The ''Nativity'' film series is a British film series of
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Christmas films.
Films
Released films
''Nativity!'' (2009)
Paul Maddens is a teacher who once had ambitions of being successful as an actor, producer or director. Every year St Bernadette's Primary School in
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
, where he teaches, competes with a local
private school
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
.
Despite this, St Bernadette's headteacher Mrs Bevans tasks him with running their nativity play this year and gives him a new class teaching assistant called Mr Poppy, who turns out to be as much of a child as the rest of Paul's class. As every year, it is one of Paul's other friends from drama school, Gordon Shakespeare, who runs the nativity plays at rival school Oakmoor.
Determined not to be seen as a failure by his old rival, Paul lies to Shakespeare about how a
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
producer, their old friend Jennifer, will be turning his production into a Hollywood film, though he hasn't even spoken to her in five years. Mr Poppy accidentally overhears this and is so excited that he has to spread the rumour.
Soon, Paul finds his lie is out of control, and all he can do is go along with it as media attention mounts and the children get more and more excited, so Paul has to try to actually get Hollywood to turn their production into a film.
''Danger in the Manger'' (2012)
Donald Peterson is an anxious teacher who has just moved to a new house with his pregnant wife Sarah. He accepts a teaching job at St. Bernadette's Primary School, taking over the class formerly taught by Mr Maddens, who by this point has left for the United States. In the interim, the enthusiastic and childlike
teaching assistant
A teaching assistant or teacher's aide (TA) or education assistant (EA) or team teacher (TT) is an individual who assists a teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include ''graduate teaching assistants'' (GTAs), who are graduate school ...
Mr Poppy has been teaching the class unaided.
The class wants to enter a competition called "A Song for Christmas", in which each school produces a Christmas song, with the winning song earning its school £10,000 and the chance at being a Christmas #1. However, headteacher Mrs Bevan refuses the class permission to enter without a qualified teacher and worries that Mr Poppy's behaviour is so inappropriate that no teacher will stay on the job.
When Mr Poppy decides St Bernadette's should enter the National 'Song for Christmas' competition, he persuades Donald to sign the entry forms, later kidnapping him for an impromptu road trip to Gastell Llawen ("Merry Castle", not a real place) in Wales, where the competition is being held.
''Dude, Where's My Donkey?'' (2014)
This movie stars
Martin Clunes
Alexander Martin Clunes OBE DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV comedy-drama series ''Doc Martin'' and Gary Strang in ''Men Be ...
,
Marc Wootton
Marc James Wootton (born 8 February 1975) is an English actor, comedian and writer, best known for his role as Mr Poppy in the ''Nativity!'' film series. Wootton has also appeared in ''High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman'', ''La La Land'', ''Nig ...
,
Catherine Tate
Catherine Jane Ford (born 5 December 1969), known professionally as Catherine Tate, is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), ...
with
Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...
and
Jason Watkins
Jason Watkins (born 28 October 1962) is an English stage, film and television actor. He played the lead role in the two-part drama ''The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies'', for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He has also ...
.
At St. Bernadette’s school, Mr Poppy and the kids sign up to do a Flashmob in a Flashmob competition hosted by the famous Flashmobber, Bradley Finch, the winning prize will go to New York to dance on the Empire States Building.
Jeremy Shepherd is a super teacher (as Desmond Poppy thinks he is) who is the father of Lauren and is due to marry his fiancée Sophie in New York on Christmas Eve. However, Shepard is hit in the forehead by Mr Poppy's pet donkey Archie, which loses his memory.
As Shepard loses his memory, Lauren wish was to make Shepard marry Sophie, by Mr Poppy and the kids help Lauren by her Christmas wish, they helping Shepard get his memory back by his Christmas past, getting to New York until Shepard takes a walk around New York...
''Nativity Rocks!'' (2018)
It was confirmed on 4 December 2017 that ''Nativity 4'' would be released on Friday 23 November 2018, and would be entitled ''Nativity Rocks!''. A teaser trailer was released in July 2018. Casting included;
Simon Lipkin
Simon Lipkin (born 9 January 1986) is a British actor, best known for his work in musical theatre. He has originated roles in several major West End musicals such as ''Avenue Q'' and ''Rock of Ages''. His television work includes ''The Amazing ...
,
Daniel Boys
Daniel Boys (born 26 March 1979) is an English musical theatre actor, who was a contestant on the BBC talent series '' Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007 before becoming known as a stage actor in various musicals including '' Avenue Q'', ''Spamalot'' an ...
,
Craig Revel Horwood
Craig Revel Horwood (born 4 January 1965) is an Australian-British author, dancer, choreographer, conductor, theatre director, and former drag queen in the United Kingdom. He is also a patron of the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Horwood is best k ...
,
Meera Syal
Meera Syal FRSL (born Feroza Syal; 27 June 1961) is a English comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, ...
,
Helen George
Helen Elizabeth George (born 19 June 1984) is an English actress, best known for playing Trixie Franklin on the BBC drama series ''Call the Midwife''. In 2015, she participated in the thirteenth series of BBC One's '' Strictly Come Dancing''; ...
,
Ruth Jones
Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones (born 22 September 1966) is a Welsh actress, comedian, writer and producer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the award-winning BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010, 2019).
Jones has also appeared in various ...
,
Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...
,
Hugh Dennis
Peter Hugh Dennis (born 13 February 1962) is an English comedian, presenter, actor, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist who has appeared in the comedy double act Punt and Dennis with partner Steve Punt. He played Dr Piers Crispin in the ...
,
Anna Chancellor
Anna Theodora Chancellor (born 27 April 1965) is a British actress who has received nominations for BAFTA and Olivier Awards.
Background and early life
Chancellor was born in Richmond, England to barrister John Paget Chancellor, eldest son of ...
,
Ramin Karimloo
Ramin Karimloo ( fa, رامین کریملو; ; born September 19, 1978) is a Canadian actor, singer and composer recognized for his work in London's West End and Broadway theatre.
He has played the leading male roles in both of the West End's ...
, as well as some of the cast from the original theatre musical cast.
Doru, a child
refugee
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. from
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, is separated from his father as he arrives in the United Kingdom. He is moved to
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
by social worker Miss Shelly and joins St Bernadette's Primary School, where he meets a new teaching assistant, Jerry Poppy, who assists him in his search for his father amid another Christmas musical production for the school, led by impresario Emmanuel Cavendish.
Future
Possible future films
In an interview, Debbie Isitt said ''"Nativity 4 has been developed already and so has Nativity 5 – one of them is set ‘Down Under’ in Australia"''. She later added "However, I am uncertain as to if or when they will be made as there are other projects competing for my attention. We will just have to see." The fourth film was released in 2018, no comment has been made on a potential fifth film since its release.
Declined international remakes
Producer Nick Jones revealed that they had so far "politely declined" offers to make American and Australian remakes.
Cast
Crew
Stage musical
A stage musical adaptation of the first film written and directed by Debbie Isitt and composed by Nicky Ager opened at the
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...
in October 2017. Since its world premiere the musical has toured the UK over the Christmas seasons, including runs at
London's Hammersmith Apollo
The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ham ...
which have featured guest star celebrities such as
Louis Walsh
Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later bec ...
,
Danny Dyer
Danial John Dyer (born 24 July 1977) is an English actor and presenter. Dyer's breakthrough role was as Moff in ''Human Traffic'', with other notable roles as Mick Carter in EastEnders, Billy the Limpet in '' Mean Machine'' and as Tommy Johns ...
,
Dani Dyer
Dani Charlotte Dyer (born 8 August 1996) is an English television personality and actress. In 2018, she appeared on '' Survival of the Fittest'', and later that year won the fourth series of '' Love Island'' alongside Jack Fincham. Since then ...
,
Jo Brand
Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English comedian, writer, presenter and actress. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Saturd ...
,
Rylan Clark-Neal
Ross Richard Clark (born 25 October 1988), known professionally as Rylan, is an English broadcaster and model. He finished in fifth place on the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012, and the following year, he won the eleventh series of ...
and
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...
.
Reception
Box office performance
Critical response
References
{{Debbie Isitt
British Christmas films
British film series
Tetralogies