Sam Fender covers The Rolling Stones for John Lewis Christmas advert

The John Lewis advert, always the first harbinger of Christmas, has arrived, and it’s Sam Fender on music duties for this year’s effort.

The Geordie star delivers a wistful cover of The Rolling Stones‘ ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ for this year’s advert, which stars Kristen Scott Thomas as a grandmother trying to find the perfect present for her grandchildren.

Also featuring in the advert is comedy legend Paul Whitehouse, who provides the voice of a vintage wooden pull-along dog named Pickles.

The cover has received the approval of Mick Jagger, who said: “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.”

This year’s advert, the retailer’s 20th effort, is titled Gloria and Pickles and bears the strapline: “Don’t give up on giving.”

It comes as Fender prepares to head out on his first ever full stadium tour next year, taking in a mammoth three shows at Wembley Stadium and a return to St James’ Park, the home of his beloved Newcastle United.

The dates also do little to quell rumours that Fender could be heading to Worthy Farm to headline Glastonbury 2027, as there is a noticeable ten-day gap between his Wembley and Dublin dates which would allow him to play the huge gig.

Though Fender is yet to announce his fourth album, his third album People Watching won the Mercury Prize in 2025, with the singer donating the entire £25,000 prize to the Music Venue Trust.