Last year, M&S brought its Percy Pig mascot to life in animated form for the first time, showcasing him alongside Dawn French who starred as a fairy ornament in the retailer’s Christmas ad campaign.

Percy Pig, which was voiced by actor Tom Holland, is nowhere to be seen this time around, however. Fairy is back though, and she’s joined by Duckie, a downtrodden dog toy voiced by French’s long-time comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders.

The ad demonstrates that M&S clearly aims to tread the line this year between heartwarming Christmas narrative – the campaign will reveal a new part to the story each week until the end of the year – and hardcore product placement.

While French and Saunders, and some lovely doggie character design, bring a lot of charm, the real star of this ad is the food, with the brand hoping a bit of good old-fashioned ‘food porn’ will remind everyone why it’s worth spending a bit more for their product this Christmas.