CHRISTMAS tv lottery ads have traditionally used a theme that is an emotional rollercoaster for its audiences.

And by taking inspiration from the hit movie Love Actually, the National Lottery’s owner Camelot continues its winning formula with a new Christmas ad.

It released a short film - A Christmas Love Story - that tells the tale of a young couple who briefly meet by chance on a train and exchange phone numbers on a pink lottery ticket.

But the problem with many lottery tickets printed on ink and paper is that some of the writing can get smudged off. And this is what happened.

So the journey turns into a gripping scenario as the girl does everything in her power to find her traveling companion again.

Camelot’s head marketer Anna McInally said the message to advertising agency Adam & Eve/DDB was simple.

“It’s not about prizes, it’s about people, cutting through Christmas is really hard,” she admits. “How do we make it feel unmissable?”

Bringing on award-winning director Tom Hooper was the key to its success.

“You can be a little starstruck, but you have to put it aside,” explains McInally.

Hooper, 50, has been involved in some major films including The King’s Speech, Les Misérables and The Danish Girl.

“The minute we saw his treatment and the moment we met, the way he spoke, I just felt we were in safe hands,” she said.

For viewers, the moment when the leading lady hands over the £15 million winning lottery ticket to her train friend has been a talking point.

What McInally loves most about the campaign is that the National Lottery brand is well shown throughout, but it “really is about those two connecting as human beings.”

Over the next few weeks, the ad campaign will continue to roll out across the UK with social media, and photo booths placed in train stations that link to a digital billboard.

There will also be fun radio commercials that have people imagining winning the lottery out loud, and a very special billboard with an oversized ticket attached (photo above).

“I do believe that little pink ticket that people buy and have in their hands is almost that little glimmer of hope, so I’m hoping that people feel like anything is possible,” she says.

“Whether it be love or the lottery.”