Marks & Spencer kicked off the 2017 Christmas ad party with a beautiful mini-movie about Paddington Bear.

In the advert, which stars the iconic character from Michael Bond’s 1958 book of the same name, Paddington does his best to assist Father Christmas in delivering all of the presents in his sack – especially as he notices one of them to be for his good friend Alice.

Except, well, it’s not actually Father Christmas. It’s a burglar, who’s pretty perturbed when the sweetly oblivious Paddington helps him to return every single stolen present back to the houses they originally came from.

Cue a big life lesson about the spirit of Christmas, right and wrong, good will to all men and redemption arcs. Because, of course, that wily thief soon sees the error of his ways.

Or does he?

M&S has its say on that Paddington Christmas ad conspiracy theory