Emily Atack lands huge deal to replace TV funnyman as the face of household brand
INBETWEENERS actress Emily Atack has landed a six-figure deal to be the face of PG Tips.
The star, who played Charlotte Hinchcliffe in the comedy series, is poised to bring the brand’s monkey out of retirement in a new ad campaign.
A source said: “The PG Tips campaigns are the stuff of TV legends, and execs wanted a bit of glamour for this one.
“Emily is a household name and straddles all demographics — plus she genuinely loves a nice cuppa — so they felt she’d be perfect.”
The source added last night: “The advert will go out later this year and is really good fun.”
Emily starred opposite Simon Bird, who played Will McKenzie, in E4 sitcom The Inbetweeners from 2008 to 2010.
In 2018, she was runner-up in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and last year she starred as Sarah Stratton in the Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s novel Rivals.
In the original PG Tips ads, which aired from the 1950s until the 2000s, real chimpanzees were dressed in human clothes.
They became known to viewers as the Tipps family until the Leicestershire zoo where they were homed said using them was animal cruelty and that the chimps suffered long-term mental damage.
Since then the company has used a puppet monkey — called Monkey — featuring alongside comedian Johnny Vegas in 2023.
The company then announced that Monkey was being retired.
Last year, Top Boy and Adolescence star Ashley Walters featured in PG Tips’ high-end production ad, directed by Sir Steve McQueen.