John Lewis Christmas advert: Venus flytrap takes starring role in much-awaited campaign
John Lewis has released its much-awaited Christmas advert – with a Venus flytrap in a starring role.
The advert – called Snapper, The Perfect Tree – follows a young boy as he lovingly nurtures a seed bought at a local market, thinking he is growing a Christmas tree.
But the outcome is more Little Shop Of Horrors than evergreen fir.
The fast-growing plant is soon snapping at the dog and gobbling decorations – until his antics go too far and he is dragged out into the cold.
A traditional tree goes up in Snapper’s place as he watches through the window from the frosty garden.
Of course Snapper couldn’t stay cast out forever – and to the rousing soundtrack performed by opera star Andrea Bocelli, the family moves the celebrations outside, ending with the strapline “Let your traditions grow”.
The reaction to the advert was mixed, with a chorus of people on X, formerly Twitter, saying a Venus flytrap wasn’t “very Christmassy”.
“Nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ like an alien man eating plant,” one viewer said.
But others said the uplifting message hit the right note. “It’s a bit of festive cheer at a time when things are a bit low for people,” one X user said.
Pic: John Lewis
John Lewis customer director Charlotte Lock said: “We are a nation that loves the traditions of Christmas – from classic traditions like pantos and putting up the tree to evolving new ones like crafting our own presents and Zoom get-togethers.
“Many of us have our own unique festive traditions and that makes them even more special. The film celebrates themes of family and evolving traditions, and shows that a ‘perfect’ Christmas is finding joy together with loved ones, whatever your traditions.”
M&S was one of the first supermarkets to reveal its ad campaign, following a similar theme of ditching unwanted traditions.
However it was forced into an apology after an outtake from the video was criticised for showing burning paper hats resembling the Palestinian flag.
Asda brought in Michael Bublé – the man whose voice is synonymous with Christmas – for an ad directed by Taika Waititi.
Sainsbury’s stayed away from high concept and instead focused on its product as a young girl asks over the tannoy what Santa has for Christmas dinner.
And Lidl tied the ad into the launch of its Toy Bank, donating gifts to children, with a cute tale of a raccoon returning a lost toy.
John Lewis has not revealed its budget for its campaign, which is its first with agency Saatchi and Saatchi after a partnership with adam&eveDDB stretching back to 2009. That one created ads featuring Monty The Penguin, The Bear And The Hare and Excitable Edgar.
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Excitable Edgar stars in the 2019 John Lewis Christmas ad
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The ad’s soundtrack is an original song called Festa – which means celebration – composed for the campaign by Italian electro-pop duo Le Feste Antonacci.
Bocelli said: “I am delighted to take part in this wonderful and unique tradition of Christmas storytelling.”
The soundtrack will be released in longer form as a charity single, with a proportion of the proceeds going to the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures charities, which help young people with experience of the care system and families in need.
Birmingham band UB40 say the city’s striking bin workers and their union should “keep fighting” in their dispute over pay.
It comes as the government and the council urged them to accept a “fair and reasonable offer”.
“We’re fully on their side,” drummer Jimmy Brown told Sky News. “I think they shouldn’t give up, they should still be fighting.
“Working people shouldn’t have to take a reduction in their incomes, which is what we’re talking about here.
“We’re talking about people being paid less and it seems to me with prices going up, heating, buying food, inflation and rents going up then people need a decent wage to have a half decent life… keep going boys!”
Members of the Unite union in Birmingham earlier this month. Pic: PA
Workers joined picket lines again on Thursday, with some fearing they could be up to £600 a month worse off if they accept the terms.
“We have total utter support for the bin men and all trade unions,” said guitarist Robin Campbell.
“The other side is always going to say they’ve made a reasonable offer – the point is they’re the ones who’ve messed up, they’re the ones who’ve gone bankrupt, they’re the ones now trying to reduce the bin men’s wages.”
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Lead singer Matt Doyle told Sky News: “It’s a shame that what we’re seeing is all the images of rats and rubbish building up, that is going to happen inevitably, but we’ve just got to keep fighting through that.”
About 22,000 tonnes of rubbish accumulated on the city’s streets after a major incident was declared last month by Birmingham City Council.
Rubbish has blighted the city’s streets for weeks . Pic: PA
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Bin situation ‘pains me’ – council boss
On a visit to the city, local government minister Jim McMahon said the union and local authority should continue to meet in “good faith” and the government felt there was a deal that could be “marshalled around”.
He paid tribute to the “hundreds of workers” who have worked “around the clock” to clear the rubbish.
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“As we stand here today, 85% of that accumulated waste has been cleared and the council have a plan in place now to make sure it doesn’t accumulate going forward,” said Mr McMahon.
Sky News understands talks are not set to resume until next week.
Trans women in British Transport Police custody will now be strip searched by male officers – not female – following Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling.
The force said it is introducing an “interim position” while it digests the Supreme Court’s decision that the definition of a “woman” under the Equality Act 2010 refers to “a biological woman and biological sex”.
A British Transport Police (BTP) Authority spokesman told Sky News: “Under previous policy, we had advised that someone with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) may be searched in accordance with their acquired sex.
“However, as an interim position while we digest today’s judgment, we have advised our officers that any same sex searches in custody are to be undertaken in accordance with the biological birth sex of the detainee.”
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In September last year, BTP, which is responsible for policing the UK’s railways and similar transport systems, published its “position” on transgender and non-binary officers carrying out strip searches.
It said officers would “only be able to search persons of the same sex on their birth or gender recognition certificate (GRC).
Officers who identified as another gender but who did not have a GRC were not allowed to, but if a trans woman had a certificate, they could strip search a female detainee.
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Gender ruling – How it happened
Strip searches involve the removal of more than a jacket, outer coat, gloves, headwear and footwear.
They “expose buttocks, genitalia and (female) breasts”, the BTP guidance says.
The Sex Matters campaign applied for a judicial review of that guidance with the High Court in December.
It said the policy “puts detainees at risk of sexual harassment and sexual assault”, and said it was a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.
Sex Matters said the policy “also puts female officers in a humiliating and dangerous position, as they may be pressured to search trans-identified men”.
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Campaigners celebrated outside the Supreme Court after Wednesday’s ruling. Pic: PA
One of the High Court judges who made Wednesday’s decision, Lord Hodge, said the ruling should not be read as “a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another”.
Government minister Karin Smyth told Sky News public bodies have been told to look at how equality laws are implemented following the ruling.
She said: “Obviously, public bodies have been asked to look at their own guidance.
“And we will do that very, very carefully.”
But she warned against public bodies making statements “that may alarm people”, telling them to take their time to look at their guidance.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), said the ruling means there is “no confusion” now.
She said the NHS will “have to change” its 2019 policy, which says transgender patients are entitled to be accommodated on single-sex wards matching how they identify.
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