John Lewis has unveiled its 20th Christmas ad, and the annual holiday event is once again sparking conversation, though not all of it is festive.
The three-minute film, “Gloria and Pickles,” stars Dame Kristin Scott Thomas as a glamorous grandmother struggling to figure out what to give her grandchildren for Christmas. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi London and directed by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Lucy Forbes through Smuggler, the campaign centers on the increasingly familiar anxiety of finding the “perfect gift.”
The story begins on Christmas Eve as Gloria welcomes her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, Freddie and Maggie, into her beautifully appointed home. Hoping to entertain the kids, she pulls an old wooden dog from the attic – Pickles, a vintage childhood toy – but the children are unimpressed.
Feeling increasingly disconnected from them, Gloria starts slipping cash into Christmas cards.
Then Pickles comes to life.
Voiced by Paul Whitehouse, the toy dog berates her for taking the easy way out – “You can do better than cash” – before dragging Gloria on a last-minute London shopping mission.
The adventure eventually inspires Gloria to create the “Gran Cave,” a room filled with lights, music and gifts designed specifically for her grandchildren. On Christmas morning, instead of finding money in their cards, Freddie and Maggie receive a key to the room and finally connect with their grandmother.
The campaign carries the tagline “Don’t Give Up on Giving” and features Sam Fender’s new cover of The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Watch below:
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While some viewers praised Scott Thomas’ performance, the humor, and John Lewis’ familiar emotional storytelling, others questioned whether the ad’s luxurious setting feels out of step with families facing continued financial pressure.
Critics pointed to Gloria’s large London home, the abundant gifting and her grandchildren’s visible expectation of cash as evidence that the campaign presents a particularly comfortable version of Christmas.
The grandchildren, in particular, became an immediate target online.
On Mumsnet, some viewers described them as “awful” and “brats,” with several reacting to the moment they shake their Christmas cards expecting money. One commenter joked that if they were Gloria, they would forget the presents and sponsor a donkey in the children’s names instead.
The Independent’s Katie Rosseinsky called the campaign “tone deaf,” questioning whether John Lewis could have acknowledged that Christmas may be more financially constrained for many households this year.
Kantar’s Lynne Deason offered a more mixed assessment, praising Scott Thomas’ casting, Pickles’ humor and the soundtrack while arguing that the spot lacks some of the emotional punch associated with previous John Lewis Christmas ads.
John Lewis, however, insists the campaign is less about spending big than giving thoughtfully.
Marketing and loyalty director Rosie Hanley said the story reflects a common fear of getting gifting wrong.
“I’ve definitely resorted to putting cash in an envelope for fear of getting it wrong,” Hanley said. “But our message this year is simple: ‘Don’t give up on giving.’”
The creative team also deliberately avoided turning the climax into a product showcase.
“For the actual ad itself, we wanted it to be more about the connection you can create with people in your family as opposed to focusing on the price of an actual product,” Hanley said.
Scott Thomas’ casting itself marks a departure for the retailer. John Lewis has traditionally favored unknown performers for its Christmas campaigns, but Hanley said the 20th anniversary felt like the right moment to change course.
“We haven’t used [this kind of] talent before,” she said. “Because it was the 20th, we thought, why not. It’s got to keep moving forward, and we’re trying to reinvent it.”
Pickles also required some careful casting.
Saatchi & Saatchi Chief Creative Officer Franki Goodwin said the team needed a voice that could challenge Gloria without becoming unlikable, which led them to Whitehouse.
“We want someone really front-foot, who you’re gonna love, even when they’re going, ‘It’s not good enough, come on, do a bit better, Grandma,’” Goodwin said.
The soundtrack extends the campaign’s intergenerational theme.
Fender’s version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” includes a children’s choir recorded with students from his former school, John Spence Community High School, along with a brass arrangement performed by the Easington Colliery Band. Mick Jagger said he was pleased Fender had taken on the song and praised the finished cover.
John Lewis is also selling physical copies of the single, with all retailer profits donated to Action for Children through the company’s Building Happier Futures program.
The campaign will run across television, streaming, digital and social, including ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, TikTok, Meta, Reddit and YouTube. John Lewis is also planning Black Friday activity and additional holiday activations in December.
Whether viewers see Gloria’s world as charming fantasy or conspicuous comfort, the reaction proves one thing hasn’t changed.
John Lewis has once again made a Christmas commercial feel like a national conversation.
CREDITS:
BRAND: John Lewis
- Chief Marketing Officer: Anna Braithwaite
- Marketing Director: Rosie Hanley
- Brand Director: Katie England
- Brand Manager: Carolyn Timberlake
- Brand Manager: Laura Masters
- Marketing Executive: Graham Holly
- Brand Manager: Georgina Veasey
- Brand Manager: Georgiana Bernhardt
AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi London
- Chief Executive Officer: Claire Hollands
- Chief Creative Officer: Franki Goodwin
- Creative Director: Simon Cheadle
- Head of Creative: Caroline Paris
- Associate Creative Director: George Coyle
- Associate Creative Director: Sam Simmonds
- Copywriter: Paddy Fraser
- Chief Strategy Officer: Sam Wise
- Planning Director: Polly Whitton
- Planner: Phoebe Lyons
- Chief Production Officer: Jessica Ringshall
- Agency Producer: Sam Robinson
- Integrated Producer: Izzy Woods
- Production Assistant: Rita Aboderin
- Business Affairs Director: Charlotte Fisher
- Business Affairs Manager: Liz Staley
- Business Lead: Isaac Hickinbottom
- Account Director: Lupien Troelstra
- Account Manager: Dhara Chauhan
MEDIA: Manning Gottlieb OMD
- Chief Client Officer: Geraldine Ridgway
- Client Director: Melanie Nixon
- Account Director: Taylor Cao
- Head of Planning: Flora Williams
- Chief Creative Officer: Tamara Cross
- Creative Director: Will Selwyn
- Business Director: Chloe Jukes
- Strategy Director: Helen Brain
- Media Director: Michael Williams
- Media Director: Gabriella Michalski
- Media Director: Tom Brown
- Business Director: Natalie Hawkins
- Social Manager: Lucy Miles
- Media Director: Sophia Nall
- Media Manager: Iain Mackinnon
- Analyst: Rosie Wishart
PRODUCTION COMPANY: SMUGGLER London
- Director: Lucy Forbes
- Managing Director: Lucy Kelly
- Executive Producer: Kerry Smart
- Producer: Martha McGuirk
- Production Manager: Meghan Young
- Production Assistant: Tom Pritchett
- Director of Photography: Frank Lasse
- Camera Operator: Neils Thastum
- Production Designer: Alex Holmes
- Costume Designer: Suzanne Cave
- Stylist: Orla Kelleher
- 1st AD: Tony Fernandez
- Photographer: Richie Hopson
PRODUCTION: Verse
- Director: Louis Ellison
- Producer: Jake McGowan
POST / VFX: Selected Works
- Creative Director: Amber Frisenda
- 2D Lead: Dan Adams
- 2D Artist: Georgie Ford
- 2D Artist: Valeria Scalamandre
- 2D Artist: Rich Roberts
- 2D Artist: Pete Hodsman
- 2D Artist: Mahesh Chandra
- Online Editor: Max Marshall
- 3D Animation: Luke Frampton
- 3D Animation: Christina Mandia
- 3D Artist: Katie Bates
- 3D Artist: Mickey O’Donoghue
- 3D Artist: Dave Hempstead
- Producer: Angie Broomfield
- Executive Producer: Alex Fitzgerald
POST / VFX: The Harbor Picture Company (UK
- Colorist: Toby Tomkins
- Head of Production: Charlie Morris
- Color Producer: Sarah Banks
EDIT: tenthree
- Editor: Ellie Johnson
- Edit Assistant: Becca Campbell
- Executive Producer: Ed Hoadley
- Producer: Rachel Goodger
EDIT
Editor: Deri Watt
MUSIC/SOUND: Wake The Town
Founder: Dom Bastyra
MUSIC/SOUND: 750mph
- Sound Designer: Sam Ashwell
- Sound Designer: Jake Ashwell
- Executive Producer: Olivia Ray
- Head of Production: Rachel Saxon
MUSIC/SOUND: Product Supplier Films
Sound Engineer: Matt Valentine
CASTING: Talent Republic
- Casting Director: Anne Batz
- Casting Associate: Emily Curtis
- Casting Associate: Disha B.B
CASTING: 750mph
Casting Director: Kirsten Troy
CASTING
Casting Director: Ali Fearnley
