Spoiler alert: The John Lewis Christmas advert 2018 is here – watch The Boy and the Piano

Forget the presents and seeing the family – these days, the highlight of Christmas is watching the Christmas adverts for the first time. Ok, we are joking (sort of), but this year seems to be an especially big year for festive ads.

There's already been Icelandgate, and the return of Aldi's Kevin The Carrot. But of course, the John Lewis Christmas advert 2018 is still the most anticipated of them all. And it doesn't disappoint, starring the music legend that is Sir Elton John.

More Christmas telly fun: The Aldi Christmas advert airs tonight – and Kevin the Carrot is back!!

You can watch it here from 6am... but WARNING: Don't scroll down if you don't want to know what happens! It will then be showing on the company’s social media channels, johnlewis.com and in shops at 8.00am. The ad will first air on TV this evening at 9.15pm on ITV, during Dark Heart.

The Boy and the Piano is one of John Lewis' most heart-warming tales yet – and remember, we're competing with the tear-jerker that was The Bear and the Hare here! It tells the story of how the gift of a piano completely transforms one boy's life. That boy being a little Elton John.

It's told backwards, so we start with the fantabulous (he's that amazing we had to make up a word) Sir Elton at his very first piano, playing one of his most iconic tunes, Your Song.

As the music plays, we then travel backwards in time, revisiting key moments in his epic career. One thing that's so clever about the ad is that, as we skip back, Elton's voice changes to be as true as possible to how he sounded at the time.

Next, we see Elton performing on his recent Red Piano tour. Like us, you might be thinking how much Elton was paid to do the ad. But John Lewis & Partners were keen to point out that 'the speculation in recent months around the costs associated with this year’s ad is wildly inaccurate and our total spend is similar to previous years.'

They've also revealed that 'Elton requested that a portion of his fee be donated to the Elton John Charitable Trust'.

This spotlight performance represents late 80s/early 90s Elton. Here, and in the following scenes, he's played by actors – all transformed by convincing prosthetics. Who would know?

Surely, one of our most enduring images of Elton is as a 1970s rock god, entertaining stadiums full of fans? In the ad, 'he' rocks out in red glittery Converse and an Uncle Sam jacket...

And talking of outfits, if you fancy dressing up as Elton, or exploring the recording studio and living room sets from the ad, you're in luck. John Lewis & Partners has set up an experience space on the 3rd floor of their Oxford Street branch. It's as full-on as Elton himself – you can even have your photo taken at the piano!

Right, back to the ad. Later scenes show Elton bashing out the hit on a plane, then on a TV show, then recording Your Song for the very first time at London's Trident Studios. We also see him performing at his former local – the Northwood Hills pub in Pinner. 

Remember last year? Watch Under The Bed here! The John Lewis Christmas advert 2017 has arrived!

Tissues at the ready now, folks! The last scene shows little Elton rushing into the living room on Christmas Day. In front of him, there's a piano all wrapped up and waiting. We challenge you not to sob as he lays his fingers on the keys and taps out those few recognisable notes.

What better way is there to Step into Christmas?