Sam Fender lights up John Lewis 2026 Christmas advert with iconic Rolling Stones cover

Well LADs, it’s officially that time of year: the John Lewis advert is here.

And 2026 marks the 20^th edition of its iconic Christmas ad, so they’ve pulled out all the stops and given us a banger of a tune to go with this year.

That’s as king of the North East is providing vocals – yep the one and only Sam Fender is this year’s choice.

Hoping for a Christmas number one, he covers The Rolling Stones’ classic ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’. Fender has called this opportunity a ‘privilege’ with all proceeds from the record going to charity.

Releasing today (3 November), the John Lewis advert features Dame Kristin Scott Thomas alongside ‘Pickles the dog’, an old school toy from the retailer voiced by TV royalty, Paul Whitehouse.

It's officially that time of year. (John Lewis)

The campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi and the ad directed by Lucy Forbes, follows Gloria (Scott Thomas) and her faithful companion (and childhood toy) Pickles, on a hunt to connect with her grandchildren,

“Set against the festive tagline ‘Don’t give up on giving,’ the story touches on a relatable modern truth: the fear of not finding the ‘perfect gift’ can overshadow the simple pleasure of giving something thoughtful this festive season,” John Lewis explains.

And that’s where ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ comes in perfectly.

It honestly feels like a banger for the retailer, likely to get in everyone’s heads these next few weeks – following Fender’s record-breaking success with ‘Rein Me In’ around the world.

The singer said: “It was a privilege to rework such an iconic song by such a legendary band. In the spirit of Christmas, we re-recorded the children’s choir with the kids from my old school, John Spence Community High School, and we arranged a brass section with the Easington Colliery Band.”

Who thought it would be Fender to do a John Lewis ad next? (John Lewis)

It’s a bit of a full circle too, with Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger having spoken earlier this year about his admiration for Fender.

“I’m a fan of Sam’s work, so I was pleased to hear he was covering one of my songs. I think he’s done a great job with it,” the rock legend said.

Well LADs, keep an eye out for the ad on your tellies and social media and I’m sure it won’t be long until ‘You Can’t Get Always What You Want’ is being played at every possible opportunity.

The song is being released today, and physical copies will be available soon on 7” and CD from the John Lewis website. The single is backed with Sam Fender’s 2020 cover of Winter Song, available physically for the first time.

All John Lewis profits from each record sold will be donated to UK leading charity Action for Children, John Lewis' charity partner for its Building Happier Futures programme.

Physical copies will also be available from https://shop.samfender.com/. All profits from the physical sales via Fender’s store will be donated to Teenage Cancer Trust.