COMEDIAN Patrick "Paddy" McGuinness is to front a £3m marketing campaign to help boost the fortunes of North-East bakery chain Greggs.

The comedy actor - who became famous through his work with Peter Kay - will be the face of a national, multi-channel television advertising campaign for the Newcastle-based plc.

The announcement comes weeks after Greggs admitted it had endured its toughest trading conditions for more than a decade, with profits falling by 12.8 per cent to £43.7m last year.

The company yesterday said it will launch a series of TV advertisements on selected ITV1 regions, Five, Sky, UKTV, ITV digital and Channel 4 digital next Monday.

Greggs is also investing heavily in radio, outdoor and online advertising, sales promotion, product sampling and public relations activity. A campaign microsite - www.greggsthebakers.co.uk - will go live on Monday.

Greggs marketing director Scott Jefferson said: "In addition to upgrading our shops, we wanted to develop an integrated campaign to highlight not only the variety of products on offer but also the high quality of the ingredients used throughout the range.

"Greggs has for many years been a leading name on the high street, bringing freshly baked products to a cross-section of the Great British public, so we wanted our campaign to appeal to everyone."

The light-hearted TV adverts will feature Paddy in a range of scenes, unable to resist the temptation of a range of Greggs products.

"Paddy McGuinness is very personable and is known to consumers across various age ranges. We felt he was perfect for injecting humour, while getting our key messages across," said Mr Jefferson.

Greggs, which operates over 1,300 outlets nationwide, has been trying to revamp its brand for a number of months, by extending its product range and bringing in healthier alternatives to pasties and sausage rolls.

Last summer, the company introduced the Greggs Healthier Options range of sandwiches, wraps and fresh fruit salad.

Yesterday, the retailer said it would continue developing its core range of savouries, sandwiches and rolls and introduce more products over the next 12 months.

Earlier this week, Greggs announced proposals to keep some of its high street stores open into the early hours of the morning, in the hope of tempting people coming out of pubs and clubs.

A trial will be carried out in Sunderland, after which the scheme could be rolled out in Newcastle.