The Milk Tray chocolate ad was one of the most iconic of the last 50 years, but who was the mysterious man in black and what became of him after his final daredevil delivery?

Gary Myers was the original Milk Tray Man

It was one of the most popular and longest-running TV adverts of all time, where a man dressed in black overcame impossible odds to deliver a box of delicious Cadbury’s Milk Tray chocolates to his lady love.

The mysterious hero appeared in over 20 adverts between 1968 and 2003. Over the years, we saw him jump on a moving passenger train, leap from a helicopter and swim through shark-infested waters. Why? Well “All because the lady loves Milk Tray”, of course. The ads were definitely inspired by the James Bond films, which had become smash hits at the cinema in the 1960s.

The classic chocolates have been advertised for decades (Image: PA)Australian model and former soldier Gary Myers was chosen for his chiselled looks and resemblance to Bond supremo Sean Connery to star in the original ad, and so became the first man to dress in head-to-toe in the famous black outfit.

But it wasn’t always Gary you were seeing carrying out these daring deeds. Most of the stunts were carried out by Alf Joint, who also doubled for Sean Connery in the 1964 Bond film Goldfinger.

Gary other TV appearances included in 1970s sci-fi series UFO as well as BBC’s Play for Today and Orson Welles’ Great Mysteries.

Gary Myers also appeared in sci-fi series UFO
However, Gary has had no screen credits since he last donned his black polo neck in 1984. Rather like the enigmatic character he played, Gary has mysteriously slipped away.

While Gary was the main man when it comes to Milk Tray – starring in 11 ads – he was succeeded by others.

Actor James Coombes from Newport, Monmouthshire, took over next. He was only in one advert, which saw him climb a crane to make his delivery.

James later screen-tested for James Bond, losing out to Timothy Dalton and went on to have roles in 1980s BBC boatyard soap Howards’ Way and hit noughties sitcom My Family.

James Coombes donned the iconic Milk Tray Man black polo neck (Image: Cadbury/Shutterstock)
He did however return in 2016, to help promote a campaign by Cadburys to find a new man in black and bring back the famous ad campaign, with firefighter Patrick McBride winning the role ahead of 20,000 other hopefuls.

Ged Allen also played the character on the ad’s original run, he moved behind the camera and went on to produce CBBC’s The Basil Brush Show for five years.

Ged Allen also played the hero (Image: News UK Ltd/REX/Shutterstock)
Milk Tray has been a best-seller for Cadburys for several decades.

The ‘tray’ part of the name came from the way in which the chocolates were originally delivered to the shop – laid out in trays so they could be sold loosely to customers.

From its arrival on UK High Streets in 1915, Milk Tray has continued to prove popular and still sells millions of boxes a year, thanks in a big part to the iconic adverts cementing its place as one of the UK’s best-known chocolate brands.