Raffiella Chapman: The star of the new John Lewis Christmas advert
Seasonal video told the story of a boy who encounters a space alien
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Over the past decade, the annual advertisements for homeware retailer John Lewis have become a fixture of the Christmas season.
This year’s advert was released earlier this morning (4 November) and featured a fantastical sci-fi storyline in which a boy (Jordan A Nash) encounters an alien, whose spaceship has crash-landed in a forest at Christmastime.
In the advert, the part of the space-travelling alien Skye is played by Raffiella Chapman.
Viewers may recognise her from The Theory of Everything, in which she played Lucy Hawking alongside Eddie Redmayne.
Chapman also featured in the 2016 Tim Burton fantasy film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
Her other roles include His Dark Materials and Law and Order: UK, and she is set to play the lead in the forthcoming sci-fi film Vesper Seeds.
A popular fixture of John Lewis’s festive adverts are the songs underscoring them – typically slowed-down acoustic covers of well-known pop hits.
This year’s advert featured a cover of “Together in Electric Dreams” by Lola Young.
In a two-star review of the track for The Independent, Annabel Nugent wrote: “Young’s voice is a treasure. Here, the 20-year-old lends the song depth and warmth. A quick Spotify search, though, shows a musician capable of much more.
“The John Lewis Christmas ad launched the career of Gabrielle Aplin; with any luck it will likewise open the door for Young, who is well-deserving of a big break beyond singing Eighties covers.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments