John Lewis/WaitroseWith a little over a month to go until Christmas Day (okay, a month and a half if we’re being precise), there’s only one thing on everyone’s minds.
It’s not the pigs in blankets, although I’ve got to admit they’re pretty high up on the priority list. Neither is it the presents we’ve yet to purchase, despite the fact we should probably start worrying about those pretty soon.
It is, of course, the John Lewis advert. When is it getting released? What will it be about this year? Which animated character will we get to meet? Well, all of those questions have now been answered because the day is finally here, folks.
Feast your eyes on the advert below:
This year’s Christmas advert, a joint venture with Waitrose, tells the tale of an excitable dragon called Edgar who unintentionally sparks chaos while simply wanting to be accepted by those in his community.
Set in a magical village to a cover of REO Speedwagon’s song Can’t Fight This Feeling by Bastille’s Dan Smith, the advert follows a blossoming friendship between Edgar and a young girl called Ava as they prepare for Christmas.
There’s one slight problem though; the more excited Edgar gets, the more destruction he causes, as whenever he sees anything remotely Christmas-related (a snowman, ice-skating, the unveiling of the Christmas tree), the little dragon can’t help but breathe fire onto everything.
John Lewis/WaitroseThe heart-warming advert sees Edgar accidentally melt a snowman, drench an entire group of children after turning an entire ice rink into water, and burn a Christmas tree to the ground, turning it into nothing but splinters.
The dragon, obviously heartbroken, takes himself home and refuses to come out, with Ava desperate to show her friend just how much she cares about him. And she does, in the form of a Christmas pudding.
When the duo arrive at a Christmas feast later that night, attended by all of their neighbours, Edgar unveils the pudding and sets it alight, leading everyone at the table to cheer for him and clap while the dragon stands proudly in front of them.
John Lewis/WaitroseThe release of the advert confirms rumours ‘Excitable Edgar’ is the star of the new Christmas campaign, after eagle-eyed fans spotted a teaser clip ‘leaked’ online which introduced viewers to Edgar for the first time.
In the clip, a child’s hand could be seen reaching up to a big wooden door before using the dragon headed iron knocker. In doing so, a small pile of snow fell off its head. The door then slowly creaked open, showing a glimpse of a warm and inviting room inside as fire crackled in the background.
Text at the end of the clip then flashed up, bearing the words: ‘Meet Edgar 14.11.19.’
You can watch the teaser below:
Martin George, partner and customer director of Waitrose & Partners, explained the Christmas pudding scene is a ‘reminder that a thoughtful gesture – whether that’s a delicious meal or a special gift – can mean so much’.
He explained, as per The Independent:
The magic of friendship and making our loved ones feel special, are some of the most wonderful things about this time of year.
A range of merchandise has been released to accompany the advert, which was created by communications agency adam&eveDDB, including a £15 cuddly toy, a Waitrose 12 months’ matured Christmas pudding, children’s pyjamas, children’s slippers and gingerbread biscuits.
Well, you know what that means guys. It’s officially Christmas and I’m all here for it! Now if you’ll just excuse me, I’m off to buy an Edgar cuddly toy so I can tell him everything’s going to be alright.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).