Dame Kristin Scott Thomas takes the lead role in the new John Lewis Christmas advert, playing grandmother Gloria, who welcomes her family into her London home on Christmas Eve. The actress, 66, who recently appeared in series six of Slow Horses, is joined by a pull-along wooden dog voiced by Paul Whitehouse.
A Festive Story of Rediscovered Joy
In the commercial, Dame Kristin 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, focuses on rediscovering the joy in gifting, with the tagline "Don't give up on giving".
Dame Kristin follows in the footsteps of Sir Elton John, who starred in his own festive John Lewis ad in 2018. 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. That film, titled The Boy and the Piano, set to Sir Elton’s performance of his 1971 hit Your Song, culminated with a four-year-old Sir Elton unwrapping his first ever piano, a gift from his grandmother at Christmas.
A Legacy of Soundtrack Covers
Since the Christmas ads launched in 2007, many singers have performed emotional, pared-back cover songs for the brand’s campaign soundtracks. These include Ellie Goulding (2010), Lily Allen (2013), Tom Odell (2014), Aurora (2015), and Lola Young (2021).
Dame Kristin’s festive turn comes amid her current stint in the West End. She is performing opposite Stephen Mangan, 58, in Ian Rickson’s London remake of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard at the Harold Pinter Theatre. The play centres 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.
On Audience Etiquette
She admitted she has to "really control" her urge to confront disruptive theatregoers, revealing she "can't stand" poor audience etiquette. 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."
