Emily Atack falls in love with Gavin & Stacey star in first major 2026 Christmas advert

Christmas is just a hop, skip, and a jump away and with that comes the annual avalanche of adverts.

Whether a tear-jerker or heartwarmer, every company is vying for the most memorable ad of the year that will stick in your mind just long enough to pop by the store and do your festive shopping.

Beating the crowds, we have retail chain Debenhams, who are offering a sweet small-town love story this year between Rivals actress Emily Atack as the unlucky-in-love Tina and Gavin and Stacey star Mathew Horne as the one-who-got-away Chris

The advert opens up on a local village hall party where Tina and her glammed-up gals squad are boogieing to some Xmas tunes and having a silly ol’ time.

But disaster strikes when the landlady, played by Kym Marsh, reveals the booked talent has been caught in a snowstorm. Nightmare!

After exchanging yearning gazes on the dance floor all night, Chris admirably steps up to the plate and starts playing the guitar to the tune of the first song he and Emily bonded over all those years ago in school.

This is the part where you say: ‘Awwww’.

Following that trip down memory lane, however, yet more chaos reigns when the electricity goes down. All is well soon, with music icon Gabrielle arriving just in the nick of time to get the festivities going again.

Partying it up in the village hall, the lights go out yet again, but this time Tina and Chris steal the opportunity to seal their reunion with a kiss.

It’s all the feel-good nostalgia you need in a Christmas advert. And for both Gavin and Stacey and Inbetweeners fans, two worlds really do collide.

Sharing her joy at being involved, Emily said: ‘I loved filming it, the warm, nostalgic vibe of the party in the film felt just perfect and what a fantastically talented and lovely cast to be a part of.

‘I can’t wait for this Christmas season, and I adore the theme of the campaign which is to remind everyone to reconnect with family and friends at this wonderful time of the year.’

Meanwhile, Mathew acknowledged that normally his face is seen on screen when people are catching a Gavin and Stacey Christmas special, but that’s all changed this year.

‘Families, friends and loved ones would gather round the TV to watch the Christmas specials and I’m delighted to be a part of another festive film that celebrates similar themes of togetherness,’ he said.