MARKS & SPENCER
This is not just a Christmas advert... it’s an M&S Christmas advert, and for the first time it features their omnipresent oinker Percy, who started off as a bag of sweets and is now found on cakes, cotton bedding and clothing.
Called Percy’s First Christmas, Percy is voiced by Hollywood actor Tom Holland – and it’ll premiere today at 8:40am during ITV’s Good Morning Britain. Percy is joined by comedian Dawn French who voices a festive fairy sat on top of a Christmas tree. She brings the cuddly toy pig to life from his gift box when she accidentally drops her wand in the M&S Foodhall in Stratford Westfield, London after the security guard has left for the day.
Percy runs down the aisles discovering all the festive foods for this year. While the fairy describes what everything is to Percy, there is plenty of “food porn” with close-up shots of caramel running down a Christmas pudding, smoked salmon being placed onto bread and chocolate panettone.
Dawn has called her role in the advert “the best gig in the world”, adding: “Christmas is M&S Food, isn’t it? So, when the call comes in asking you to be in the M&S Christmas ad, it’s pretty much a guaranteed yes – I mean they are so iconic each year.”
And Spiderman star Tom said: “When I was asked to be Percy’s first ever voice it took me less than a second to say yes.”
This year’s advert is a very fun idea from M&S and instead of going the tear-jerker route, it is rather a bit of magical escapism... and having a national treasure like Dawn bringing the comedy chops to your advert is always going to be a winner.