Captain Birdseye faces demotion

Frozen food favourite Captain Birdseye is being demoted after 47 years as the public face of fish fingers in a £16m shake-up of the brand.

A photogenic TV family will instead be put at the forefront of efforts to appeal to the digital generation.

The new campaign, which will launch on Monday, has been dubbed The Food of Life and will use Twitter and Facebook alongside traditional television ads to extend the appeal of the cod snacks.

But Birds Eye owner Iglo Group UK insist that the seafarer is not being frozen out and will continue to promote fish fingers to the public.

A spokesman said: "The new campaign is a new era for the captain and he will have a new role and that will become apparent later in the year."

The captain has been played several different actors since making his small-screen debut in 1967 with the slogan: "Only the best for the Captain's table."

The new ads will instead show a bantering family contend with 'dad jokes' at meal times.

Birds Eye say the forthcoming media blitz will see spending on digital advertising triple in the UK.

In the coming months five new TV and cinema ads will air promoting Birds Eye's range of brands which include peas and the up-market Baked to Perfection brand, in addition to fish fingers.