Nicole? Papa? Channel 4 to screen all adverts en Français during French zombie drama The Returned

A scene from Les Revenants which will be broadcast on Channel 4 (Jean-Claude Lother)

Channel 4 is to break new ground by screening an entire ad break in French - a debut for UK television.

Most of the commercials will be for French brands - such as L'Oreal, Renault and Boursin cheese - and will feature subtitles for viewers who are not au fait with the language.

The station have booked the Gallic adverts to mark the launch of a French zombie drama series, The Returned, which begins on 9 June.

It is said to be the first time an entire ad slot on UK television has been in an overseas tongue.

A French voiceover will announce the three-and-a-half-minute break, which is made up of commercials which have originally been shown on TV in France.

Jonathan Allan, sales director at Channel 4, said: "We're really excited to bring the first entirely French ad break to Channel 4 to herald the arrival of our eagerly-awaited new zombie drama series - it should really make the ads fit within the context of the show and surprise the viewer."

The Returned (Les Revenants) is a supernatural crime thriller set in an Alpine village where the inhabitants do not realise they have been dead for years.

PA