Marks and Spencer has thrown down the gauntlet in this year’s Christmas advert battle, with a shirtless James Norton as Santa — and The Guardian says the retailer is now challenging John Lewis for the Christmas ad crown.
M&S launched its 2026 Christmas campaign on November 6, titled “The Home of Christmas”. The three-minute film stars James Norton as a youthful Santa and Lucy Punch as Mrs Claus, with Katherine Jenkins singing Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is a Place on Earth”. It is the first time since 2017 that M&S has combined Food, Fashion, Home and Beauty in a single Christmas campaign, and it launched on Instagram and YouTube before its television debut on ITV’s This Morning.
The reaction was immediate. Men’s Health dubbed Norton a “shredded Santa”, and The Guardian, on November 6, said M&S was challenging John Lewis for the crown — a title the department store has held for two decades.
John Lewis answers with Gloria
John Lewis launched its advert on November 3 and 4 — its 20th Christmas advert. Titled “Gloria and Pickles”, it stars Dame Kristin Scott Thomas as Gloria, with Sam Fender covering the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, and the tagline “Don’t give up on giving”. It was released online at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3.
Not everyone loved it. Some viewers criticised the film’s wealthy townhouse setting and its “gran cave” portrayal as out of step with the times — a reminder that the Christmas ad crown is judged as much on tone as on production values.
The supermarkets’ verdict
Tesco and Sainsbury’s both launched on November 1. Tesco’s “The Wrong Address” stars Roisin Conaty and Anna Maxwell Martin in a three-minute film set to The Police, premiering on ITV. Sainsbury’s “The Big Delivery” brings back the BFG for a third year, with Annie delivering Christmas dinner to Giant Country, premiering at 6:26 p.m.
The early ratings favour Sainsbury’s. OnePulse, polling 500 adults on November 2, rated Sainsbury’s 3.8 out of 5 — the top-rated supermarket ad so far — with Tesco at 3.6 out of 5 from 501 adults. Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot film, launched on November 5, is also in the running. With M&S now in the fight, this year’s Christmas ad battle is the most open in years — and the winner will be decided by viewers, not by budgets.
