The BBC has announced that they are filming a musical "contemporary retelling" of the last hours of Jesus Christ set in Manchester and featuring songs by that city's most beloved musicians. According to London's Guardian newspaper, the show, titled Manchester Passion, includes songs by the Smiths, New Order and the Buzzcocks, as well as appearances by some famous locals like Bez, the Happy Mondays dancer who will be playing a disciple. The program, which will air on Good Friday in the UK on BBC3, features an hour-long, live procession through the streets of Madchester (whose gay/red light district will serve as Jerusalem). Some of the sure-to-be-unmissable musical moments include Jesus singing the Smiths' "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" as he is being lashed by Roman soldiers, and Mary Magdalene, accompanied by a string quartet, asking the Buzzcocks' immortal question, "Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Fallen In Love With)?" If you plan to be in the north of England on April 14, you should know that you too can join the procession, as members of the public are being encouraged to follow the march. Surprisingly, The Guardian reported that the program is enjoying support from both the Church of England and the area's Roman Catholic Church. In fact, Canon Robin Gamble of Manchester Cathedral told the paper, "I wouldn't know a Buzzcock from a ballcock so I couldn't really comment on the music. All I can say is that they are not doing a Christian service, it is a piece of contemporary theatre and that is going to get people to think about the story in modern terms." We don't know much about plumbing either, but we do know that any television show that includes Jesus and Judas dueting on "Blue Monday" is not to be missed. www.bbc.co.uk
