Who Took the Pudding? Waitrose Serves Up a Christmas Whodunnit to Savour

Waitrose has set the table for a Christmas mystery that’s about more than festive drama; it’s a celebration of the joy, togetherness, and quality food that make the season unforgettable. In 'Sweet Suspicion: A Waitrose Mystery', the brand showcases not just a culinary show-stopper—its No.1 Waitrose Red Velvet Bauble Dessert—but its wider proposition: elevating moments shared over exceptional food.

At the heart of the ad is a family of food lovers, each character embodying the quirks, warmth, and minor chaos that come with gathering for the holidays. As they prepare for Christmas, the family finds itself amid a whodunnit when the centrepiece dessert goes missing, sparking intrigue and humour. Leading the charge as the amateur detective is Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen, supported by a cast that includes comedian Joe Wilkinson from Afterlife, Rakhee Thakrar of Sex Education, Sian Clifford from Fleabag, Dustin Demri-Burns from Slow Horses, and Eryl Maynard of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. Together, they bring an ensemble of unforgettable characters, each giving viewers a reason to suspect everyone from the frazzled hostess to the grumpy grandma.

In every bite and every scene, Waitrose brings its ethos to life: that at the heart of Christmas is the magic of sharing truly great food, made special by the people you share it with. This two-part ad doesn’t just entertain; it highlights Waitrose’s promise to make holiday moments remarkable, inspiring customers to create lasting memories with Waitrose at the centre of their festive tables.

Franki Goodwin, CCO at Saatchi & Saatchi, said: “When an idea is so good, and the brand is so loved, that actors we’re not typically used to seeing in ads show up and steal the scenes - and the pudding - you know you’ve got a Christmas treat on your hands.

“We talk about culture a lot in this industry, but this campaign bridges the gap between Christmas advertising and big-audience entertainment. This is an entirely new direction for Waitrose at Christmas, one that we believe a brand as celebrated by British food lovers can only achieve, and it’s been a privilege to bring it to life.”

Nathan Ansell, chief marketing officer at Waitrose & Partners, comments: "For the first time, we’re keeping Waitrose customers guessing with a ‘whodunnit’ festive crime drama featuring a stellar cast for this year’s Christmas ad. Showcasing Waitrose’s fantastic Christmas range while also adding a touch of festive fun and sparkle. Was it Uncle Phil? Was it Fig the cat? You’ll have to wait and see!”

The new festive campaign is designed to showcase the delicious Christmas range at Waitrose while engaging viewers with its two-part mystery-and-reveal, a first for Waitrose. The wider Christmas campaign will include a social-first activation with exclusive character alibis and a special appearance by some of the nation's favourite detectives trying to help crack the case. There will also be a physical evidence board at Kings Cross Station, an exclusive ITV partnership and a partnership with The Times & Sunday Times. Waitrose will also keep the nation guessing with activity from Waitrose Partners in-store, who will wear ‘suspect’ t-shirts.

Matthew Macfadyen, The Detective, says: “I wonder if my extensive repertoire of past Detective roles led to me to this very moment – starring in this wonderful Waitrose whodunnit. Working with such a great cast on such a fun project for Christmas was such a joy. I think together, we have created a story that will have the public speculating over who the pud thief really is!”

Sian Clifford, who plays the part of May, says: “Christmas is often a time that brings together a cast of all kinds of different characters – usually good food is the one thing we can all agree on! It was a really tough gig having to eat the delicious Waitrose food for four days but someone's gotta do it and I was happy to give it a go - nothing says Christmas like indulging!”

Rakhee Thakrar, Samira, says: “I’ve always seen myself as the perfect host, much like Samira, however, I’m lucky to not have awkward guests at my Christmas celebrations so we rarely have any mystery or drama but I loved being a suspect… or the culprit, who knows?!”

The No.1 Red Velvet Dessert at the heart of the mystery will be available from 19 December in shops or to pre-order now through Waitrose.com. Until then, food lovers can treat themselves to individual Red Velvet Bauble Desserts which are available in-store and online now and indulge in Waitrose’s delicious Christmas range alongside the suspense of this festive whodunnit.

Credits

Campaign Title: Sweet Suspicion

Client: Waitrose

Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi

Chief Creative Officer: Franki Goodwin

Creative Director: Brodie King

Creative Director: Ali Dickinson

Creative: Joaquin Olascoaga

Creative: Bailey Alexandria

Design Director: Max Henderson

Stills Art Director: Ollie Agius

Social Group Creative Director: Caroline Paris

Planning Director: Ophelia Stimpson

Planner: Elena Georgiou

Managing Partner: Alice Flanagan

Business Lead: Paul McHugh

Account Director: Leela McElroy, Sarah Covill

Account Manager: James Hall, Simran Randhawa

Head of Integrated Production: Rachel Solomon

Executive Producer: Jodie Sibson

AV Agency Producer: Sarah Fry

Stills Agency Producer: Zaneta Stepien

Social Agency Producer: Elizabeth Cavenett

Business Affairs: Liz Staley & Charlotte Fisher

Media Buying Agency: Manning Gottlieb OMD

Media Planner: Geraldine Ridgway, Jane Ridehalgh, Jack Willers

Media Buying: Andrew Matsoukis, Maddie Taylor-Wilson, Polly Mason, Emma Walters, Sefton Demetriou, Lakshay Bhatia, Jemma Wilkinson, Hannah Butler

AV Production Company: Smuggler

Director: Lucy Forbes

Director of Photography: Benedict Spence

Prod Co Executive Producer: Lucy Kelly

Prod Co Producer AV: Claire Jones

Prod Co Producer Social & Stills: Sian Bourke

Prod Co Production Manager: Ellie Sanders Wright

Edit House: TenThree

Editor: Ellie Johnson

AV Post-Production Company: Harbor

Post-Production Producer: Abi Klimaszewska

Colourist: Toby Tomkins

Creative Director VFX Lead: Fergal Hendrick

VFX Artist: Jack Sheldrake / Joe Tang / Ahmed El Azma

AV Sound Studio: 750MPH

Sound Engineer: Sam Ashwell & Mike Bovill

Head of Production: Olivia Ray

Score: Soundtree

Music: Wake The Town

Track: ‘Steel Away’ by Robbie Dupree

Social AV Production: Smuggler

Social Director: Chirolles Khalil

Social Editors: Chirolles Khalil & Marwan Elgamal

Still Photography Production & Design Studio: Prodigious

Production Manager: Mel Brown & Sian Bourke

Photographer: Alex de Mora, Marcus Nillson

Producers Stills: Brigette Martin & Rachel Wickham

1st AD: Eddie Leaner

Camera Asst: Jed Barnes, Sam Lort, Ollie Patterson

Digi Op: Alex Gale

Runner: Mikayah K-Samuels

Lead Food Stylist: Susie Theodorou

Stills Food Stylist: Sara De Lulio

Props Stylist: Sophie Jacobs

Props Assistant: Hela Dondertman & Beth Bilclife

Stylist: Luke Giaduci

HMUA: Zara Tames

Location Manager: Rupert Bowkett

Location Assistant: Mark George

Head of Design: James Crickmore

Senior Project Manager: Jemma Marriott

Senior Designer: Natalie Alves

Senior Motion Designer: Aivaras Seduika

Motion Designer: Sally-Amy Ngwenya

Head of Retouching: Kirsten Howe

Creative Retoucher: Gareth Ling

Project Director: Stephanie Wood

Senior Project Manager: Matt Parker

Creative Artworkers: Darren Rolf, Jennifer Bourne, and Katie Luong

Connect Retouching: Post Machine

Producer: Andrey Polezhayev