How Knightley & Wilkinson made Waitrose's Christmas

Christmas can be brutal. Not just because of having to spend extended periods of time with your family, but because the festive competition in advertising raises the stakes for most brands. 

Will you be a hit or a miss? A beautiful, shiny box of Quality Street, or an heavy, unloved Christmas pudding that's left in the cupboard till the expiry date passes? Well, if you're Waitrose, you're the former, with the added bonus of extra Purple Ones for good measure. 

Created by Wonderhood Studios and directed by Biscuit's Molly Manners, The Perfect Gift lives up to its name as it brings back loveable but slightly shambolic Phil from last's years campaign, who's played by Joe Wilkinson, and pairs him with Keira Knightley for a rom-com short film that has the Richard Curtis stamp of approval. 

Below, the creatives behind the campaign, Jen Ashton and Oli Short, along with Manners, talk about following in the footsteps of last year's success, why Knightley and Wilkinson were so perfect, and whether Phil will be back in 2026.

Above: Waitrose's Christmas spot, starring Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson, The Perfect Gift. 

Last year's campaign was a big hit; how much trepidation was there about following in its footsteps? 

OS: There were big shoes to fill, for sure. We loved the campaign from last year. We tried to keep looking ahead though, and focused on making something that would give people some much-needed Christmas joy. Something that would make people fall for their beloved Waitrose all over again this Christmas.

How soon was the decision made to continue the Waitrose Cinematic Universe by using Joe Wilkinson's Phil and why, of all the characters in Sweet Success, was Phil picked?

JA: We knew Waitrose were keen to have some continuity from last year's campaign, and liked the thought of taking characters from last year and giving them a new story, so the decision was made pretty early on. We picked Joe Wilkinson because we loved the thought of showing him in a totally new light. 

The casting was really central to the idea from the start and our whole plot was built around this loveable everyman.

The idea of dropping him into a heightened rom-com world was so exciting to us. The casting was really central to the idea from the start and our whole plot was built around this loveable everyman meeting the movie star of his dreams (in a Waitrose).

Above [from left]: Director Molly Manners and creative team Jen Ashton and Oli Short.

The Richard Curtis-style rom-com is a great idea; what was the process of getting to it, and were there lots of other false starts? 

OS: The rom-com big idea came pretty early on in the process. Our data geniuses found that people love rewatching classic Christmas rom-coms each year, but the appetite for Christmas ads has slowed down somewhat. 

We were very lucky to have [Richard Curtis] read over our script as it progressed.

So, we wanted to think of this as a rom-com entertainment piece, and less of an ad, tapping into that behaviour trend. Richard Curtis has created so many of the rom-coms we all know and love, so it was natural to us to reference his work and we were very lucky to have him read over our script as it progressed. Getting the seal of approvals from the King of Rom-coms himself was pretty cool.

Once you'd decided on that approach, was Keira Knightley the obvious choice as the female lead, or were other actors considered?

JA: We always knew it had to be an actor who had that A-lister star quality, and we had a list of talent names who fit that bill. Someone who would make your jaw drop if you were to bump into them in a supermarket. Someone whose world was the total opposite of Phil’s. Someone who your mates would say, “In your dreams, mate”. 

Keira ticked all of those boxes and more. She oozes star quality, is loved by so many, and starred in one of the UK’s most beloved rom-coms. She was the perfect choice for us and we’re still so in awe that she featured in something we wrote.

Above: Behind the scenes on the shoot of The Perfect Gift.

Why was Molly Manners the best choice as director for The Perfect Gift, and what did she bring to the project?

OS: We were talking about Molly before we’d even written a script - we knew from very early on it had to be her. We’re huge fans of her work, especially One Day. She handles film in a way that is so rich with emotion, both funny and heartfelt. We knew above all we wanted to give people the feels this Christmas and that she would bring that in mounds.

Jen and Oli had written such funny, heartfelt scripts, with such banging casting, that I was like, 'Sorry, this needs to be a feature film'.

She took our script and made it into a reality, in a way only she could. There was no part of it not touched by her. She brought everything to the project. Her vision, skill at drawing out such nuanced performances, and her impeccable taste and relentless eye for detail has totally made this film what it is. We feel incredibly lucky to have worked with her.

Molly, what was it that appealed to you about this script?

MM: I just fell in love with the odd couple romance of it instantly. Jen and Oli had written such funny, heartfelt scripts, with such banging casting, that I was like, 'Sorry, this needs to be a feature film'. It's genius. But, in the same breath, I loved the challenge of delivering all the LOLS and feels of a rom-com in super-short form.

Above: The 'movie trailer' for The Perfect Gift, which plays up the film's rom-com credentials. 

When attention spans are widely perceived to be shrinking, why did a four-minute film feel like the best approach?

MM: I think, if the storytelling is involving and compelling enough, then you don't lose the attention, but it was a real balance. We wanted it to be a mini epic, like meaty and rewarding enough as a destination, but also not overstay its welcome.

We approached this from the direction of entertainment first. We treated the whole creative approach like launching a short film.

 Four mins felt like the sweet spot, where you could pack in all the story, let performances breath and use techniques from film world, but also keep enough pace and energy. But don't get me wrong, it also felt wild to present an edit that long! It was amazing how everyone got behind it.

JA: When it comes to advertising, attention spans are definitely dwindling, and the need to captivate audiences is more important than ever. But we approached this from the direction of entertainment first. We treated the whole creative approach like launching a short film and wanted viewers to feel like they were watching a potted rom-com.  

One Day is a look at one couple's will-they-won't-they relationship, but spread over a much longer run time; is hitting those beats and moments of drama [and including the relevant products] more or less difficult in only four minutes?

MM: It's just a bit of a different beast. You have to tell the story a lot more economically, and the performances have to work in a slightly different way. They each have their own challenges. You can use pretty fun techniques in shorter form and then things like sound design and editing work quite differently and become a big part of telling the story energetically and succinctly.

Above: Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson "had this instant comic timing and chemistry". 

Keira Knightley is an accomplished actor and a rom-com queen, whereas Joe Wilkinson is a brilliant comic but a less experienced actor; how was it directing them?

MM: It was an absolute dream. They complemented each other perfectly, and had this instant comic timing and chemistry with each other. Then they kind of blew me away when they brought all the feels in the quieter, more vulnerable moments. I think it helped that they were so into the idea. It was a pretty special experience. They made my job easy.

James' She's a Star is a great track and works perfectly for the film; how quickly was that decision made, and how important is the music to the finished campaign?

MM: Music was absolutely integral, and it was an interesting one because it had to work two ways; in the dating montage, it was about comedy, energy, passage of time and romance. 

Music was absolutely integral.

Then, at the end, we wanted to recall the dating track to bring all the feels but somehow take it to the next level when they finally kiss. I feel like we struck gold with the James Orchestra recording of She's a Star as it added that extra magic at the end and intertwined so beautifully with Arthur Sharpe's epic score.