Top Gear's James May to front London Pride ads

Top Gear star James May appears in his first TV ad tomorrow night as the new face of beer brand London Pride. The campaign, developed by ad agency DCH, plays on the fact that May lives around the corner from Fuller's brewery in Chiswick, London. The TV ad, the first the company has run since 2007, also plays on May's most famous TV role as a car-loving critic on Top Gear. "This is the one thing I'd walk somewhere for," says May as he strides across the road and into a pub to sip a pint of London Pride. A number of TV ads have been filmed in "landmark" Fuller's pubs across London which will take a "wry and witty look at James's love of London Pride". May has also signed up to host an "online tour" of the family business's brewery, a Fuller's pub quiz and a tutored beer tasting. These will be hosted on the London Pride Facebook site. London Pride was created in 1959 but Fuller's did not run its first TV campaign until 1997. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".