Sainsbury's was quick off the mark with its advert, which features beloved Roald Dahl character the Big Friendly Giant (BFG). We see the BFG asking the supermarket to make his Christmas "a big more phizz-whizzing". Meanwhile, Lidl - like John Lewis - has gone for a classic tale designed to tug at the heartstrings.

This year the retailer has gone back to basics and concentrated on that time-honoured tradition of the last-minute rush to buy a Christmas present for a loved one. The advert follows Sally, a young woman who is frantically looking for a festive gift for her sister,

John Lewis has released a memory-strewn tear-jerker, following a woman frantically buying a last-minute gift for her sister, for its highly anticipated Christmas advert. The Gifting Hour opens with heroine Sally running into the retailer’s Oxford Street flagship store,