Doctor Who Vs. Nativity!

Shown on BBC3 last

night, this British family

comedy starred Martin Freeman (as Mr.

Maddens), Pam Ferris

(Mrs. Bevan) and Marc Woottton  (Mr. Poppy)

- all part of the teaching

 staff at St. Bernadette's

Primary school in the Midlands. Produced by BBC Films and Mirror-

ball, this Christmas

feature premiered in Coventry, the city where the story was set and filmed.

The production was a box office hit and spawned three cinema sequels -

Danger in the Manger (in 2012), and Dude, Where's My Donkey? (2014),

and Nativity Rocks! (2018), then Nativity! The Musical which opened in

Birmingham in late 2017. Released in late 2009, the film featured Ashley

Jensen, Alan Carr, Ricky Tomlinson, and these nine Doctor Who cast and

crew connections:

• Ferris voiced Lizzie Corrigan for Big Finish's The Eternal Summer (2009), and Amanda Steele for Day of the Vashta Nerada (2017)
• Jason Watkins (Shakespeare) was Webley in Nightmare in Silver, and voiced the White Guardian for The Destroyer of Delights and The Chaos Pool (both 2009), Chancellor Barok for The Truth of Peladon (2022), and Al Norton for Twenty-Four Doors in December (2023)
• Rosie [Cecilia] Cavaliero (Miss Rye) voiced Cassie Schofield for Project: Twilight (2001) and Project: Lazarus (2003), then Marge Ellmore for Infamy of the Zaross (2017)
• John [Gibbs Marshall] Sessions (Lore) voiced General Tannis for Death Comes to Time, Mozart for My Own Private Wolfgang (2007), and Roland for Castle of Fear (2009), then provided the voice of Gus for Mummy on the Orient Express
• Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Lore) was Andinio in The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos
• Clarke Peters [born Peter Clarke] (Boss) voiced Night Eagle for Dreamland
• Karl Theobald (Parent) voiced Mark Lanchaster for Wave of Destruction (2016), and Tate for Visiting Hours (2017)
• Ben Crompton (Parent) was Ross in Into the Dalek
• Amanda Foster was a stunt performer on The Doctor's Daughter too

Doctor Who Vs. Nativity Rocks!

Shown on ITV2 today, this festive

British comedy (the third sequel to

2009's Nativity!) starred Celia Imrie

and Simon Lipkin as the teaching

staff at Coventry's St. Bernadette's

Primary school.

Released by Entertainment One

in late 2018, the film (written by

Debbie Isitt) featured Helen George,

Hugh Dennis, Ruth Jones, and a

dozen Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Meera [born Feroza] Syal (Nina) was Dr. Nasreen Chaudhry in The Hungry Earth and Cold Blood, Narrator of Borrowed Time and The Gemini Contagion (both 2011), then voiced Arla Decanto for Big Finish's The Truth of Peladon (2022)
• Vincent [Warren] Franklin (Lord Mayor) voiced Lord Stormblood for Scenes from her Life (2016), then was Harry Shaw in The War Between the Land and the Sea
• Jemma [Mary] Churchill (Nan) voiced Lady Forleon for Creatures of Beauty (2003), Salfira Valtris/Dr. Maria Backhouse for Breaking Bubbles, Praska for Signs and Wonders (both 2014), Farla Janz/ Inscape for The Genesis Chamber, Captain Daphne Papas for The Sontarans (both 2016), Carmen Scheffler for The Crash of the UK-201 (2018), and Louisha Deltarton/the Executive for Kaldor Nights (2022), then appeared in The Five(ish) Doctors Rebbot, and was Jean in Village of the Angels
• Richard Price (Check-in) was Guest in The Runaway Bride and The Lazarus Experiment, Passerby in Partners in Crime, Takran Soldier in The Doctor's Daughter, Cyberman in The Doctor Falls, and Shadow Kin in Class
• Arn Kapur (Guard) was Museum Extra in The Vanquishers
• Lawrence Grugeon (Press Officer) was German Soldier in Twice Upon a Time
• for Jessica Hynes and Stevie Smith see Nativity 2
• for Simon Lipkin and Celia Imrie see Nativity 3
• Gibran Farrah was also ADR mixer on The Tsuranga Conundrum and Demons of the Punjab
• John Taylor was the boom operator on The Five Doctors too