Elton John is shown failing an audition to appear in a new coronavirus public service announcement, which is presented by Michael Caine instead.
The lighthearted video, released by NHS England, is part of the United Kingdom’s campaign to encourage everyone who’s offered a COVID vaccine shot to accept it.
After introducing himself, John is asked to repeat the PSA’s opening with “a little less showbiz,” only to be asked for more after that. He’s then told to try the presentation with an impression of Caine, which appears to be successful.
In the clip, John sends the important message that “the more people who get vaccinated, the more chance there is of eradicating the national COVID pandemic.” But then his attempt to act like he’s just been given the shot goes so badly, he’s told: “Thanks, Elton, we’ll let you know.” To which John replies: “At this short notice, you won’t find anyone bigger.” The scene cut to Caine effectively doing an impression of himself.
You can watch the PSA below.
The British government has identified nine priority groups in the pursuit of total vaccination and pledged to provide treatment to the four most at-risk people by Feb. 15.
If achieved – which appears likely – it will mean that 15 million of the U.K.’s 66.6 million population will have received shots. It’s not currently known how long it will take to treat the entire population. In the U.S., around 45 million shots have been given so far, with a global total of 138 million.