I've just finished watching a recording of tonight's BBC Three broadcast of the Liverpool Nativity, a couple of hours after getting home from watching the live performance.
It was a freezing cold night, but I'm pleased to say that a lot of hardy souls defied the icy weather to come out and turn it into a special evening.
It was a very ambitious hour's television, involving hundreds of performers in a live show shot on location on both sides of the Mersey and even on a ferry boat. There was quite a cast of Liverpool glitterati, from former Liver Bird Nerys Hughes to Jennifer Ellison, Cathy Tyson to Andrew Schofield, and the music, heavily laced with Lennon and McCartney compositions but with lots of other Scouse works, was impressive.
It wasn't a completely seamless performance. There were hesitations, fluffed lines here and there and moments when the sound wasn't quite there - but that is part of the excitement of a live performance. Considering the complexity of the show, I thought it was delivered with remarkable skill by the technicians and the performers.
For me what shone through most was the sheer warmth and enthusiasm of the performances, capturing the joy of the Nativity story in a contemporary setting very effectively. The audience did their bit, too, creating a genuine feel-good atmosphere to demonstrate that the Christmas spirit is very much alive and well in Liverpool.
If you were there to join in the fun tonight, or if you tuned in on TV in the warmth of your lounge, I'd love to hear your views on the show.
And if you missed it, don't worry. You can catch it next Sunday (December 23) when it gets a repeat on BBC1 at 10.45pm.
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