Liverpool firefighter rescue lifts his way into role as Cadbury's modern Milk Tray man

A firefighter has seen off more than 20,000 hopefuls to clinch the role of Cadbury’s modern Milk Tray man by impressing judges with a line in thoughtful banter while performing a rescue lift.

Patrick McBride, a 39-year-old husband and father from Liverpool, was so determined to win the role that he donned his full firefighting kit for the London audition and swung a bystander into a fireman’s lift.

Mr McBride, who has combined modelling and television ad work with a 14-year career with the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, ticked all the boxes for confectionery giant Cadbury, which launched the search last year for a new recruit to don the iconic black polo neck.