Adjoa Andoh's nod to 'often undervalued' women as Mrs Claus in her first Christmas advert

She's played every role imaginable, from doctors, nurses and lawyers to powerful women in London high society and the head of M.I.9, but is taking on a new acting challenge this festive season.

The acclaimed actress, who plays Lady Danbury in the Regency romance series , has brought Mrs Claus to life for the small screen this Christmas and Adjoa is relishing shining the spotlight on the "vital and often undervalued" part ' wife plays in making the magic happen.

The icon, 61 stars as glammed-up Mrs. Claus in a boots-fuelled beauty wonderland in high street favourite Boots' enchanting 2024 festive marketing campaign, titled "The Makeover". The captivating film showcases Adjoa leading a team of merry beauty-elves in her Christmas "Werkshop", as they gear up for the holiday season, showcasing Boots as the one-stop-shop for every beauty fan's wish list.

Ahead of her first Christmas advert premiering today, Adjoa revealed how the focus on Mrs Claus is "a little thumbs up to the girls" who carry out additional work over the festive period. Chatting about the unpaid emotional labour many women carry out over Christmas, in addition to often being the ones left to cook and shop for presents, Adjoa shared her hopes for the advert to be seen as "a knowing nod" to female viewers.

"I don't like to stereotype blokes, because they're marvellous and we love them, but I do think generally, women do the heavy lifting in festive periods," Adjoa explains. "They have the list. They remember who's been covered in who hasn't been covered. They're the ones that will be organising a lot of the things that go towards making Christmas go with the swing."

She continued: "What I loved about this advert is just being able to do give that nod and say 'I see your sisters. I see in your PJs and your your apron, just checking the oven sorted and everything's ready'. So I think it was just a little thumbs up to the girls and all the extra loads that they they carry with such efficiency and and grace.

"I think it's fun as well because it's one of those things that I'm sure that there will be a lot of women who watch the advert and relate with a knowing nod. And that's not to say there's not a lot of hands on men, putting up the decorations, organizing the roasts and doing all that stuff as well, but you know..."

In the new Boots advert, Mrs. Claus finally steals the spotlight and the household fame, with Adjoa's character dazzling viewers by running an exceptional ‘werkshop’, complete with fabulous costume changes and that final touch of No7 lipstick. It’s a revelry of gifting joy as she orchestrates the cherries while Santa takes a backseat snooze - all to ensure every Christmas list is topped up with delightful surprises from Boots, ticking boxes for both those tying the bow and the fortunate ones unwrapping.

Amidst a spread of sought-after beauty treats, we witness Mrs. Claus and her gaggle of beauty elves prepping the season's most buzzworthy items within "werkshop" walls, with brands like Bubble, e. l.f, Sol de Janerio, and Laneige making prominent appearances. A plethora of styles catered for by the diverse looks of the beauty elves illustrate how there truly is something for everyone, spanning looks from 'vamp' and glamour to everything chic and trendy.

As the advert reaches its high note, a content Mrs. Claus relishes the fruits of her efforts, cheekily remarking "You thought it was all him? " – a fun twist that tips the hat to all unsung heroes who sprinkle a little extra sparkle over the festive period. Alongside Adjoa, the film also features beauty influencers @soph and @snatchedbywill, who regularly collaborate with Boots. They play the roles of 'elf-fluencers', testing all the fantastic Boots beauty products for Adjoa's Mrs. Claus.

Speaking about why she signed up to make her first Christmas advert and what the holiday means to her, Adjoa gushed: "I love Christmas so playing Mrs. Claus is fabulous for me. I love Pantos, I love decorations. I love mulled wine. I love the whole thing! I like to stuff the house full of every Christmas item I can think of. I still do pillowcases for the kids - the kids are 38, 28, and 27-years-old and have a grandson. - all of that.

"But I love Christmas. I just love the idea of it. I do the whole church thing, so it means that for me at one level, but also, regardless of people's faith or none, I think it can be a really precious moment in our busy lives where we can just pause and be with people and think generous thoughts and be our kindest best selves. So to get the chance to play Mrs. Claus and be part of that story at Christmas has been a really beautiful job for me. I didn't need to blink once I was I was all in straight away."

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