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Kristin Scott Thomas stars as grandmother seeking thoughtful Christmas gifts
John Lewis has launched its 20th major Christmas advert, starring Kristin Scott Thomas as Gloria, a grandmother searching for thoughtful presents. A talking toy dog called Pickles, voiced by Paul Whitehouse, urges her to find something better than cash, giving the retailer’s festive campaign a playful focus on the bond between grandparents and grandchildren.
In the three-minute advert, Gloria rejects gifts in other shops before travelling by tuk-tuk to John Lewis, where she buys disco balls and fairy lights for a “gran cave” with her grandchildren. The company says 52% of grandparents give cash because they are unsure what children want, and that Christmas-related sales are already up on last year. The advert features products from a £12.99 toy dog to an outfit costing hundreds of pounds, and will appear online and on television.
In short
- Kristin Scott Thomas stars as a grandmother on a gift hunt.
- Pickles the talking dog urges her to do better than cash.
- John Lewis says 52% of grandparents give cash when unsure what to buy.
Explained simply
John Lewis is a British department store chain known for its Christmas adverts, which it has made each year since 2007. The films are designed to promote the retailer during the busy Christmas shopping period.
This year’s advert centres on grandparents choosing gifts for their grandchildren. The retailer says many grandparents give money because they are unsure what children would like, and presents the campaign as a story about finding ways to share time and interests across generations.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “John Lewis Christmas ad stars Kristin Scott Thomas as glamorous granny on a gift hunt”.