life aboard the Queen Mary 2. The 40-second advert [screened in UK cinemas before every showing of the 2019 Downton Abbey film](https://www.rolcruise.co.uk/blog/cunard-release-first-cinema-advert), reaching an estimated 3.9 million adults.

However, Cunard's most recent campaign,launched in 2025 with the tagline "Why cruise when you can Cunard",features a different voice entirely. [Actor Richard E. Grant provides the voiceover](https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/marketing/cunard-launches-new-brand-campaign) for this 60-second film, reading text by Canadian writer Bianca Sparacino from her work The Strength in Our Scars. If you've seen a Cunard advert recently on television or online, you're likely hearing Grant's theatrical delivery rather than Watts' philosophical tone.

The 2019 Dreams campaign: Alan Watts and the Atlantic crossing

Alan Watts (1915–1973) was a British philosopher, writer and broadcaster who spent much of his career interpreting Eastern philosophy for Western audiences. He wrote more than 25 books on religion, personal identity and the nature of reality. His radio programmes and public lectures drew large audiences during his lifetime, and his voice recordings have remained in circulation for decades after his death.

Cunard selected a recording from Watts' archive for Dreams, their first-ever cinema campaign. [Created by Cunard's retained agency Alpha Century](https://www.rolcruise.co.uk/blog/cunard-release-first-cinema-advert), the advert invited audiences to "dream of love, banquets, wonderful journeys and music beyond all belief" and then "forget that you were ever dreaming." The script centres on a thought experiment about infinite dreaming, framing a Cunard voyage as something outside ordinary time.

[Barney Girling, executive creative director at Alpha Century, explained the choice](https://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/cruise-news/cunard-cinema-advert-downton-abbey): "Until you've sailed on board Cunard you can't quite appreciate the atmosphere they have created, through over a century of careful fine tuning. Alan Watts' distinctive speech about finding oneself within an infinite dream perfectly captured the sheer magic and scale of what Cunard now offers their guests."

The advert represents a shift in how cruise lines position themselves. Rather than emphasising destinations or onboard entertainment, Cunard focused on the experience of crossing the Atlantic itself: several days at sea with no port calls, no agenda, no fixed itinerary beyond the ship's schedule. The Queen Mary 2 remains the only ocean liner in regular transatlantic service, making crossings between Southampton and New York.

The 2025 campaign: Richard E. Grant and a new direction

In 2025, Cunard introduced a new global brand campaign with a markedly different tone. [The 60-second film, directed by Christian Larson and created by Supernova (the7stars' in-house creative production studio)](https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/why-cruise-when-you-can-cunard), features Richard E. Grant's voiceover. Grant's theatrical flair and distinctive tone epitomise British sophistication, delivering poetic words by Canadian writer Bianca Sparacino.

Shot in striking black and white, the film follows a female lead through various areas of a Cunard ship, including the poolside terrace, Grand Lobby and Chart Room cocktail bar, culminating in the Transatlantic Crossing arriving in New York. [The campaign launched in the UK in June 2025](https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/marketing/cunard-launches-new-brand-campaign) alongside programmes such as ITV's Shardlake and Channel 4's Celebrity Gogglebox, with plans to expand to the US and other global markets.

Katie McAlister, president at Cunard, said: "As we celebrate our 185th anniversary this year, our luxury heritage and the spirit of what makes a Cunard voyage so special is brought to life with bold storytelling and cinematic beauty in this campaign."

Why the choice of Watts proved divisive

Using a philosopher's archival recording to sell cruise holidays struck some viewers as an odd fit. A user posted on X (formerly Twitter) in early 2024: "The latest ad for Cunard cruises uses the distinctive voiceover of Alan Watts which IMO, is a terrible choice." The objection, shared by others online, is that Watts' ideas about consciousness and self-dissolution sit uneasily alongside a straightforward luxury-travel pitch.

That said, the choice has a certain logic. Watts spoke often about the value of play, of stepping outside ordinary time, and of surrendering to experience rather than forcing it. A long ocean crossing maps onto those ideas more naturally than most holiday products would. Whether that justifies the pairing is a matter of taste.

Cunard’s evolving creative approach

Between the 2019 Dreams campaign and the 2025 Richard E. Grant film, Cunard experimented with other formats. [The7stars developed "Soundwaves," an in-depth series of unrehearsed interviews recorded on Cunard's ships](https://www.the7stars.co.uk/our-work/cunard/), distributed across audio platforms including Spotify, Acast and Octave. These were placed contextually within "escapism" content and playlists, targeting those in-market for beach holidays and luxury escapes.

The stories were also edited specifically for social media, with subtitles against imagery of the sea, designed to draw people into the dialogue and entice them to turn their audio on. Each creative was set to a frequency of three, after which the user was served the next story at the same frequency level. This approach aimed to deliver "social proof" to listeners whilst highlighting the diversity of experiences at sea.

How to identify which Cunard advert you’ve seen

If you're trying to work out which Cunard campaign you've encountered, the voiceover is the clearest indicator. Alan Watts' voice has a distinctive mid-Atlantic accent (he was British but spent much of his career in the United States) and a measured, contemplative delivery. Richard E. Grant's voice is immediately recognisable to UK audiences from his film and television work, with a more theatrical, emphatic style.

The visual style also differs. The 2019 Dreams advert features colour footage of the Queen Mary 2, with sunsets, dining rooms and open seas. The 2025 "Why cruise when you can Cunard" campaign is shot in black and white, with a more cinematic, fashion-film aesthetic.

Cunard's official social media channels and YouTube page may host both campaigns, though the 2019 advert dates from the Downton Abbey film release period rather than any current promotion. If you're looking for the most recent Cunard advertising, the Richard E. Grant campaign is the one currently running across television, video-on-demand and digital platforms.

Cunard’s current fleet and brand positioning

Cunard now operates four ships: Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, and the newest addition Queen Anne. The Queen Mary 2 remains the only ocean liner in regular transatlantic service. The other three ships operate as cruise vessels, calling at ports around the world.

Both the 2019 and 2025 campaigns were designed to distinguish Cunard from mass-market cruise lines. By using archival philosophy recordings and theatrical voiceovers, and avoiding the usual holiday-advert tropes (smiling families, onboard activities, excursion highlights), Cunard positions itself as something closer to a cultural experience than a package holiday. Whether that message lands with the intended audience is harder to measure, but both adverts certainly generated conversation.

For queries about current Cunard advertising or to book a voyage, visit Cunard's official website or contact their customer service team directly.