Twitter UK celebrates Christmas with a short film, starring @JohnLewis

Today we’re celebrating the story of @johnlewis, the American man repeatedly confused for the British retailer (@jlandpartners), by giving him a starring role in Twitter UK’s Christmas Film — #NotARetailStore.

Each year the launch of the John Lewis Christmas advert officially starts the festive season in the UK and leads to hundreds of thousands of Tweets as the British public share their reactions.

However, thousands of these Tweets mistakenly mention @johnlewis, a computer-science lecturer at Virginia Tech University.

John’s tongue-in-cheek and quick-witted responses to the mistaken identity have made him a cult hero in the UK over the years, amassing an incredible 50K followers in the process.

Shot on location at his home in Blacksburg, Virginia, the story focusses on John’s annual festive ritual, where he responds to wayward Tweets, whether its praise for the latest ad or simply routine customer enquiries.

The film pays homage to the tradition of the John Lewis Christmas advert with familiar nods to previous years for fans to spot, featuring the telescope, a miniature moon ornament, Monty the Penguin and Buster the Boxer. Whilst the soundtrack revamps the classic ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ as the satirical yet sentimental background accompaniment to the film.

Join the conversation happening around #NotARetailStore on Twitter now!