Diane Morgan Takes Brits on Deadpan Tour of ‘Mugsville’ for iD Mobile
iD Mobile has unveiled ‘Mugsville’, its biggest integrated brand campaign since 2024's See the Light. Developed with long-term agency partner Trouble Maker and narrated by comedian Diane Morgan, the new creative platform transforms Britain's everyday culture of hidden fees and surprise charges into a fictional town where everyone has simply accepted being ‘mugged off’.
Launched across VOD, YouTube and Social Media, the campaign broadens iD Mobile's long-standing value proposition beyond pricing. By holding a mirror up to these everyday, highly relatable swindles, it positions unnecessarily expensive mobile contracts as just one more way consumers get mugged off – paying far more than they need to for their phone plan.
From commuters paying through the nose for delayed or cancelled trains, to packets of crisps that are filled with more air than contents, to takeaways where the service fee and surcharges cost more than the food itself, Mugsville brings to life the surprise charges Brits have become resigned to accepting.
The campaign builds on the brand platform established by See the Light. While the previous campaign focused on the ‘epiphany’ moment when consumers realised there was a better alternative to their mobile network, Mugsville shifts the focus to the problem itself, using satire to challenge the growing acceptance of paying over the odds across British life.
Research commissioned by iD Mobile found that more than half of UK consumers believe they're paying too much for their mobile package, yet most have never explored an alternative network. By placing mobile pricing alongside everyday frustrations that consumers know all too well, the campaign positions switching networks as a simple way to stop overpaying.
Directed by Jamie Lane and narrated by comedian Diane Morgan, the campaign takes viewers on a deadpan tour of Mugsville: an all-too-perfect British town where paying over the odds is the norm. The locals happily overpay with fixed grins and ‘MUG’ stamped on their foreheads – simply because they don't know any better. It's every real-world British swindle, packed into one place.
Morgan's trademark delivery gives the films the feel of a dry travelogue, guiding viewers through Mugsville and underscoring the absurdity of each scenario.
Rather than telling a single story, each execution focuses on a different everyday frustration, pushing it just far enough to become satire while remaining grounded in experiences audiences immediately recognise. Across each scenario, iD Mobile represents the moment someone breaks free from Mugsville, as they realise there is a better way to do mobile.
Designed as an enduring creative platform rather than a one-off campaign, Mugsville creates a distinctive brand world that can evolve through future executions while reinforcing iD Mobile's position as the UK's home of mobile value.
The campaign was developed by Trouble Maker, with media buying handled by Spark Foundry. Production was handled by Aggy Media, with Jamie Lane directing.
Lewis Henry, director of customer and marketing at iD Mobile, commented, "Mugsville is the next step for iD Mobile after See the Light. Rather than simply showing people a better price, we wanted to find a culturally relatable trigger that could make people question how much they're paying for their mobile. By holding up a mirror to Britain's growing frustration with hidden fees, shrinkflation and high prices, we can encourage consumers to re-evaluate their own mobile contract. Our research shows that mobile contracts are something people are quietly paying over the odds for, without ever exploring other options — and we want to prompt them to take action.
"Placing mobile alongside the frustrations people experience every day reminds consumers that switching networks is one simple way they can avoid getting ‘mugged off’."
Jonathan Fraser, chief creative officer at Trouble Maker, commented, “We wanted Mugsville to be impossible to ignore. Writing ‘MUG’ across people’s foreheads is a pretty bold way of doing that, but it also gives us a simple visual shorthand for something we all recognise: those everyday moments where you know you’re being taken for a ride, but somehow just accept it.
“By pushing those familiar frustrations into the hyperreal world of Mugsville, we can make them feel as ridiculous as they really are - hopefully giving people a laugh, but also making them question why they put up with these charges in the first place.”
More than 2.6 million customers have already chosen iD Mobile, reflecting growing demand for better-value mobile options. And as the films highlight, customers can save an average of £310 a year on their phone plan versus the major networks*. All plans come with features like Inclusive Roaming in 50 destinations, uncapped 5G, and free Data Rollover as standard. This reinforces the brand's ambition to become the UK's home of mobile value.
The work builds on recent industry recognition for iD Mobile, including the Which? Great Value award (2026), USwitch's Best Network for Data (2024), and Trusted Reviews' Best Value Network (2025).
