New John Lewis Christmas advert is a fire in a bin soundtracked with children’s screams

The new John Lewis Christmas advert has been revealed and is a surprising departure from the charming vignettes that have warmed hearts throughout the festive season in previous years.

Instead of something delightful, like a sad penguin making a Christmas friend to the soundtrack of an acoustic version of Baby Got Back, this year, the new John Lewis Christmas advert will feature a fire in a bin soundtracked by children’s screams.

“Yes, it’s a bit different this year, but I hope people will take it to their hearts as they often do with our ads,” explained John Lewis, a representative of John Lewis.

“It’s a big old bin in an alleyway behind a row of abandoned shops in town. The homeless people who live there were happy to move out for a day or so in exchange for a token bag of heroin. We set fire to the bin, it was full of old foam, so it gave off a load of smoke which really looked nice and dramatic. Then we found the sound of children screaming from some recent news footage and layered it over the top. I think it’s very effective.”

Kelly Grace wasn’t sure about the new direction.

“It’s not very Christmassy. They could have decorated the bin or had the children scream the tune Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime. Still, it’ll probably grow on me, and it’s definitely better than that one that had the acoustic version of Electric Dreams.”

The advert will play throughout the festive season and a soundtrack single featuring children screaming is expected, as in most years, to vie for Christmas Number One.