Nativity (film series)

Nativity
Directed by	Debbie Isitt
Produced by	Nick Jones
Written by	Debbie Isitt
Starring	Marc Wootton (1—3); Martin Freeman (1); David Tennant (2); Martin Clunes (3); Simon Lipkin (4);
Music by	Nicky Ager; Debbie Isitt;
Edited by	Nicky Ager
Production; company	Mirrorball Films; BBC Films (1); Screen WM (1); Moviehouse (2); Media Pro Six (2); Premiere Picture (2);
Distributed by	Entertainment One
Release date	2009 (1); 2012 (2); 2014 (3); 2018 (4);
Running time	319 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$6.1 million
Box office	$34.2 million

The Nativity film series is a British film series of family 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, where he teaches, competes with a local private school.

Despite this, the 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 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 to 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 Mr. Poppy has been teaching the class unaided.

The class wants to enter in 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 in 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, Marc Wootton, Catherine Tate with Celia Imrie and Jason Watkins.

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 which 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 to 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, Daniel Boys, Craig Revel Horwood, Meera Syal, Helen George, Ruth Jones, Celia Imrie, Hugh Dennis, Anna Chancellor, Ramin Karimloo, as well as some of the cast from the original theatre musical cast.[1]

Doru, a child refugee from Syria, is separated from his father as he arrives in the United Kingdom. He is moved to Coventry by social worker Miss Shelly and joins St Bernadette's Primary School, where he meets 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.[2]

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."[3] 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.[4]

Cast

Characters	Films
	Nativity!	Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger	Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?	Nativity Rocks!
	2009	2012	2014	2018
Desmond Poppy	Marc Wootton
Gordon Shakespeare	Jason Watkins
Patricia Bevan	Pam Ferris
Paul Maddens	Martin Freeman	Photographs	Photograph
Jennifer Lore	Ashley Jensen
The Mayor	Ricky Tomlinson			Vincent Franklin
Miss Rye	Rosie Cavaliero
Donald Peterson		David Tennant	Photograph
Rodrick Peterson		David Tennant
Mr Peterson Snr		Ian McNeice
Angel Matthews		Jessica Hynes		Jessica Hynes
Sarah Peterson		Joanna Page
Jeremy Shepherd			Martin Clunes
Sophie O'Donnell			Catherine Tate
Bradley Finch			Adam Garcia
"Uncle Henry"			Stewart Wright
Clara Keen			Celia Imrie
Jerry Poppy				Simon Lipkin
Emmanuel Cavendish				Craig Revel Horwood
Ben Johnson				Daniel Boys
Suzy Shelly				Helen George
Clara Hargreaves				Anna Chancellor
Robert Hargreaves				Hugh Dennis
Farmer Beatie				Ruth Jones

Crew

Role	Films
Role	Nativity!	Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger	Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?	Nativity Rocks!
Director/Writer	Debbie Isitt
Producer	Nick Jones
Executive Producer(s)	Joe Oppenheimer Lee Thomas David M. Thompson	Laurence Brown Jason Garrett Alex Hamilton Dan Lawson Gary Phillips David Rogers Mark Vennis	Laurence Brown Daniel Toland	Laurence Brown Alexander Hamilton
Composer(s)	Nicky Ager Debbie Isitt
Editor	Nicky Ager
Release date	27 November 2009 (2009-11-27)	23 November 2012 (2012-11-23)	14 November 2014 (2014-11-14)	23 November 2018 (2018-11-23)

Stage musical

On 17 November 2016, it was announced that the first film will be adapted into a stage musical, making its world premiere Doncaster Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, Manchester Palace Theatre, Plymouth Theatre Royal, Eventim Apollo, and Leeds Grand Theatre over the Christmas season.

It was written and directed by Debbie Isitt with music by Isitt and Nicky Ager, choreography by Andrew Wright and design by David Woodhead. It will be produced by Jamie Wilson, Entertainment One, Ramin Sabi, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Reception

Box office performance

Film	Release date	Box office gross			Budget	Ref(s)
Film	Release date	United Kingdom	Other territories	Worldwide	Budget	Ref(s)
Nativity	November 27, 2009	$8,412,353	$82,081	$8,494,434	$2,443,493	[5]
Danger in the Manger	November 23, 2012	$14,433,981		$14,433,981	$3,657,136	[6]
Dude, Where's My Donkey?	November 11, 2014	$11,283,866		$11,283,866		[7]
Rocks! This Ain't No Silent Night	November 23, 2018	$4,129,456		$4,129,456		[8]
Total		$38,259,656	$82,081	$38,341,737	$6,100,629
List indicator(s) A dark grey cell indicates the information is not available for the film.

Critical response

Film	Rotten Tomatoes
Nativity	48% (25 reviews)[9]
Danger in the Manger	36% (22 reviews)[10]
Dude, Where's My Donkey?	16% (19 reviews)[11]
Rocks! This Ain't No Silent Night	0% (8 reviews) [12]

References

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/film-news/nativity-rocks-film-nativity-4-14369776
"Nativity Rocks! review: ear-splitting proof that Mr Poppy and politics don't mix". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
http://www.feelchristmassy.co.uk/christmas-movies/nativity-4-5-developed-already-but-uncertain/
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/coventry-director-debbie-isitt-starts-6533334
"Nativity (2009) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
"Danger in the Manger(2012) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
"Dude, Where's My Donkey? (2014) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=nativityrocks.htm
"Nativity (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
"Danger in the Manger (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
"Dude, Where's My Donkey?". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nativity_rocks

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[1] ttps://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/film-news/nativity-rocks-film-nativity-4-14369776

[telegraph-2] "Nativity Rocks! review: ear-splitting proof that Mr Poppy and politics don't mix". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-15.

[3] ttp://www.feelchristmassy.co.uk/christmas-movies/nativity-4-5-developed-already-but-uncertain/

[4] ttp://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/coventry-director-debbie-isitt-starts-6533334

[5] "Nativity (2009) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 October 2016.

[6] "Danger in the Manger(2012) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 October 2016.

[7] "Dude, Where's My Donkey? (2014) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 October 2016.

[8] ttps://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=nativityrocks.htm

[Rotten1-9] "Nativity (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2016-10-27.

[Rotten2-10] "Danger in the Manger (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2016-10-27.

[Rotten3-11] "Dude, Where's My Donkey?". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-08-23.

[12] ttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nativity_rocks

Work by Debbie Isitt
Films	Nasty Neighbours (2000) Confetti (2006) Nativity (film series) Nativity! (2009) Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger (2012) Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey? (2014) Nativity Rocks! (2018)
Theatre	The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband (1993) Nasty Neighbours (1995) Matilda Liar! (1998) The Hundred and One Dalmatians (2000) Nativity! The Musical (2017)