Portsmouth sport and theatre stars take centre stage in Lidl Christmas advert
If you love Pompey or the city’s theatre scene, you’ll spot a couple of familiar faces.
Legends from Portsmouth’s sporting and theatrical worlds take centre stage in Lidl’s new Christmas advert.
Lidl has given Slade’s Christmas classic a new twist, launching a festive track featuring actor Shaun Williamson and a host of celebrity guests.
The supermarket’s “Lidl Christmas Everybody” reworks the band’s much-loved hit “Merry Christmas Everybody” in a bid to spread festive cheer.
The accompanying music video sees Williamson, best known as Barry Evans in EastEnders and cast in The Kings Theatre panto this year, travel from door to door with bags of Lidl Christmas food and gifts, gathering a crowd as he helps make his neighbours’ festive wishes come true.
Joining him are former Pompey footballer Chris Kamara, Capital FM presenter Kemi Rodgers and comedian Abi Clarke.
The video features a selection of Lidl’s seasonal products, including turkeys, Brussels sprouts, mince pies and chocolate gonks.
Williamson said: “Christmas is all about bringing people together, having fun and spreading a little festive cheer, so I jumped at the chance to help Lidl kick off the festive season in style.
“Putting a fresh spin on such an iconic Christmas classic was brilliant fun, and I hope it gets everyone smiling, singing along and feeling that little bit of Christmas magic.”
Joanna Gomer, marketing director at Lidl GB, added: “There’s no better way to kick off the festive season than with a little music, a lot of fun and a Lidl twist on a Christmas classic. This marks the start of our Christmas celebrations at Lidl, with plenty of exciting surprises and festive favourites still to come.
“We’re looking forward to bringing a little extra sparkle to the season and helping customers get ready for the most wonderful time of the year.”
The festive song launch coincides with the return of Lidl’s Toy Bank, a nationwide donation drive run in partnership with Neighbourly.
The scheme has distributed more than 250,000 toys over the past four years. This year, it will run in Lidl stores across Great Britain from November 5 to December 16.
Shoppers are invited to donate unopened toys and gifts, which will be distributed to local children through store partners, charities, food banks and community groups.