JOHN Lewis' 2021 Xmas advert has literally landed – featuring an adorable story of an alien experiencing her magical first ever Christmas.
New advert The Unexpected Guest follows the story of a teenage boy called Nathan who meets an alien named Skye after she crash lands her ship on earth – and they become best friends.
The ad first airs at 8.15pm on Thursday on ITV during The Pride of Britain Awards.
Snippets of the advert have been an instant hit with fans. So much so that John Lewis have even sold out of its Christmas jumpers just an hour after it launched the ad.
Read our John Lewis advert live blog below for the latest updates…
- Milica Cosic
Iceland’s cheeky spoof
ICELAND has launched a cheeky spoof of John Lewis’ hotly anticipated Christmas 2021 ad – just hours after it launched.
The supermarket has made a parody of the blockbuster advert, turning the main character – the alien Skye – into a potato snack.
Iceland took to social media channels including Twitter to post its hilarious version of John Lewis’ ad, taking the opportunity to promote its new Space Raiders potato shapes.
In their tongue-in-cheek version, instead of seeing Skye the alien stood by her spaceship, we see a Space Raiders potato shape instead.
- Milica Cosic
Critics of the ad
Of course, you can't please everyone and some people have criticised the advert.
One Facebook user said it was the "worst ad yet" while another said it was too "far fetched".
Another person commented: "Another year passes where I'm left disappointed. My favourite will always be 2011."
Some people have slammed the retailer for "ripping off" the classic film ET.
One disappointed customer tweeted: "John Lewis does ET."
Another joked: "I’m getting ET vibes here, they could have been a bit more original with the story line and look at the carbon footprint from that spaceship."
- Milica Cosic
John Lewis fans ‘in tears’
The John Lewis Christmas advert was unveiled today and is already set to go down as one the most popular ads ever.
One Twitter user said: "Ahhh the John Lewis Christmas ad is lovely, all about wonder, magic and being young, as the best Christmas' were."
Another added: "A sweet message with a little humour thrown in, just how a Christmas ad should be."
- Milica Cosic
Where to buy John Lewis' Christmas Jumper
It's available in kids, mens and womens, and is priced from £14.
- John Lewis & Partners Christmas Advert 2021 Kids' Jumper, from £14 – buy here
- John Lewis & Partners Christmas Advert 2021 Men's Jumper, £29 – buy here
- John Lewis & Partners Christmas Advert 2021 Women's Jumper, £29 – buy here
You can shop the whole advert here.
Recap: What happened in last year’s advert?
In a nod to the Covid pandemic which ground the country to a standstill for many parts of last year, John Lewis’ 2020 Christmas advert was inspired by random acts of kindness during lockdown.
It features different acts of kindness through nine different live action and animation scenes.
Heart-warming shots include a little girl helping a boy get his football down from the tree using a heart umbrella, a group of pigeons taking a sad hedgehog on a ride in a plane, and a young couple delivering a bag of shopping to two pensioners.
The ad was put together mostly via Zoom because of the Covid lockdowns, and features an original song by British soul singer Celeste.
Eight artists helped create the different scenes, including Chris Hopewell, who has created music videos for Radiohead and Franz Ferdinand, and French animator Sylvian Chomet.
M&S reveals Percy Pig Christmas advert for 2021
MARKS & Spencer has revealed its Christmas advert for this year, featuring Spiderman star Tom Holland as the voice of Percy Pig.
The Christmas clip, which also stars Dawn French as a festive fairy, sees Percy Pig come to life and explore the treats on offer in an M&S food hall.
It opens with a security guard closing an empty M&S shop for the night.
But then a cuddly toy Percy Pig is magically woken up when the fairy accidentally drops her wand on the Christmas present box he’s wrapped up in.
He takes a tour of the M&S store in Stratford, east London, where the advert was filmed, and is amazed at all the festive food on offer.
Read more here.
John Lewis advert out earlier than usual
John Lewis’s Christmas advert has been a key date in the calendar for festive fans since 2007.
However, this year, their ad was released earlier than last year, as it normally comes out in the second week of November.
This year John Lewis is selling its biggest range of merchandise, which includes the Christmas jumper given to Skye.
But it sold out of its Christmas jumpers just an hour after it launched the ad.
Fun facts about the John Lewis adverts
- The first-ever John Lewis Christmas advert was released in 2007 and was called “shadow”.
- Here’s how much last year’s Give A Little Love advert was said to cost.
- The location of last year’s ad was “exposed” after locals spotted fake snow on their street.
The 5 Xmas traditions in the John Lewis ad explained
THE John Lewis advert this year is all about celebrating Christmas traditions.
It follows the fictional story of a 14-year-old boy who finds an alien has crash landed in a forest near his home.
The alien, called Skye, doesn't know anything about Christmas or the traditions which many people like to do during the festive season.
John Lewis created the magical ad to celebrate the joy of Christmas.
They wanted to focus on the things which many could not do last year, including spending time with loved ones.
But did you spot the five which featured in the two-minute long ad? We explain everything you need to know.
- Milica Cosic
How to donate to John Lewis' Christmas campaign
There are several ways you can help donate to charity with John Lewis' Christmas campaign.
The retailer has not yet released the full details of how it intends to raise money this festive period and how people can donate.
But it has been said that the main way to provide support is by buying one of the brand's Christmas advert jumpers.
The jumpers are part of a range of merchandise being released alongside the advert.
John Lewis has said that 10% of contributions made from the Christmas jumpers will go to Home-Start and FareShare.
- Milica Cosic
What are the five traditions in the John Lewis ad?
The five traditions are:
- Decorating the Christmas tree
- Eating mince pies
- Have a snowball fight
- Wearing Christmas jumpers
- Watching a Christmas film
Today is a bumper day for Christmas ads
Today is a bumper day for Christmas adverts as Boots, Asda and John Lewis all release theirs at once.
Disney launched its animated clip yesterday – a three minute tale about families gathering for Christmas.
The latest Gap ad, which was released last week, features popstar Katy Perry covering the classic Beatles track All You Need Is Love.
Very was the first major retailer to release a festive film, launching it in October with 85 days to go until December 25.
Percy Pig Xmas toy available
Percy Pig fans can also get their hands on a special Christmas soft toy – which is available in store for £16 now.
He's so cute, we really want to add him to our collection!
M&S reveals Percy Pig Christmas advert for 2021
MARKS & Spencer has revealed its Christmas advert for this year, featuring Spiderman star Tom Holland as the voice of Percy Pig.
The Christmas clip, which also stars Dawn French as a festive fairy, sees Percy Pig come to life and explore the treats on offer in an M&S food hall.
It opens with a security guard closing an empty M&S shop for the night.
But then a cuddly toy Percy Pig is magically woken up when the fairy accidentally drops her wand on the Christmas present box he's wrapped up in.
He takes a tour of the M&S store in Stratford, east London, where the advert was filmed, and is amazed at all the festive food on offer.
Read more here.
John Lewis advert out earlier than usual
John Lewis's Christmas advert has been a key date in the calendar for festive fans since 2007.
However, this year, their ad was released earlier than last year, as it normally comes out in the second week of November.
This year John Lewis is selling its biggest range of merchandise, which includes the Christmas jumper given to Skye.
But it sold out of its Christmas jumpers just an hour after it launched the ad.
- Milica Cosic
Iceland's cheeky spoof
ICELAND has launched a cheeky spoof of John Lewis' hotly anticipated Christmas 2021 ad – just hours after it launched.
The supermarket has made a parody of the blockbuster advert, turning the main character – the alien Skye – into a potato snack.
Iceland took to social media channels including Twitter to post its hilarious version of John Lewis' ad, taking the opportunity to promote its new Space Raiders potato shapes.
In their tongue-in-cheek version, instead of seeing Skye the alien stood by her spaceship, we see a Space Raiders potato shape instead.
- Milica Cosic
Who is featured on the John Lewis advert soundtrack?
The soundtrack this year is performed by Lola Young, a 20-year-old singer-songwriter from South London.
It is a version of “Together in Electric Dreams”, originally released by Philip Oakey, lead singer of Human League, and Italian composer Giorgio Moroder in 1984.
The ad will air on social media from 8am and will be on telly for the first time at 8.15pm during the The Pride of Britain Awards on ITV.
- Milica Cosic
John Lewis donating 10% of merch profits to charity
This year John Lewis is selling its biggest range of merchandise, which includes the Christmas jumper given to Skye.
It comes in mens, womens and childrens sizes and costs between £14 – £29.
John Lewis is donating 10% of profits from each jumper to its Give A Little Love charity, which supports FairShare and Home-Start UK.
Its Christmas emporiums, which feature in 11 shops, also help bring the advert to life, with many of the items on sale.
- Milica Cosic
How much is Skye’s Christmas jumper selling for?
This year John Lewis is selling its biggest range of merchandise, which includes the Christmas jumper given to Skye.
It comes in mens, womens and childrens sizes and costs between £14 – £29.
John Lewis is donating 10% of profits from each jumper to its Give A Little Love charity, which supports FairShare and Home-Start UK.
- Milica Cosic
Pictured: Skye & Nathan watch a Christmas film together
The Unexpected Guest advert is about a teenage boy called Nathan who meets an alien named Skye who has crash landed on earth.
Through friendship Nathan shows Skye a series of festive family traditions.
They decorate a tree, eat mince pies, throw snowballs, watch an Xmas movie and he even gives her a gift of a Christmas jumper.
- Milica Cosic
John Lewis officially dropped
It's finally here and out! It's beginning to feel a lot more like Christmas now.
We can't wait to see it circulating on the TV more.
- Milica Cosic
Which charities has John Lewis worked with before?
John Lewis also partnered with FareShare and Home-Start for its Give a Little Love advert in 2020.
In 2019, for its Edgar the Dragon adver, the retailer also partnered with FareShare.
Previous John Lewis charity partners include the Elton John Charitable Trust for its 2018 advert starring Elton John.
In 2017, John Lewis donated money to Barnardos through its Moz the Monster advert.
And in 2016, it raised money for the The Wildlife Trusts with its Buster the Boxer release.
- Milica Cosic
Recap: What happened in last year’s advert?
In a nod to the Covid pandemic which ground the country to a standstill for many parts of last year, John Lewis’ 2020 Christmas advert was inspired by random acts of kindness during lockdown.
It features different acts of kindness through nine different live action and animation scenes.
Heart-warming shots include a little girl helping a boy get his football down from the tree using a heart umbrella, a group of pigeons taking a sad hedgehog on a ride in a plane, and a young couple delivering a bag of shopping to two pensioners.
The ad was put together mostly via Zoom because of the Covid lockdowns, and features an original song by British soul singer Celeste.
Eight artists helped create the different scenes, including Chris Hopewell, who has created music videos for Radiohead and Franz Ferdinand, and French animator Sylvian Chomet.
- Milica Cosic
Less than an hour to go
The ad will first air on at 8.15pm tonight.
Fans need to tune into ITV during The Pride of Britain Awards to be able to watch it.
- Milica Cosic
Fun facts about the John Lewis adverts
- The first-ever John Lewis Christmas advert was released in 2007 and was called “shadow”.
- Here’s how much last year’s Give A Little Love advert was said to cost.
- The location of last year’s ad was “exposed” after locals spotted fake snow on their street.
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