Oh yes? Oh no, no no! Martin Clunes dropped from Churchill adverts after driving ban

Martin Clunes and the Churchill dog

Men Behaving Badly actor Martin Clunes has been dropped from a car insurance advert after being disqualified from driving.

Clunes, 50, who is also the star of ITV's Doc Martin, featured in the Churchill ads with the company's trademark nodding dog for almost a year.

But the actor who lives with his family in Dorset was reportedly considered unsuitable for the job after ratching up 12 points on his licence for speeding offences and given a subsequent magistrates ban from driving.

"We have worked with Martin Clunes in a brand advertising campaign since December 2011," a spokesman for Churchill Insurance said in a statement.

"Martin Clunes recently informed Churchill Insurance that his driving licence has been suspended after he accumulated penalty points for four speeding offences.

"Churchill Insurance currently has no adverts with Martin Clunes on air and will be moving forward with new advertising in the New Year."

In the last advert broadcast Clunes and the nodding Churchill mascot (whose catchphrase is "Oh yes!") travelled through the English countryside together on a Triumph motorbike and sidecar.

The ads were part of a £50 million marketing exercise according to Marketing Magazine.