CHRISTMAS is just around the corner and, for some, one of the best parts of the holiday season is the TV adverts.

Every year, eagle-eyed viewers of the small screen wait and see what the big retail supermarkets and stores will be doing to plug their products and get us in the festive spirit.

Big brands such as John Lewis are famed for their Christmas adverts, which are usually big, flamboyant and often very moving.

And here in Brighton there is extra reason to be excited this year – three people from the city feature in the Christmas adverts for two big supermarket chains.

Josie Sayers, 11, appears as the turkey drummer in the Sainsbury’s festive offering.

The advert depicts a school Christmas show with a young girl dressed as a star nervously stepping on stage before stunning the audience, with a rendition of the New Radicals’ Nineties song You Get What You Give.

Josie, who started drumming at the age of six and has started in a number of acting roles, appears behind the star, working her magic on the drums.

Speaking about her experience, the schoolgirl said: “When I was told I was a turkey, it was a shock – I’m a vegetarian.

“It was really fun as I haven’t drummed in front of a lot of people before.

“There were leaf blowers and when I did the crazy fill bit they blew towards me and all the feathers came up like a roast turkey.”

Josie’s mother, who is also in the advert as a member of the audience watching the show, said she was delighted with the job her daughter did as the turkey drummer.

She said: “She’s just awesome isn’t she?

“She did a really good job.”

Laura Boothby, head of broadcast marketing at Sainsbury’s, said: “This year, we have set out to create an advert that captures the passion, emotion and excitement of the festive season, in a setting that’s familiar to us all – no matter how old we are.”

Sainsbury’s festive advert aired for the first time last night on ITV, during Coronation Street, at 7.30pm.

Elsewhere in the world of Christmas adverts, brothers Jake and Dean Caldecourt have already been on the small screen for more than a week.

The Brighton siblings, aged 25 and 21 respectively, star in the new Marks and Spencer advert.

The commercial features a number of people all being asked what their favourite parts of Christmas are.

Jake said: “We just applied online, I saw an advert on Twitter.

“We went up to London beforehand and tried some of their Christmas range.

“We tried their turkey, sprouts, puddings, all the stuff that’s coming into the shops.

“It’s not the first thing we’ve been in, we have been on a couple of game shows before, but not an advert.”

“It’s quite daunting because you don’t know how people will take it or if they will enjoy it.

“Christmas adverts are something people look forward to so it’s exciting to be part of that.”