McDonald's unveils emotional Christmas 2022 advert set to Becky Hill soundtrack

McDonald's is set to tug on the heartstrings of Christmas fans all over the country by unveiling its annual TV advert that focuses on an important message for families during the festive season.

Titled 'The List', the 90-second clip is set to an emotional cover of 'Only You' by Becky Hill, marking the second time that the fast-food chain has collaborated with the Brit chart-topper who also created a cover for its 2020 advert.

Directed by Tom Hooper, the Oscar-winning director of The King's Speech, the advert follows a young boy who innocently gets swept up in the magic of Christmas when creating his wish-list for Santa. As his list grows ever longer, his mum is mentally panicking as she tries to get through all the preparations for the big day.

As he gets further swept up in the magic of creating his Christmas list, viewers will be as emotional as he is when his pages-long Christmas wish-list is then swept away for good in the wind. The final scene then culminates in mum and son heading to McDonald's for an unexpected visit that reminds them both - and viewers - that the season is meant for enjoying the little moments with family.

Becky Hill's stripped-back song, made famous by Yazoo in the 80s, will be available for streaming and downloads. The singer has also chosen to donate 10p from every download to McDonald’s partner charity, Children in Need, reports WalesOnline.

The young boy gets swept up in creating his wish-list - only for it to get blown away in the wind (McDonald's)

The emotive new advert is set to debut on TV's during ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here on Sunday, November 13 and it will kickstart McDonald's #ReindeerReady campaign, which has The Alternative Christmas List at its core. Available through the McDonald’s UK app from November 14, ‘The Alternative Christmas List’ will provide six unique opportunities to enhance the run-up to Christmas through togetherness with family and friends.

The Alternative Christmas List encourages families and friends to take a moment to write a list of things they want to do together ahead of the big day.

Whether its family traditions decorating the tree at home dancing to festive classics, or heading out wrapped up to meet Father Christmas himself, McDonald’s understands how important these moments are. This year, many families will struggle to afford every part of Christmas and McDonald’s hopes to help, bringing some merriment and magic through The Alternative Christmas list.

Michelle Graham-Clare, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer said: “We know this Christmas isn’t going to be a normal one for many families across the UK and Ireland, so it’s more important than ever that we’re there to support our customers in their preparations to get Reindeer Ready.

The 90 second clip focuses on the power of family at Christmas (McDonald's)

“We’re proud to launch The Alternative Christmas List, which will provide many families across the UK with free, fun activities in the lead-up to the big day, but to also be supporting our charity partner BBC Children in Need with much-needed funds at a time when they need it most”.

Becky Hill, said: "I am so pleased to working with McDonald’s once again for this year’s Christmas campaign. This year in particular so many families and young people are struggling with the cost of living & I’m so glad that 10p from every download is donated directly to BBC Children in Need - it’s humbling to see the work that this fantastic charity does and I’m proud to play my part in supporting the young people it helps.”

Each week, customers can log into the McDonald’s App, or head to ReindeerReady.co.uk to see what new experience has been added to ‘The Alternative Christmas List’

• WEEK ONE (14^th – 20^th November) – Cinema Tickets Competition
• WEEK TWO (21^st – 27^th November) – Christmas Card Roadshow
• WEEK THREE (28^th November – 4^th December) – Christmas Merch Competition – Jumpers (28^th – 30^th Nov) PJs (1^st – 4^th Dec)
• WEEK FOUR (5^th – 11^th December) – Christmas Carols (5^th-7^th) + Snapchat filter (8^th-11^th)
• WEEK FIVE (12^th – 18^th December) – AR lights (available till 26^th Dec)
• WEEK SIX (19^th – 24^th December) – RRL (17^th-26^th) Audiobook (19^th-25^th)

The Alternative Christmas List launches on the McDonald’s UK app from 14 November. Customers can download the app from the App Store or Google Play.

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