Meme, Mariah or M&S? The 2026 Christmas Ad Cameo Awards Nobody Asked For (But We Needed)

The rules (there are basically none)

It’s 7 November, which means the UK’s Christmas adverts have officially landed, and your group chat is already full of 15-second clips of famous people pretending to be shocked by tinsel. This year the cameo arms race went nuclear. Supermarkets, phone networks and at least one brand we’re still not convinced sells anything have packed their festive spots with pop stars, rappers, TikTok faces and one very confused-looking soap actor.

So we did the only sensible thing: assembled CelebYouth’s young-fan jury of six teenagers from Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Belfast, gave them mince pies and asked them to score every major cameo on three things — memeability, soundtrack replay value and whether the whole thing feels genuinely fun or painfully cringe. Cringe was scored in reverse: 10 means “we’d send it to the group chat”, 1 means “we’d deny watching it under oath”.

Here’s the totally unscientific, highly argumentative ranking.

7. The TikTok baker in the Very ad — 19/30

Memeability: 7. Soundtrack: 4. Cringe-proof: 8.

Look, we love a viral baker. But sticking a TikTok star in a sparkly kitchen and asking them to gasp at a delivery box is not a personality. The jury’s verdict was brutal but fair: “It’s cute, but it’s giving advert, not moment.” The soundtrack — a slowed-down cover of a noughties pop song — was described by one juror as “the sound of my mum’s gym playlist”. Harsh. Accurate.

6. Aitch meets Kevin the Carrot in the Aldi ad — 20/30

Memeability: 8. Soundtrack: 4. Cringe-proof: 8.

A Manchester rapper trading bars with a cartoon carrot should be chaos in the best way. And for about eight seconds, it is. Then the ad remembers it has to sell groceries and the energy drops like a phone battery on a cold day. Still, the image of Aitch squinting at Kevin like he’s just heard the maddest rumour is genuinely funny. The jury wanted more carrot, less voiceover. Fair.

5. Mabel’s Sainsbury’s nostalgia trip — 22/30

Memeability: 6. Soundtrack: 9. Cringe-proof: 7.

This one is less cameo, more warm hug. Mabel sings over a kitchen-table scene that’s designed to make you text your mum, and honestly? It works. The soundtrack is the only one the jury actually Shazamed. But the memeability is low because nobody is making a reaction video to a nice lady stirring gravy. “It’s lovely,” said one juror. “It’s just not going to ruin my life.”

4. KSI’s Argos multiverse — 23/30

Memeability: 9. Soundtrack: 6. Cringe-proof: 8.

KSI appears in three different versions of the same advert, which should feel like a glitch in the matrix but instead feels weirdly committed. The jury loved the chaos: “He’s doing the most and somehow it’s not annoying.” The soundtrack is a generic festive trap beat that nobody will replay on purpose, but the image of KSI arguing with a robot about a games console is already a reaction meme. Strong showing.

3. Raye’s John Lewis ballad — 25/30

Memeability: 7. Soundtrack: 10. Cringe-proof: 8.

Yes, the John Lewis advert made us cry. No, we will not be discussing it. Raye’s voice does the heavy lifting in a story about a kid and a very determined dog, and the song is genuinely gorgeous. The jury’s only complaint was that the cameo is almost too subtle: “I had to Google if that was really her.” If you want a soundtrack to soundtrack your winter walk, this is it. If you want a meme, keep scrolling.

2. Charli XCX’s Coca-Cola takeover — 26/30

Memeability: 10. Soundtrack: 8. Cringe-proof: 8.

The internet’s favourite chaotic pop star turns a Christmas truck into a full-on club scene, and the result is exactly as divisive as you’d expect. The jury split down the middle: half called it “the only advert that understands us”, half called it “too much before 9am”. But the memes are already writing themselves — the raised eyebrow, the glittery lorry, the “festive but make it brat” energy. Replay value is high. Cringe is low. A proper contender.

1. Lewis Capaldi’s Boots ad — 27/30

Memeability: 9. Soundtrack: 9. Cringe-proof: 9.

And the winner is… the man who always looks like he’s just woken up from a nap in a good way. Lewis Capaldi’s Boots advert is the only one the jury unanimously agreed felt genuinely fun. He plays a slightly chaotic uncle who buys everyone the wrong gift, then fixes it with a genuinely sweet moment. It’s self-deprecating, it’s silly, and the soundtrack — an original piano number that sounds like it was written in a shed — is surprisingly lovely. One juror summed it up: “It’s not trying to be cool, which is why it is cool.”

The verdict

No Mariah Carey, no fake snow scandal, no budget-looking CGI reindeer — and yet 2026 delivered. The lesson? A cameo can’t fix a bad advert, but a good advert can make a cameo feel like a gift. The UK’s group chats have chosen. Lewis Capaldi, you are officially the king of Christmas ad season. Please don’t let it go to your head.