"The Perfect Gift"

12 November 2025

3 mins 58s

It started with Sussex Charmer.

Joe Wilkinson looks great for someone who was murdered (in 'The Celebrity Traitors'). He left Joe Marler heartbroken, but still wound up in the Waitrose & Partners Christmas ad for the second year in a row. Every cloud, eh? Wilkinson's down in the dumps, too, however—his late wife, Shelley, said the only woman he could move on with was two-time Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley. That'll never happen, right?

You bet your last chunk of Sussex Charmer cheddar it happens. With director Molly Manners as matchmaker, the two get on like a house on fire—the way Manners strings together lovey-dovey gestures like Christmas lights is spot on, and makes four minutes feels shorter than it would have done in less capable hands. Though the course of true love never runs smooth, the twist feels off the pace (at least we're spared pain on the scale of 'One Day').

Will Knightley ever escape the shadow of 'Love Actually' for that matter? We doubt it somehow, but her ability to poke fun at it is a real treat. The lush visuals, odd couple energy, and the goodwill towards 'Celebrity Traitors' contestants like Wilkinson may help Waitrose edge it this year.

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