The campaign, created by WPP's Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, breaks tonight and follows on from the "Your M&S" campaign launched this autumn, where the clothes take centre stage in the campaign.
The 40-second ad begins with a snowy Christmas scene with two showgirls wearing M&S coats running to a dimly lit stage door. The ad then pans to a dressing room full of girls in glamorous M&S clothes getting ready for a night out, led by model Erin O'Connor.
The cast of men practise dance moves backstage as two girls in fairy outfits straighten their wings. The curtain rises and the impresario shouts "Let the show begin!" before the camera cuts to the front of the theatre with the strapline "Your M&S presents Christmas".
The ad was directed by Michael Gracey, who was responsible for Charlotte Church's latest pop promo.
Steven Sharp, executive director for marketing, e-commerce, store design and development at Marks & Spencer, said: "We wanted to capture the fun and excitement of getting ready for a special occasion, so we chose to film our ad behind the scenes in a theatre.
"The ad features a line-up of many of the products that'll be in store this Christmas -- from lingerie, partywear and kid's outfits to men's suits and shirts. We deliberately wanted our clothes to take centre stage, which is why this Christmas they are the stars."
M&S has used celebrity-themed ads for its previous three Christmas ad campaigns.
For 2004, the retailer signed a plethora of stars including former S Club singer Rachel Stevens, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, Dame Helen Mirren, former 'EastEnders' actress Martine McCutcheon, and 'My Best Friend's Wedding' actor Rupert Everett to star in its multimillion-pound Christmas "cocktail party" advertising campaign.
In 2003, it launched a Christmas panto-themed campaign starring Emma Bunton and Will Young among others.
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