The young star of this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert has melted hearts across the nation with his endearing performance. 

And it’s no wonder – because eight-year-old Teddy Holton-Frances, from Bournemouth, already has several ad campaigns under his belt, in part thanks to his talent manager parents. 

Since launching his career in March 2022, he’s appeared in an advert for McDonald’s and a campaign for Barnardo’s charity, and has also been involved in several short films which are yet to be released. 

Meanwhile, in the spring, Teddy was among a group of young actors showing off their dancing skills on a live TV segment for Bournemouth University.

His parents – Lizzie and Paul Holton-Frances – have their own Bournemouth-based theatre school and management company Pure Drama, and are full of pride over their son’s latest starring role.

Teddy Holton-Frances is born for the screen, and has been acting in adverts since at least March of last year

A Facebook post on the talent agency’s official page congratulated Teddy on the achievement which it said is ‘beyond words’. 

‘For many households, the Christmas countdown simply cannot begin until the John Lewis commercial hits our screens,’ it read.

‘It is with enormous pride that we can now officially cry from the rooftops, that our countdown began many, many months ago!

‘Our feelings about this achievement are beyond words, enjoy this Ted!

‘Sit down, grab a tissue and take a moment with us, to celebrate our Teddy… this year’s John Lewis Christmas Star!’

It’s been a busy few months for Teddy, featuring collaborations with McDonald’s and Barnardo’s in the last few months alone. Pictured last October 

Teddy (pictured centre) was in an advert for McDonald’s this summer, playing the son in a family of cycle enthusiasts stuck in traffic – and feeling peckish

Other social media posts over the past year show the budding star at casting calls, working on short films, and travelling around for auditions.

A sweet Facebook clip from last year sees Teddy pretend to answer a call from a relative to wait for news about an acting gig.

‘Grandma, stop calling me, they might need me!’ he jokes into the receiver and laughs.

Teddy was also in an advert for McDonald’s this summer, playing the son in a family of cycle enthusiasts stuck in traffic – and feeling peckish.

And earlier on in the year he featured in a campaign shot for the children’s charity Barnardo’s for a report on the impact of the cost of living crisis.

According to Pure Drama’s website, the company was founded by Lizzie in 2021 as a casting agency for the theatre school. 

It says: ‘She now also represents young actors across the UK and is joined by agent Clare Taylor Walsh and office manager Paul Holton-Frances.’

They manage talent from four to 18 years old. 

Speaking about his experience filming for John Lewis in a behind-the-scenes clip, Teddy admitted that ‘the hardest part of a shoot was when I needed to look really sad when the cameras zoomed up on me,’ he said. 

Earlier on in the year he had featured in a campaign shot for Barnardo’s charity, which came out with findings outlining the impact of the cost of living crisis on children

A sweet Facebook clip from last year sees Teddy pretend to answer a call from a relative to wait for news about an acting gig

Meanwhile, in the spring, Teddy was among a group of young actors showing off their dancing skills on a live TV segment for Bournemouth University

‘What I like most about being the actor is like seeing how people work on cameras,’ he added. ‘It’s really cool.’

In the same clip, Franki Goodwin of Saatchi & Saatchi said: ‘We found this incredibly talented young boy called Teddy, who honestly is one of the best actors, large or small, I’ve ever worked with. He is incredible. His consistency, his nuance.’

This year the retailer has opted for a bright, joyous campaign, themed around celebrating  traditions old and new – and for only the second time in 16 years of festive ads it’s used an original track.

Andrea Bocelli provides the backdrop to a heartwarming tale about a little boy called Alfie – played by Teddy – who asks his grandmother for a seed to ‘grow your own perfect Christmas tree’.

He plants it, and is delighted to see that instead of the typical festive fir, his pot is sprouting an animated, carnivorous Venus flytrap, dubbed ‘Snapper, the perfect tree’.

Other social media posts over the past year show the budding star at casting calls, working on short films, and travelling around for auditions. Pictured last December 

His parents – Lizzie and Paul Holton-Frances – run the Bournemouth-based theatre school and management company Pure Drama, and were full of pride for their son’s latest starring role. Pictured in June 

Much to the panic of his family, the plant – called ‘Snapper’ – grows and grows, soon towering over little Alfie and his parents.

The next scenes show a blossoming friendship between the pair.

The boy and plant are two peas in a pod. Snapper flips the pages while Alfie reads, and the pair even do arts and crafts together. 

But much like a badly behaved puppy, the plant causes a ruckus in the household by chewing decorations, chasing after the family dog and knocking over lamps and furniture.

Finally frustrated, a dejected Alfie has to watch Snapper be cast away into the cold.

They replace the Venus flytrap with a conventional pine tree while boy sadly looks on, missing his friend.

On the other side of the window, a wistful Snapper watches the family celebrate without him.

However on Christmas morning, Alfie steps out in the garden and goes to pet his beloved plant, shaking off his frost and snow.

The retailer has opted for a bright, joyous campaign, the theme of which is the celebration of traditions – and has for only the second time in 16 years of festive ads set the feature to an original track, by Andrea Bocelli 

The heartwarming tale – which was unveiled this morning – follows a little boy called Alfie, who asks his grandmother for a seed to ‘grow your own perfect Christmas tree’

Much to the panic of his family, the plant – called ‘Snapper’ – grows and grows, soon towering over little Alfie and his parents

He plants a present down at the base of the plant, and soon – the rest of the family joins.

Snapper gobbles the offerings up, spitting out plenty of festive gifts for the family, presenting everything from headphones to Lego sets and slippers. 

Andrea’s theatrical repetition of the lyrics ‘la vita è una festa’ – meaning life is a celebration’ – provides an inspiring melodic composition that matches the tone and mood of each shot.

The retailer’s theme this year is the marking of old and new festive traditions with the strapline ‘Let Your Traditions Grow’.

The campaign – the first by Saatchi and Saatchi for John Lewis – aims to capture how the unusual and unexpected, over the conventionally ‘perfect’, can lead to a joyful time together for everyone. 

Charlotte Lock, Customer Director for John Lewis, said the campaign aims to honour both the old and new.

The ad shows the little plant growing into an animated – and at times overly spirited – Venus flytrap

In the feature, while Alfie’s family is scared of the plant, the little boy is absolutely enchanted by it

‘We are a nation that loves the traditions of Christmas – from classic traditions like pantos and putting up the tree to evolving new ones like crafting our own presents and Zoom get-togethers,’ she explained.

‘Many of us have our own unique festive traditions and that makes them even more special.

‘The film celebrates themes of family and evolving traditions and shows that a “perfect” Christmas is finding joy together with loved ones, whatever your traditions.’

Andrea Bocelli performs a song called ‘Festa’, which means ‘celebration’, and is written and produced by Le Feste Antonacci specifically for the John Lewis advert. 

‘I am delighted to take part in this wonderful and unique tradition of Christmas storytelling,’ Andrea remarked.

‘It is very special for me given the great support this will bring to both the John Lewis and Andrea Bocelli foundations. Joy to all of your worlds this Christmas!’ 

Finally frustrated, a dejected Alfie has to watch Snapper be cast away into the cold snow. They replace the Venus flytrap with a conventional pine tree while boy sadly looks on, missing his friend

Andrea’s theatrical repetition of the lyrics ‘la vita è una festa’ – meaning life is a celebration’ – provides an inspiring melodic composition that matches the tone and mood of each shot

Snapper gobbles the offerings up, spitting out plenty of festive gifts for the family, presenting everything from headphones to Lego sets and slippers

The soundtrack will be released in longer form as a charity single with a proportion of the proceeds from the sale of the single going to the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures charities, which help care experienced young people and families in need. 

There is plenty of merch to go round as well – The Snapper collection will be available in all John Lewis shops as well as online, and selected Waitrose stores.

Products include plushies of the plant, a Christmas card with seeds and even a children’s story book telling the festive tale.

In a first for John Lewis and Kew Gardens, Snapper will also be part of the iconic Christmas at Kew light trail.

Andrea Bocelli – pictured – performs a song called ‘Festa’, which means ‘celebration’, and is written and produced by Le Feste Antonacci specifically for the John Lewis advert

Product shorts featuring Snapper using products available to John Lewis – including a Dyson hair dryer and Estee Lauder serum – will also feature. 

Sarah Jenkins, Managing Director, Saatchi & Saatchi added that it’s an ‘extraordinary privilege to be working with the John Lewis Partnership’.

‘It’s particularly magical to be launching a campaign that celebrates all of the traditions – both eternal and evolving – that make Christmas so special to the nation,’ she continued.

‘The race to be the number one Christmas ad brings extra festive spice and is such a brilliant embodiment of the skills and smarts of the UK’s incredible creative industries. We’re raising a glass to all.’ 

A carnivorous pot plant doesn’t exactly scream Christmas, but John Lewis may have pulled it off, says CLAUDIA CONNELL

Something tells me there will be a surplus of dead or unwanted Venus flytraps tossed on to compost heaps in the new year.

Why? Because John Lewis has decided to make the carnivorous plant the unlikely star of their Christmas 2023 advert, which gets its first TV airing tomorrow night but goes online today.

And, aware of the demand it will create, they’ll be selling real ones in stores, alongside an array of other Venus flytrap goods. Imagine the disappointment of children up and down the country when theirs doesn’t reach 20ft high and start performing tricks like ‘Snapper’ does in the commercial!

A flurry of Christmas adverts have been released in recent days, but let’s be honest – John Lewis is the biggie.

Since it first embraced the epic festive ad back in 2007, theirs has become the most anticipated, discussed, dissected and watched.

A victim of their own success, it puts the store under immense pressure to hit exactly the right note – especially after a turbulent year for sales. Dispensing with the services of their old agency, John Lewis has brought in the big guns at Saatchi & Saatchi. But have they delivered?

Well, an insect-gobbling pot plant doesn’t exactly scream ‘Christmas’, but, I believe they’ve pulled it off.

The story starts with a young lad visiting an antiques market with his gran (a nice big tick in the grandparent box). He spots what claims to be a ‘grow your own Christmas tree’ seed box which he buys and plants.

But instead of a tree, it’s a Venus flytrap and no ordinary one at that. Snapper grows to ceiling height and starts to cause chaos in the home. It breaks ornaments, torments the family’s pet Pomeranian (yes, a cuddly toy version will be available soon) and, despite the wee lad’s attachment, his meanie mum moves it into the garden and puts a traditional Christmas tree in its place.

On Christmas morning, the boy, missing his friend, looks out at the forlorn plant in the frosty garden and decides he wants his presents placed under Snapper instead of the living room tree.

The whole family – consisting of two kids, Gran and Mum – joins him. Snapper then grabs and appears to eat all the presents until – wait for it – he spews them out again in a spray of glitter.

Eschewing their usual trick of setting the ad to a slushy cover of a well-known song, this one features an original piece of stirring operatic music performed by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. John Lewis gets the balance of melancholy, cuteness and humour just right. I genuinely burst out laughing when Snapper started vomiting out the family’s presents and Teddy Holton-Frances, an eight-year-old from Bournemouth who plays the young boy, is adorable.

The production team have borrowed heavily from Little Shop Of Horrors, the 1986 musical about a giant carnivorous plant. The only difference is that one ate people, which may well have been a step too far for John Lewis.

Especially as every Christmas advert must also deliver an uplifting message, too. In the case of John Lewis, it’s a nod to the changing way we celebrate and how true joy is found when we let go of the need to make everything pristine and perfect.

Sound familiar? I can’t help feeling Saatchi & Saatchi might be wishing they could unleash an ad-executive-eating Venus flytrap on the M&S team, who beat them to that very message with their own festive offering last week.

John Lewis says the advert is built around its own research into our changing festive habits. They found one third of families now have two trees and many prefer to spend the day in pyjamas — just like the family in the ad do. Mum is even wearing her £42 Snapper pyjamas.

Remember though, kids, a Venus flytrap is for life, not just for Christmas.

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