Entertainment

Strangford children re-tell Christmas story on Radio 4

Jenny Lee speaks to Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the writer behind London's 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and Derry's The Return of Colmcille, about shepherds, donkeys and working with five-years-olds in Strangford this Christmas for a new radio drama of the nativity

Children from St Joseph’s Primary, Strangford, perform on The Nativity for BBC Radio 4 this Christmas Eve
Children from St Joseph’s Primary, Strangford, perform on The Nativity for BBC Radio 4 this Christmas Eve Children from St Joseph’s Primary, Strangford, perform on The Nativity for BBC Radio 4 this Christmas Eve

THIS Christmas Eve why not take some time out from rushing around and take yourself back to the origins of Christmas in an improvised drama of the nativity story – as told by five and six-years-olds from Strangford?

The Nativity, a BBC Northern Ireland radio drama production, was devised by author Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who wrote the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and masterminded The Return of Colmcille, a two-day festival of performances and processions as part of Derry's 2013 UK City of Culture celebrations.

Cottrell-Boyce worked for a week with the young pupils of St Malachy’s Primary School, Kilclief, and St Joseph’s Primary, Strangford, alongside his wife Denise. The couple have seven children and he says his wife "is a veteran of putting together our parish nativities".

The Nativity makes endearing and entertaining listening as the performances and rehearsal process capture how the young performers contemplate a story where there really is rather a lot to take on board.

At age five and six, children know only the world around them so even hurdling the concept of 'Long, long ago' and a world where there are no cars, no planes, no televisions, no iPods, no hospitals and, according to one boy "not even a football pitch", is a difficult task.

The children's thoughts are mixed with quotes from the gospels of Luke and Matthew, telling the story of the birth of Jesus.

With many schools now scrapping the traditional Christmas nativity for updated versions starring modern characters, Cottrell-Boyce wanted to tell "the traditional story".

"Over 2,000 years on, the story of the nativity is still as popular as ever. Sadly many nativities now have aliens or pop stars in them. It's an amazing story and we wanted to get to the roots of it," the Liverpool native says.

What with angels appearing, there being 'no room in the inn', having to have the baby in a stable with animals, three wise men showing up with gifts and shepherds arriving, this really is rich terrain to place in the small hands of truly natural storytellers.

"We taped the rehearsals as well as the performance and here you see kids directing other kids. It was fascinating how different children took on roles of the director, being in charge of costumes," Cottrell-Boyce says. "The kids were very imaginative."

So how does his experience of a radio drama featuring Co Down schoolchildren with the huge 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony?

"They were both about celebrating the creativity of ordinary people," he 57-year-old adds.

There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments during the week of recording and many of these will be heard in the programme, such as the children discussing Mary and Joseph having to eat flies, frogs and shark and suggesting they were from Dublin.

"It was hilarious trying to explain what tax was. The kids thought they were riding in a taxi. But it captures that lovely innocence of childhood," says Cottrell-Boyce.

The animals of the nativity story created much discussion among the children, who compared donkeys with horses and described a camel as "a donkey with two lumps on its back".

Cottrell-Boyce believes the setting of Strangford Lough added to the drama.

"It reminded me of the shepherds looking out on the hills all those years ago. And the kids of Strangford could relate to the farming aspect, with many owning sheep themselves."

The introduction of The Nativity is narrated by Ballymena-born A-lister Liam Neeson. "I actually texted Liam when we were leaving Strangford and by the time we go to the airport he had replied with a big yes," recalls Cottrell-Boyce.

This was his first time working in Northern Ireland since The Return of Colmcille in Derry, though he has been a regular visitor as his sister lives in Antrim.

Although he hasn't turned his hand to any large-scale events since, Cottrell-Boyce – who wrote the Oscar-nominated movie Hilary and Jackie and the film 24-Hour Party People – has been concentrating on his first love as a children's author and was delighted to share some of his stories with the schoolchildren in Strangford.

However 2017 will him back on both the small and large screens: he has written the movie Goodbye Christopher Robin, about Winnie the Pooh creator AA Milne and his son, starring Domhnall Gleeson and Margot Robbie; and, having first written for Doctor Who in 2014, he has penned the second episode of series 10 which will be broadcast in February.

While The Nativity captures the creativity of youth, how does Cottrell-Boyce keep his creative juices flowing in so many mediums?

"Don't be scared to live. Stay out of your depth and do things you are not used to doing," he advises.

:: The Nativity will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11am on Christmas Eve.