The Tetley Tea Folk were a group of little characters who were used for many years to advertise Tetley Tea Bags. Â The first advert featuring them appeared in 1973, and they were used right up until 2001 when they were finally deemed not modern enough and were dropped.
The folk were obviously only around three inches tall since they were usually spotted walking about on a table with a blue gingham tablecloth amongst the teapot, cups and plates. Â They all wore blue overalls, except for Gaffer who was the oldest and obviously the guy in charge – he wore a blue suit. Â Over their clothes they wore long white coats, and each had a pair of comfy brown slippers and a strange peaked cap that flopped down most of their back.
As already mentioned Gaffer was in charge, and had a thick Yorkshire accent as he was voiced by the late Brian Glover. Â Over the years we gradually were introduced to various members of the clan, probably the most memorable of which was Sydney, who was a little simple and often ended up being chosen as the fall guy for anything that might turn out dangerous.