Christmas chocolate favourites Celebrations were nearly called, er, Jamboree-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro

Michelle Frost was behind the iconic chocolate box (Picture: Channel 4)

Festive chocolate favourites Celebrations almost had a totally different vibe with an alternative name.

The rise of iconic chocolate boxes, including Roses and Quality Street, as Christmas staples is explored in a new Channel 4 documentary.

Narrated by comedian Jo Brand, The Secret World Of… Christmas Chocolate looks at how confectionary brands have battled it out in the so-called ‘Chocolate wars’ to be the nation’s favourite sweet.

Among those speaking to the one-off special’s makers is Michelle Frost, who is the general manager of Mars, and behind its iconic box, found in stockings everywhere, Celebrations.

The confectionery box, who was tasked with turbocharging the US brands popularity in the UK, explains she felt the market in the 90s was ‘boring’ and ‘traditional’ and was desperate to overhaul it.

On how she created the idea of Celebrations, she says: ‘I usually get my best ideas in the bath. And there’s always a joke at work: “Oh god Michelle’s been in the bath again. Watch out, everybody.”

Monique Carter, who worked at Cadbury, also appeared in the doc (Picture: Channel 4)

‘Anyway, I was having this bath, mulling this conundrum: “What can I do that’s different?” And then it just dawned on me. I know what we need to do. We need to use the chocolates that everybody loves.’

Once they opted of making miniature versions of well-known chocolates, including Twix, Maltesers and the controversial Bounty, Michelle next needed a suitable name.

She explains: ‘And then I had to think about, oh gosh, what are we gonna call this thing?’

Bill Ronald was the former UK MD of Mars and is still a huge fan of the brand (Picture: Channel 4)

‘There were two names that stuck out for me; one was Celebrations and one was Jamboree.

‘So Celebrations could’ve been called Jamboree, which is an equally lovely name I think. But Celebrations just summed up the occasion that we wanted people to use this product for.’

Which name would you have chosen if you had been in Michelle’s shoes?

Where do you stand on the Bounty debate? (Picture: Shutterstock / Roger Utting)

Michelle thinks that Jamboree is an ‘equally lovely’ name (Picture: Channel 4)

Such is the controversy around the inclusion of Bountys, this year shoppers will be able to buy special ‘No Bounty’ Celebrations boxes in a trial.

It comes after a survey found that 39% of Brits would support having the coconut bars scrapped from Celebrations.

The poll of 2,000 people revealed that 18% would feel irritated if they opened a Celebrations tub to find only Bountys were left, and 58% said this would lead to a family argument.

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It also found that 22% of people surveyed like Bounty the least out of all the chocolates in the Celebrations tub, and 28% of us believe that coconut does not belong in a chocolate bar at all.

The Secret World Of… Christmas Chocolate airs on Channel 4 on Tuesday at 9pm.

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