Top 10 Lookalikes

campaignlive.co.uk, Thursday, 13 December 2012 08:00AM

1. Jonathan Stead and Duncan Bannatyne

The successful entrepreneur Bannatyne shares top billing with Stead, whose own fortunes were frequently in the headlines this year, but for rather different reasons. Aside from their entrepreneurial zeal and fondness for the finer things in life, both sport deep tans from those days lounging around in the south of France. It was Johnny Hornby, however, who rode to Stead’s aid. When Rapier went belly up, Hornby issued the familiar cry of: "I’m in."

2. Ricardo Figueira and Maurice Moss

The fact that JWT’s digital executive director Figueira is the spitting image of Moss from The IT Crowd is a gift that we just couldn’t ignore. A computer nerd with a detailed knowledge of specialist technical subjects such as electronic engineering, perhaps the similarities are more than skin deep.

3. Dave Trott and Christopher Lee

The advertising treasure Trott has a career almost as lengthy as that of his doppelgänger Lee, who has spent nearly 60 years treading the boards, most famously as Count Dracula in a string of "Hammer Horror" films. Lee is in the Guinness World Records for having appeared in the most number of films. The GGT and Bainsfair Sharkey Trott founder is an equally prodigious blogger.

4. Gareth Goodall and Paul Kershaw

The Bolton-born Goodall and the Weatherfield firefighter Kershaw share many virtues other than looks. For instance, on the Coronation Street website, Kershaw is listed as disliking "hiding the truth". As many people will be able to testify, it’s a similar story for the departing Fallon planner Goodall, who seems to delight in not "hiding the truth" – particularly on a good night out.

5. Ben Stephens and Terry McCann

Having a privileged background is a cause for embarrassment these days, and the Harrow-educated VCCP boss has done a good job in hiding his past. What better way to look like a man of the people than try to look like the rough diamond former boxer and ladies’ man McCann from Minder?

6. Chris Pinnington and Sir Anthony Strallan

Both Strallan, a star of Downton Abbey, and Pinnington served their country with distinction – the former as an officer in the First World War and the latter as a psychologist in the Royal Air Force. Maybe Strallan, a gentleman as equally well-bred as "Pinners" (although somewhat duller and weaker chinned), would have followed him into a subsequent post-military career in advertising if it hadn’t been for that arm injury.

7. Nick Emery and Richard Arnold

With a CV that includes launch member of Inside Soap, columnist on Hello! and Woman’s Own, host of Daybreak and contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, Arnold’s media career is only fractionally less exciting than that of Mindshare Worldwide’s global chief executive and equally cheery chap Emery.

8. Mike Moran and Ted Hankey

Having left CBS Outdoor last year, the former Thames Water and Toyota marketer Moran has recently turned up at Arena Media as the interim commercial director. He’s the king of the comebacks. Similar in oh so many ways to the indefatigable Hankey, who has overcome many setbacks over his 20-year darts career, most notably a nasty case of "oche rage" for which he was disciplined. And while Moran made the move from client to agency, "The Count" underwent a similar conversion from the BDO to the PDC. Spooky.

9. Guy Phillipson and Danny Boyle

The film director Boyle was quite rightly named the person who many people admired the most in Campaign’s A List, for his masterpiece Isles of Wonder opening ceremony for the London Olympic Games. Phillipson, on the other hand, continues to be the chief executive of the Internet Advertising Bureau, where, in 2006, he was named the Digital Business Person of the Year by Revolution magazine.

10. James Murphy and Angelos Epithemiou

Last year, Rob Horler was fingered for his likeness to the burger-van owner Epithemiou. And, this time round, following the massive windfall from the sale of Adam & Eve to Omnicom, we figured that there’s also a likeness to the filthy-rich, super-smooth suit from "advertising Central Casting", Murphy. Epithemiou has had an equally successful year with the arrival of his own show on Channel 4, having previously won Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist last year. But which creation is the most lifelike?

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk