Anna Maxwell Martin and Roisin Conaty team up for Tesco's 2026 Christmas advert, which premiered on ITV1 on November 1. The three-minute film follows Conaty's character Polly, a Tesco delivery driver making her Christmas Eve rounds through snowy conditions.
A festive reunion on the road
Among Polly's deliveries is an order from Lizzie, played by Maxwell Martin, who realises she has accidentally sent it to her former address. Polly suggests meeting halfway at a motorway service station, where they recognise each other as old school friends. After complications with Lizzie's vehicle, Polly drives her home in the Tesco van, and they reminisce and laugh together after years of separation.
The journey is soundtracked by The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." Polly apologises for "what happened," but Lizzie reassures her it "was a long time ago." As their impromptu road trip concludes, the pair share an emotional embrace.
Stars on the campaign's message
Maxwell Martin, known for roles in Ludwig, Motherland, and Line of Duty, described the advert as depicting a quintessential Christmas mishap. "Suddenly you realise you've somehow only ordered one singular sprout, totally forgotten wrapping paper, or sent a delivery to the wrong address," she said.
Conaty added: "It starts in a way many people can relate to, all stress and mayhem, but shows how one small act of kindness can bring people back together after years apart."
Aligned with Tesco's campaign
The narrative aligns with Tesco's "Need Anything From Tesco?" campaign, launched earlier this year. Suzanne Quinn, UK Customer Director at Tesco, said: "This Christmas, Tesco is showing up with plenty of extra little helps to deliver customers their very best Christmas."
