The John Lewis Christmas advert has became as much a part of the festive season as a visit to the German markets or a tray full of warm mince pies.
Always accompanied by a breathy, acoustic cover of a classic pop song, I’m not ashamed to admit that the John Lewis ad always gives me a tinselly fizz of festive excitement.
At their best, a John Lewis ad gives us a warm chuckle and a little rush of emotion. And this year – which has brought us the adorable Excitable Edgar – has been an absolute delight.
We all have our favourites dating back over the years, and we’ve all felt that tinge of disappointment when the ad wasn’t quite as magical as the year before.
For me, the spine tingling The Journey (2012) will forever have my vote, but there have been many great ones. Many of us will remember The Long Wait (2011), a genuinely sweet story in miniature about a little boy who couldn’t wait for Christmas.
The twist in the tale came when we realised his impatience for Christmas is down to him being so very excited to give gifts rather than receive them.
Remind yourself of The Long Wait (2011) here:
Set to Slow Moving Millie’s stirring cover version of The Smiths’ Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, it was impossible not to be touched by this lovely display of generosity.
And the little boy at the heart of the clip has gone on to become a Hollywood actor, starring alongside Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) .
Lewis McGowan played a young Henry Turner in the pirate adventure sequel, the son of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.
Lewis made the following comments in 2017:
Ever since I was a little boy I’ve loved the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies.
It was crazy meeting actors like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. I loved it, the whole experience was fantastic.
Lewis has also appeared in various TV shows, including Doctor Who, The Alienist and Houdini and Doyle.
Lewis, who is originally from Hamilton, near Glasgow, was picked out of a group of 250 other children to star in the now iconic John Lewis advert, filmed over the course of five days in London.
Just shows generosity at Christmastime always pays off.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.