John Lewis has unveiled its 2026 Christmas advert, and within hours the internet had a new favourite character: Pickles the dog. The three-minute film, titled ‘Gloria and Pickles’, is the 20th edition of the retailer’s much-loved festive campaign, and it premiered on social channels on the morning of Tuesday, 3 November 2026. The advert follows Gloria, played by Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, a grandmother preparing her London home for Christmas Eve. Her two young grandchildren, Freddie and Maggie, arrive full of energy and quickly turn her immaculate study upside down in search of something to do. Gloria, worried about finding the perfect gift, is on the verge of giving up and putting cash in a card.
A childhood toy comes to life
That is when Pickles intervenes. Gloria retrieves her old childhood toy from the attic — a vintage pull-along Little Snoopy dog — and the toy springs to life, voiced by actor and comedian Paul Whitehouse. Pickles does not offer gentle encouragement. He tells Gloria, in effect, that she can do better than cash. What follows is a last-minute gift mission through London, with Gloria and Pickles travelling by tuk-tuk to John Lewis. The advert, created by Saatchi & Saatchi and directed by Lucy Forbes, ends on Christmas morning with a twist that has delighted viewers: instead of cash, the grandchildren receive a key. It opens Gloria’s study, transformed into a sparkling ‘Gran Cave’ with lights, disco balls and a turntable for dancing together.
Why viewers are talking about it
The tagline, ‘Don’t give up on giving’, is the point of the whole film. John Lewis says the campaign touches on a relatable modern worry: the fear of choosing the wrong gift can overshadow the simple joy of giving something thoughtful. In the advert, the gift that matters is not expensive. It is time, effort and a room made for being together. Fans online have focused on one surprising detail above all: Pickles himself. Viewers have praised the toy dog’s humour, his bluntness and the warmth of the final scene. The soundtrack, a Sam Fender cover of the Rolling Stones’ ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’, has also drawn praise, with many viewers saying it fits the film’s mix of nostalgia and hope. Whether this becomes a classic in the John Lewis canon will take more than a launch day to judge. But as a viral moment, it already works: a grandmother, a talking toy dog and a reminder that the best gifts are rarely the easiest ones.
