John Lewis reveals early hint of Christmas advert with new campaign

John Lewis have released the first part in a trilogy of videos which will end with their Christmas advert. 

The retailer's new advert was released today  and is inspired by John Lewis' enduring prominency on the high street - marking their 100 year anniversary. 

The video will run alongside another two other campaigns during the period of the retail 'Golden Quarter' the time between Black Friday and Christmas.

It shows the shop's ever changing storefront, with scenes depicting the shop window from different periods in time.

Each moment in time sees a different shop window with onlookers excitedly peering in on bestsellers from time.

In one moment, a group of women huddle eagerly next to the window as they watch a toaster eject a freshly crisped slice of bread for the first time. 

At the beginning of the 90 second video, a woman walks past a John Lewis store glances into the shop window to two ladies fixing mannequins, stopping to glance at new garments.

The clip then whirls back to different period in history, including one moment when one jogging man retraces his steps after seeing a John Lewis shop window selling facial razors. 

The jogger pauses as he runs past the enormous poster of a moustache bearing  man holding a razor in a huge mannequin hand with the slogan Shave Clean Fresh, for the '70s man.

The clip takes us back in time to a vibrant '60s shop window, filled with colourful outfits from the bohemian era.

The next scene portrays the outbreak of World War II, when John Lewis' Oxford Street store was used as a temporary war bunker, and was blasted during the blitz.

The flagship store in the centre of the capital was the retailer's first ever store.

The clip cleverly leads the viewer through different fads of the time, including the lycra loving era of the '80s, a time when running and fitness became the height of fashion.  

Leading into LED anti-aging face masks of the present, the video also reveals popular gizmos and gadgets currently seen in John Lewis' shop face's.

The video concludes with it's century old pledge - Never Knowingly Undersold - reinstated on the shop window. 

Cascading through the decades, the advert is supposed to symbolise the importance of values learned over a lifetime, with the retailer promising to be there throughout.

While some clips have been recently created, John Lewis have also drawn on their own archives from Odney, Berkshire, offering a sense of authenticity. 

The soundtrack featuring award-winning music artist Laura Mvula is a new version of Paul Simon's I Know What I Know.

The new advert will air tonight during an episode on Channel 4's Taskmaster.

Providing the voice over for the video was actress Samantha Morton, who read a monologue reflecting on what it means to live knowingly.

John Lewis Customer Director, Charlotte Lock, said of the campaign: 'We've looked to our heritage to inform our refreshed value promise to customers, making it relevant for today by matching not only high street retailers but also online competitors - and we are backing it with the biggest marketing campaign in our history. 

'We have drawn on our archives and are literally depicting a window on Britain, showing the changing trends and events over the past century.

'Our launch ad travels back to 1925 when we first introduced Never Knowingly Undersold, through the perspective of our Oxford Street shop window. 

'The enduring value and values John Lewis represents are as important today as they were a century ago.'