The eagerly-awaited John Lewis Christmas advert has arrived – bringing an emotional story of a young boy and his imaginary monster to our TV screens.

Saucer-eyed Moz the Monster develops a friendship with seven-year-old host Joe during the two-minute clip, set to a cover of The Beatles song Golden Slumbers by Manchester-based band Elbow.

The pair strike up a friendship based on a mutual love of late-night Scalextric and piggyback games.

But little Joe begins to struggle to stay awake and Moz decides to leave him be for a while.

The ad ends with the youngster – who finds a clumsily-wrapped night light under the tree on Christmas morning – being reunited with the sounds of his friend once again when he switches it off.

It is something of a return to the tearjerkers of past years, following the 2016 comedy featuring bouncing dog Buster the boxer, whose owner was from Suffolk.

Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry said: “When I told my ex-girlfriend I was doing the next John Lewis Christmas film she said, ‘You have big shoes to fill, this John Lewis commercial must make people cry, don’t forget’.

“Last week I showed it to her and she cried. Phew.”

The advert was released on YouTube this morning.