The hopefuls who DIDN'T get the Milk Tray Man job: Cadbury releases the cringe-worthy audition tapes that failed - including a man who cycles a box of chocolate over to his mum 

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Chocolate goliath Cadbury, who recently unveiled a super-smooth new Milk Tray Man, have now revealed some of the hopefuls who didn't quite make the cut.

Some of the audition tapes sent to the confectionery company during their £3million campaign to find a new polo neck-wearing man might leave viewers wondering what the ambitious auditionees were thinking.

From a gym lover wearing only a black thong to a bald hopeful willing to wear a wig and a chap on a pushbike, the minute-long clips fail spectacularly in their bid to prove just how suave they can be.

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Firefighter Patrick McBride, who won the role ahead of 20,000 hopefuls last year, is the latest to don the black polo neck for the televised advert that ends with the original catchphrase

Just like the iconic escapades of the Milk Tray men of the 1960s to the '90s who went to extreme lengths to deliver chocolates to women, Mr McBride embarks on a similar missio

Handsome firefighter Patrick McBride won the competition and stars in a new televised advert that ends with the original catchphrase: 'And all because the lady loves ...'

While the new ad sees him delivering chocolates to a Mongolian yurt in the Altai Mountains over the Mongolian steppe, you might argue that his competitors for the role are likely to raise more of a laugh with their passionate video pleas.

VINNY THE HI-VIS HERO

On a push-bike, with a bag from Asda: A hi-vis wearing Vinny tried to impress judges with his common man approach...maybe not how the judges imagined their Milk Tray Man to be

Ta-da! No covert operations here, Vinny hands over the still-wrapped chocs in a supermarket carrier bag

A roundabout an a hi-vis jacket featured in the tape proffered by Vinny, who starts his clip by besmirching famous heartthrobs including Tarzan before setting off on his own delivery mission. He cycles through a suburban housing estate before dropping off a box of the famous chocs at what appears to be his mum's house.

HASSNEY GOES GARDEN STALKING 

One such auditionee, known simply as Hassney, clearly hadn't watched enough of the previous Milk Tray Man ads, which have aired frequently on mainstream during the last 50 years.

The brown-haired, be-stubbled candidate posted a music video of him stalking through a back garden, driving through a tunnel and, erm, looking at his iPhone like someone who had watched one too many Jason Bourne films. 

'I CAN WEAR A WIG': MARK WHITTINGTON-BUCKLEY

Elsewhere, there was the follicly-challenged Mark Whittington-Buckley, who admitted he liked 'slipping into bedrooms.' He described himself as suave, smooth and happy to 'wear a wig' if he got the chocolate-delivering gig. 

Have bald head, will wear wig: Mark Whittington-Buckley tried to persuade Cadbury judges that his lack of hair wouldn't be a problem 

BEARDED ACTION MAN DOUG SPENCE

Doug Spence, who launched his video saying: 'There's nowhere I can't get to', was hoping the classic brand might be swayed by current fashions, wearing a very busjy hipster beard throughout his audition and signing off 'Beards are cool!' 

Beards are cool was the parting shot of action man Doug Spence, but the panel watching the 20,000 tapes weren't convinced

RONNIE GLAZEWOOD AS THE MILKY BAR KID

Frankly terrifying: Ronnie Glazewood took a Blair Witch approach to the telly gig with a cryptic card and a terrible haircut...

If you're trying to impress a future employer at least get the name right. Ronnie Glazewood got more than a little confused as he emerged from behind a tree to declare he wanted to be the Milky Bar Kid. The middle-aged hopeful wore a black rocker-style wig and an all-in-one black waterproof suit...but his antics, including dangling upside down from a tree, didn't really cut the mustard. 

GARRY BEDFORD GOES FOR THE FULL FRONTAL

Is that the Empire State or are you just pleased to see me? Garry Bedford went for the full frontal approach with his tape 

Tattooed gym-fan Garry Bedford, from the north-east, didn't fare much better. While he described his talents as an actor, the video flashed to him in a variety of different characters including The Incredible Hulk and Superman. There was also a shot of him wearing a very small black thong.

BOOKISH ROBERT DYER FAILS TO IMPRESS 

He might have been wearing the right clothes...and clutching the right box, but Robert Dyer, a bespectacled blonde book fan, came across as geek chic rather than silent, steely carrier of chocolate treats.  An attempt to impress with daredevil antics was undone by some obvious camera work and when it came to the crunch line...Dyer simply doesn't deliver. 

It's all a far cry from the winning video of 'cool dad' Patrick McBride who opted for the low-key approach, sitting on a sofa, in a black polo neck, and recounting how his teenage self had delivered a box of chocolates to a girl he was in love with at school, He also revealed his role as a fire-fighter and his hopes for fun and adventure in his 40th year.

AND HERE'S HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE... 

Mr McBride, a 39-year-old married firefighter, said: 'I would say I am a very thoughtful person and it is all about giving small gestures of kindness when you can that helps a relationship'

Mr McBride, who had only 'minimal' help from a stuntman for the flying scenes, said: 'I loved the whole experience of creating the advert, from hearing about the initial ideas to going to Mongolia and filming the ad itself.'

The full 90-second ad screens for the first time on Saturday night during ITV's X Factor live show. 

The new Milk Tray Man delivering chocolates to a Mongolian yurt, 50 years after the original

The £3m campaign, the latest in the saga that began in 1968, is set in the Altai Mountains over the Mongolian steppe and features flying sequences, a Mongolian tribe and stampeding yak

The 39-year-old firefighter from Liverpool was put forward for the role by wife Elaine.

He said: 'My wife's so happy for me. She's made up. I think it will sink in when the billboards are up and the ads are on TV. I think she'll be pleased she's married to the Milk Tray Man.

'I would say I am a very thoughtful person and it is all about giving small gestures of kindness when you can that helps a relationship.' 

Steve Rich, Mondelez International marketing manager, said: 'We're really excited to be bringing our new Milk Tray Man, Patrick McBride, onto screens nationwide for the first time with this new ad.

'He is the perfect example of the modern Milk Tray Man with his caring, daring and thoughtful personality. We look forward to seeing how audiences receive his debut performance and the campaign as a whole.'