Joseph And The Three Gifts - An Angel's Story By Brian Sibley

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Comments

Annunciations

20211220

Anyone who's heard the story knows the name - Joseph. He's there, somewhere, in every nativity play; pictures of him and his family drop daily through the letter box every December.

For many, Joseph is simply a character who lives in the margins of the Christmas story. But this re-telling is a bit different. Here Alex Jennings, in the character of a surprisingly witty and guileful angel Gabriel, tells the story from Joseph's angle.

In this first episode, Nazareth carpenter Joseph, having had an initial dreamlike' encounter with Gabriel and received some astonishing instructions, has to put up with small town tittle-tattle when his fianc退e Mary becomes pregnant. It can't be so. They ignore the gossip and get married anyway. But Gabriel and co have further plans for them.

Nativity

20211221

Martin Jarvis directs Alex Jennings as the cool and colloquial angel Gabriel, who tells the story.

Poor Joseph! Some men might have resented being in this situation - asked Why me?' But Joseph isn't some men. Mary gives birth to Jesus in a stable in overcrowded Bethlehem. Like any new mother she is totally absorbed in the baby. Joseph tries to feel how he imagines he ought to feel, how to love this little bundle as if it were his own. Then some bizarre visitors start arriving.

Poor Joseph! An ordinary man caught up in extraordinary events.

The First Gift

20211222

The family have to travel five miles to Jerusalem to fulfill a religious ritual. It's here in the temple that Joseph starts to feel a further disconnection with these weird events.

An old fellow called Simeon and an ancient woman, Anna, seem to know things about the family's future. It's all very worrying. Mary and Joseph decide to hand over the first of the gifts.

Cool Gabriel reminds us Joseph was chosen for his humility.

The Second Gift

20211223

Carpenter Joseph, his foster-son Jesus now growing up, is unprepared for the confusion of the past to come crashing into his and Mary's life. But Joseph now knows what he must do with that second precious gift.

Back in Nazareth the baby, Jesus, starts to grow up.

05 LAST

The Third Gift

20211224

Joseph tumbles in and out of sleep. Waking, his eyes drift to the window. It's dark. His body aches. Silence. Where is Mary? How long has she been gone? When she returns he sees her blood-stained hands.

He knows. And what to do with the third gift. Of myrrh. Which is for burial.

Specially Composed Music: A-Mnemonic

Joseph is ill. Mary is there. Gabriel watches over them both.

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
01	Annunciations	20211220	Anyone who's heard the story knows the name - Joseph. He's there, somewhere, in every nativity play; pictures of him and his family drop daily through the letter box every December. For many, Joseph is simply a character who lives in the margins of the Christmas story. But this re-telling is a bit different. Here Alex Jennings, in the character of a surprisingly witty and guileful angel Gabriel, tells the story from Joseph's angle. In this first episode, Nazareth carpenter Joseph, having had an initial dreamlike' encounter with Gabriel and received some astonishing instructions, has to put up with small town tittle-tattle when his fianc退e Mary becomes pregnant. It can't be so. They ignore the gossip and get married anyway. But Gabriel and co have further plans for them.
02	Nativity	20211221	Martin Jarvis directs Alex Jennings as the cool and colloquial angel Gabriel, who tells the story. Poor Joseph! Some men might have resented being in this situation - asked Why me?' But Joseph isn't some men. Mary gives birth to Jesus in a stable in overcrowded Bethlehem. Like any new mother she is totally absorbed in the baby. Joseph tries to feel how he imagines he ought to feel, how to love this little bundle as if it were his own. Then some bizarre visitors start arriving. Poor Joseph! An ordinary man caught up in extraordinary events.
03	The First Gift	20211222	The family have to travel five miles to Jerusalem to fulfill a religious ritual. It's here in the temple that Joseph starts to feel a further disconnection with these weird events. An old fellow called Simeon and an ancient woman, Anna, seem to know things about the family's future. It's all very worrying. Mary and Joseph decide to hand over the first of the gifts. Cool Gabriel reminds us Joseph was chosen for his humility.
04	The Second Gift	20211223	Carpenter Joseph, his foster-son Jesus now growing up, is unprepared for the confusion of the past to come crashing into his and Mary's life. But Joseph now knows what he must do with that second precious gift. Back in Nazareth the baby, Jesus, starts to grow up.
05 LAST	The Third Gift	20211224	Joseph tumbles in and out of sleep. Waking, his eyes drift to the window. It's dark. His body aches. Silence. Where is Mary? How long has she been gone? When she returns he sees her blood-stained hands. He knows. And what to do with the third gift. Of myrrh. Which is for burial. Specially Composed Music: A-Mnemonic Joseph is ill. Mary is there. Gabriel watches over them both.