Waitrose says it with food, actually

After Joe Wilkinson's bromance with Joe Marler in the recently finished debut series of Celebrity Traitors, he steps straight into another romantic entanglement, this time with less hirsute but no less beguiling Keira Knightley.

Created by Wonderhood Studios London and directed by Molly Manners through Biscuit Filmworks, the main, four-minute short film is a rom-com straight out of the Richard Curtis playbook. In it, Wilkinson, who returns as the loveably inept Phil from last year's Sweet Suspicion campaign, is rueing a failed relationship, commenting that his ex thinks the only person who'll satisfy him is Keira Knightley.

You don't need to be Matthew Macfadyen to work out what happens next. Cue the most unlikely but hugely satisfying meet-cute in a Waitrose supermarket, a piece of Sussex Charmer cheese, and a burgeoning romance between Phil and Knightley. 

Of course, a fly in the romantic ointment appears in the shape of Mark, whom Phil believes must be a more suitable pairing for his new found paramour. But if food is the language of love then Phil's fluent, making a turkey pie to impress Knightley and turning up on her doorstep, a la Love, Actually, to confess his love. 

Above: The 'trailer' for The Perfect Gift. 

"From day one, we all rallied around a single, joyful idea, brought to life through every part of the customer journey, whether it's the epic movie-style trailers and posters featuring our delightful duo, right through to the romcom inspired quotes on the customer service t-shirts worn on the shop floor," said Jack Croft and Stacey Bird, Executive Creative Directors at Wonderhood Studios. "We simply could not be more excited to release this perfectly plotted rom-com onto the British public.” 

“What a privilege to be invited in by Waitrose and Wonderhood to tell this emotional rollercoaster of a love story," added Manners. "We had such a great time making this miniature rom-com with food as a love language deep at its heart. The combination of Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson is completely magical in such an unexpected way, I hope they knock your socks clean off, as they did mine.”

The four-minute short [top] will be on YouTube and Waitrose.com for all to see, with a 60-second 'trailer' [above] being aired on TV through the Christmas period. There are also OOH movie posters which riff off the rom-com genre and a series of social media films which feature behind the scenes stories and which centre some of Waitrose's Christmas food offerings.