h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This story from today's 'Guardian' has made my day. http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,1695198,00.html
It's so great that I didn't believe it until I'd checked it against the BBC site, but it seems that it's true: this Easter, the BBC is screening a TV special called 'Manchester Passion', telling the Easter story via the songs of Manchester bands of the past 30 years, including Oasis, The Smiths, Joy Division, New Order and Buzzcocks. The actor playing Jesus will sing 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' and 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' alone, and then duet with Judas on 'Blue Monday' and with Pontius Pilate on 'Wonderwall'. Mary Magdalene, meanwhile, gets to sing 'Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have)'. And Bez, the Happy Mondays dancer turned professional celebrity-without-portfolio, plays a disciple!

Sounds fantastic - but surely some other songs must be included? How about New Order's 'Touched By The Hand Of God'? Or Morrissey's recent hit 'I Have Forgiven Jesus'? And best of all - especially given that Ian Brown is also involved with the show - The Stone Roses' 'I Am The Resurrection'?

Oooh! I can't see Christian Voice liking that one little bit. I mean, look what happened the last time we had 'unusual' people singing about God and stuff with Jerry Springer

It does sound good though. And it might well encourage me to find the button for BBC3 on my remote control

As far as I'm concerned, if Christian Voice hate it then that's another reason to it.

Proper I was well tempted to go and see "JSTP" in the hope that making it a big success would piss of Christian Voice.

I wish I could watch this

I wonder if Caiaphus will be singing The Fall's 'Hip Priest'

This sounds worth seeing. I always liked the spiritual references in Madchester songs, though I'm not sure they quite fit the story... I mean, should Jesus really be singing that he "was happy in the haze of a drunken hour"?

Well, he *did* turn water into . Which must have saved a fortune at the off-licence.

Shame we're out of range of BBC3, this is a religious programme I'd actually like to see! Maybe it'll make it to late night Beeb 2 by next Christmas..

Dunno, MC. They don't normally show Easter programmes except at Easter. Apart from American imports that run at the wrong time of year.

true

Well, I just watched it and thought it was all rather good. Sadly there were no Buzzcocks songs, and using Robbie Williams' 'Angels' was cheating a bit - OK, he was in a band that formed in Manchester, but he's from elsewhere and that's one of his solo hits. I didn't recognise the ex-James frontman Tim Booth, and was amazed when I read afterwards that it was him playing Judas. It turned out to be Booth as Judas who sang 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' - after answering a call on his mobile at the Last Supper and dashing off to meet the authorities and plot his betrayal.

But there were some great moments. Darren Morfitt was superb as Jesus, and his solemn rendition of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' at the Last Supper worked beautifully. Having Judas and Jesus duet on 'Blue Monday' was another inspired idea. Denise Johnson, once of Primal Scream, sang movingly as Mary. I knew they'd get 'I Am The Resurrection' in somewhere, and actually it made a dazzling finale, sung from the top of a clock tower. I relished the political edge - Jesus dressed in a Guantanamo Bay-style orange jumpsuit after his arrest, and presenter Keith Allen's line about him probably being charged with inciting religious hatred and supporting terrorism. As Allen said: falsely accused, held without trial, abandoned by your friends - thank goodness it couldn't happen now, eh?

Excellent stuff - a bold experiment that worked.