A festive television play about the backstage tussle over a junior school’s Nativity production.
At an inner-city junior school, the Christmas season brings conflict. Young headmaster Mike Brittain (Alfred Molina) is determined to break with tradition and stage an exciting, modern interpretation of the Nativity story called “Dance To Bethlehem.” His plans are met with staunch disapproval from Miss Jarvis (Siobhan McKenna), a teacher who has directed the school’s play for thirty-five years and is facing her final term before retirement. As the two teachers clash over their competing visions, the pupils, including a host of little angels, wait in the wings for their moment in the spotlight.
This single play by Janey Preger uses the microcosm of a school Nativity production to stage a larger battle between tradition and progress. The comedy is gentle, deriving its warmth from the clash of two well-meaning but opposing ideologies. Siobhan McKenna’s performance as the retiring, steadfast Miss Jarvis is a study in quiet dignity, while Alfred Molina’s energetic headmaster represents a well-intentioned but disruptive modernism. Filmed on location at Ladypool Junior School in Birmingham, the production grounds its gentle satire in the authentic chaos of a primary school at Christmas.
Broadcast: BBC One – BBC Birmingham, 1 Episode, 24 December 1984
Written by: Janey Preger
Producer: Robin Midgley
Director: Rob Walker
Design: Stanley Morris
Main Cast: Siobhan McKenna (Betty Jarvis), Alfred Molina (Mike Brittain), Lesley Manville (Jenny Bailey), Gilly Coman (Susanna), June Ellis (Mrs Hancock), Jacquie Crago (Mrs Elliott), Tim Potter (Mr Lomax), Sheila Chitnis (Mrs Dhani)
