Christmas is magic. This time of winter with short, gloomy evenings and eerie weather due to climate change, can still be transformed by the power of human imagination. An alternative Christmas commercial in the UK has caught the British people's imagination in the tough winter of 2022 and has become viral in the pre-Christmas season with a sad story, a melancholic song and a simple slogan. You can watch it here:
The video has no subtitles, but, thanks to my colleague Pablo A. you can find here a lesson plan with the transcript, which was originally published by Film English, and it is suitable for C1 students and above. In the commercial, you can find interesting words like: mate, poorly, [this one] is on me, cheers, get well soon, well wishes. Pablo A. has also passed me the script for the bacground song, Constellations by Ellie Holcomb, where you can find these words: to long for [you], underneath, a canopy [of stars], to collide, the mess [in my life], to see through, to lose your way, a desolate [place], to make a way, pinprick, and a transcript of the interview to Sam Teal, director of the add, and to young actor Ashton Sanders on BBC News, where you can find words like a portrayal, the cost of living crisis, to grip [the UK], a graveyard, a flashback, a go-kart, to refurb, a performance, the crew, amazing [presents], to take over [the world], to get wheeled in on [the go-kart], to make a bid on [the go-kart], to steer, smooth, bumpy, to marshal [local resources], to be on the telly positively, a barber shop, the landmarks, to get a go [at Christmas], the real thing, to whisper, crikey, tough, fancy [food], to deliver [a line], poorly, to pull [that] out, to focus on [that], to struggle, to get [it] wrong, to snap up [something], a by-election, to hire, a [creative] hub, to nurture [young talent], an apprentice, to mould, to get [a place] on the map, to deserve, best of luck, to smash [a record]. The BBC interview can be seen below:
Finally, you can read here Time Out's list of the best 2022 Christmas commercial ads and watch the videos as well, for a full British TV Chistmas publicity experience.