Hailed by critics and fashion designers alike, Mad Men is without doubt the most stylishly written and best-dressed programme on television. The cinched-waist prettiness and the sharp suits worn by Donald Draper and his colleagues at Sterling Cooper, the Madison Avenue advertising agency, in the award-winning series have not only inspired our photo shoot, but have influenced designers from Miuccia Prada to Michael Kors and renewed interest in the seemingly hedonist profession.

While the clothes can’t fail to impress, it’s the breathtakingly politically incorrect behaviour of Mad Men that makes the show so mesmerising. Advertising has always had a dubious reputation, whatever the decade. Its industry code may be “Honest, decent and true”, but the excesses of the Eighties – the heady mix of big bucks and creative genius with the ubiquitous Porsche 911 – suggested it was anything but.

Certainly, beneath its polished veneer, the male-dominated ad world of Mad Men is unapologetically sexist, racist and corrupt. The BBC bills it as “an authentic depiction”, but how does it compare to reality? Are British agencies today full of skirt-chasing men and husband-obsessed PAs? Do their days include three-hour liquid lunches? Most importantly, perhaps, have women finally reached the same heights as their male contemporaries? We talk to the real ad men and women from Saatchi & Saatchi, Fallon and Mother to find out.

MOTHER

Bridie Picot, 29
Print Producer
“I was working at a photo-agency in New York a couple of years ago; I did a job for Mother, and decided it was the next place I wanted to work. Agencies in London are more creative and exciting than anywhere else in the world. They are not that glamorous, though – if we are going out in the evening there will be five girls in the loos putting make-up on – and the boys are even slobbier.”

Lars Holthe, 28
Creative
“In Mad Men when all of them sit around the table with a brief and come up with ideas, it’s exactly the same as what we do – except we do it in jeans and T-shirts. I do have a client shirt – in fact, I have two, both grey, that I wear in meetings and everyone makes fun of me. We still go out and have a good time, but it is normally on a Friday night (and maybe one or two days during the week).”

Ana Balarin, 30
Creative
“We have no closed offices in our building. It is one big space with a table in the middle and every six weeks or so we all change places – including the bosses – so there are no physical boundaries at all. That influences the way people work and interact; it is open and friendly, and the atmosphere is relaxed, which is reflected in what we wear – not a bit like the programme, I’m afraid.”

Rebecca Edwards, 28
Receptionist
“Advertising has always been and will always be a very sociable industry. Even though very different people from different backgrounds work at the agency, we all get on so well and we go out after work at least once a week.”

Damien Eley, 36
Creative
“Before coming to Mother I worked in New York at a larger, more traditional company and I wish I could say that there were similarities, but there just aren’t. I think you would struggle to find an agency like Sterling Cooper anywhere in the world. To be honest I think the show is exaggerated – it plays up the clichés associated with the industry to get ratings. The reality is most agencies are full of smart young people who work hard. That doesn’t stop me wishing there were more crazy cigarettes, glasses of whisky and sexy secretaries.”

Thierry Albert, 37
Creative
“The big difference in the industry is that, in the Sixties, TV was new and powerful, with one or two channels, which everyone watched. Now, there are so many more ways of reaching people that you have to be smarter, funnier, more focused, which is challenging, but that pressure produces amazing work. Even though we work harder, we still like to party and have a few drinks, we just keep it to after work.”

SAATCHI & SAATCHI

Carlotta Brentan, 21
Account Executive
“This is my first job out of university and I had no idea what to expect. It is very intense, but even though I am new and young, people listen to my ideas, and if I suggest doing something a bit different they are willing to give it a try. A lot of time has passed since the Sixties and it is a completely different world, but working with high-profile clients and coming up with great campaigns is still very exciting. Although I don’t understand how they all had time to look so immaculate at work – I don’t even have time to blow-dry my hair.”

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