Thorne Travel’s 2014 Christmas video goes viral again amid John Lewis comparisons

Thorne Travel’s low-budget 2014 Christmas video has gone viral again, drawing comparisons with John Lewis’s latest festive advert. Its renewed popularity reflects debate over whether major retailers’ polished, expensive campaigns have lost the spontaneity and charm audiences enjoy.

The three-minute video was filmed in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, and features staff in pink dresses, comic costumes, a dancing flash mob and inexpensive special effects. It has been viewed more than a million times on X; founder Shona Thorne says a customer alerted her to its return, while she criticised the John Lewis advert’s portrayal of children seeking a gift to earn their grandmother’s affection.