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Virgin Radio
9 Nov 2023, 11:09
Credit: Getty / John Lewis
The John Lewis Christmas advert has ushered in the festive season, and Taskmaster star Alex Horne admitted he was totally swept away with the heartwarming tale of a boy and his Venus flytrap.
The annual Christmas feature showcases a youngster buying a ‘grow your own perfect Christmas tree’ box and watching on as his beloved plant, called Snapper, grows into a rather impressive bit of foliage.
While the action ensues, Italian tenor Bocelli is belting out a Italian rock opera-style track Festa, which captures the chaos of the anthropomorphic plant.
While Snapper is briefly turfed out for his wild antics in the house, the ad ends happily for all involved, with the plant eventually being a big part of the young boy’s Christmas day.
The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch jumped on the John Lewis train earlier today (9th November) when the feature first landed, and while Chris hadn’t seen it just yet, both co-presenters Rachel Horne and Vassos Alexander were left slightly unimpressed with this year’s offering, but comedy star and friend-of-the-show Alex Horne joined in the debate via an impassioned phone call.
“Well, it made me cry, I thought it was brilliant,” he shared with the Breakfast team.
“I have a theory, I think [Rachel and Alex] watched it without any sound on because they didn’t mention the opera. The rock opera soundtrack that Bocelli did on it, that’s what got me.”
“I didn't like the venus flytrap, it was threatening,” Rachel argued, to which husband and Horne Section star Alex replied: “It was only six inches for the first half!”
Clearly a fan of the John Lewis ad this year, Alex added: “It wasn't about embracing traditions, it's about growing your own traditions. So like in our household, where we have the pineapple game which isn’t a Christmas game, and pineapples aren't really Christmassy but it's our Christmas thing. Then for that family, they have the flytrap… and a bit of violence.”
“I reckon you’ll be surprised in a week, it'll grow like the flytrap,” he concluded.
According to John Lewis’ customer director Charlotte Lock, the department store “asked for something that moved us on from last year and was different.”
She told BBC News: “It will be hoping the theme of family values works. The overall theme in this year's Christmas adverts is glitz, fame and fun. John Lewis has opted instead for a vision of a modern family Christmas. Let's see if it works."
For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.
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