Star of John Lewis ad kept secret for four months
Teddy plays Alfie who nurtures a plant from a seed
At a glance
Eight-year-old Teddy is the star of the John Lewis Christmas advert
He had to keep his role a secret from his friends for four months
His mum Lizzie said it was "brilliant" to see him appear in the advert
- Published
The eight-year-old star of a Christmas TV advert has described how it was "very hard" to keep it a secret from his school friends.
Teddy, from Bournemouth, successfully auditioned for the role in the John Lewis commercial which was filmed in August.
Playing Alfie, he acted alongside a giant Venus flytrap in the retailer's annual festive marketing campaign.
He said it was the "biggest thing I've ever done".
Teddy's parents run a stage school and talent agency
Teddy was put forward for an audition earlier this year by his parents who run a stage school and talent agency.
He has been acting for two years and has previously appeared in an advertisement for McDonalds and a Barnardos campaign.
He told the BBC despite it being August, the cast had to wear winter coats to create the festive illusion.
"It was very hard because it was really hot," Teddy said.
With stores' Christmas productions closely guarded secrets, Teddy admitted it had been difficult keeping the details from his classmates.
"Lots of people were asking me if I was in another ad but I wasn't allowed to tell anybody.
"They were really impressed - we were watching something in school and my advert came up and everyone cheered - it was amazing," he added.
Teddy had to act alongside a giant Venus flytrap Christmas tree
Supermarkets and high street retailers' Christmas adverts have become ever more lavish and expensive productions.
Set to a track called Festa sung by opera legend Andrea Bocelli, the John Lewis advert shows a little boy, Alfie, who plants his own Christmas tree - only to find it grows into a carnivorous Venus flytrap called Snapper.
But his family eventually embrace the idea of a new tradition, and even enlist the help of Snapper to open their presents on Christmas morning.
Listen: Teddy said his friends were "really impressed"
Teddy's mum Lizzie said it had been "really brilliant" to see her son appear in the advert.
"At the start we didn't know what it was for - it had a codename 'Project Dennis'," she said.
"We thought maybe the boy was called Dennis. It was only when we had the first rehearsal we realised 'Dennis' was the plant.
"We were surprised when it was eventually came out as 'Snapper' - it was such a big secret."
Teddy is staying in the festive spirit for his next role in the upcoming Christmas Spectacular 2023 at the Regents Centre in Christchurch.
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