Who Are the Actors in the New Cadbury Advert?

If you’re searching for the actors in the latest Cadbury Dairy Milk advert, the answer depends on which campaign you’ve seen. The most recent UK television spot, titled ‘Homesick’ and launched in January 2026, features two actresses playing sisters, but Cadbury has not publicly released their names. However, if you’re thinking of the widely discussed ‘Garage’ advert from late 2022, the cast is confirmed: Mark Womack plays the father, and Hollie Dempsey plays his daughter.

What we know about ‘Homesick’ (January 2026)

The ‘Homesick’ advert tells the story of two sisters separated by 6,000 miles. One lives in the UK; the other has moved to Kuala Lumpur. The older sister receives a care package from home containing a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk, but there’s a twist: her younger sister has already eaten a piece and held the bar together with a small alien sticker.

This 60-second spot was directed by Steve Rogers, who also helmed previous acclaimed Cadbury adverts including ‘Garage’ and ‘Speakerphone’. The production involved VCCP London (Cadbury’s global creative agency), Biscuit Filmworks, and VCCP’s in-house studio, Girl&Bear. Despite the advert’s emotional resonance and online discussion, neither Cadbury nor VCCP has published the actresses’ names in official credits or press materials.

The campaign continues the “There’s a Glass and a Half in Everyone” brand platform, which has run since 2017. Unlike earlier Cadbury campaigns that focused on the product’s taste or ingredients, this strategy centres on small, relatable acts of generosity that strengthen human connections.

The ‘Garage’ advert and its confirmed cast

Many people searching for Cadbury advert actors are actually looking for information about ‘Garage’, which first aired in late 2022 and remained in rotation through 2023. This advert generated significant online curiosity because it featured a recognisable face from British television.

Mark Womack plays the father. English viewers know him best as DI Mark Malone in ITV’s Emmerdale, where he played a corrupt and violent detective. His appearance in a warm, gentle Cadbury advert surprised fans accustomed to his villainous soap role. Womack has also appeared in Liverpool 1, Blood Strangers, and various British crime dramas.

Hollie Dempsey plays the daughter working the late shift at a petrol station. The advert’s tension comes from the ambiguous relationship between the two characters until she says, “Love ya, Dad,” revealing the connection. Dempsey is a British actress and writer known for her work in comedy.

The ‘Garage’ advert was directed by Steve Rogers and produced by VCCP. Its success on social media, particularly the curiosity about Womack’s casting, demonstrated the value of using a familiar actor in an unexpected context.

Why Cadbury doesn’t always reveal actor names

Cadbury’s recent advertising strategy prioritises authenticity and relatability. The brand often casts lesser-known or non-professional actors to maintain the feeling that these are real moments rather than polished performances. By not publicising cast names, the focus remains on the story and the emotional message rather than celebrity recognition.

This approach has proven commercially successful. The “There’s a Glass and a Half in Everyone” campaign generated an additional £261 million in revenue in its first four years and won the IPA Effectiveness Grand Prix award in 2022, one of the advertising industry’s highest honours. The strategy reversed a period of declining sales by rebuilding brand affinity through storytelling.

Other notable adverts in the series

Beyond ‘Homesick’ and ‘Garage’, the campaign has produced several memorable spots:

‘Mum’s Birthday’ (2018) showed a young girl buying her mum a Dairy Milk bar, paying with a collection of trinkets and small change. This advert established the campaign’s tone of small, imperfect gestures.

‘Speakerphone’ (2023) featured a son reassuring his nervous father on his first day at a new job, with the father accidentally leaving his phone on speaker.

‘Memory’ (2025) told a touching story about a daughter visiting her father, who is living with dementia. Created in partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, this advert raised awareness while maintaining the campaign’s focus on connection and generosity.

Each advert in the series was directed by Steve Rogers and developed by VCCP, creating a consistent visual and emotional tone across the campaign.

How to find official cast information

If Cadbury or VCCP releases official credits for ‘Homesick’ or future adverts, they typically appear in trade press coverage (such as Campaign or The Drum) or on VCCP’s case study pages. Production companies occasionally list credits on their websites, though this is not guaranteed for every commercial project.

For now, the ‘Homesick’ actresses remain unnamed in public materials. The confirmed cast information is limited to earlier adverts in the series, with ‘Garage’ being the most searched due to Mark Womack’s recognisability from Emmerdale.