BBC announces stage shows being broadcast this Christmas
© Danny Kaan
A whole wealth of stage productions are heading for the screen in time for Christmas!
As revealed yesterday, the BBC will be broadcasting the one-off Sondheim concert in the West End, conceived and produced by Cameron Mackintosh and featuring a cast including Bernadette Peters, Imelda Staunton, Judi Dench and more.
Also set to be broadcast is Matthew Bourne’s seminal production of Nutcracker!, which toured last winter with a sell-out run at Sadler’s Wells in London. The 88-minute show will be shown on BBC 2 and iPlayer.
Furthermore, Mark Gatiss’ A Christmas Carol, directed by Adam Penford and staged at both Nottingham Playhouse and at Alexandra Palace Theatre in London will be shown on BBC Four, following its cinematic release this autumn.
The season will also see a new adaptation of much-loved ballet Coppélia, as well as Complicité’s new radio play The Dark Is Rising, co-adapted by legendary nature writer Robert Macfarlane with a cast including Harriet Walter and Toby Jones, and original songs from Johnny Flynn. Simon McBurney also adapts, while providiong direction and narration.
The channel will also present award-winning comedy The Play What I Wrote, starring award-winning actor Tom Hiddleston, airing on 18 December 2022 after being captured at Theatre Royal Bath. Dates for the various other productions are to be confirmed.
