Man who stars as a lonely pensioner in viral Christmas advert for a pub in Northern Ireland is revealed as a local actor – and says his newfound fame is ‘unbelievable’

• The landlady revealed that Christmas day at the pub is her favourite shift of all 
• READ MORE: The top 10 Christmas adverts of all time – as M&S beat John Lewis to 2023 showing

The creators behind the heartwarming Christmas advert from Charlie’s Bar in Northern Ireland have opened up about loneliness around the festive period. 

Good Morning Britain hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley invited the creators, including the star Martin McManus, and landlady Una Burns, on the show earlier this morning.

The video, from Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, tells the tale of a lonely older gentleman who finds company in two kind strangers after their adorable dog brings them together.

Talking to the hosts, Una revealed that the touching message is based on the reality of Christmas at the pub, saying: ‘Unfortunately Christmas isn’t a happy time for everybody.’

Echoing a similar sentiment, Martin, a local actor who met Una through a friend, agreed: ‘I think it’s very important that people look out for the elderly and the lonely.’

Good Morning Britain hosts invited the stars of Charlie’s Bar’s Christmas advert on the show today. Pictured is landlady Una Burns (top right) and the stars of the ad Martin McManus (bottom right ), Megan Daley (bottom left), Alex Middlemass (top left), and Missy the dog who bring them all together

Una continued: ‘The idea really came from what I’m used to seeing over the years, particularly around the festive season, and unfortunately Christmas isn’t a happy time for everybody.

‘I suppose most of us have been touched by grief unfortunately, and we wanted to portray that while also getting across the essence of Charlie’s.’

She added: ‘Me and my father do it [the Christmas shift] normally and you see a range of people in here… it’s one of my favourite shifts of the year.’

Una said that she wanted to cast someone in the ad who is not a regular customer of the bar. 

‘I found Martin through a friend of mine who recommended I get in touch,’ she said. 

‘I didn’t want somebody who’s regular of the bar or a familiar face because we were very conscious that we didn’t want to distract from that message.’

‘It was truly a team effort,’ she added.

The hosts also questioned Martin over his newfound fame, which he described as ‘unbelievable’. 

Una chose a local cast to avoid any distraction from the meaningful message that she was trying to portray

‘I’m used to doing amateur drama, more localised. Certainly not on a global scale,’ Martin said.

But the local actor didn’t stray away from the emotional message behind the advert.

He said: ‘I think it’s very important people keep an eye out for the elderly and the lonely. And it’s not just the elderly that’s lonely.’

He added, ‘[Loneliness] is quite exaggerated at the festive season because there’s so many people. It’s a sad time for memories. Especially if you’re living on your own now.’

The two people Martin makes friends with during the advert also appeared on the show, alongside the pet dog, Missy.

The video, from Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, tells the tale of a lonely older gentleman who finds company in two kind strangers after their adorable dog brings them together

Richard asked the pair whether they needed to do numerous takes to get the dog to sit next to Martin in the ad. Megan Daley said, ‘No, it was only a couple of treats and wee bit of swaying to get her up.’

Alex Middlemass joked: ‘It was harder to get her out of bed this morning!’

The emotional advert, which has stolen hearts, begins with a shot of an elderly man walking to the cemetery to visit a grave, where he has a reflective moment while putting some flowers down.

We can then see him walking along the road, hoping for a friendly face or a chat, only to be dismissed in the busy clamour of people immersed in their own lives.

In one instance, two girls walk past him as they laugh together. Elsewhere, a man reading a newspaper lifts it up higher to avoid speaking with him.

The sweet video- which is filmed and edited by Aoife Teague – ends on a quote from at W. B. Yeats poem: ‘There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met’

A young couple with a dog then walk past, only to see their pooch enticed by a pub on the street – Charlie’s Bar.

They decide to go in, and hold the door open for the old man – who gladly accepts and enters the cosy watering hole.

He sits down on his own to enjoy a pint of Guinness, while the pair from earlier get some drinks at the bar.

However, soon enough their cute four-legged friend runs over to the man sitting by himself.

He welcomes the enthusiastic company, petting the dog as it lets it sit next to him.

The couple, delighted by their friendly pet, ask if they can sit with the man – to which he readily agrees, and the trio enjoy a cheerful conversation together.

The sweet video – which is filmed and edited by Aoife Teague – ends on a quote from at W. B. Yeats poem: ‘There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met.’

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