The 2016 John Lewis Christmas advert: When is it released and who sings it?

The annual John Lewis Christmas advert is up there with the Coca Cola truck for signalling the start of the festive season.

If previous years are anything to go by, we’re expecting to get the first glimpse of this year’s ad on Friday this week. The company usually release a short 10 second teaser on the first Friday in November on their YouTube channel.

The advertising agency Adam & EveDDB are working with the retailer again on this year’s commercial, so we are expecting another emotional mini story, accompanied by a soft cover version of song from a well known artist.

We’ve had covers of The Smiths’ ‘Please Please Let Me Get What I Want’, in 2012 they used a version of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’.

Lily Allen covered Keane’s ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ for their ‘Bear and the Hare’ commercial, Tom Odell sang John Lennon’s ‘Real Love’ in 2014, and last year we heard the Oasis classic ‘Half the World Away’ performed by Aurora.

The favourite rumour is that 2016's advert will feature a cover of an artist who passed away this year, with a Prince or David Bowie track being very likely. Adele and Ed Sheeran are amongst the favourites to sing the song, with X Factor’s Honey G getting 500/1 odds at the bookies.

Honey G | © The X Factor

See last year’s advert below:

What song would you like to hear on the new advert?

• Lifestyle