Zero-budget Christmas advert shot in Derbyshire aiming to rival John Lewis

This alternative festive offering bears all the hallmarks of a John Lewis tearjerker, from its emotionally charged storyline to the stirring soundtrack, but didn’t cost a penny to make.

It was created by ChargedEV, one of the country’s leading installers of electric vehicle charging points, to highlight the potential of greener energy and encourage drivers to make the switch from petrol.

The 100-second film called ‘Choose Electric’ stars the business’s director Mark Pymm, his wife Nicola and their daughters Olivia, eight, and Evelyn, three, and was produced entirely in-house at the company, which employs 25 staff.

As Mark finishes work on Christmas Eve, at the firm’s office on Dunston Way, near Chesterfield, Nicola and the girls can be seen excitedly preparing for the big day at the family home in Inkersall.

But as he travels home via the Dronfield bypass, a power cut hits the house and they are forced to light candles.

Mark pulls into the drive to find his daughters’ faces pressed excitedly against the window, thrilled to have their father home for Christmas, and he proceeds to plug the charger into his car, restoring power to the house and illuminating the Christmas lights.

The tagline is ‘save money, save carbon, save Christmas’ and while the technology does not yet exist to power your home from an electric car, it is something ChargedEV and other firms are working on and which Mark claims shows what could soon be possible.

“The idea is to open people’s minds to electric vehicles, because a lot of people are already considering making the switch and we thought this emotional story might persuade them to make the change,” said Mark.

“It’s the first John Lewis-style Christmas video we’ve made and was shot entirely in-house, with our marketing lead Liam Herring responsible for the camerawork.

“My daughters were very keen to get involved but Nicola took a bit more persuading.

“Considering it was made for zero pounds, compared with the millions spent by John Lewis, we’re pretty happy with the finished product.”