Nativity! is the one film in a sea of Christmas classics that genuinely melts our hearts when we cosy up on the sofa to watch it. Forget Home Alone and Love Actually, if you truly want a feel-good movie during the festive season, this Martin Freeman-starring musical comedy is always a top choice.
The movie, which was released in 2009, is centred around the story of primary school teacher Paul, who is asked to produce the year's nativity play. All is fine and well until he lies to a rival primary school teacher that a flashy Hollywood producer will be coming into their small town to watch them perform. Cue utter hilarity as the lie gets out of hand, and Paul must race against time to get to the bottom of the mess, all while putting on the most epic nativity play ever with his group of schoolchildren. Honestly, this movie always has us chuckling!
The movie was such a success that it spawned the sequels Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger (2012), Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey? (2014), and Nativity Rocks! (2018). While all the following movies are equally as fun to watch, it was the first movie that really warmed our hearts. But it has been a whopping thirteen years since the movie came out! So, where is the Nativity! cast now? Well, we did some digging and have found out.
Mr. Paul Maddens
With his dreams of becoming an actor dashed and his girlfriend having moved to Hollywood to get into the film industry, Paul decides to become a primary school teacher when he is asked to produce the year's nativity play.
Mr. Paul Maddens played by Martin Freeman
We all know and love Martin as one of Britain's best actors. Since Nativity!, he has appeared in classics such as The Hobbit, Fargo and is part of the Marvel universe, with roles in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Mrs. Bevan
Mrs. Bevan was the headteacher at St Bernadette's Primary School.
Mrs. Bevan played by Pam Ferris.
Pam, best known for playing Miss. Trunchbull in Matilda, went on to star in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and the 2019 film, Tolkien.
Mr. Poppy
Mrs. Bevans' nephew Mr. Poppy is brought in to help with the Nativity play, but his hilarious and immature behaviour constantly leaves Mr. Maddens frustrated.
Mr. Poppy played by Marc Wootten
The comedian has been working steadily in the acting business over the years, starring in the likes of the 2015 movie Bad Education and the television series High & Dry, which he also wrote. He also starred alongside David Tennant in the comedy You, Me and Him.
The Mayor of Coventry
The Mayor offers the local cathedral as the nativity play location after taking a shining to Mrs. Bevan.
The Mayor of Coventry played by Ricky Tomlinson
You have probably seen Ricky in the sitcom The Royle Family, and he also starred in the satirical mockumentary comedy film Mike Bassett: England Manager. Most recently, he presented a travel series called Ricky & Ralf's Very Northern Road Trip for the channel Gold.
Alfie
Alfie was given the starring role of Joseph in the nativity play.
Alfie played by Jake Pratt
Jake is now 26 years old and divides his time between London and Scarborough. He has starred in West End shows such as Billy Elliot and Matilda the Musical. He was also the voice artist for various animals in the CBBC mockumentary The Zoo. On the personal front, Jake graduated from Leeds university in 2008, and as per his smitten Instagram posts, is loved-up with his girlfriend.
Zack
Zack gave viewers an incredible performance of the Bee Gees during the auditions.
Zack played by Tom McGarrity
Tom has travelled the world, particularly Australia and South Africa, on a cruise ship while working as a performer.
Becky
Who remembers adorable Becky from the posh rival school Oakmoor?!
Becky played by Krista Hyatt
Krista is now 23 years old and has more than 15,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares videos centred on her early career memories.
Sadie
Sadie was the nervous kid who decided she couldn't hack performing in the nativity and instead put herself forward for next year's performance.
Sadie played by Sydney Isitt-Ager
Sydney is still acting, and you can catch her in the Netflix film Christmas on Mistletoe Farm, which released on the streaming service in November 2022. She is also currently in Nativity the Musical.
Sam
There's always a little rocker in the classroom and in Nativity! it was Sam who adorably performed the Wheatus song Teenage Dirtbag.
Sam played by Maeve Dolan
Maeve returned for the sequel in 2012. She now shares snippets of her life on TikTok, where she also shows off her singing and guitar skills.
TJ
TJ was another cute primary school student!
TJ played by Bernard Mensah
Bernard went on to play Young Simba in the musical stage version of The Lion King.
Beth
Who can forget Beth, the girl who sat on the moon with tinsel hair and threw glitter everywhere?
Beth played by Ellie Coldicutt
Ellie Coldicutt graduated from UWE in Bristol in July 2019 and has set up a clothing store called Elrose Clothing. She also got engaged to her boyfriend in December 2021.
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