Watch as Waitrose revives their on-screen romance for new Christmas ad

Joe Wilkinson has been reunited with Keira Knightley for a second Christmas advert for Waitrose.

They paired up last year for an unlikely romance which started over the supermarket’s cheese counter.

Fast-forward a year and Knightley – playing herself – is getting married to the caddish Hugo Bunty-Griffin, as played by Rivals star Alex Hassell.

As the ceremony looms, Wilkinson’s character Phil is in heartbreak mode – until his friends arrive with groceries and a plan for him to  bake the best beef Wellington of his life to win over his love.

And to get to the church on time he  has to deal with a flat tyre, a dog with a nose for food and a country house full of seemingly endless corridors and stairs. 

Wilkinson said he was ‘chuffed to be back for the sequel’, adding: ‘If a beef Wellington doesn’t win back the heart of a Hollywood A-lister, nowt will.’

And Black Doves star Knightley said: ‘I always felt last year’s love story deserved another chapter, and what a sequel this has been. I absolutely loved the chance to revisit our relationship this Christmas, although I wasn’t expecting to find myself caught between two men and a beef Wellington. Making this short film has been so much fun. I hope it brings a little festive magic to everyone who watches it.’

The six-minute advert  – the longest produced by a UK supermarket  – was directed by Molly Manners, who was also behind last year’s commercial. It plays out to Jennifer Rush’s The Power Of Love while  Gary Martin, best known as the voice of the Honey Monster, narrates.

Manners said: ‘We had a world-class orchestra, beautiful locations, snow and crane shots – all the ingredients for an epic love story. 

‘Then we put Joe Wilkinson at the centre of it, racing against the clock with a beef Wellington. 

‘That contrast is what makes it so much fun. We played every moment completely straight, giving Phil’s increasingly desperate mission the full cinematic treatment. And beneath all the chaos, there’s a genuine story about how food can say what words sometimes can’t.’

The commercial – below – follows the controversy over the Christmas ad from sister company John Lewis, starring Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, whose character was seen pandering to her ‘spoilt brat’ grandchildren.

Published: 10 Nov 2026