An A Level media student's interpretation of the iconic annual John Lewis Christmas advert has gone viral, picking up almost half a million views.

Nick Jablonka's uploaded his coursework animation onto YouTube and fooled viewers into thinking it was an authentic John Lewis ad.

The sentimental one-minute film, which has over 458,000 views, tells the story of a lonely, love-struck snowman trapped in a snow globe with days left until Christmas.

"You hear about things going viral, but you never think it will be you," Jablonka told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

He added: "I'm a fan of John Lewis adverts. When we think Christmas, we think John Lewis, so it gave me a lot of freedom as to what I could do."

The latest John Lewis advert for 2016 is expected to be released at the end of this week, and is rumoured to cost around £7 million.

However, Jablonka's film took him just two weeks to produce and cost him just "a couple of snacks and a couple of drinks".

Asked how well his coursework was graded by his lecturer, Jablonka replied: "I believe the video itself got full marks - I'm not 100% sure about the essay!"