Synopsis

Mike Skinner appears as a patient in a celebrity detox clinic, where he tries to recover while avoiding the attention of paparazzi, tabloid reporters, and camera-phone users. The clinic's supposed privacy is repeatedly undermined by the very media presence he wants to escape. Skinner's deadpan reactions and exchanges with his manager turn the setting into a comic extension of the song's central theme: fame makes romantic and ordinary life more complicated, even when the famous person recognizes that he has helped create the problem.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video uses a celebrity detox clinic as a visual counterpart to the song's preoccupation with fame, public scrutiny, and self-destructive behavior.

• The video appeared during the campaign for The Streets' third album, "The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living," released in 2006. The album drew heavily on Skinner's experiences after achieving commercial success.

• "When You Wasn't Famous" reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, making it one of The Streets' most successful singles.

• The song's reference to the television program "CD:UK" became unexpectedly timely: the show was canceled only two days after the single's release.

• Skinner never publicly confirmed the identity of the famous woman who inspired the song, despite extensive tabloid speculation.

• An alternative video was produced for the Professor Green remix. The original video later appeared on the DVD accompanying the 2007 Brit Awards, while the remix video was included with the "Never Went to Church" DVD single.