Channel 4 commissions Mad Women from South Shore

22 March 2023

Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of WACL, (Women in Advertising and Communications, Leadership) Mad Women (1x60 mins)  will, for the first time, explore the role women have played in advertising across the past century.

From the creation of Shake n Vac with its unforgettable jingle and the Levi’s launderette ad with Nick Kamen to the Flake girl in the bath and the bikini-clad women falling over men because of the Lynx effect; this film meets the pioneering women behind some of the UK’s most iconic ads.

Starting in London’s late 70s - in a world evocative of Mad Men - we meet those who broke into the industry and started to break down the stereotypes that had been in place for decades. We’ll discover the ground-breaking adverts they engineered and the battles they had to endure to get them onto our screens.

In a world now unrecognisable from the heady days of Mad Men, we’ll also meet some of the most senior women working in the industry today to find out what’s left in the world of taboo breaking. Is it the role of adverts to reflect trends or to create them and what can we expect next from the current generation of Mad Women?

Mad Women is produced by South Shore. The Commissioning Editor for C4 is Emily Shields. The film is directed by Erica Gornall and produced by Cheryl Hockey. The Executive Producers are Melanie Leach and Caroline Davies.

Mad Women is produced in partnership with funding partners: Diageo, Google, Tesco and Whalar.    

Rania Robinson, President of WACL said : “Since WACL was created in 1923, by some incredible pioneering women, advertising has chronicled the changing role of women in society.  But the battle for women to be equal contributors to all parts of the ad industry – and particularly the creative department – has been long and arduous.  We’re not there yet but, in our 100th year, it’s good to celebrate how far we’ve come, whilst looking forward at how we can continue to inspire, support and campaign for the women in the industry to accelerate this much needed change.”

Emily Shields, Commissioning Editor added;  “I’m delighted to be working with South Shore on Mad Women which explores a fascinating area of British social history and celebrates the creative contribution the trailblazing women who changed the face of advertising forever.”

Caroline Davies, director of programmes at South Shore, continued; “We’re really proud to be shining a light on the women who created some of the most iconic moments in advertising history. And how these adverts changed the way women were viewed by society at large.”