No John Lewis festive film would be complete without a hushed, melancholic trudge through a popular song. After a nationwide search, the hand of fate has fallen upon Tom Odell, the Chichester singer-songwriter who can expect a chart-topping boost from his reworking of an overlooked Lennon song, revived by The Beatles for their 1995 Anthology collection.
The real message behind Monty's Christmas appears to be: "if you're looking for love and companionship. You can buy it at John Lewis." The narrative follows Monty and Sam taking bus rides and sledging in their local park. But Monty is sad when he spies a happy human couple and only perks up when he receives his present of a female toy penguin.