Tetley Tea Folk

The Tetley Tea Folk are animated characters used to advertise Tetley Tea from 1973 to 2001, and from 2010 to present.

The Canadian copywriter John McGill Lewis (1929–2009) of the advertising agency McCann Erickson originated the Tetley Tea Folk in 1973, working with art director Peter Rigby, who created the original characters of the Tea Folk, before briefing Wyatt Cattaneo to animate them. The animated commercials were produced at Wyatt Cattaneo studios, where the Gaffer, Sidney, and supporting characters were animated by studio director Tony Cattaneo and animator Ramon Modiano.

The series, from its start until the early 1980s, combined animation with live action sets and "props", such as real tea bags, cups, saucers, etc. The live action was first of all shot at the studios of Morgan and Mount, and later by Perkins StClaire. The series, from its start until the early 1980s, were animated by Ramon Modiano. The musical score for the "Tea Folk" song was composed by Ken Jones, with the lyrics coming from their originator JM Lewis. The Art director was Peter Rigby.

Towards the end of the 1970s, the Tetley Tea Folk account moved to the advertising agency D'Arcy, MacMannus and Macius. The line 'That's Better. That's Tetley' was written by Jack Stephens, and ran on Tetley advertising for over eighteen years. From the early 1980s, Tetley's advertising was written and produced by the advertising agency D'Arcy, while the Tea Folk illustrations and advertisements were then animated by animator Richard Ollive.

There have been sixty seven animated television adverts, and many appearances in papers, magazines, on packs, radio, the internet, as well as Tea Folk memorabilia. Over thirty million Tea Folk items have been sold, and items from the Tetley Tea Folk can now be found in over five million homes in the United Kingdom.

The Tea Folk have provided some of the most memorable advertising on Britain's television screens. Some well known lines include:

These, along with the original Tetley tune, and some notable soundtracks (Bill Withers’ "Lovely Day", Irving Berlin’s "Keep Me Warm", and "Reach Out I’ll Be There" by Holland, Holland and Dozier), have made Tetley’s Tea Folk adverts some of the most instantly recognisable ever seen.

The characters' voices have been supplied by some distinguished actors throughout the campaign. For many years, Gaffer’s distinctive voice was provided by Brian Glover. He was later replaced by former Emmerdale star Bobby Knutt, while Sunburn's George Layton is the voice of Sidney.

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