Richard Branson is to make his first appearance in a TV ad for nearly a decade, as a scruffy, tattoo-covered refuse collector in a campaign to promote Virgin Trains.

Branson, who fleetingly appears with tattoos and missing teeth as a binman at Glasgow train station in the Virgin Trains ad, last appeared in a live action TV ad for the money brand Virgin One in 2000, although an animated version of the Virgin founder featured in a Virgin Media commercial last year.

Virgin Trains' new ad featuring Branson's cameo breaks tonight during Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies from 8pm.

The ad, one of two created by the agency Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, targets business travellers by featuring wannabe business high-flyer Ed on a mission to get a brief completed while travelling on a Virgin Trains service.

Bumbling Ed gets his act together by taking advantage of on-board services such as using Wi-Fi and enjoying a meal, all set to 1980s cheesy rock classic The Final Countdown by Europe.

The ad ends with Ed feeling wildly successful, imagining himself appearing – somewhat Branson-like – on the cover of Business Week and with crowds of people applauding his business acumen.

"Ten years ago I sort of decided on purpose to let [Virgin] companies stand on their own two feet [more] and do their own thing," said Branson, speaking to MediaGuardian.co.uk.

"I have done things like Superman Returns and Casino Royale but [with Virgin companies] there can be such a thing as too much of a chairman of a company and it sometimes good to let products speak for themselves."

The second Virgin Trains TV ad, which aims to target leisure travellers, features a lovestruck woman called Becky who is travelling to Manchester to meet her boyfriend. It is set to another well-known 1980s song, ABC's The Look of Love.

Virgin Trains has launched the ad push, which includes TV, online, press, radio and outdoor ads, to promote a recent track upgrade by Network Rail that should lead to the company running more, and faster, trains.

The company has set a target of generating more than 1.8 million additional "journeys" on its trains as a result of the ad campaign during 2009-2010. The new campaign runs with the strapline "Where do you want to be?".

In 2008 an animated version of Branson appeared in a series of TV ads for Virgin Media featuring cartoon character versions of celebrities including Kelly Osbourne and former Spice Girl Mel B.

Branson has guest starred in numerous TV shows including Friends, Baywatch, Only Fools and Horses, Birds of a Feather and The Simpsons.

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