When will the John Lewis Christmas advert 2016 be released, what’s it about and who will be singing?

It’s almost that time of year again. Grab a box of tissues - the John Lewis advert is coming
The man on the Moon for John Lewis
Liz Connor4 November 2016

Next week will mark one of the most highly-anticipated dates in the Christmas calendar: the arrival of the John Lewis Christmas advert.

If you’ve spent the last few years shedding a tear watching The Man on the Moon (2016), Monty the Penguin (2014) and the little boy who couldn’t wait to surprise his parents with a gift (2011), you’ll want to spare two minutes to catch the premiere of this year’s offering.

Wondering what to expect from the high street giant? Here’s everything we know so far:

When will the John Lewis Christmas advert be on TV?

Twitter users are speculating that this year’s advert will air tomorrow, Friday 3 November.

In previous years, the adverts have debuted on screens on Friday in a prime time TV slot, usually in the first week of November.

Last year, the Man on the Moon advert - which featured a little girl called Lily who reaches out to an elderly man in outer space - aired on Friday November 6, during an Gogglebox ad break on Channel 4.

It followed the same pattern as The Bear and the Hare, which was unveiled on Friday November 8.

John Lewis' Hare and Bear christmas ad from 2013

However, John Lewis usually teases viewers with a 10-second clip accompanied by a mystery hashtag during a Sunday night episode of The X Factor - which hasn't yet aired on TV.

If the store continues to follow this format, we'll likely see a teaser this Sunday during the live voting show, and fans of the annual advert will have a whole further week to wait for this year's masterpiece.

What is it likely to be?

Much like previous years, John Lewis is keeping tight-lipped about the plot of this year’s advert.

However, if there’s one thing we can say with certainty, it’s that it’ll likely be an emotional rollercoaster.

Every year since 2009, John Lewis and advertising agency Adam & EveDDB have been tugging at the heartstrings of TV viewers, with a series of adverts that are well known for their storytelling style and emotive narratives.

At the heart of its ads there tends to be a theme or a message. Last year the store teamed up with Age UK to raise awareness of loneliness and isolation felt by elderly people across the coutnry, particularly at Christmas.

Other previous themes have included the joy of gift-giving, lovesick snow people, lonely penguins - and who could forget the Bear and the Hare’s sweet friendship?

John Lewis's 2015 Christmas ad

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Who might be singing on the advert?

One of the most anticipated aspects of the John Lewis advert is the accompanying music, and simple, acoustic covers of well-known ballads have become a hallmark.

The Long Wait, was soundtracked by a cover of The Smiths' 'Please Please Let Me Get What I Want'; 2012's snowman advert had a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 'The Power of Love'; Lily Allen took on Keane's 'Somewhere Only We Know' for The Bear and the Hare and Tom Odell sang John Lennon's 'Real Love' for Monty the Penguin.

 2012's snowman advert had a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 'The Power of Love'

An analysis of previous adverts by VoucherCloud found that this year’s song is most likely to be provided by an all-male British rock band with at least 4 number 1 albums.

Currently, there are 21 bands from the UK album charts that fit this criteria, with Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Genesis and the Rolling Stones hotly tipped to soundtrack the advert.

Needles to say, speculation is also rife as to whether the work of one the musicians we’ve lost in 2016 - such as David Bowie or Prince - will play a part.

VoucherCloud is tipping the cover singer to most likely be a female solo indie singer from Britain or Scandinavia, who released her debut album in the last 3 years.

Likely singers that fit the bill include Billie Marten, Shura, Tove Lo and Flo Morrissey.

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