John Lewis' new Christmas advert has left viewers in tears over a mischievous and flatulent monster called Moz who lives under his seven-year-old soulmate's bed .
The giant furry monster with a bulbous nose, winning teeth and a love of snoring, jumps out every night to play with companion Joe in a festive tale making many laugh and cry.
The little boy, aged 7, who is played by young twin brothers from London named Ethan and Tobias, is initially frightened after seeing a pair of enormous eyes peering from the dark under his bed.
But the two unlikely friends are shown sharing games, playing piggyback and Scalextric in his bedroom - all without mum, dad, or older sister finding out.
Moz then leaves his friend as he realizes the little boy needs to (19459004)
The poignant ending has left many fans in tears with the GMB host and Strictly star Charlotte Hawkins breaking down on live TV after watching it for the first time, telling viewers: 'They always get me - Christmas adverts. Sorry, just move on, it's fine '.
This is the new star of this year's John Lewis Christmas advert - a monster named Moz who lives under a seven-year-old's bed 
Little boy Joe becomes best friends with Moz and they play together through the night in his bedroom without his family finding out 
The two soulmates go on a magical journey together in the department store's new £ 7million Christmas campaign 
Despite Joe's initial worries about having a monster under his bed he and Moz being the very best of his friends, and his his able to give him a piggyback 
Fans were left sobbing after Moz's farewell from little Joe minutes after the advert was launched this morning 
GMB host and Strictly star Charlotte Hawkins broke down on live TV after watching it for the first time John Lewis' advert, that went live from 8am today and is on TV tonight, is directed by Oscar winner Michel Gondry and set to an Elbow cover of The Beatles' Abbey Road classic Golden Slumbers.
Its £ 7million marketing blitz also includes a £ 20 Moz cuddly monster, clothes, mugs, children's book and even a tie-up with Sky and Google they hope will be as successful as their Monty the Penguin 'campaign from 2014, which made £ 2.5million in soft toy sales alone.
It begins Joe initially terrified after hearing snoring under his bed. He then cautiously peers under and sees a pair of enormous eyes peering out at him from the dark.
However, the sleeping creature is no threat, but actually turns out to be a fantastic, fun playmate and (19459005]
Joe becomes so wrapped up in the fun and games that he loses sleep, fun together Moz realizes that it's time for him to go and let little Joe grow up.
In a moment that will see fans grabbing the tissues the monster is shown under the bed waving forlornly with tears in his eyes.
And one final show of love for the little boy crudely wrapped parcel under the tree with a gift for the young boy.
The fabulous starlight nightlight creates the magical patterns across the Joe's bedroom to help him sleep and Moz seems to have disappeared for ever.
However, with a click that turns the nightlight off, Joe hears Moz under the bed and so can relax knowing his friend is always nearby if he needs him.
The ad is screening on johnlewis .com, the retailer's YouTube channel and in stores from 8am today, and will be appearing on terrestrial television from around 9.30pm on Channel 4 and on all Sky's own channels.
The advert begins with Joe cowering under his covers as he hears snoring coming from under his bed 
Young Joe is so disturbed by Moz's farting and snoring he is forced to put his hands over his ears and use earmuffs 
After plucking up some of his courts he looked under his bed 
Joe and Moz under the bed, which is being tilted in the air by the sheer size of the monster 
Moz is shown tentatively getting out from under the bed so he can introduce himself to his roommate 
Moz stands up to his full height and stands up as the ceiling as he towers over Joe, who is played by twins in the advert 
The two friends shake hands and say hello as their adventures together are about to begin 
A sign on his bedroom door makes his feelings on monsters abundantly clear The success of Christmas commercials was created by the department store of the past puts enormous pressure on the retailer and its ad agency Adam & Eve / DDB.
Last year, it gave us Buster the trampoline loving boxer dog and before that was the old man marooned on the moon at Christmas.
Arguably, the most popular John Lewis's Customer Director, Craig Inglis, said: 'This year's Christmas (John Chen's Real Love, performed by Tom Odell.)
John Lewis's Customer Director, Craig Inglis, said:' This year's Christmas (19459002)
'Moz and Joe's story is magical and heart-warming and I'm sure it will be loved customers, young and old.'
The ad agency's chief creative officer , Richard Brim, described the commercial as a 'basic story of friendship'.
He said: 'This will definitely feel like a John Lewis ad. It is going to have the DNA that everybody has come to know. But, we have to keep on inventing and finding new ways to maintain that. '
The director, Michel Gondry, won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. His career started as a director of music videos for the likes of The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, Radiohead, Beck and Daft Punk,
He described the fun and joy of the commercial identities twins who play Joe as 'magical'.
The director said: 'When I told my ex-girlfriend I was doing the next John Lewis Christmas movie she said:' John Lewis commercial must make people cry, do not forget '. Last week I showed it to her and she cried. Phew. '
John Lewis hope that the cuddly giant monster will be as popular as other characters they have created over the years 
The two friends spent their nights playing in the bedroom including on Joe's Scalextric car game 
The pair become the best of buddies, mucking around and pulling faces at each other to spark laughter 
At one point the friends make too much noise and Moz jumps under the bed and Joe dives under his duvet when the boy's father looks in on his son 
The little boy is left so exhausted by the fun and games that Moz is shown putting him to bed after one night playing into the early hours 
But the late nights playing with Moz take their toll and Joe is shown dropping off during the day including when he was in goal in a school football match 
He director of giant furry puppet, which is operated by two people in. costume, would be a good option that typical CGI movie trickery.
Natasha Jiggins, of Millennium FX, who helped to create and build Moz, said: 'We wanted a moveable, fluid, interesting creature.'
It is the first TV performance by the boys, Ethan and Tobias, who has had a little theater experience.
As is typical with John Lewis, the company chooses not to give the full names of
Elbow were chosen over several other artists to perform the song. It represents a coup for the band, who famously performed their hit, 'One Day like This', at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.
The track is a certainty for the number one and the wise on a 'Best of' album due to be released by the band later this month.
Lead singer, Guy Garvey, said: 'This project was such a pleasure. Michel Gondry and The Beatles did all the work for us. We are really proud to be involved. '
In the emotional finale of the advert Moz realizes that their friendship may be having a negative effect on the tired little boy 
In the poignant final moments Moz waves to his friend with tears in his eyes as he prepares to say farewell 
As a parting gift the cuddly monster leaves his own crudely wrapped present under the tree for Joe among the stacks of gifts 
Joe looks to his mother to check it is for him and she encourages him 
Joe unwraps a night light and it begins to dawn on him that Moz had got it for him to help him sleep better 
The fabulous starlight nightlight creates the magical patterns across the Joe's bedroom to help him relax at night time 
Joe looks under his bed as he checks his is he is gone 
But the space under his bed was filled by his gift 
However, with a click that turns the nightlight off, Joe hears Moz under the bed and so can relax knowing his friend is always nearby if he needs him A recording of actress Sally Phillips reading the Moz The Monster story will be available for download from johnlewis.com.
The store declined to put a price on the ad, saying it was spent on £ 1 million on putting each campaign together and another £ 6 million on television slots.
The The American computer science teacher called John Lewis, who endures the year after year of Twitter feedback on the retailer's campaigns despite clarifying that he is' not a retail store ', has already posted:' Trust me, no one wants to know what's under my bed. #UnderTheBed '.
Here comes the merchandise! John Lewis hopes to cash in on its £ 7million blockbuster advert with sales of Teddies, slippers, PJs, mugs and book
John Lewis' blockbuster advert is just part of its massive Christmas campaign with the retailer releasing an array of merchandise including a £ 20 cuddly monster.
There is also a Mozilla Monster children's book for £ 8.99, a mug for £ 5, pyjamas for around £ 20 and slippers for £ 14 to £ 16.
At the John Lewis flagship shop on Oxford Street visitors to Joe's house
On the John Lewis Facebook page people will be able to have fun 'mozifying' their face with their Facebook camera, and in 10 stores customers will be able to create their own monster selfie at a Monster Maker station.
A recording of actress Sally Phillips read the Moz The Monster story will be available for download from johnlewis.com, Sky boxes and Google Home.
This Christmas John Lewis has chosen Barnardo's as its charity partner and will make a donation to the charity from the sale of Moz cuddly toys and mugs.
It is hoped that the cybercity of the penguin is toy that sold 48,000 alone after its release in 2014 with sellers asking up to £ 500 for one on eBay
After (19459002)
In 2014 its web traffic goes up an extra 14million unique visits and 260,000 alone clicked on the advert taking them through to their online store.
Moz fans can get their own cuddly toy for their bedroom for £ 20 each. Staff in Canary Wharf made a blunder this week after putting the toys out before the advert launched 
A Mozilla monster book is available for £ 8.99 and a recording of actress Sally Phillips read it will be available for download from johnlewis.com 
Fans of the monster and traditional Christmas slippers for between £ 14 and £ 16 depending on sizes 
The retailer is also launching a sleepwear range available in blue and red and priced at between £ 18 and £ 20 depending on sizes 
The Moz the Monster is available for £ 5 with profits from this and the cuddly toy going to Barnados Remember these? Bouncing Buster, the Man on the Moon, Montie the penguin and a lovestruck snowman - EVERY John Lewis ad from the past ten years
2016
Last year's star was Buster the Boxer and his trampoline antics.
John Lewis said the advert where the dog, played by five-year-old Biff, beats a young girl to her new toy is their attempt to cheer up Britain after a 'tough year'.
The advert told the story of a little girl called Bridget who loves to jump.
Set to a cover version of 'One Day I'll Fly Away', her mother and father buy her a trampoline, toiling while she sleeps to build it before hiding it in the garden to surprise her with on Christmas Day . As the snow falls an array of animals start using it as the Boxer watches forlornly through the window.
The next morning Bridget sprints out to use it for the first time but her joy turns to shock as cheeky Buster has the last laugh and uses her new toy before her.
2015
A lonely Man on the Moon is shown to viewers sitting by himself on a bench, completely unaware that he is being observed by the youngster back down on Earth
The elderly man, played by a 77-year-old French actor called Jean, gazes up wistfully towards the Earth, as the Oasis song Half The World Away, performed by 19-year-old Norwegian singer Aurora plays mournfully in the background.
She tries desperately to send him a message but all her efforts fail, while he remains unaware that anyone cares about him and sits alone on a bench, wistfully staring up at the Earth.
Eventually, on Christmas morning, a present arrives from the sky, carried by party balloons, and the old man unwraps it to reveal a vintage telescope.
He uses it to spot Lily and, realising that someone cares about him, his eyes fill with tears.
2014
John Lewis hoped the bond between a boy and a penguin would capture the public's imagination.
The two-minute festive commercial told the story of seven-year-old Sam, played by actor Rhys Edwards from Hertfordshire, and his friend Monty.
The boy gradually realises Monty is longing for a penguin companion. And so on Christmas morning Sam surprises Monty with the gift of a new penguin friend named Mabel.
The soundtrack was John Lennon's song Real Love, performed by Tom Odell.
2013
The £7million Disney-inspired advert told the story of a selfless hare who is determined to make sure his best friend, a bear, doesn't miss Christmas for once.
The commercial features the tale of two good friends, a bear and a hare, who are sad at the thought of being separated for Christmas.
The tale opens as winter is starting to draw in and the fun and excitement of preparing for Christmas begins.
As the first snowflake falls and lands on the bear's nose, the hare starts to feel sad because he realises his friend will soon go off to hibernate, so – as usual - missing Christmas.
While the bear is keen to join in, eventually he finds he cannot hold off his winter sleep any longer and disappears into his cave.
Viewers see the bear fast asleep while all the other woodland creatures become excited about the big day to come.
However, the hare is missing his friend and finds it increasingly difficult to join in the preparations until the moment he has a great idea for a very special present.
He disappears off in to the wilderness to return with the gift – an alarm clock – which wakes the bear just in time to gather around a beautifully decorated tree to celebrate with all his friends.
2012
The Christmas ad, called The Journey, shows the extraordinary lengths to which some will go in their se arch for a gift for someone they love.
The 90-second commercial opens in a family's snow-covered garden, with children happily making a snowman and snowwoman.
When the snowman mysteriously disappears the next morning, the viewer is transported to a magical world, following him on an epic journey across river, mountain, road and city.
The motive for the snowman's secret journey isn't revealed until the last scene, when he returns on Christmas morning with gifts for his wife.
Newcomer Gabrielle Aplin sings The Power Of Love, the 1984 hit from Frankie Goes To Hollywood, as the soundtrack.
2011
In 2011, the John Lewis advert showed a young boy so desperately excited about Christmas that he couldn't wait to give presents to his parents.
It was accompanied by a cover of The Smiths' Please Please Let Me Get What I Want'.
2010
And the 2010 offering saw individuals choosing and wrapping their presents in the lead up to the big day, as Ellie Goulding sings a cover of Elton John's Your Song.
Various people furtively hide the presents they've carefully chosen: parents sneak a rocking horse upstairs while their children's backs are turned; a mechanic struggles to wrap a spotted teapot; and a small boy braves the snow in his dressing gown to hang a stocking outside his dog's kennel.
2009
This was the first of the store's Christmas campaigns created by advertising agency Adam & Eve, now adam&eveDDB, and the first to feature a musical cover by a current artist, on this occasion a Taken By Trees version of Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses.
The ad shows children opening gifts for adults including a laptop, coffee machine and handbag, followed by the tagline: 'Remember how Christmas used to feel? Give someone that feeling.'
2008
Culminating in the tagline: 'If you know the person, you'll find the present,' it shows a succession of characters followed by a matching gift.
The soundtrack is a cover of The Beatles' From Me To You recorded for the campaign, with vocals by Matt Spinner, a member of the John Lewis IT department and its music society.
2007
The ad shows a group of people stacking a pile of potential gifts including a desktop lamp, a computer and a leather satchel in an empty room. The finished product ends up creating a shadow that looks like a woman walking her dog through the snow, accompanied by the tagline: 'Whoever you're looking for this Christmas.'
And how does it compare to its rivals?
Tesco
Poll
Who has made the best Christmas advert so far?
John Lewis
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M&S
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Tesco
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Lidl
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Asda
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Argos
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Vodafone
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Debenhams
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Aldi
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Tesco's one-minute ad is the first in a five-part series to promote the retailer's festive 'Everyone's Welcome' campaign.
In the clip, which was released on Sunday, different families are seen celebrating the festival as they dig into a Tesco turkey.
But not everything goes to plan.
In one scene, a worried-looking man peers into the oven as he inquires: 'You did take the giblets out?'
It becomes apparent that the cook has forgotten, as he responds: 'Giblets?'
In another scene, a woman struggles to get an over-sized turkey into the oven, before deflecting the attention away by asking her concerned guests: 'Has everyone got a drink?'
LIDL
LIDL's Yuletide offering comes in three parts: the Cavalier Carver, The Mince Pie Maverick and the Double Dipper.
In the Mince Pie Maverick, a father demonstrates all the different ways you can devour the Christmas snack, including nibbling, grazing and chomping.
'Our campaign "Every Lidl Thing For Christmas" has been developed to showcase the fantastic breadth of food and drink we have for the UK customer at Lidl,' Claire Farrant, the supermarket's UK advertising and marketing director, said.
'Each Christmas tribe is paired with a Lidl product, demonstrating how we are offering everything anybody could want for this Christmas, and always at unbeatable value.'
M&S
This year, M&S has gone for a very different approach with its festive advert, which is instead a John Lewis-style animated tearjerker that stars one of the best loved characters in children's literature.
The 90-second advert sees Paddington Bear accidentally stumble across a burglar who he mistakes for Father Christmas on the roof of his home, famously in Windsor Gardens.
Always eager to help, the adorable Paddington offers to deliver the presents with the fake Father Christmas, despite protestations that he isn't Santa.
Naturally, the burglar eventually sees the error of his ways as the bear from deepest, darkest Peru shows the thief how excited the family are as they open their presents.
Aldi
The cute talking carrot who warmed the hearts of the nation last year is back as the star of Aldi's Christmas advert again.
And this year, Kevin the Carrot is on a quest for love, as well as the chance to meet Father Christmas once more.
The little vegetable has been popping up on dating app Happn in the lead-up to the launch of Aldi's festive campaign, but clearly had no luck finding the carrot of his dreams before starring in the new Christmas advert.
In the Night Before Christmas-inspired tale, Kevin glimpses Santa Claus through the window of a Polar Express-style sleeper train after wriggling out of the nose of a snowman
He then stumbles onto the luxurious express train to find him, and sees that the dining car is laden with a sumptuous Christmas feast. It's then that little Kevin spots girl carrot Katie from afar, and is instantly smitten.
But Kevin soon finds that the path to true love is never easy, as he dodges sharp utensils, a turkey and all the trimmings.
A gingerbread man snapped in two scares him so much that he stumbles back and knocks over a tower of cheese and a dish of peas.
Seeing a barrage of peas heading towards Katie, Kevin jumps in front to save her and takes the hit.
But the advert can't resist throwing in a cheeky line to cut through the heartfelt drama, as Kevin jokes after he's been saved: 'I think I pea-d myself.'
Debenhams
Debenhams launched its 'You Shall' campaign taking inspiration from Charles Perrault's classic 1697 fairytale, Cinderella.
The ad tells the tale of a young woman who loses her shoe on a crowded train and the handsome stranger who finds it.
Audiences will also see a familiar Hollywood face, with a cameo appearance from Ewan McGregor, who plays a pivotal role in the fairytale ending.
The film follows the quest of reuniting a lost shoe with the ad's heroine and a number of near misses that take place along the way.
The item, a limited edition crystal studded stiletto specially created by leading British designer, Jenny Packham will also be on offer to Debenhams customers.
Retailing for £99 each shoe sold in select stores and online is accompanied with a personalised signed card by the designer.
The multi-million pound campaign was filmed in July in 39 degree heat in Budapest and is the stores' opening salvo to launch Christmas trade. Directed by Hanna Maria Heidrich, who has won more than 40 international awards for her commercials and short films, the film set saw festive themed scenes created with tonnes of fake snow along with the use of a vintage steam train. The filming took place through the night to capture the atmospheric scenes.
Asda
Asda's 60 second ad is the first in a series meant to give viewers a glimpse into the grocery chain's imaginary festive workshop.
It follows a young girl and her grandfather who sneak into a factory to discover Asda's Christmas 'Imaginarium', featuring a reindeer-powered food mixer for Christmas puddings, miniature people assembling canapes, and a Gin Room where a worker infuses truffles with an apparent gin laser.
Andy Murray, Asda's chief customer officer, said: 'The care and attention that has gone into listening to our customers and creating our Christmas range this year is really impressive and the Imaginarium is the perfect showcase for the excitement and ethos behind our products.
'Whatever your age or budget, Christmas is the time of year when you're open to a little bit of magic and wonderment and I'm really excited that we've been able to do our bit to provide that for our customers this year.'
Argos
Argos's 60-second commercial aims to transport viewers to a magical distribution centre where a troupe of elves are helping Santa to deliver gifts.
The advert is supposed to accentuate speedy delivery from Argos, with the retailer saying online orders can be delivered in as little as four hours.
Three children will also have the opportunity to feature in the TV advert themselves, with parents invited to submit images of them on social media.
The advert, created by CHI&Partners and directed by Gary Freedman, features a futuristic rocket-powered sleigh ready to take off on its mission across the country.
One child's long-awaited Christmas present, a Teksta voice-recognition robotic puppy, is found wandering the aisles by an elf.
But the elf scans it in at the 'elf station' to reveal its intended recipient on-screen, Tom, aged nine, whose family's gifts are departing from gate nine.
This leads to a chase across the distribution centre in which the elf does his best to ensure the robotic puppy makes it to Tom in time for Christmas.
Gary Kibble, Marketing Director at Argos, said: 'We love this edge-of-your-seat, high-energy Christmas campaign, which aims to surprise and delight across all channels – showcasing Argos's Fast Track delivery commitment to getting customers what they want, how and when they want it, faster than anyone else.'
Vodafone
Martin Freeman has delighted fans in Vodafone's heartwarming festive advert.
In the first part of the phone network's Christmas love story series, the Sherlock actor, 46, is seen falling for a mystery brunette on a train platform - as she watches the movie It's a Wonderful Life.
With his female companion wearing a red coat a la Martine McCutcheon in the famous Richard Curtis movie, the advert certainly appears to have a distinct Love Actually feel about it.
The pair lock eyes as Freeman quotes the famous line 'I'll give you the moon, Mary', to which the woman replies: 'I'll take it. Then what?'
The Hobbit star, who could perhaps brush up on his chat-up lines, then begins talking to her about the dangers of burning through her data if she watches movies on her phone.
After eventually getting on the train, he is seen berating himself for bringing up mobile phone data, before the mystery woman appears at the window with her phone number.
