Nine 30 second animated episodes were created, following Dennis, as he battles with erectile malfunction.

The scripts were co-written by Aardman director Sam Morrison and Jamie McLennan from Profero to allow them to gain an understanding of the humour which would be used.

 “We didn't want to be po-faced about what is a clinical issue but equally we didn't want to trivialise, so although there is humour there the main character should feel likeable,” explains Morrison.

The campaign will use social media, in particularly YouTube to engage with the target audience and drive traffic to the website where they can find specially created content with information and advice that goes beyond standard patient awareness campaigns.

The animations began to run yesterday and be found on YouTube.