Bisto’s latest TV advert, which debuts today (9 December), celebrates the act of inviting an elderly person round for Sunday lunch.

The ad, created by McCann London, follows the real-life Handfield-Walker family from Ilkley, West Yorkshire, who play host to 93-year-old Connie, who lives alone. Bisto launched its Spare Chair Sunday campaign in September, in association with charity Contact the Elderly, as an initiative to tackle the issue of loneliness and isolation faced by many older people. Since the launch, almost 900 households have volunteered to host a Spare Chair Sunday.

“We have had over 100 years of bringing people together around the dinner table, and continue to do so through the Bisto Together Project,” said marketing director Helen Warren Piper. 

“Loneliness is a real problem in the UK and for older people specifically. The work that Contact the Elderly already does is proven to work and uplift the community as a whole. We have found a perfect partner in Contact the Elderly in driving forward our Together Project through the Spare Chair Sunday campaign.”

This year’s John Lewis ad deals with a similar theme but though a fantasy lens, following the attempts of a six-year-old girl to make contact with a lonely old man on the moon. The retailer is supporting charity Age UK with the profits from three gift products.