League star slams 'rip-off' advert

He said it ‘grated’ that advertising executives lifted the idea of a burly man in a dress from the BBC Two series.

Although he did not name either the brand or the original character the ads are based on, the Bounty spokeswomen bear a similarity to Rosyton Vasey’s pre-operative transsexual cab driver Barbara.

When asked by The Guardian which adverts he enjoyed, Pemberton said: ‘The one I really don’t like is for a kitchen roll and has two burly blokes in dresses.

‘To my mind, it’s a complete rip-off of a character we had in The League of Gentlemen.

‘I know this happens all the time - big business taking a character from popular culture and reinventing them - but it does grate on the people who had the original idea.’

Similarly, Mighty Boosh fans recently voiced their anger at Sugar Puffs for stealing the duo's 'crimping style of rap for their TV ads.

Here is one of the offending Bounty ads:

Published: 26 May 2008