A BBC musical extravaganza set on the streets of Liverpool sees actor Geoffrey Hughes (pictured) temporarily leave his home on the Isle of Wight to go back to his roots for BBC Three Sunday’s Liverpool Nativity.
Geoffrey aka Onslow (Keeping Up Appearances), Eddie Yates (Coronation Street), Vernon Scripps (Heartbeat) and of Royle Family fame, will play the Angel Gabriel who doubles as a CCTV operator in a modern-day version of the nativity.
Liverpool Nativity tells the story of the first Christmas through the music of Liverpool, the familiar songs will be performed by characters in the drama and a live orchestra with fresh musical arrangements.
Geoffrey recently described his role as that of a narrator who brings the action together, and says:
“I’ll be helping the choir, if ‘helping’ is the right word! But no, I won’t be singing solo.”
When asked about having the leading role in what the BBC calls the largest televised music drama ever attempted live on any city’s streets, reckons he can sum up his feelings in just one word.
“Terrified!” he says, before explaining:
“No one does live TV any more, although I have actually done a play live but that was 40 years ago!”
Far from being the simple story beloved of school plays throughout the world, Liverpool Nativity is a drama as fresh and relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago the intimate, personal story of a pregnant young girl set against a backdrop of political tension and unrest.
The play is written by Liverpudlian Mark Davies Markham includes a star studed cast with Jennifer Ellison (Brookside) as an Angel, Cathy Tyson (Band of Gold) as the villainous Herodia and Paul Barber (The Full Monty, Only Fools and Horses) playing the landlord.
Liverpool Nativity will be acted out by a cast of 300, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the city’s Sense of Sound choir, and brought to us by a technical crew of 150.
The hour long production will be broadcast live on BBC Three at 8pm this Sunday, December 16th (BBC1 at a later date) and will follow torch lit crowds through Liverpool’s streets towards the River Mersey. The performance will culminate with a nativity scene on the banks of the Mersey.
It’s promises to be a spectacular story, being told in a spectacular setting for what will (hopefully!) be a spectacular, hour-long live TV broadcast.
Isle of Wight Community News @Island Pulse.
[…] Onslow Gains His Wings @ Liverpool Nativity. […]
By Isle of Wight. Onslow Gains His Wings @ Liverpool Nativity. Isle of Wight News from the Island Pulse. on December 15th, 2007