Department store retailer John Lewis has enlisted Dame Kristin Scott Thomas to front its milestone 20th festive commercial, pairing the veteran actress with a talking toy dog in a campaign designed to inject a sense of upscale playfulness into the holiday shopping season.
The three-minute commercial casts Scott Thomas as Gloria, an aristocratic grandmother on a mission to find thoughtful presents for her grandchildren, Freddie and Maggie. Guided by a toy dog named Pickles—voiced by comedian Paul Whitehouse—the character is challenged to avoid giving cash and instead hunt down more creative gifts.
Following a magical tuk-tuk journey to a John Lewis store, Gloria acquires disco balls and fairy lights to build a dedicated gathering space dubbed a “gran cave” for her family. Rosie Hanley, the marketing director at John Lewis, noted that the company increased its budget for this year’s production to mark two decades of its signature holiday campaigns, aiming for a robust commercial return ahead of the Black Friday shopping window.
According to Hanley, the creative direction was informed by company research showing that 52% of grandparents resort to giving money because they lack confidence in selecting items young people actually want. Despite economic pressures facing British households, Hanley reported that seasonal spending at the retailer is tracking higher than at the same point last year.
The commercial, created by the agency Saatchi & Saatchi, marks a return to the brand’s tradition of featuring a charming central companion character, echoing past campaigns like Monty the penguin in 2014 and Buster the boxer in 2016. However, the narrative breaks new ground by focusing on the dynamic between an older relative and a toy rather than young children.
The soundtrack features a cover of the Rolling Stones song You Can’t Always Get What You Want performed by Sam Fender. The recording incorporates vocals from the choir at John Spence Community High School—which Fender previously attended—alongside the Easington Colliery Band. The audio track will be issued on vinyl later in the month, with proceeds directed to Action For Children.
The campaign highlights an array of merchandise featured in the spot, ranging from a £12.99 Fisher-Price pull-along dog toy—based on the classic Little Snoopy model celebrating its 60th anniversary—to a £255 Weekend Max Mara top and a matching £290 skirt worn by Scott Thomas.
The full three-minute ad debuts across digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube on Tuesday morning. A 60-second broadcast cut will air during evening ad breaks on ITV’s Coronation Street and Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off.
To coincide with the launch, John Lewis is erecting a giant Christmas tree outside its Oxford Street branch in London, capitalizing on the recent pedestrianisation of the thoroughfare. The retailer reported that visitor traffic to the Oxford Street location rose by more than 20% over the previous year.
The rollout arrives as major British supermarkets debut their own holiday campaigns, contributing to an expected £14 billion in total festive advertising expenditure across the industry. Figures from the Advertising Association and research group WARC indicate an 8.2% year-on-year increase in overall holiday ad spending, driven by an 18.5% surge in social media investments, while television spending is projected to grow by 1.6%.
