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57-529: Nativity! is a 2009 British Christmas musical comedy film directed by Debbie Isitt and released on 27 November 2009 and the first instalment in the Nativity film series . The film stars Martin Freeman and Ashley Jensen . In the film, teacher Paul Maddens (Freeman) lies to his rival that Hollywood are coming to watch his school's Christmas nativity , but after the lie gets out of hand, he must resolve

114-457: A Christmas parade at Walt Disney World Resort and along with its sister cable network, ESPN (since they jointly acquired broadcast rights to the league in 2002), NBA games featuring some of the league's best teams and players, broadcasting a doubleheader (or as many as five games between the two networks in certain years); the NBA's Christmas Day games are notable as they historically serve as

171-637: A Sheffield Crucible Theatre production of Shakespeare's Othello , playing the title role opposite his Wire co-star Dominic West , who played Iago . In the 2014 New York Shakespeare in the Park festival, he played Gloucester in King Lear . Peters is familiar to television viewers as Detective Lester Freamon in the HBO series The Wire . Peters also starred in the HBO mini-series The Corner , portraying

228-586: A kidney tumor in 1992, at the age of four. He has a son, Max, with his second wife, Penny Ephson; Max played the young Michael Jackson in the West End production of the musical Thriller – Live . As of 2012, Peters split his time between a house in the Charles Village section of Baltimore , which he bought in 2006 while working on The Wire , and one in London, where Penny and Max live. He

285-626: A backdrop for the film (though the films themselves are often filmed in British Columbia due to favorable film tax benefits). As of 2020 The Grinch is the highest grossing Christmas film of all time. Green Book was the last movie with a Christmas setting to win the Academy Award for Best Picture . Before 1962, when Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol premiered, true Christmas specials made for TV were either adaptations of stories such as A Christmas Carol (with live actors), or

342-410: A big city person has to go to a small town, in either case deciding that the small town is where they should remain. A main character will also have a Christmas-sounding name (such as "Holly") and/or the small town will (such as "Christmas Valley"). The settings are usually in the northern United States, or in a mountain area (such as Colorado), where snow (and the ensuing "White Christmas") are used as

399-507: A costume designer for a production of the musical Hair in Paris , in which Peters later starred. In 1973, Peters moved to London and changed his name to Clarke Peters, because Equity already had a few namesake members. While in London, he formed a soul band, The Majestics, and worked as a backup singer on such hits as " Love and Affection " by Joan Armatrading , " Boogie Nights " by Heatwave , and some David Essex songs. However, music

456-1105: A disabled beggar boy living with his (presumably) widowed mother in the Holy Land. They are visited by the Three Wise Men who are on their way to see the Christ Child, and when Amahl offers his crutch as a gift, he is miraculously cured. In 1978, it returned to television, with less success. TV programmes which have had special Christmas episodes in the United Kingdom include Top of the Pops (from 1960s-2006), Morecambe and Wise (1970s), The Two Ronnies (1980s), Stars in Their Eyes , Only Fools and Horses (both 1990s), and more recently, Doctor Who , Top Gear (both 2000s), Downton Abbey (2010s) and The Repair Shop (2020s). The 1982 animated tale The Snowman has been screened for many years during

513-628: A drug addict named Fat Curt, as well as the FX series Damages , as Dave Pell. Both The Wire and The Corner were created by writer and former The Baltimore Sun journalist David Simon . Peters also stars in Simon's HBO series Treme , in the role of Mardi Gras Indian chief Albert Lambreaux. Peters appeared in two episodes of the U.S. time-travel/detective TV series Life On Mars (2008) as NYPD Captain Fletcher Bellow. He also appeared in

570-793: A musical about Nat King Cole , which received scathing reviews. He also starred in the 2010 UK production of Five Guys Named Moe . As a stage actor, Peters has also appeared on Broadway. His performance in The Iceman Cometh (1999) won him the Theatre World Award , and he portrayed the shady lawyer Billy Flynn in the revival of Chicago in 2000 and 2003. In regional theatre he has appeared in Driving Miss Daisy , The Wiz , Bubbling Brown Sugar , Ma Rainey's Black Bottom , Carmen Jones , and The Amen Corner . In September 2011, Peters appeared on stage in

627-468: A new school Christmas tree , Mr. Maddens bumps into his old rival from drama school, Gordon Shakespeare ( Jason Watkins ), who runs the nativity plays at Oakmoor. Desperate not to be seen as a failure, Mr. Maddens lies to Mr. Shakespeare about how a supposed Hollywood producer, Jennifer, will be turning his production into a Hollywood film (although in reality, he hasn't spoken to her in five years). Mr. Poppy overhears this and gets so excited that he spreads

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684-461: A person who has "lost the Christmas spirit" and through "Christmas magic" regains it (commonly by a romantic encounter; frequently one of the two in the romance is a single parent or has lost someone special around a prior Christmas season). Another theme plays on the "big city-small town" dynamic, whereby a lead character has either left a small hometown for the big city (and has had to return), or

741-430: Is the second-most lucrative season for the industry. In fact, a few films each year open on the actual Christmas Day holiday. Christmas movies generally open no later than Thanksgiving, as their themes are not so popular once the season is over. Likewise, the home video release of these films is typically delayed until the beginning of the next year's Christmas season. American Christmas-themed films are also broadcast on

798-781: The Jurassic Park movies, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory , the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, the DC Extended Universe movies and Peter Jackson 's Middle Earth saga , as well as several animated Disney , DreamWorks , Aardman , Studio Ghibli , Illumination , Laika and Pixar movies. Others have some scenes during the Christmas season, such as the Harry Potter films which are frequently included in

855-637: The BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role . Peters was born Peter Clarke, the second of four sons, in New York City , and grew up in Englewood, New Jersey . At the age of 12, he had his first theater experience, in a school production of My Fair Lady . He began to have serious ambitions to work in the theater at the age of 14. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in 1970. In 1971, Peters' older brother enabled him to work as

912-648: The Birmingham Repertory Theatre in October 2017. Since its world premiere the musical has toured the UK over the Christmas seasons, including runs at London's Hammersmith Apollo which have featured guest star celebrities such as Louis Walsh , Danny Dyer , Dani Dyer , Jo Brand , Rylan Clark-Neal and Sharon Osbourne . Christmas film It also includes animation, comics, and children's books, including A Charlie Brown Christmas , How

969-758: The Cincinnati Pops , and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Many radio stations begin to add Christmas music to their rotation in late November, and often switch to all-Christmas programming for December 25. Some do for part of or all of December 24 as well. A few stations switch to all-Christmas music for the entire season (some beginning as early as mid-November); in Detroit, 100.3 WNIC in 2005 started Christmas music day and night on midnight of October 31 because programmers believed that at least some listeners who are attracted by

1026-473: The Hallmark Channel and its companion channel Hallmark Movies & Mysteries , which during the holiday season generally feature new films along with reruns of favorites from prior years. Actresses Candace Cameron Bure , Lacey Chabert , and Danica McKellar , along with actor Niall Matter , are frequently featured in lead or major roles. The films themselves generally feature a similar theme of

1083-526: The Sean Connery space Western Outland (1981) as the treacherous Sgt. Ballard, and he played an almost wordless role as Anderson, a vicious pimp in Neil Jordan 's Mona Lisa (1986). After writing several revues with Sherrin, in 1990 Peters wrote the revue Five Guys Named Moe , which received a Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical. He followed this up with Unforgettable ,

1140-680: The Spike Lee film Red Hook Summer (2012; in which he played Bishop Enoch), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). Peters played Easy Rawlins in a 1997 BBC Radio 4 dramatization of Walter Mosley 's Black Betty . He also narrated the BBC radio series Black Music in Europe: A Hidden History , as well as the audiobook version of Michael Chabon 's novel Telegraph Avenue , released in September 2012 by HarperAudio . Peters

1197-752: The United Kingdom , during the 2000s ITV usually showed a James Bond and/or a Harry Potter film(s) during the Christmas Holidays whilst the BBC showed the Chronicles of Narnia and/or High School Musical films. And for many years Channel 5 have shown American/Canadian made-for-TV Christmas films during the weeks before Christmas. In North America, the holiday movie season often includes release of studios' most prestigious pictures, in an effort both to capture holiday crowds and to position themselves for Oscar consideration. Next to summer, this

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1254-482: The 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life , and the similarly themed versions of Dickens' A Christmas Carol , in which the elderly miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by ghosts and learns the errors of his ways. By contrast, the hero of the former, George Bailey , is a businessman who sacrificed his dreams to help his community. On Christmas Eve, a guardian angel finds him in despair and prevents him from committing suicide, by supernaturally showing him how much he meant to

1311-422: The Christmas chart has been dominated by the winner of The X Factor and various social media backed records aimed to hijack the charts. As with television, British radio programmes also schedule Christmas specials. These mainly include comedy shows such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and The Now Show . The Music Choice channels have over the past few years have begun playing Christmas music as early as

1368-483: The Christmas music will remain loyal listeners when the station reverts to its standard format on Boxing Day . Radio stations also broadcast traditional Western art music, such as the "Hallelujah" chorus from Handel 's Messiah . Among other pieces inspired by Christmas are Tchaikovsky 's ballet The Nutcracker and the popular suite drawn from it, and Johann Sebastian Bach 's " Christmas Oratorio " (BWV 248). Some radio stations play Christmas music commercial-free

1425-608: The Christmas period (usually Christmas Eve or Christmas Day), and the 1991 short animated film, Father Christmas , by the same artist and company, is usually broadcast around the same time. Adaptations of novels from Charles Dickens are also common around Christmas time. Along with A Christmas Carol (the most popular due to its Christmas season setting, and the message portrayed), these also include Bleak House (2005), Oliver Twist (2007) and Great Expectations (2011), among others. These adaptations usually feature all-star casts. Christmas Day begins at 12 at night with

1482-531: The Grinch Stole Christmas! , and Frosty the Snowman . Many Christmas stories have been adapted to movies and TV specials , and have been broadcast and repeated many times on TV. Since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, their many editions are sold and re-sold every year during the holiday shopping season. Notable examples are the many versions of the ballet The Nutcracker ,

1539-559: The Nativity Story, or episodes of variety shows highlighting Christmas music. They were often hosted by such celebrities as Perry Como , Jane Wyatt , or Florence Henderson . (A notable exception was The Spirit of Christmas in 1950, which, although featuring an appearance by Alexander Scourby , who also narrated, starred the Mabel Beaton Marionettes.) This all changed once variety shows began dying out in

1596-629: The Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas . Some local affiliates provide the Yule Log , a block of time either on Christmas morning or both during the evening hours of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning showing footage of a fireplace, coupled with popular Christmas music. Some local affiliates that provide the Yule Log simulcast Christmas music from a radio station playing it. Every Christmas Day , ABC (since 1996) airs

1653-419: The UK are specially commissioned separately to a production season , and many are extended from the usual episode length. For example, the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special was 71 minutes as opposed to the standard 45 minutes, was broadcast six months after the third series had finished and four months before the fourth series started. UK Christmas specials may or may not feature the holiday itself as part of

1710-595: The UK over the subsequent Christmas seasons. Paul Maddens ( Martin Freeman ) is a miserable, jaded teacher at St. Bernadette's, a local state-funded Catholic primary school in Coventry . He once had ambitions of being successful as an actor, producer or director in musical theatre , but gave it up after negative reviews in the press. Mr. Maddens grew to hate Christmas after his girlfriend at drama school, Jennifer Lore ( Ashley Jensen ), broke up with him at Christmas time. Every year, St Bernadette's competes with Oakmoor,

1767-614: The UK show Holby City , as Derek Newman, the father of nurse Donna Jackson . He voiced a part in the Doctor Who animated episode Dreamland , and in the In Plain Sight episode "Duplicate Bridge" as a man in Witness Protection named Norman Baker/Norman Danzer. In 2010, Peters read Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption for BBC 7 . In that year, he also had a guest appearance as Professor Mark Ramsay in

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1824-896: The Woods , Oz the Great and Powerful , Sam Raimi 's Spider Man trilogy , Paddington , Around the World in Eighty Days , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , Robert Downey Jr 's Sherlock Holmes Saga , Fiddler on the Roof , My Fair Lady , Mary Poppins , Enchanted , the Mamma Mia! saga , Bridesmaids , Oliver! , Crocodile Dundee , King Kong , The Railway Children , The Sound of Music , Bedknobs & Broomsticks ,

1881-468: The battle of the bands and artists to make it to the Christmas No. 1 spot, recognised on the first Sunday before, or on, Christmas Day. Many of these songs are festive, while others are novelty songs that remain but briefly at the top of the chart. Gospel singer Cliff Richard is a fixture of Christmas charts, appearing nearly every year, and subsequently being mocked for doing so. In more recent years

1938-470: The beginning of November, instead of waiting till after Thanksgiving. Clarke Peters Peter Clarke (born April 7, 1952), known professionally as Clarke Peters , is an American actor, writer, and director, who has spent much of his adult life in the United Kingdom. He is best known for his roles as Lester Freamon in the television series The Wire (2002–2008) and Albert Lambreaux in

1995-550: The charge, stating: "If the enemy comes to America, I'll be there, but I don't know the Vietnamese. If you put me in the army, I'm not going there." Peters has had five children from three relationships. He and his first wife, Janine Martyne, who sang with him on recordings, had two children: a daughter, China Clarke, an architect, and a son, Peter Clarke, a tattoo artist. A subsequent relationship with Joanna Jacobs produced two sons: Joe Jacobs , an actor, and Guppy, who died of

2052-452: The children's parents and family friends. The children, initially anxious but motivated and encouraged by Mr. Poppy's childlike spirit and optimism, actually put on a decent performance, to the surprise of everyone involved. Halfway through, Mr. Shakespeare climbs on stage to tell everybody that there is nobody from Hollywood there and the entire story was a lie. Luckily, a helicopter flies over and Mr. Poppy declares that it's Hollywood arriving;

2109-452: The children's unique (and often strange) talents. Mr. Maddens tries to contact Jennifer to make the lie come true, even getting on a flight to America to persuade her to visit in-person. It turns out she is only the secretary to a film producer, and he returns home disappointed. Amid continuing media attention and the Mayor ( Ricky Tomlinson )'s kind offer to allow the play to be performed in

2166-611: The day after Christmas while NBC airs a Premier League soccer match that same day. Christmas specials based on classical music have also been well received. Among them, in addition to the previously mentioned Amahl and the Night Visitors , have been the many telecasts of the ballet The Nutcracker , and concert specials featuring musicians such as the Boston Pops , the Mormon Tabernacle Choir ,

2223-499: The entire day on Christmas Day, with only interruptions for Christmas messages from station personnel and personnel from the station's parent company. Others, like 96.5 KOIT in San Francisco do on both part of or all of Christmas Eve and the entire day Christmas Day. Frequently, the first song played on an "all-Christmas" station is the popular tune It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas . The UK music industry features

2280-482: The historical ruins of Coventry Cathedral , Mrs. Bevan discovers that the Hollywood story was a lie and cancels the play, advising Mr. Maddens to start looking for another job and firing Mr. Poppy in the process. This causes Mr. Maddens to snap at Mr. Poppy about everything going wrong, but when facing his disappointed class, he decides that the show must go on. The play is performed at the cathedral to an audience of

2337-572: The issue fast. The film was written by its director, Debbie Isitt, but was also partially improvised. The film premiered on 23 November 2009 in the SkyDome Arena , Coventry , England. It was released in cinemas on 27 November 2009. The film was followed by Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger (2012), Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey? (2014), and Nativity Rocks! (2018). In 2017 a stage musical adaptation premiered and has since toured

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2394-460: The late 1980s and Rankin-Bass began producing more and more Christmas specials. One notable television special usually seen at Christmas was Amahl and the Night Visitors , commissioned by NBC and telecast annually in the U.S. from 1951 to 1966. It was the first opera written especially for television. Composed by Gian-Carlo Menotti with a libretto in English by the composer, the opera told of

2451-524: The league's first game telecasts on over-the-air network television each season. NBC airs the Vatican Midnight Mass service at St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve night (having broadcast the service annually since 1972, typically in place of the network's regular late-night programming), and usually airs an ice skating special (often on the weekend prior to or of the holiday). Additionally, CBS usually airs college basketball games

2508-424: The local posh Protestant private school , to see who can produce the best nativity play . The headteacher at St Bernadette's, Patricia Bevan ( Pam Ferris ), tasks Mr. Maddens with running their nativity this year and assigns him a new classroom assistant named Desmond Poppy ( Marc Wootton ), who is actually Mrs. Bevan's extremely childish, immature nephew searching for work. While out shopping with Mr. Poppy for

2565-494: The narrative. While the season receives almost universal acknowledgement on British TV, some channels and programmes have tried "alternative" or "anti-Christmas" ideas. One example is Channel 4 which has run an Alternative Christmas message since 1993. In 2009, two movie channels renamed themselves for the season; Sky Movies Screen 2 became Sky Movies Christmas Channel and Movies 24 became Christmas 24 . From 2010, changes to Sky Movies line-up meant that Sky Movies Showcase

2622-523: The pilot episode of the USA Network TV series Covert Affairs . From 2012 to 2013, Peters had a recurring role as Alonzo D. Quinn in the CBS TV series Person of Interest . Peters' movie credits include Mona Lisa (1986), Notting Hill (1999), K-PAX (2001), Freedomland (2006), Marley & Me (2008), Endgame (2009; in which he played Nelson Mandela ), Nativity! (2009),

2679-702: The season as part of the holiday programming. The Wizard of Oz , for instance, was always telecast during the Christmas season between 1959 and 1962. Other films often seen around the Christmas period are Singin' in the Rain , Some Like it Hot , Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines , Casablanca , The Golden Compass , Great Expectations , Annie , Grease , The Adventures of Robin Hood , Johnny Depp 's Alice Saga , Sunshine on Leith , The Star Wars Saga , Transformers , The Simpsons Movie , Cinderella , Maleficent , Into

2736-489: The show continues, and Jennifer and her boss, Mr. Parker ( Clarke Peters ) indeed appear at the back to watch. Mr. Maddens joins them and, still in love, kisses Jennifer. The play ends with everyone, including Mr. Shakespeare and Mrs. Bevan, who have a change of heart after seeing the children's talents, united onstage to celebrate the children's success. As the film closes, Mr. Maddens and Jennifer are shown decorating his house together for Christmas, reunited at last. The film

2793-430: The showing of Midnight Mass on the BBC . In addition, the monarch annually broadcasts a 10-minute speech on Christmas Day at 3 p.m. Many long-running British soap operas have Christmas specials, usually involving a dramatic storyline developed over several weeks which culminates at Christmas. Often these stories are tragic, involving a death, divorce, a dramatic revelation or similar event. Most Christmas specials in

2850-495: The story to the press. Mr. Maddens finds his lie spiralling out of control, and all he can do is go along with it as media attention mounts and the children get very excited. The children at St Bernadette's are nowhere near as talented as the Oakmoor students, and Mr. Maddens has little confidence in their abilities. The enthusiastic Mr. Poppy helps him and the class to create an energetic, interesting nativity which showcases all of

2907-400: The television series Treme (2010–2013). He also wrote the book for the musical revue Five Guys Named Moe (1990). Peters is also known for his roles in the films Silver Dream Racer (1980), Endgame (2009), John Wick (2014), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Harriet (2019), and Da 5 Bloods (2020), the lattermost of which earned him a nomination for

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2964-478: The viewing rotation. The action film Die Hard is seen by some as a Christmas film, as it takes place on the holiday, and is often viewed during the season, although whether or not Die Hard should be considered a Christmas film has been debated due to its story not being about the holiday itself. Others in this category include Iron Man 3 , Lethal Weapon , Batman Returns , Eyes Wide Shut , Female Trouble , Shazam! and Doctor Zhivago . In

3021-412: The world around him. A few films based on fictionalized versions of true stories have become Christmas specials themselves. The story behind the Christmas carol " Silent Night " and the story of " Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus " are two examples. Sometimes, family films and classics boasting special effects and/or uplifting messages, but having no real relation to Christmas, are telecast during

3078-498: Was first announced in August 2008, when it was announced Martin Freeman would star. Principal photography began in the same month. When released in the United Kingdom, the movie opened at #5, taking £794,315 at the box office in the United Kingdom. In its third week, the movie rose to #4, and in the end, made £5,187,402. A stage musical adaptation of the film written and directed by Debbie Isitt and composed by Nicky Ager opened at

3135-470: Was not Peters' main ambition, and he preferred to work in the theater. His first West End theatre musical roles, which he received with assistance from his friend Ned Sherrin , were I Gotta Shoe (1976) and Bubbling Brown Sugar (1977). Other West End credits include Blues in the Night , Porgy and Bess , The Witches of Eastwick , Guys and Dolls , Chicago , and Chess . Peters starred in

3192-597: Was politicized by the Vietnam War . Shortly before he left for Paris, he was arrested for obstructing police lines after an anti-Vietnam War demonstration , but was cleared. He later said of this experience: "It made me more angry than anything else, because what I experienced was how impotent you could be as an American citizen." While in Paris, Peters received a letter from the FBI accusing him of draft evasion . He contested

3249-603: Was used for Sky Movies Christmas Channel. On 16 November 2012, two music channels renamed themselves; Bliss became Blissmas and Greatest Hits TV was rebranded as Christmas Hits TV . In the United States, many television series (particularly those of a family-oriented nature) produce a Christmas episode, although seldom outside of a season's production block. Stand-alone Christmas specials are also popular, from newly created animated shorts and movies to repeats of those that were popular in previous years, such as Rudolph

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