HOLY CR*P! I managed to pre-order a Series X.....just.
07:00am I loaded Currys and John Lewis websites and apps on my laptop and phone and kept clicking around until 0800 to ensure my sessions is already live and that I wouldn't have to queue to enter the websites.
08:00am Within a seconds I clicked "Pre-order now" on the Xbox series landing page. Boom! "You are now in a queue to pre-order the Xbox Series. There are 24,000 users ahead of you". At this point I just laughed out loud and clapped my hands.
08:04am I couldn't even find the Xbox Series on the John Lewis website or in their app. I kept trying for several minutes
08:10am Microsoft and Argos websites were loading surprisingly well. I tried for a few minutes to buy an X on MS and had issues adding to basket and visiting the basket until it said "The page is no longer available".
08:12am. I managed to complete a pre-order on Argos for a Series X paid for in full. It was somewhat slow but faster than I anticipated given the 24,000 user queue on Curry's which I'm in 12,000th position after 29min.
My tip to others who will pre-order in other countries is to focus on getting a pre-order through on the less popular retailers.