Of course, the process of casting through the decades might have been complicated by Covid, but the vision was clear.

We want to show the Christmas memories of a family through the years, and we want it to be authentic.

We never imagined the backlash to the release of this TVC, nor the support from all of the leading UK supermarkets in response to this unexpected racism.

Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose ran their adverts back-to-back during two primetime slots on Channel 4, with the hashtag #StandAgainstRacism. Normally, competitors actively avoid airing their ads close together.

A Channel 4 announcement introduced the ad break, saying: “Channel 4 stands up against racism. After the reaction to this year’s Sainsbury’s Christmas commercial, retailers have put their usual festive rivalries aside across two adbreaks tonight to stand side-by-side with us too.”