The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas is a one-off animation giving a unique interpretation of the nativity story seen through the eyes of a cow called Marjorie. Marjorie is voiced by Isy Suttie, with Johnny Vegas providing the voice for a chicken called Brian.
Marjorie the cow lives in a run-down stable in the middle of Bethlehem. Nothing exciting ever happens in Bethlehem until now… there’s a census or something and there’s going to be some sort of street party – that’s what Marje has heard, anyway!
She heads into town in search of this party. Joined by a spangly leotard-wearing chicken called Brian they stop passers by but no-one seems to know where the party’s happening: not the herd of sheep who have been frogmarched into town by their shepherds who told them a new king was about to be born; not the donkey who just wants a rest after lugging his boss’s pregnant wife into town only to discover that they haven’t booked a hotel; and certainly not the camels who are being chased by Pontius Pilate’s horse guard looking for three star-gazing, wise astronomer blokes the camels have carried all the way from the eastern deserts.
Marje and Brian are fed up, lost and disappointed not to have found the party. But then Brian catches sight of the bright star the camels mentioned they were following. As they head onto the main street and into a very familiar square, they find the entire town quietly engrossed in a beautiful scene: the donkey, his carpenter boss and his wife, the three camels with their wise kings and a tiny new born baby with a little halo, quietly huddled into Marje and Brian’s family stable.
And the day ends with a cow and a chicken slightly stunned at the chosen venue – delighted they didn’t miss the party after all, but with the realization that the best place to be at Christmas is home.
The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas is a Baby Cow Animation/Komedia Entertainment production for CBeebies. Voice talent include Isy Suttie, Johnny Vegas, Miriam Margolyes, Nitin Ganatra, Simon Greenall and Daniel Laurence Taylor.
BBC1, Wednesday 19 December @ 4.30pm
