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The agency has won the Inland Revenue pitch to handle its £3 million self-assessment awareness campaign. The news sees the account moved from the incumbent, D'Arcy, which repitched for the task alongside Lowe and DFGW.

The media planning account will move to Optimedia from D'Arcy's sister agency, MediaVest. Optimedia partnered MCBD in the pitch. Zenith, PHD and Mediaedge:CIA also competed for the business.

Ian Schoolar, the Inland Revenue's director of marketing and communications, said: "We need to be able to reach our diverse customer base. It will also help to get the message across that we are very much customer driven."

Helen Calcraft, the managing director at MCBD, said: "The much broader challenge is in realising the Revenue's goal of helping its customers to get it right first time."

The Inland Revenue's appointment of MCBD marks the end of its use of the Mrs Doyle character from the cult Channel 4 comedy series Father Ted after one year.

Although the Mrs Doyle campaign was the most successful for the Inland Revenue in the past four years, the public voted it last year's most irritating ad.

The new 2002 campaign will profile the services available to taxpayers looking for help filling in forms. The work will also aim to convince people to file returns over the web.