The launch of the highly anticipated John Lewis Christmas advert means one thing – the festive season is officially upon us.
The department store has released yet another emotional advert ahead of Christmas, named The Gifting Hour, featuring former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft. Departing from the usual tradition of covers, Richard provides the soundtrack with his song Sonnet from his Acoustic Hymns album.
John Lewis’ 2024 campaign celebrates sisterly love, following a woman – named Sally – hunting for the perfect Christmas gift for her sibling. And as in typical John Lewis fashion, the advert contains a flashback to Sally’s childhood, with a child actress playing her younger self.
The Gifting Hour opens with heroine Sally running into the retailer’s Oxford Street flagship store, the first time a John Lewis store has appeared in its Christmas ad, 15 minutes before closing time. Falling through a rack of dresses, she steps into the attic of her childhood home, and begins a journey through her memories of growing up with her sister as she searches for a thoughtful present.
Here, the Mirror takes a look back at some of the child stars who have famously featured in John Lewis’ Christmas adverts.
The Long Wait – 2011
Who can forget the adorable little boy that firmly put John Lewis at the top of the tree when it came to emotional Christmas adverts. Slow Moving Millie covered Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths for the ad, where the little lad is impatiently waiting for the countdown to Christmas to end.
And while you might think it’s so he can get his hands on those goodies from Santa, it’s actually so he can give his mum and dad his carefully chosen gift. We were all struggling not to cry watching John Lewis’ 2011 offering, but what happened to its child star? Lewis McGowan, from Hamilton, near Glasgow, was chosen from 250 other children to star in the John Lewis advert, which was filmed over five days in London.
At the time, the youngster reportedly said: “I had great fun but it was hard work.” The young actor has been very busy with small roles in a number of TV shows, including Doctor Who and Houdini and Doyle.
And a couple of years ago, he had his biggest role yet appearing alongside Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie Dead Men Tell No Tales. The schoolboy played a 12-year-old version of Henry Turner, who is the son of Bloom’s character in 2017. He also appeared in TV series The Alienist and short film In The Fall in 2018.
Monty the Penguin – 2014
Everyone remembers Monty the loveable penguin, but there was another star in the 2014 advert. Going with the animal theme that year, John Lewis focused on Monty the Penguin and his adorable relationship with a little boy.
Even though Monty had a firm friend in the youngster, all he dreamed of was finding love. In a shock twist ending, it turned out Monty is an imaginary friend and a stuffed toy but under the Christmas tree is a female penguin, destined to be his perfect companion.
The theme tune to the advert was a Tom Odell cover of John Lennon’s Real Love. Rhys Edwards was given £2,500 wages for the commercial, but clashed with his parents on how to spend his earnings. The young actor wanted to buy a £369 drone but his parents wanted him to save the money for when he is older. Mum Lucie said: “We had to be strict about that. All the money is in the bank for when he’s older.”
Man On The Moon – 2015
One of the most memorable of all the John Lewis ads, Man On The Moon saw a little girl communicating with a man living on the moon. Each night, the schoolgirl watched the lonely old man through her telescope as Aurora sang a cover of the Oasis track Half The World Away.
Desperate to get the man’s attention, the little girl eventually sends him a special delivery of a telescope with a handy air balloon so he can see earth for the first time. The strapline for the advert was “Show someone they’re loved this Christmas” and it cost a rumoured £7million to film. Frenchman Jean Masini, who played the moon resident, became a huge star in his native country.
While child actress Orli Star Knill-Goldstein had already starred in a big budget film – Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children – and got to visit director Tim Burton’s home. Dad Trevor Goldstein, who is an actor and ex-Dreamboys star, said: “The advert did get her in a position where she got some big auditions – massive stuff.
“She loved it. She has never been fazed by the attention. Kids at her school would come up and say, ‘Were you in the advert?’ and she would say, ‘Yes’, and walk off. She doesn’t watch the ad. She loves the filming and that’s it. She doesn’t seem to have any interest in becoming famous.”
Moz the Monster – 2017
Back in 2017, we were introduced to a little boy who was terrified of the dark. Elbow performed the Beatles track Golden Slumbers for that year’s offering, which told the story of the scared lad who found a monster living under his bed.
But this was no horrifying monster, as the youngster quickly became friends with gentle giant Moz. They spent all night playing and having fun, so the little lad was noticeably exhausted during the day.
We were all under the belief that only one child was the star of the show, but the role was actually given to a set of twins. Only one of them actually auditioned for the big role but when bosses heard he had an identical twin they got them both involved. Ethan and Tobias got their first on-screen project together – and look to have a bright future ahead in acting.
An Unexpected Guest – 2021
In this advert filmed two years ago, a boy called Nathan sees an object fall from the sky whilst on a bus. He then gets off the bus and runs towards the object into the forest where he spots a spaceship and an alien named Skye.
The pair bond and hang out together, but Nathan then runs away before showing her his Christmas jumper that lights up. He then goes to show the staples of Christmas; Christmas trees, mince pies, and light-up displays. Noticing an electromagnetic pulse he sprints back to the forest where Skye is about to leave.
Skye is elated when Nathen gives her his jumper and she kisses him goodbye before going back on the spaceship. The advert features a cover of the Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder song “Together in Electric Dreams” by London pub singer Lola Young.
Raffiella Chapman played Skye and at just 15 years old, Raffiella has already been in on the big screen. She played Claire Densmore in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children as well as roles in BBC Film’s Homebound and BBC/HBO’s His Dark Materials. She has worked with stars Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor in Infinite, and recently completed filming on her breakthrough lead role of Vesper in Vesper Seeds.
Jordan Nash, 15, played Nathan, and is best known for his lead role as Peter Pan in the fantasy drama Come Away. Here he starred opposite Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo. He also played the lead role of Terry in the hit BBC/Netflix drama, Call the Midwife, and having a guest appearance on the comedy Breeders with Martin Freeman.
The Beginner – 2022
In last year’s advert, viewers saw a man learning to skate for the first time, but always trips up and falls over. His wife then calls, telling him they have something to look forward to, which is that they are going to adopt a young girl called Ellie.
Ellie was in the care system, and has a passion for skateboarding which is what she uses to bond with her dad. The campaign was in partnership with Action for Children and Who Cares Scotland? to raise awareness of children in care. The advert features a cover of Blink-182’s song, “All The Small Things” performed by Postmodern Jukebox featuring Mike Geier (under the stage name Puddles Pity Party.
John Paul Hurley plays the father and one of the lead actors in the John Lewis ad. The actor, who is from South Yorkshire, has starred in the likes of The Reckoning, The Lost King and Peaky Blinders.
In 2007, he won best actor at the European Independent Film Awards in Paris for his role in the short Laid Off, which was filmed in Glasgow. In addition to his many appearances in popular TV dramas, he has also written comedy ‘Ecclesiastical Supplies’ which was staged in Glasgow in 2015.
Ellie is played by rising actor Brooke Hart who has had a number of film, commercial and theatre roles. In 2017 she starred in the NSPCC Say Something campaign and she also played Paige in the National Theatre production of Love.
Snapper, the Perfect Tree – 2023
Snapper, The Perfect Tree is about a young boy who gets a grow-your-own Christmas tree in time for the festive season, but as it begins to grow from a seed he realises that it is actually a mischievous Venus flytrap, who he names Snapper. Despite not being a traditional tree, the flytrap has an appetite for celebrations and attempts to get involved in the festive fun.
Then, like in all good Christmas ads, comes the tear-jerking moment as Snapper is turfed out into the cold to make way for a fir tree. But the boy who nurtured Snapper is not happy with his plant being kicked out of the house at Christmas, and makes sure that there is a place for it in his home. The advert carries the apt strapline ‘Let your traditions grow’.
Teddy, who was eight at the time of filming, starred in the advert after auditioning for the role. Teddy, from Bournemouth, said at the time it was the “biggest thing I’ve ever done”. The schoolboy was put forward for an audition in 2023 by his parents who run a stage school and talent agency.
He has been acting for three years and has previously appeared in advertisements for McDonald’s and a Barnardos campaign.
