Watch Lidl's tongue-in-cheek Christmas advert for 2020 here

From acts of kindness to lonely old men on the moon, the Christmas advert tradition has been going strong for a good few years, with each retailer competing to tug at the nation’s heartstrings.

This year, however, Lidl has decided to turn the concept on its head with a tongue-in-cheek advert poking fun at the heartfelt efforts of rival supermarkets.

Titled 'Big on a Christmas you can believe in,' the advert takes a swipe at the saccharine tropes that usually feature in Christmas ads - magical animals, elderly relatives, lonely hearts meeting - and overwrites them with the bargain prices that Lidl is famous for. It was premiered during the launch show for the new series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here.

What happens in the advert?

The advert is animated and features a song, opening to a scene of a robin landing on the snowy windowsill of a little girl with the words, "Could a friendship be ahead?" swiftly followed by, "No, it’s a Christmas ad for Lidl with great prices instead!"

It continues in the same vein, presenting a typical cutesy Christmas stereotype, before bringing viewers back to reality with a line about Lidl’s no-nonsense offering.

The ad makes a funny reference to “emotional gravy” and pans over an animated grandad with the line, “There’s usually a moment where we want you to feel sad… But we don’t have time, look sparkling wine!”

At one point, the supermarket appears to take a jab at bargain rival Aldi