Mr John Lewis records his own Christmas song

18 December 2025

Tony Fisher,Hertfordshireand

Justin Dealey,in Shenley

News image — John Lewis in the studio where the likes of David Essex (pictured on a record sleeve in the background) has recorded

Lily-May Symonds/BBC A man with white shoulder-length hair and beard and wearing a Christmas hat, a red shirt and a blue top smiles into the camera. Behind him are light brown wooden shelves full of records and trophy discs. — John Lewis in the studio where the likes of David Essex (pictured on a record sleeve in the background) has recorded

A man called John Lewis has recorded a Christmas song after years of being ribbed about his name.

Mr Lewis, 64, from Leicester, sang parts of Mary's Boy Child with the help of a gospel choir at a studio in Shenley, near St Albans, Hertfordshire.

The studio belongs to American-British composer Jeff Wayne, of The War of the Worlds fame.

A spokesperson for the department store that shares his name said: "We love the idea of music as a gift, and John's song is a present that'll put a smile on anyone's face."

Mr Lewis said afterwards that his experience had made it "the most memorable Christmas".

Lily-May Symonds/BBC Three women wearing headphones in front of a microphone on a stand in a recording studio. Two of the women are wearing jumpers and one is wearing a coat. There is a man in the background holding a piece of paper. There are shelves full of records in the background and a leather armchair on the right. — Three members of the gospel choir from the charity Comfort Centre Leicester, who helped John Lewis record his Christmas song

The big day was organised by presenter Justin Dealey as part of the "namesake feature" on his BBC Three Counties Radio weekend show.

Mr Lewis said people liked to humour him about his name at Christmas, and "they are always the first person who has thought of it".

Before the recording, Mr Lewis said it was "exciting but terrifying".

He sang several lines from the 1956 Christmas song Mary's Boy Child, written by Jester Hairston and covered by Andy Williams and Boney M.

Among the verses he sang were the ones which begin "Long time ago in Bethlehem so the Holy Bible say" and "While shepherds watched their flock by night".

Mr Lewis can also be heard humming along.

Dave J Hogan/Getty Images A man with wavy white short hair conducting a choir. He is wearing a brown gilet and a white shirt. There is a microphone in front of him and a screen. — Jeff Wayne conducts the orchestra during a dress rehearsal of The War of the Worlds stage tour in 2022

And there was a surprise at the end as Mr Wayne, who Mr Lewis said was one of his heroes, went into the studio.

He said he "was lost for words" and said "it was such an honour" to meet the producer.

Mr Wayne said the studio had welcomed a range of stars including Gary Barlow, Joss Stone and Sir Anthony Hopkins (or "Sir Tone", as he used to call him).

It capped off the day for Mr Lewis, who said "I think I probably need a drink".

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