John Lewis Christmas advert 2026: Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Fender's Stones cover

John Lewis, the British department store chain, released its 2026 Christmas advert on Monday, 2 November, with actor Dame Kristin Scott Thomas in the lead role and singer Sam Fender providing the soundtrack. Scott Thomas plays Gloria, a stylish grandmother on a hunt for the right presents, accompanied by a wooden toy dog called Pickles, voiced by comedian Paul Whitehouse. The music is Fender's cover of The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want", and Fender also appears on screen. The three-minute film, made by the agency Saatchi & Saatchi, carries the line "Don't give up on giving" and asks shoppers to choose thoughtful gifts rather than hand over cash. It is the retailer's 20th Christmas advert.

In Britain, the John Lewis Christmas advert has become a cultural event in its own right. Its release is widely treated as the start of the festive shopping season, and the choice of song is itself part of the news each year. Viewers, critics and rival retailers all wait to see what the store will do, and the advert is discussed on television and social media within hours of its release.

This year's version leans on star power, pairing a celebrated screen and stage actor with a popular British singer-songwriter. Pairing a glamorous grandmother with a talking toy dog gives the advert both comedy and warmth, two qualities that have defined the most popular John Lewis campaigns.

The message is aimed squarely at the mood of shoppers. John Lewis says the campaign was made with the cost of living in mind, and it is aimed at people tempted to give money or vouchers to save time and effort. The advert pushes the other way, arguing that a carefully chosen gift means more. For a retailer that depends heavily on Christmas trading, encouraging customers to browse and buy physical presents is also good business, and the creative team has wrapped that commercial aim inside a story about care and family.

The song choice is a gentle joke on the theme. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a line every parent and grandparent has used at some point, and here it sits over a story about trying to find exactly the right thing for someone you love.

Peepals timeline: John Lewis's Christmas adverts began in 2007, according to a retrospective of every campaign, and over almost two decades they grew into an annual event that viewers anticipate. The 2026 film, released on 2 November, is the 20th. It arrives as other British retailers launch their own festive campaigns in early November, setting up the yearly contest over which advert the public likes best.

Short-term: Expect Fender's cover to be widely streamed in the coming weeks, along with debate over whether this year's advert matches the best of the series. Rivals will be compared against it as they release their own festive films.

Long-term: The campaign's call for thoughtful gifts over cash fits a wider attempt by high-street retailers to win back shoppers who have moved online or cut back. Whether it lifts John Lewis's Christmas sales will be clear only after the season.

Who is affected: John Lewis and its staff, British shoppers, the advertising industry, and Sam Fender, whose cover could reach a new audience.

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