John Lewis Christmas advert 2021 | watch new ad, merchandise, song | Radio Times

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Nathan tells her all about the wonders of Christmas which she gets to enjoy for the very first time, before getting her very first Christmas present – a nice, fluffy jumper.

Lola Young provides the soundtrack to this year's emotional tale, which is a cover of Together in Electric Dreams.

Read on for all we know about the Unexpected Guest, this year's John Lewis Christmas advert.

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived – the John Lewis Christmas advert 2021 has (quite literally) landed.

In the two-minute clip, we see Nathan meet space alien Skye and the pair become best friends while she tries to fix her UFO. The little boy takes her to see various Christmas traditions, including tree lights, house decorations and of course, gives her a yummy mince pie before it's time for her to head home.

In the spirit of Christmas, Nathan gifts Skye a jumper with a singing Christmas tree on it, so she'll always remember her first Christmas.

You can watch the sweet advert here:

John Lewis – seasonal offers, including some lines at 20% off, plus you can claim a £100 John Lewis gift voucher when you buy selected electricals

Confirmed: the John Lewis Christmas Advert 2021 was released at 6:30am on Thursday 4th November.

In the past, the John Lewis Christmas advert is usually released on a Thursday or Friday in mid-November, with last year's community-inspired tale released on 13th November.

However, Christmas came early for John Lewis fans this year, as several clues appeared in UK cities teasing some sort of reveal on Thursday 4th November – we now know it was a big hint towards the highly-anticipated ad!

What looked to be a UFO crash landing appeared in both London's South Bank and Newcastle’s Northumberland Street, with a sign reading: "Christmas is landing 04/11/21 #UnexpectedGuest"

Despite some theories that this was actually promotion for fellow department store Fenwick in Newcastle, speculation was rife this was John Lewis taking its Christmas advertisement to the next level.

John Lewis didn't officially confirm whether the installations were for its upcoming promotion - but strongly hinted that was the case, after a spokesman for John Lewis told RadioTimes.com on 3rd November: "Speculation about our Christmas adverts is always out of this world."

John Lewis Christmas adverts ranked: from Monty to Moz

John Lewis advert

After we saw the UFO installations, we thought it was highly likely that the John Lewis 2021 advert would be alien or at least space-themed.

The promotional hashtag #UnexpectedGuest also suggested that the advert would follow an alien visitor who crash-lands on Earth during the Christmas period. And that was spot on.

Speaking of the new advert, Claire Pointon, Director of Customer, said: “There is nothing more magical than discovering the joy of Christmas for the first time and enjoying your favourite festive moments with loved ones. After the last 18 months, we wanted our advert to really celebrate this as we look forward to a brighter future. We know our customers are excited for this festive season more than ever, as they reconnect with family and friends. Through the story of Skye and Nathan we celebrate friendship and are reminded of the joy of experiencing Christmas for the first time.”

You'll also be able to buy a version of the jumper Nathan gives Skye – the Unexpected Guest merchandise will be online and in stores from 4th November onwards... but act fast, these exclusive items usually sell out.

This is not the first time the John Lewis Christmas advert has gone intergalactic - the 2015 instalment memorably followed a little girl attempting to catch the attention of an elderly man living alone on the moon.

For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our John Lewis Black Friday, Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.

The John Lewis Christmas advert 2021 song is a cover of Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder's Together in Electric Dreams, performed by Lola Young.

Speaking of being a part of Christmas tradition, Young said: “I feel super honoured to be a part of this. Growing up I always watched the John Lewis Christmas adverts, they’re iconic and so it kinda feels surreal getting asked to be in one. It also means a lot as an up-and-coming artist to be a part of something this special.

"Together in Electric Dreams is a very beautiful song. I love that era of music and I think Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder are incredible. The lyric and soul within the song is something inspirational, fitting to the story within the ad. I feel so excited to be covering it and working with John Lewis.”

A now-traditional slowed-down cover song has featured in the adverts since 2009, and they're now just as anticipated as the ad itself. Several of the songs have become UK number ones, and the 2019 advert even had Elton John both performing and starring in it.

However, the 2020 advert broke with tradition and featured a newly-commissioned song rather than an emotional cover, with Celeste both writing and singing A Little Love.

Adele was overwhelmingly the favourite to sing the 2021 John Lewis advert song, with Betfair offering odds of 2/1 for the Someone Like You singer. However, several other established artists and up-and-comers were also popular choices at the time.

If you’re looking for something to watch, see our TV Guide.

Daniel FurnJournalist