Watch Sunderland singer feature on fake '˜John Lewis' Christmas advert

Ben Potts, from Castletown, and his business partner Andrew Green recorded their take on the Queen hit Love of my Life. 

An anonymous creator put the track together with a heartfelt video of a homeless man watching a television in a shop window which is showing footage of his younger self with his daughter.

The video, which was posted online at the beginning of the week with the #LoveFamily, has almost topped 25,000 views on Youtube. 

The real John Lewis advert which stars Sir Elton John with his performance of Your Song was released yesterday.

The ad, called The Boy and the Piano, opens with a dressing-gown clad Sir Elton gently tapping out the opening notes to Your Song - his first major hit - before viewers are taken back through key moments in his life.

It shows with scenes of him on stadium tours, travelling on a private jet, recording Your Song, playing the piano in a local pub and performing in a school recital.

It ends with a four-year-old Elton running down the stairs on Christmas morning and unwrapping his grandmother’s gift of her piano.

Ben and Andrew, both 35, run Green Key Installations together, but are in their own bands - singer Ben in Rayne while pianist Andrew, who lives in Newcastle, is a member of Ambershift.

Ben said: “We have had a brilliant response so far. 

“It’s a tearjerker for sure, it plays with your emotions and the song works really well with it. 

“I’ve just always loved that song so I really wanted to do it. I can’t play that well on the piano so I finally convinced Andrew to. He said it’s the hardest he’s played.”

They recorded the track at The Garage studios in South Shields and their songs have become a regular feature on the creator’s fake John Lewis advert each year. 

The video has been praised on social media with one person saying it’s better than the original. 

Last year the pair recorded another Queen hit, Save Me, which accompanied a video showing a fox and mouse make friends before the bushy-tailed mate meets a sad end.

Ben says that next year the pair are looking to record their own video to go with their songs.

This year the pair are raising money for the charity Crisis. To donate to the cause click here.