Waitrose's 3D Gastronaut burst out of Piccadilly Lights with car-sized prawns

Translate the cinematic sci-fi world of The Gastronaut TV advert into a high-impact real-world execution at one of the UK's most premium and technically advanced digital OOH locations.

A 3D anamorphic build by Wonderhood Studios, brought to life by MG OMD, taking over the 783.5m2 Piccadilly Lights as part of the wider Gastronaut launch, with expected views of 2.9 million impressions.

Searches for prawn linguine were up 291% on Waitrose.com since the ad launched, and the takeover was expected to deliver 2.9 million impressions.

LBB reported that Waitrose took over Piccadilly Lights — London's famous landmark and Europe's largest advertising screen at 783.5m2 — with a 3D anamorphic showcase for its new brand campaign, The Gastronaut, created by Wonderhood Studios and brought to life by MG OMD.

The activation translates the cinematic sci-fi world of the television advert into a real-world execution: the astronaut Michael, along with the ingredients of his iconic prawn linguine, appears to burst from the curved screen. Searches for prawn linguine on Waitrose.com were up 291% since the ad launched, and the takeover carried expected views of 2.9 million impressions.

Chief customer officer Nathan Ansell called The Gastronaut a sci-fi inspired nod to food lovers everywhere, cementing Waitrose as their home, and said the company's first major cinematic campaign outside Christmas deserved a takeover of equal grandeur. ECD Jack Croft: 'We've turned the IMAX into the PIEMAX, now we're bringing prawns the size of a car to Piccadilly Circus.'

Waitrose reserved takeover-scale spend for its first major cinematic campaign outside Christmas — a deliberate bet beyond the seasonal ad cycle.

The OOH extension is built from the campaign's own assets, the astronaut and the linguine, rather than a generic 3D stunt.

The measurable signal — 291% search lift for the dish — tied the spectacle to food lovers' behaviour, the exact audience the campaign claims.

A TV campaign earns a landmark takeover when it has a world worth extending: the 3D screen worked because the Gastronaut character and his linguine already carried the story.

As of February 2026 the takeover was running as part of the wider Gastronaut launch, with the campaign positioning Waitrose as the home for food lovers to whom food is a way of life, not just fuel.