A fleet of more than 20 JCB machines worked on the Alien Covenant film, which came out on 19 May. Skid-steer loaders, Loadall telescopic handlers and JS tracked excavators were supplied to 20th Century Fox for the film — and coloured gold to give them a futuristic look.

JCB marketing director Michael Plummer said: “This is the biggest product placement exercise in JCB’s history; it involved machines worth more than £1 million. Ridley Scott’s idea to wrap them in gold delivered a stunning result and is certainly an eye-catching addition to a film that will be seen by millions of people around the world.”

The machines, which appear in the film’s finale, were supplied to the set in Sydney with the help of JCB dealer Construction Equipment Australia. Alien Covenant is set almost 100 years in the future.