A single tweet from the charity Action on Hearing Loss to John Lewis has moved the retailer to include subtitles on its Christmas TV advert.

In response to complaints from its members and supporters about the advert, Action on Hearing Loss contacted John Lewis via Twitter – asking it to include full subtitles on its £7m Christmas TV advert, so the deaf community could enjoy the advert’s full sentiment and Lily Allen’s soundtrack.

An Action on Hearing Loss spokeswoman said it received a response from John Lewis, on Twitter, within minutes. And less than a week after being contacted by the charity, John Lewis has re-released its Christmas advert with full subtitles this week.

Marketing manager for brand at John Lewis, Kirsty Rockey, said; “As soon as this was brought to our attention, we acted as quickly as possible to get this rectified. We’re pleased the option to have subtitles is now in place.”

Paul Breckell, Action on Hearing Loss’ chief executive, added, “We are delighted with John Lewis’ quick response: subtitling of lyrics may seem trivial to some, but our members tell us that music - be it carols, Bing Crosby or Lily Allen - is one of the things they miss most at Christmas time. It’s wonderful that people can now enjoy this piece of the festivities with their families - and we’re calling on other retailers to follow suit.

"As the UK’s largest deaf charity, we’re working flat out offering practical and emotional support to ensure people with hearing loss have the best possible Christmas this year.”