Manchester Passion

Manchester Passion
Created by	Andy King-Dabbs
Written by	Andy King-Dabbs & Stephen Powell
Presented by	Keith Allen
Starring	Darren Morfitt
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Production
Producer(s)	Andy King-Dabbs & Stephen Powell
Running time	60 minutes
Release
Original network	BBC Three
Original release	14 April 2006 (Good Friday)

Manchester Passion is a British television special which was broadcast by BBC Three on 14 April 2006. Created and scripted by Andy King-Dabbs and Stephen Powell as a follow-up to BBC Classical Music's previous BBC Three special, Flashmob — The Opera, it was a contemporary retelling of the Passion of Jesus Christ set to British popular music, broadcast live from various locations in Manchester, England, culminating with the procession of a large, lighted cross to the main stage at Albert Square. The broadcast was presented and narrated by Keith Allen, and starred Darren Morfitt as Jesus. Denise Johnson played Mary, Tim Booth played Judas, and Nicholas Bailey played Peter. Music was provided by a 16-piece string orchestra and soloists on accordion, cello, and guitar. The BBC Executive Producer was Sue Judd and the music arrangements were by Philip Sheppard.

While originally held as a one-off event, Dutch producer Jacco Doornbos created a localized version of the special known as The Passion, which was first broadcast in the Netherlands in 2011. The Passion has since been broadcast annually in different Dutch cities, and its format has also been exported to other countries, including Belgium and the United States.

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