The run up to the festive season has begun and the emergence of Christmas adverts is now upon us.
In their now traditionally untraditional style, JD Sports has joined the fray, kicking off their Christmas campaign with the new King of Game ad.
Starting off in a shopping centre and transporting viewers into a futuristic Christmas games arcade, the action-packed visuals are accompanied by a grime-influenced soundtrack. And of course, as with last year’s Welcome to the Streets ad, it features a broad range of famous faces from the world of celebrity, music, sports, social media and beyond.
Here is a breakdown of all the famous faces to look out for:
Amaria BB – Music Artist
The Jamaican-British singer songwriter from Hackney won the first season of British talent show Got What It Takes at just 12 years old. She has since performed at Strawberries and Cream Festival with the likes of Little Simz and released her single Secrets earlier this year.
Amelia Dimoldenberg - YouTuber & Presenter
Youtube sensation Amelia Dimoldenberg is known for her online series Chicken Shop Date, on which she interviews some of the biggest names in popular culture, including Ed Sheeran, Dave and even Louis Theroux, over fried chicken.
Anthony Joshua – Boxer
The two-time former unified world heavyweight champion is one of the biggest boxers of his generation - having fought some of the best names in the sport – with a potential bout against Tyson Fury on the cards.
Arrdee – Music Artist
The Brighton rap sensation took social media by storm with his verse in Tion Wayne and Russ Millions No.1 Body remix – he’s since landed a string of his own top 10 hits including Oliver Twist and Flowers
Bugzy Malone – Music Artist
The Manchester rap legend is known for a string of hits including UK top 20 singles M.E.N III and Kilos with fellow Manchester-born star Aitch.
Central Cee - Music Artist
Central Cee is one of the biggest artists in UK music right now with multiple hits – his single Doja, released this year after huge anticipation, debuted at No. 2 in the charts – and caught the attention of US rapper Doja Cat herself.
Chloe Kelly - Footballer
Manchester City and England forward Chloe Kelly was one of the stars of the 2022 UEFA Womens European Championships – with her winning goal securing the cup for the Lionesses – and her iconic shirt rip celebration went viral, both online and all over the papers.
Chunkz – YouTuber & Presenter
Social media sensation Chunkz went from Youtuber to household name, hosting the 2020 MOBO Awards, his own show #SaturdaySocial on Sky Sports and recently featured in Soccer Aid this year for the second time.
Cole Wealleans-Watts – Actor
The Northumberland-born actor gained prominence for his performance as Jay in hit TV series The Dumping Ground. He also took on a minor role in Guy Ritchie’s 2017 movie King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Ella Toone - Footballer
Manchester United forward Ella Toone is also known for her part in the Lionesses’ Euro winning campaign this year, scoring the first goal in their 2-1 final win over Germany.
Ethan Matthews - TikTok Star & Dancer
The TikTok star, who posts regular dance videos, has amassed a huge following, boasting 688.8k followers on the platform and over 33 million likes.
Fumez The Engineer – Music Producer
Fumez has created some of the biggest hits in UK rap, drill, and RnB, including remixing Ed Sheeran’s Bad Habits – which featured Tion Wayne and Central Cee – and is credited with getting the original track to No. 1 in the UK.
Harry Pinero – YouTuber & Presenter
The Peckham YouTuber and presenter shot to fame through his light hearted content and regular collaborations with other big names including Chunk, which has amassed him over 1 million followers on Instagram and 464K subscribers on YouTube.
His popularity has landed him some big presenting gigs including hosting the red carpet of The BRIT Awards.
Harvey Elliott - Footballer
Surrey-born football ace Harvey Elliott is one of Liverpool’s standout young talents, rising through the ranks of Fulham’s academy into their first team, before being signed up by the Merseyside club in 2019.
He has since picked up a range of honours as part of the squad, including the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and most recently UEFA Champions League runner-up last season.
James Maddison - Footballer
Footballer James Maddison was signed by Leicester City in 2018 and has since featured heavily in the side’s first team as an important part of their midfield. He has also previously picked up multiple caps for England U21’s and a single cap for the senior team.
Jasmine Jobson – Actor
The London-born actor is best known for her role as Jaq in Netflix series Top Boy which gained her a nomination for Best Actress in the 2020 BAFTA Awards. She has since appeared in feature film Surge - which debuted at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
Joanna Chimonides - TV Personality
Love Island star Joanna Chimonides first came to attention in 2019, after coming in as a Casa Amor bombshell in series five of the hit reality show. She was coupled up with fellow islander Michael Griffiths, who chose her over eventual winner Amber Gill, which caused a stir before she was dumped from the island.
She has since forged herself a successful career through modelling and endorsements.
Kano – Music Artist & Actor
The London-born rapper is considered one of the most influential grime artists of his generation and widely regarded as one of the best of his genre.
In addition to his star turn in Top Boy, his Made In The Manor album was critically acclaimed and picked up Best Album at the 2016 MOBO Awards after reaching No. 8 in the UK Album charts.
Knucks - Music Artist
Rapper and producer Knucks has been making waves in the industry since 2014 with exciting grime-influenced projects. His 2021 breakthrough single Los Pollos Hermano was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
His list of collaborators includes UK rap heavyweight Stormzy, Not3s, Wretch 32 and Loyle Carner.
Kojey Radical - Music Artist
Shoreditch and Hoxton-raised Kojey Radical is an exciting talent, making a name for himself in various art forms, especially in music.
The MOBO Award nominated artist has released multiple projects since 2014, and has worked with a wide range of exciting UK artists including Ghetts, Mahalia and MJ Cole.
KSI – YouTuber & Music Artist
YouTuber turned boxer, turned musician KSI has become one of the biggest stars the platform has ever produced. The creator built his following from scratch, starting his current YouTube channel in 2009 with video game content– it has since amassed 16.1 million subscribers and over 4 billion views.
Whilst he continues to post on YouTube, he is now also known for his musical achievements, boasting a No.1 and No. 2 charting albums and seven top 10 singles, with five reaching the top five of the UK Top 40.
Laurie Elle - TikTok Star & Dancer
The Manchester based dancer and social media star has gained a name for herself TikTok, posting innovative dance videos.
Her content has made her a huge following, boasting over 4 million followers on the site and her collection of videos have clocked up 90 million likes on her profile.
Ms Banks - Music Artist
Ms. Banks is one of the UK’s leading female rappers – having dropped her first mixtape back in 2014. She boasts millions of views on YouTube throughout her discography.
She has since clocked up multiple hits and released singles Typa Way with UK rapper Tion Wayne, and Bounce, which was released this year and has clocked over 500k views on YouTube so far.
Ojerime – Music Artist
South London’s Ojerime has been making waves in the UK RnB scene for a while. The unique singer-songwriter, with a 90’s nostalgic influence, has multiple projects under her belt, including her recent B4 I Breakdown mixtape.
PK Humble - YouTuber & Presenter
PK Humble is an online personality whose growing popularity has been growing on TikTok, with 4.5 million total views so far on his comedic and relatable content. He’s also gained a following on YouTube through his musical pursuits, with his single Nado gaining 127k views on the platform.
R.A.E – Music Artist
Triple threat singer, rapper, and songwriter R.A.E is famed for pioneering a 90’s nostalgic sound, heavily influenced by LeftEye, Da Brat and Mc Lyte. Her music continues to gain traction on YouTube, where her music videos have clocked hundreds of thousands of views.
slowthai – Music Artist
Northampton’s slowthai has grown to prominence through his gritty and rough instrumentals and politically charged projects.
Having worked with some of the biggest artists in UK music, including Skepta and James Blake – he solidified his reputation with critically acclaimed work, including his top 10 debut album Nothing Great About Britain and his No.1 charting second album Tyron.
Snoochie Shy – Presenter
The radio presenter from Eltham, London, is best known for her show on BBC Radio 1Xtra. She first came to prominence after hosting a breakfast show on Radar.
Since then, she’s become a well-known name, even appearing in 2021’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Thiago Silva – Footballer
Defender Thiago Silva has had a stellar career in football since his debut, most recently going from a Champions League runner up in 2020 with Paris Saint Germain, to Champions League winner in 2021, after his transferred to Chelsea shortly after PSG’s defeat.
Already considered a club legend at Stamford Bridge after just two seasons at the club, at 83 years-old he is still getting picked for the first team and has won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with the club.
Tobi Brown - YouTuber & Music Artist
YouTube star Tobi Brown (who you might know as TBJZL) is well established on social media, gaining popularity on the video-sharing platform individually and also as part of the social media crew Sidemen (including fellow Youtuber KSI – who is also featured in the ad).
His YouTube channel has clocked up over 400 million views across all videos, and the content creator has amassed over 4 million subscribers. He’s also ventured into music, boasting a UK Top 40 single.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – Footballer
Liverpool and England ace Trent Alexander Arnold has gone from local fan to club legend for the Merseyside team, winning every major honour possible with the side and even nabbing PFA Young Player of the Year Award in 2020.
His memorable corner that set up Divok Origi’s winning goal against Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-final completed one of the most iconic comebacks in the competition’s history – with the team going on to win the Champions League final against Tottenham shortly after.
Virgil Van Dijk – Footballer
Virgil Van Dijk is one of the best defenders of his generation, with his addition to the Liverpool squad credited in transforming their fortunes and helping bring them back to world class level.
Van Dijk has also won every major honor with the club since joining in 2018 and has been featured heavily in various Team of the Season squads since – also winning PFA Player of the Year for his 2018-19 season.
