John Lewis Christmas Advert 2022: Viewers ‘in tears’ at emotional Foster Dad’s story, a message ‘everyone’ should hear

John Lewis has finally released its highly anticipated annual Christmas advert and it seems viewers are already crying over its story that carries a strong message for family values.

It’s the most wonderful (and emotional) time of the year as John Lewis drops its 2022 Christmas advert which already has supporters teary-eyed upon its release on Thursday morning, November 10.

Over the years we have witnessed some memorable releases from the retail giant, from Excitable Edgar and Monty the Penguin to Sir Elton John and the Man On The Moon but this year’s advert holds an important message.

In advance of Children In Need 2022, John Lewis released a Christmas ad that raises awareness for young people in care - here’s what you should know.

The new John Lewis Christmas advert raises awareness for the care system in the UK.

What happens in the John Lewis Christmas advert?

This November, John Lewis used its Christmas advert as an opportunity to raise awareness for young children in care as it follows the story of a middle-aged man learning to skateboard before welcoming a young teenager into his family home.

The 90-second advert entitled ‘The Beginner’ and set to a cover of ‘All The Small Things’ (Blink-182) shows the man struggling painfully to get a hang of skateboarding on the lead-up to Christmas. The audience can only speculate as to his motive for persevering with skateboarding until the final scene which shows a social worker drop off a young teenager named Ellie at his home who is carrying a skateboard in her hand.

Why did John Lewis choose this story for the Christmas advert?

John Paul Hurley is the actor of the father-to-be in the 2022 John Lewis advert.

By the end of the advert, we see that the reason for the middle-aged foster dad’s efforts was to comfort the nervous teenager as she arrived at his home, giving them something to connect over and showing his commitment to care.

The advert was created with specialist advice from Action for Children and Who Cares? Scotland, intended to raise awareness for those living in or leaving care over Christmas.

John Lewis’ customer director, Claire Pointon, said it was a “very different story to what we have done before” as it was created to “make you stop and think and say ‘how can I help’.”

Another John Lewis spokesperson added: "In a challenging year, we felt it was important to demonstrate that it’s what we do that matters most", and that it was hoped it would "generate conversation and action around an often overlooked issue".

Who are the John Lewis Christmas advert actors?

The middle-aged foster father is played by John Paul Hurley - an actor from South Yorkshire who has starred in productions like The Lost King, The Reckoning and Peaky Blinders. In 2007, he won the award for best actor at the European Independent Film Awards in Paris for the film Laid Off which was shot in Glasgow.

Ellie, the nervous daughter-to-be in the John Lewis Christmas advert, is played by rising actor Brooke Hart who has featured in a number of films, adverts and theatre productions.

Who sings in the John Lewis Christmas advert?

A cover of Blink-182’s “All The Small Things” plays in the background of John Lewis’ Christmas advert that shows a dad-to-be, seemingly in a midlife crisis, practising skateboarding day and night as a means of connecting to his foster daughter. The cover of the song used in the advert is sung by US singer Mike Geier.