Nationwide advertising partnership with Little Britain icons

Britain, Britain, Britain! Nationwide Building Society is launching a new ad campaign featuring some of the nation's best loved characters from sketch show Little Britain, bringing the country's biggest building society back to the nation's screens.

The three ads, the first commercial work in which comedy double act Matt Lucas and David Walliams have been involved, feature characters from their hit sketch show as customers interacting with Nationwide employees. The ads will run from 16 May to 12 July featuring the strap line: NATIONWIDE.  PROUD TO BE DIFFERENT.

Yeah, but, no, but...

The first advert features Britain's most iconic teenage delinquent Vicky Pollard and her friend Rochelle, played by Walliams. Mistaking the Nationwide branch for a chip shop, Vicky attempts to order chips, battered sausage and a deep fried pizza, only to find they are in a Nationwide branch. The staff try to explain that they "do money" not chips and, with no shareholders to pay dividends to, can focus on their customers instead. An outraged Vicki storms out complaining "they don't even do chicken nuggets".

We're ladies!

The second ad, featuring Emily and Florence, two ladies going about their ladylike business, like any other normal ladies, illustrates the fact that all Nationwide's products are available to all existing customers whether they are ladies or er...men.

Yeah, I know!

As World Cup football fever starts to grip the nation, the third ad, which will air on Monday 24 May, will showcase Nationwide's sponsorship of the England football team and will feature Andy and Lou.  In the clip, Lou, the long suffering carer for supposedly wheelchair-bound Andy, approaches England manager Fabio Capello as he watches his England team train.  While his back is turned, Andy leaps out of his chair, takes on Theo Walcott, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch before booting the ball past goalkeeper David James to score. As ever, he is back in his chair before Lou notices a thing despite the stunned faces of the team.

James Boulton, Nationwide's divisional director of customer strategy and marketing, said:  "The new TV ads are iconic, full of humour, and their extreme nature is a natural foil for the common sense approach Nationwide has to financial services. These ads are further evidence of our commitment to showing how our mutual model, combined with great service, and a commitment to long-term value for our members, makes us very different."

From Monday 17 May, anyone can see the adverts, at nationwide-members.co.uk and various exclusive behind the scenes footage from the shoot, plus much more will be available to view over coming weeks.