Six Feet Under ads attacked

Six Feet Under is set in a Californian funeral home

Adverts in the UK for the drama Six Feet Under have led to more than 100 complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.

The adverts for the Channel 4 show, in newspapers and on internet sites, featured a range of death-related beauty products.

Six Feet Under is a comedy drama set in a Californian funeral parlour.

One advert showed a man's naked shoulders and head. In the foreground is a labelled "In Eternum + embalming fluid" and next to the caption "skin to die for".

Another newspaper insert featured three products - wound filler, embalming fluid and lip lock, as well as a reference to Fisher and Sons, the fictional funeral directors from the show.

'Fantastical' products

One of the complainants said that at no time did the advertisement make clear it was promoting Six Feet Under.

The show, produced by the cable channel HBO, used similar adverts for 'fake products' in its first series, shown last year.

In May, billboard posters promoting the show were banned after the ASA said they were offensive, shocking and unsuitable for children.

Channel 4 said the adverts were "obviously a spoof" because of the "fantastical notion" of the products.

But the ASA said "people were more likely to be confused and misled than amused by the advertisers' ironic approach".

It warned Channel 4 not to repeat the style of adverts again.