Review: Drawn into the greatest story ever told

|PIC1|Making a drama retelling 'the greatest story ever told' is a bit like Titanic. You just know that someone, somewhere, will complain about reviewers giving away the ending.

If you don't want to know the score, look away now: Jesus was crucified, died and three days later, rose again having given us a way to God in the process by dealing once and for all with our sins.

Oh, and in Titanic, the boat sinks and lots of people drown.

But neither of these two facts will spoil the BBC's latest mini-series, The Passion. Retelling the events of Jesus' final week of ordinary earthly ministry, from entering Jerusalem's narrow streets on the back of a colt to his death and resurrection, it brings the story to life in a way that simply reading the biblical texts ever can.

God's Word to us is fantastic, but pictures always help us to understand a story. And when there's American co-production dollars behind those moving pictures, those images are sumptuous, crystal clear and incredibly dramatic. I'll gloss over any biblical differences here - I'm a TV critic, not a trained theologian - and focus on just how moving those moving pictures are.

The Passion was just like watching a feature film, albeit on the small screen. The first episode skilfully shows first century Jerusalem as a claustrophobic, chaotic and smelly place, where a battle of egos between the Romans and the temple priests leaves no place for troublemaker like Jesus.

This is a city under siege and under fear, with Romans brutally dispatching troublemakers and temple guards being equally quick at handing out their brand of 'justice'. No wonder the ordinary Jewish people were desperate for a king to come along and change the status quo.

No wonder they packed the narrow streets, waving branches and throwing rose petals when the man who would be king arrived on the back on a colt, smiling and appearing to enjoy the moment.

This man is, of course, Jesus. But he's not the Messiah we've seen before. Nor is he a very naughty boy. Joseph Mawle's Christ is warm, kind, authoritative, charming and wise but also sometimes a little too smug.

On the one hand, we see him perform a simple conjuring trick while answering the trick question about paying taxes. On the other he was incredibly clever-clever when telling the temple priests, 'I believe in sacrifice of a different kind'. A few scant seconds later, he is electric and mesmerising as he retells parables to appreciative crowds who lap up every word.

Everyone in this Passion speaks in modern English. It's a real treat to finally hear the King James Version relegated to the history books - this retelling is in everyday language and accents. (Well, apart from those who spoke with BBC English ones.)

There are other moments, every now and then, that remind you that this is a drama rather than documentary. Some of the beards are obviously fake fuzzy felt - especially Ben Daniels' Caiaphas, which is more ZZ Top than homebrew.

Some extras missed out on convincing crowd scene acting lessons while at drama school. And, for the uninitiated viewer, with little biblical knowledge, some captions explaining where a key scene is set would have helped them find their way round an unfamiliar landscape.

But this is no Sunday school production. A lot of thought and care has gone into the entire production, something you can see with each main character. For example, it's a joy to see Pontius Pilate as a strong leader, rather than someone who's easily led. This is helped by the fact that James Nesbitt is playing him as a hard as nails pampered boss, rather than the comic buffoon of his Yellow Pages adverts.

Costumes too, are well done. There are no tea-towels for headscarves and old bed sheets for togas. Instead it looks sumptuous.

As the first of the four-part drama, this episode had to set the scene as well as retell key sequences in Jesus' ministry. Seeing Judas treated as the disciples' Cinderella helps us to understand why he wanted to betray Christ and we also learn why Barabbas deserved crucifixion more than Christ.

But it is the final few moments that really whet our appetite for what is to come. It's not the cliffhanger per se, it's the 'coming soon' trailer. In just a few tantalising glimpses of what's to come, this episode draws us even further in to the true story, making us want to see what happens next. Can't wait.

A multi-part TV telling of Jesus' life like The Passion comes along once in a generation. Bible Society is helping churches make the most of this opportunity by producing a DVD of the series with extensive resources for schools and churches. Go to www.biblesociety.org.uk/thepassion to find out more and get regular updates on its progress.

Phil Creighton is TV critic of The Baptist Times and author of How To Be Heard In A Noisy World - Church Publicity Made Easy. This review was written on behalf of Bible Society