THE director of the nation's favourite Christmas TV advert has paid homage to his hometown in Wirral by featuring it alongside Monty The Penguin.

John Lewis released their festive commercial for 2014 last week and the tale of Monty and Mabel has already touched the hearts of the nation.

With a little help from Tom Odell's cover of The Beatles' Real Love, John Lewis has once again found its way to the top of the TV adverts festive hall of fame.

The two minute advert shows a young boy called Sam and his pet penguin enjoying the Christmas build up but as the £1 million film continues, Monty begins yearning for a female companion.

But eagle-eyed viewers who have managed to see through their tears will have spotted a double-decker bus featured in the advert is on its way to Heswall.

The number 45 bus shows its destination as the Wirral town and also makes reference to Hoylake and West Kirby.

Its appearance in the advert is down to its director Dougal Wilson, a former Calday Grange pupil born in Heswall.

After studying astrophysics at Durham University, Dougal worked as a copywriter at the Leith advertising agency in Edinburgh before moving to London to pursue a career as a director.

He has directed commercials for Orange, Stella Artois, Olympus, Becks and Coca-Cola, as well as music videos for Will Young, Jarvis Cocker and Basement Jaxx.