7 Things To Know About The John Lewis Christmas Ad

The Story...

The Boy & The Piano tells the story of how one very special Christmas present inspired and influenced the course of a little boy's life. A little boy who happened to become one of the world's greatest singer-songwriters. It starts off in present day, with John sitting at his piano at home, and works backwards chronologically through the years – with awe-inspiring recreations of some of his most epic performances, from his more recent Red Piano tour to US stadium shows in the 70s through to his junior school recitals – right until the moment he received the special gift of his grandmother’s piano as a small child.
 

The Stars...

Alongside John himself in the present-day scenes, the ad stars Simon Burbage as '80s/90s Elton', Oliver Marshall as '70s Elton', Brandton Stein as 'teenage Elton', Hudson Trindall as 'recital boy Elton' and Freddie Henderson as 'young Elton'. His mother is played by Katie Bonna and his grandmother by Deborah Baxter.
 

The Song...

The ad features the iconic ‘Your Song’ as the soundtrack, composed by John with lyrics by his longtime collaborator, Bernie Taupin. The song has an interesting story of its own – first released in 1970, it featured as the B-side to 'Take Me to the Pilot'. However radio DJs preferred 'Your Song' and it ended up replacing 'Take Me to the Pilot' as the A-side, eventually making it to number eight on the Billboard chart and number seven on the UK Singles Chart. This year, we predict a Christmas number one...
 

The Director...

The film was directed by Seb Edwards from Academy Films. One of the most in-demand British ad directors, he's worked with the likes of Volkswagen, Nike, Vodafone, Adidas, the Red Cross and Barclays. Outside of his commercial work, he also shot an award-winning short film, Friday, in 2011.
 

The Cost...

Reports surfaced suggesting the ad had cost millions to film, with John allegedly receiving a six-figure sum for his time. But in an official statement released today, John Lewis & Partners said that the speculation around the costs associated with this year’s ad is "wildly inaccurate" and that their total spend was similar to previous years. They also revealed that John requested that a portion of his fee was donated to the Elton John Charitable Trust, which supports everything from nurturing young music talent at the Royal Academy of Music to helping create an AIDS-free world with the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
 

The Campaign...

John Lewis & Partners revealed they're inviting Oxford Street shoppers to step into the set of the ad – a 2,000 sq ft space on the 3rd floor of their flagship store, where customers can explore the dressing room, recording studio and living room sets from the film, and interact with props, listen to recordings from Elton John’s 17-11-70 album and have photos taken at the piano.

The shop, along with 14 other branches across the UK, will also have a Yamaha piano for customers to play. Plus, fans of the band tee trend will be pleased to know, they're also stocking vintage-style Elton John vintage style T-shirts, which are available to shop online too.
 

What Elton Said...

"The ad is absolutely fantastic and I've truly loved every minute of being a part of it," John said of the short film. "The John Lewis Christmas campaign has so many warm memories for me and my family. It's been a lovely opportunity for me to reflect on my life in music and the incredible journey I have been on, and how first playing my Grandmother's piano marks the moment when music came into my life."

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