James May has responded to a social media user who sent an angry-worded letter to Marks and Spencer in response to its Christmas advert campaign.
The outrage relating to its televised advert comes just days after it faced "boycott" calls for showing red, green and silver paper hats thrown into a fire in an ad snippet amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas - with some pointing out the colours matched those on the Palestinian flag.
In its televised Christmas ad, a number of famous faces are getting ready for the festive period but are defying the norms by derailing traditional activities related to December 25.
The likes of singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Game of Thrones' Hannah Waddingham decide to burn Christmas cards and trash board games as they aim to defy the conventional Christmas activities.
This resulted in Katharine Birbalsingh, the self-proclaimed strictest headteacher in the UK, taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share: "I am sending this complaint letter to M&S @marksandspencer. We should all be complaining. This is a fight for everything we should believe in. Do not sit this one out. Write a letter of complaint about that advert!"
In her letter, Birbalsingh said she wanted to express "deep disappointment and outrage at your Christmas advert for 2023".
Hannah Waddingham destroys Christmas hats in the advert
M&S
She continued: "You have a duty as our national department store to keep the spirit of Christmas alive for the sake of our children."
The teacher went on to claim that "this is not the time for you to encourage people to ignore the inspirational spirit of Christmas of self-sacrifice, gratitude, giving of one’s time and finances to help one’s fellow man, of children’s laughter, of magical tales of Father Christmas, of kindness and of beauty, and instead tell us to ‘do whatever we want for ourselves’."
Birbalsingh also added that M&S had made her job "much more difficult" as the advert "puts two fingers up" to the "values of decency" she and her colleagues have tried to instil in her students.
She signed off the letter by calling for the advert to be removed.
James May has mocked the uproar to the M&S advert
GETTY/M&S
Birbalsingh’s complaint received a mixed reaction from X users, with many people questioning her anger while others agreed it sent the wrong message.
May was one of those in the former camp as he took to the replies of the post to mock Birbalsingh.
"Good grief," May began. "Marks and Spencer is not our ‘national department store’. That will be John Lewis.
"Marks and Spencer is our national pants supplier. Get it right. You’re a ‘teacher’."
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I am sending this complaint letter to M&S @marksandspencer
— Katharine Birbalsingh (@Miss_Snuffy) November 3, 2023
We should all be complaining.
This is a fight for everything we should believe in.
Do not sit this one out.
Write a letter of complaint about that advert!! pic.twitter.com/3aw58Uw2FZ
It didn't take long for others to similarly tease and in response to another user who suggested M&S could be a national "sarny supplier" due to their range of sandwiches, May replied: "Also, the custard tarts are the guv."
Other criticism levelled at Birbalsingh included one person asking: "How are you not so incredibly embarrassed at yourself?"
While another hit out: "If you think children at your school listen more to a playful M&S Xmas ad than you or your teachers, then the problem is probably your end."
