A NEW national television advert featuring Bolton will be debuted tonight during the Britain's Got Talent final.

The town centre was a chosen location for Barclaycard’s new advert celebrating the uniqueness of British shopping.

It was one of 17 locations featuring 120 extras – including local shoppers and Barclaycard shopkeepers – from across the region which were used in the four-day shoot.

In one scene a rain machine drenches hordes of extras queuing outside Bolton's Market Place Shopping Centre, bringing to life the fact that that the British weather never seems to deter the nation’s shoppers from the high street — especially during a sale.

Centre manager Nikki Wilson-Cook said: "We are thrilled to feature in the new Barclaycard advert. Market Place is at the heart of Bolton and as well as being the social and cultural focal point of the town, represents the best of British shopping. With the exciting redevelopments that we’re undergoing, the future is very exciting for the Great British shopper in Bolton."

In another scene, local Barclaycard retailer Sital Raja-Arjan MBE, owner of House of Raja in Bolton, is seen fitting a sherwani onto a bridegroom.

She said: "I’m really proud as an Asian businesswoman to be part of an advert that will be shown across the UK.

"It will be exciting to see myself, my business and my colleagues on national TV — I’ll be telling all of my friends and family to tune in!"

The advert is part of six weeks of activity to celebrate the role that Barclaycard has had on British society since it was established in 1966 and how Barclaycard’s introduction of the credit card has revolutionised the way shoppers and shopkeepers buy and sell across the country.

It opens with Napoleon’s famous quote that ‘Britain is a nation of shopkeepers’, and features a set of wry insights into our quirky shopping habits and styles as a nation.

The shoot was directed by Peter Cattaneo, of British comedy-drama film The Full Monty fame, and will be broadcast across the UK.

Katherine Whitton, Chief Marketing Officer at Barclaycard, said: "We chose the North West for the variety of its independent businesses and shopping centres, and as well as filming in Manchester city centre, Bolton, Stockport and Altrincham, we called on both local shoppers and shopkeepers from the region to capture the vibrancy of day-to-day British shopping. They didn’t let us down!"