Sexy Santa has arrived, and this year he’s traded the big belly, bushy beard and traditional red suit for a six-pack, a razor and a rather revealing Christmas makeover.
M&S has unwrapped its 2026 Christmas campaign, starring Happy Valley actor James Norton as a shirtless, undercover Santa Claus, alongside Amandaland star Lucy Punch as Mrs Claus.
And let’s just say, this isn’t quite the Santa Claus we remember from childhood. The three-minute festive film sees Norton swap Santa’s trademark look for a fresh shave and a considerably more toned physique, after some encouragement from Mrs Claus.
Keen to experience Christmas without being recognised, Santa heads out from the North Pole and into the real world, where he gatecrashes a dinner party, drops in on a children’s carol concert and discovers the joys of M&S’s Christmas food range.
The advert also features a special appearance from Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins, who performs a festive rendition of Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’ alongside a group of children.
But perhaps Santa’s biggest discovery comes when he stumbles across a rather enormous M&S store.
“Wow, what is this place? Who’s Mark and who’s Spencer?” he asks.
Naturally, the discovery proves too good to keep to himself. In the closing scenes, Santa returns to the North Pole, with the front door swinging open to reveal an army of elves carrying M&S shopping bags.
The campaign puts M&S’s range of Christmas food in the spotlight, using a little festive fantasy and plenty of humour to get shoppers in the Christmas spirit.
