An American man called John Lewis, who is repeatedly confused for the British retailer on Twitter, has finally got to star in a Christmas advert of his own.

Every year, poor old John, a computer-science lecturer at Virginia Tech University, receives more than 50,000 tweets intended for the department store. Tweet volume tends to spike when the store releases its highly anticipated Christmas advert.

This year, John (whose Twitter handle is @JohnLewis) stars in his own Christmas advert #NotARetailStore, which sees him sat at home, reading and responding to tweets from John Lewis customers – which has become something of a festive ritual for him.

John’s tongue-in-cheek and quick-witted responses to the mistaken identity have made him a cult hero in the UK, amassing more than 41,200 followers. To celebrate his story, Twitter made him the leading man of his very own Christmas video, shot on location at his home in Blacksburg, Virginia (well played, Twitter).

The dad-of-four said: “I think it’s hilarious that people mistake me for the UK store and I do my best to direct them to the right place. I see a massive spike in tweets at this time of year and I always watch the John Lewis advert, especially as it becomes a huge part of my Twitter conversation.”

His advert comes just one week after John Lewis’ 2018 Christmas advert ‘The Boy And The Piano’ aired. Elton John stars in the short film which takes viewers back in time through decades of his musical career – the dressing rooms, the stadium tours, the private jets – to the final scene where he is gifted a piano by his mother as a child.

The real John Lewis added: “Hopefully people will be kind about my acting skills. I am no Elton John but who knows maybe I’ll get tweets about my own film this year.”