• December 13, 2020

NHS defends controversial charity Christmas advert which features sick Santa Claus in hospital

LONDON Dec 13: The NHS has stepped in to defend its charity Christmas advert after it was heavily criticised by parents for showing Father Christmas unconscious in hospital. The advert, titled The Gift, was released by NHS Charities Together and begins by showing an old bearded man being rushed into hospital as doctors and nurses try to revive him.

The man can then be seen waking up with oxygen tubes attached to his face as a masked nurse asks him: ‘How you feeling?’. The short advert shows the man’s slow recovery, with the help of the nurse, as he begins to walk and eat again.

He even receives a Get Well Soon card from his head reindeer Rudy as he goes through the naughty and nice list. Later on in the clip, the man, who has been nursed back to full health, is revealed to be Santa Claus.

After leaving the hospital and waving goodbye to the medics who helped to save him, the advert ends with the nurse receiving a present which read: ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for all of us, Santa.’ The advert – which was meant to celebrate and pay a tribute to the NHS staff who worked on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic – has been criticised by viewers online.

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