Watch: Tesco ad heralds return of Christmas – but incurs wrath of anti-vaxxers

The uplifting ad, set to the Queen classic ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, shows families enjoying festive food and office parties in full swing as consumers make up for lost time after social distancing restrictions plagued last Christmas.

But anti-vaxxers have threatened to boycott the supermarket giant during the peak trading period after the advert depicted Santa Claus showing a Covid-19 passport.

Campaigners launched the #BoycottTesco hashtag on social media, while TV personality Gillian McKeith tweeted that the advert “celebrates discrimination and segregation”.

The retailer said the idea for this year’s advert was sparked by The Tesco Christmas Report 2021, which found that 86% of shoppers insisted nothing would stop them from having a joyful Christmas this year.

Almost half of the respondents (42%) said they would appreciate Christmas more than ever.

Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini said: “We know that Christmas is a hugely important time for many of our customers and, after last year’s events, that is truer now than ever.

“Whenever we set out to create our campaigns, we want to be sure that we capture how the nation really feel and reflect that.

“Our research revealed that people are looking forward to meaningful get-togethers with their loved ones again and, given the backdrop of cancelled plans of last year, they won’t let anything stop them having a proper celebration this year.”