“Tastier than Human Beans!” BFG Back in “Classic Christmas Caper” for Sainsbury’s

The Big Friendly Giant has returned for Sainsbury’s, following a successful outing in Christmas 2024 - only this time he’s got one of his “human bean”-guzzling older brothers to contend with.

“The BFG is back, this time he’s teamed up with Sainsbury’s to help defeat the giant and save the nation’s Christmas dinners,” says Ian Heartfield, founder and  CCO at UK advertising agency New Commercial Arts. ”We’ve given this campaign all the ingredients of a classic Christmas caper movie, whilst adding lashings of mouth-watering Sainsbury’s Christmas grub.”

This year’s hero spot sees the Roald Dahl creation team up with new Sainsbury’s colleague Annie to save Christmas dinner as a new unexpected guest, ‘The Greedy Giant’, raids homes around the country for tasty items from Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range.

Radha Davies, Sainsbury's marketing director, explains, “We want to help our customers have an unforgettable and magical Christmas. Sainsbury’s is here to help the nation get ready for anything during the festive season, from spectacular centrepieces to showstopping desserts, our innovative range of high-quality Taste the Difference food makes hosting easy. There’s something for every occasion and to bring joy to all, even when the unexpected strikes.”

The campaign reunites agency New Commercial Arts with director Sam Brown, production company Rogue Films and VFX wizards Electric Theatre Collective. The 60” ad premieres on TV for the first time on Sunday 2nd November 2025 at 20:10pm. The 90” advert will be shown across Sainsbury’s social channels and website as well as during cinema screenings1 of Wicked from 21st November – 24th December. The 90” advert will also be supported by a series of 60”, 40” and 20” films across TV, social and online.

The decision to continue the tale of the BFG reflects the achievements of last year’s debut outing, which scored 5.9 on the System1 TestYour Ad platform https://system1group.com/ad-of-the-week/bfg-magic-makes-sainsburys-best-ever-christmas-ad. Moreover, as Rahda Davies explains, the BFG is a particularly loveable and nostalgic creation.

“We were delighted to revisit our collaboration with the Roald Dahl Story Company this year,” says Radha. “The BFG, who is loved by all, was the perfect partner to help our brilliant colleague Annie save the day for our customers. We wanted to capture a spirit of heart-warming nostalgia, with the energy of a great Christmas tale. We’ve translated that joyful energy into our new food range, which is designed to help families and friends create wonderful memories, with delicious, quality options for every taste and budget.”

Alice O’Brien, head of global commercial partnerships at Roald Dahl Story Company, adds, “Last year the nation was captivated by two old friends back together, and this time we're adding a new giant into the mix, inspired by the fearsome inhabitants of Roald Dahl's Giant Country. We know the BFG lives in the hearts of households around the country, and we're excited for viewers to see him take on the ultimate foodie mission with Annie to save Christmas for all.”

The campaign has also inspired activities in-store. Sainsbury’s has also launched a range of BFG-inspired food, home, clothing and gifting items featuring illustrations by frequent Roald Dahl collaborator Sir Quentin Blake. In order to spread the message of the campaign further, they’re also teaming up with their long term charity partner Comic Relief to distribute over five million meals to families facing food poverty and there will be a special version of this year’s advert highlighting this all-important work and the brand’s ongoing anti food poverty programme.