The Nativity (TV series)

The Nativity is a 2010 British four-part drama television series. The series is a re-telling of the Nativity of Jesus and was broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD across four days, starting on 20 December 2010. It was rebroadcast in two hour-long parts on the mornings of 24 and 25 December 2011 and across four days starting on 19 December 2016.

The Nativity
GenreReligious drama
Written byTony Jordan
Directed byCoky Giedroyc
Starring
ComposerJonathan Goldsmith
Country of origin
No. of episodes4
Production
ProducerRuth Kenley-Letts
Running time30 minutes (approx.)
Production companies
Release
Original network
Original release20 December (2010-12-20) –
23 December 2010 (2010-12-23)
Chronology
Related showsThe Passion
External links
Website

The series stars Tatiana Maslany as Mary; Andrew Buchan as Joseph; Neil Dudgeon as Joachim; Claudie Blakley as Anna; Peter Capaldi as Balthasar; and John Lynch as Gabriel.

Cast

Production

Tony Jordan started writing the script in 2007. At the time, he did not believe in the Nativity story, but said that since writing The Nativity, his opinion changed. He was asked to produce the series after discussing new projects with BBC Wales in Cardiff, but his meeting got mixed up with another, where they wanted to create a follow up to The Passion. Jordan was asked what he would do with the Nativity and he pitched what he called a "ridiculous notion" of a story centred on the Inn in Bethlehem, which he compared to the BBC 1980s sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!. Jordan forgot about the idea but received a telephone call from the BBC a week later asking him to produce a script.[1]

Filming lasted a month and took place in Ouarzazate, Morocco.[2] Capaldi, Shepherd and Abili almost missed filming due to air travel disruption after the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland.[3]

Reception

The first episode was watched by 5.21 million viewers, an audience share of 20.3%.[4]

Sam Wollaston of The Guardian praised the series, saying: "[W]hat is nice about this new telling of an old story: it will resonate, and it's relevant. It's very human, too, because that's what it's about, the characters and what happens to them and between them, rather than the message. In short, it's not preachy, and that's a relief."[5]

References
  1. Stanford, Peter (18 December 2010). "Tony Jordan interview: The Nativity has changed me, and that's the gospel truth". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  2. Maslany, Tatiana (20 December 2010). "Tony Jordan's Nativity: I play Mary". BBC Online. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  3. Jeffery, Morgan (21 December 2010). "Capaldi 'almost missed Nativity filming'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  4. Millar, Paul (21 December 2010). "4.3m see 'Miranda' Xmas special". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  5. Wollaston, Sam (21 December 2010). "TV review: The Nativity; Come Rain Come Shine". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
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