Tudor Crisps were launched and produced in Sunderland, North East England in 1947. In 1961 they were purchased by Smiths Crisps.
The brand focused on more unusual choices of flavour over the years including tomato ketchup, pickled onion, fried onion, fried tomato & bacon, kipper and even chocolate.
Sales of the potato snack soared on the back of the ‘canny bag of Tudor crisps’ catch-line. The memorable 70s ads featured a paper boy, bribed with a ‘canny bag of Tudor’ to brave delivering his papers to a very tall tower block (In reality the Derwent Tower in Dunston, Tyne and Wear).
In the 1980s the ads gave cult status to their star Allen Mechen, who played the adult paperboy who returned as an apparently successful and wealthy man, driving a Rolls Royce and eating a bag of Tudor Specials. The shopkeeper was played by Kenny Williams.
Smiths and Tudor were bought by Nabisco who also owned Walkers Crisps.
Tudor Crisps stopped being sold in 2003 when Walkers decided to focus on its core crisp range.
The Smiths brand was also mostly phased out around the same time as Tudor.
Walkers is now part of the international food and drinks giant Pepsico.
Tudor Specials Range