John Lewis has released the latest edition of its iconic Christmas advert, as people around the UK begin gearing up for the festive season. The retail giant has used this year’s ad to raise awareness of children in care with the story of a middle-aged man learning to skateboard before welcoming a young teenager into the family home.
The 90-second film – entitled The Beginner – shows a man as he struggles painfully to master skateboarding in the build-up to Christmas. Viewers are left questioning the motive behind his perseverance until the final scene, which shows a social worker arriving at his door with young teenager Ellie, who has arrived at her new foster home carrying her skateboard.
As with its past iterations, this year’s John Lewis ad features a cover version of a well-known and much-loved song. Previous versions have included Lily Allen’s cover of Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know and Elbow’s cover of The Beatles’ track Golden Slumbers.
