Amid the sea of Christmas adverts which centre around food, Heathrow’s annual festive offering has often been praised for giving us something different.
This year’s campaign stays true to form, and features the beloved teddy bears Doris and Edward Bair, who first warmed the nation’s hearts in the London airport’s 2016 Christmas ad, which received widespread praise.
The short film, set to Paul Young’s “Everytime You Go Away”, depicts the happy couple enjoying their retirement in Florida before returning home to the UK in a bid to have a quintessential British Christmas.
It opens with a very relaxed looking Edward, who is wearing sunglasses and yellow swimwear, reclining on a lilo alongside a mince pie and some tanning oil, naturally.
Then we see dear old Doris, who seems to have taken to retirement life like a fish to water, putting up Christmas tree decorations wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a retro visor.
But things take a turn for the worse when Edward, in search of a festive treat, opens the fridge to find only a boxed “turkey dinner” made by someone called “Auntie Cherry” - this doesn’t seem to appeal much to him, and he walks away, appearing forlorn.
Then, because things really don’t seem to be going so well across the pond for the teddy bears, the Christmas tree that poor Doris spent so long decorating falls over.
Desperately searching for some respite, they decide to speak to some relatives back home in the UK over Skype, but the sight of a cosy British Christmas, complete with knitwear and fairy lights, makes the Floridian setting pale in comparison.
So, the bears decide to abandon the balmy climes of the sunshine state and head home for the holidays to surprise their family, which makes for rather adorable viewing.
One of the most touching moments is when we see the very in love couple walking through Heathrow, which is where their romance first blossomed, as we saw in the airport's 2017’s ad, holding hands.
Ross Baker, Heathrow’s chief commercial officer said: “The nation’s love for Doris and Edward is overwhelming and has been since we first met them in 2016.
“For many people, being close to the ones we love is what really makes Christmas special. This is why we see The Bairs return to their family from warmer climes, as many of Heathrow’s passengers make similar journeys home for the festive season.”
