John Lewis Christmas advert this year tells tale of two sisters

This year's ad is actually about going shopping and features Oxford Street store plus song by Richard Ashcroft

Over the years its Christmas adverts have featured a menagerie of lovable creatures but this year John Lewis is tugging on heartstrings with a Narnia-inspired tale of two sisters that for the first time gives its struggling department stores a starring role.

After last year's lighthearted outing featuring a cheeky Venus flytrap, the ad is a distinct gear-change. It was filmed in John Lewis's high-profile store on Oxford Street in London and, at a time when the high street is facing severe headwinds, for once it is actually about going Christmas shopping - without a lovable penguin or snowman in sight.