Source: Sainsbury's

MOG THE CAT – the creation of author Judith Kerr – is being tipped to take the crown for Sainsbury’s in the battle of the UK Christmas ads.

The beloved character starred in 15 titles from 1970 – but was killed off by the writer in 2002, dying of old age.

The new ad, which is three-and-a-half minutes long (an epic by TV advertising standards) depicts the cat enduring a sequence of highly improbable and unfortunate events in the early hours of Christmas morning, before the Thomas family are awake.

In the midst of the chaos, Mog somehow succeeds in contacting the local fire station, unwittingly kick-starting a mission to save Christmas (hurrah!).

The ad debuted across multiple channels at 7.15pm last night. An accompanying book by Kerr and soft toy are also going on sale at the supermarket, and funds raised are going to Save the Children.