Tesco Christmas advert 2022: how to watch Christmas Party advert, is it on TV - is Simon Farnaby the voice?

After Lidl introduced the Lidl Bear and Asda brought Will Ferrell back as Buddy the Elf, Tesco have made their own entry into the 2022 Christmas advert competition: a mock-political broadcast from The Christmas Party.

A voiceover explains that Tesco have formed ‘The Christmas Party’ in response to “a joy shortage,” promising to offer “more pigs in more blankets for more people,” a “referendum on whether or not Love Actually is the best Christmas movie ever,” and insisting that they only thing they’ll cut is “prices and more food”.

The family at the heart of the advert are then visited by a group of Tesco employees, who are somewhere between a group of carol singers and a collective of political volunteers out canvassing.

This year’s ad campaign comes with the hashtag #StandForJoy, in keeping with Tesco’s stated aim to help everyone get as much joy as possible out of Christmas.

How can I watch the Tesco Christmas advert?

You can watch it right here! It’ll also be on television tonight during I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

Alessandra Bellini, Chief Customer Officer at Tesco, says: “It’s very important that our seasonal campaigns reflect how our customers genuinely feel and what we know they are looking for. We understand that it is a tough time at the moment with everyone’s finances under pressure, but we also know that people are looking forward to Christmas – in fact our research shows that there is even more excitement around it than usual.

“This is why we decided to officially stand up for joy this Christmas. Through our campaign, we take a look at those moments during the festive period that unite us all – including the delight of eating delicious desserts, sitting around a table together with loved ones, movie nights in our pjs and even the inevitable confusion around bin day - to put a smile on people’s faces as we prepare for a season of meaningful celebrations.”

Which song is playing on the Tesco Christmas advert?

The 2022 Tesco Christmas advert is set to Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’, which is popularly understood to be the best song of all time.

Is that Simon Farnaby voicing the Tesco advert?

Yes, it is! It’s presumably at least in part an allusion to Farnaby’s character on the BBC sitcom Ghosts, where he plays the spirit of deceased MP Julian Fawcett.

You might also recognise Farnaby from a skit earlier this year where the Queen met Paddington Bear (Farnaby played the footman who attended the meeting, and is the writer of the previous two Paddington movies). Otherwise, you’ll perhaps know him from appearances in Horrible Histories, Yonderland, and the movie Bill.

When is the advert on TV?

The 2022 Tesco Christmas advert will premiere on television during the first episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, which is set to begin on ITV at 8pm on Sunday 6 November.

Otherwise, you can watch the advert on YouTube and on Tesco’s social media channels.