John Lewis Christmas advert 2026: Kristin Scott Thomas steals the show with surprise cameo

The actress, who recently appeared in series six of Slow Horses, plays grandmother Gloria in the department store chain’s festive commercial, welcoming her family into her London home on Christmas Eve.

Dame Kristin, 66, is left disheartened when her two young grandchildren Freddie and Maggie mess up her immaculate study in a quest to relieve their boredom.

The ad, set to Sam Fender’s cover of The Rolling Stones classic You Can't Always Get What You Want, is all about rediscovering the joy in gifting, with the tagline "Don't give up on giving".

Sir Elton was the brand’s first physical celebrity star, appearing in a three-minute film that depicted a retrospective of the performer's life and career.

Kristin Scott Thomas in the new John Lewis Christmas advert

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It culminated with a four-year-old Sir Elton unwrapping his first ever piano, a gift from his grandmother at Christmas.

The film, set to Sir Elton’s performance of his 1971 hit Your Song, was titled The Boy and the Piano and served to show how the perfect gift can shape the trajectory of a person’s life.

Many singers have performed emotional, pared-back cover songs for the soundtracks of the brand’s campaigns since the Christmas ads launched in 2007.

These include Ellie Goulding (2010), Lily Allen (2013), Tom Odell (2014), Aurora (2015), and Lola Young (2021).

Paul Whitehouse voices the toy dog in the campaign

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Dame Kristin’s festive turn comes amid her current stint in the West End.

The actress seen with her onscreen granddaughters

PA

When asked if she would personally interrupt a performance to speak out, Dame Kristin told the Press Association: "Probably not because that would interrupt what I’m doing. It’s really hard sometimes. I can’t stand it. I have to really control myself."

Despite this, the actress praised London audiences overall for being “particularly brilliant”.

She said: “They listen. I think it’s part of the culture. Theatre going has been such a thing of ours for such a long time that it’s a natural thing to go to the theatre, it’s not a sort of great big milestone to climb up and get over.”

The Cherry Orchard on aristocrat Ranevskaya (Dame Kristin), who returns to Russia after spending five years in Paris, only to find her family estate and cherry orchard under threat. Meanwhile, Lopakhin (Mangan), the son of a serf, attempts to persuade her to sell the land to settle her debts.