John Lewis’s offering for this year’s Christmas advert has been blasted by GB News host Stephen Dixon, after the department store dropped its highly anticipated campaign today.
The two-minute ad, named The Gifting Hour, follows a woman’s last-minute hunt for the perfect festive gift for her sister, taking viewers on a journey through time as the sisters grow up together.
The advert follows the sister as she revists several family milestones, including as a child at Christmas, fighting as a teenager and as a pregnant mum-to-be.
However, GB News host Stephen Dixon was less than amused by the John Lewis advert, branding it “utterly pointless”.
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After watching the ad, Stephen fumed: “I thought it was meant to be a tear jerker? She’s looking for a present, and we don’t even know what she’s bought.
“I thought there was something in an earlier trailer about a pink jumper or something, but that seems to have gone. I don’t know, it just seems so utterly pointless to me.”
Co-host Ellie Costello agreed with Stephen, admitting the advert “didn’t get to her” this year.
Ellie told GB News: “It didn’t get me this year. Especially with ones that have gone previously with the animated animals and going on a journey together, I think those were a tear jerker, but this wasn’t really.”
Asking the thoughts of their panel, Dr Renee Hoenderkamp argued that there is a “lack of men” in the advert, and that Christmas is “about family”.
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Dr Hoenderkamp stated: “There’s no men in it. There’s no brothers, no husbands, there’s no grandpas – it’s all women.
“Christmas is about family, which includes men and women.”
Delivering his verdict, former Home Affairs minister Norman Baker admitted it “didn’t do much” for him compared to past adverts.
Baker said: “I didn’t think it did very much for me, it wasn’t really clear what it was advertising.
“Some of the adverts in the past, which have been really good adverts, you’d think that’s a great idea, but what was the product? And the same thing applies here.”
Hoenderkamp added: “It’s very confusing, and I think it’ll take people a bit of time to work out what’s actually going on.
“She’s looking for a present, going back in time, and you don’t even know what she bought.”