Debbie Isitt
Debbie Isitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 or 1966 (age 57–58)[1] |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Writer,film directorand performer |
| Known for | Nativity!film series |
| Spouse | Nicky Ager |
| Children | Sydney Isitt-Ager |
Debbie Isitt(born 1965 or 1966) is anEnglishcomicwriter,film director,composer and performer.
Early life and education[edit]
Isitt was born inBirmingham.She went to Our Lady of Fatima Primary School andLordswood Girls Secondary School.Later, she studied a two-year course at Coventry Performing Arts, graduating in 1985.[1]
Career[edit]
Isitt is best known for her Christmas comedy films, theNativity!series, of which she has written and directed four to date.[2]Prior to that, she wrote BAFTA award-winning television adaptation ofJacqueline Wilson's book,The Illustrated Mum,[3]the stage playThe Woman Who Cooked Her Husband,and the feature filmsNasty Neighbours[4]andConfetti.
Earlier in her career, just after her graduation, she joined the Cambridge Experimental Theatre company and toured Europe for a year performing Shakespeare. She then founded the Snarling Beasties company and spent the next 15 years writing, directing and performing in plays they took around the world. In 2001, she adapted Dodie Smith’sThe Hundred and One Dalmatiansfor the stage.[1]
Nativity!,Isitt's third feature film, starringMartin Freeman,was released in November 2009. It became the most successful British independent film of the year. The sequel,Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger,starredDavid Tennant.Released in November 2012, and was also a financial success, making twice the amount at the UK box office as the original. Two further sequels,Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?andNativity Rocks!,were released in 2014 and 2018 respectively. They were financial successes, but received mixed reviews from critics.[5]
In 2017, Isitt wrote, directed, and composed the music for a stage musical based on the first film in theNativity!with her partner Nicky Ager.Nativity! The Musicalran from 20th October until 6th January and starredDaniel Boys,Simon LipkinandSarah Earnshaw.[6]The show returned for a second tour in 2018.[7]Simon Lipkinreturned in the lead role as Mr. Poppy, joined byScott GarnhamandAshleigh Gray.[8]Garnham and Gray for a third tour in 2019, with Scott Paige playing the show's comic lead. However, Lipkin returned to reprise his role for theHammersmith Apollorun of the show.[9]The musical ran at theBirmingham Repfor the 2022 Christmas season, after initially being postponed from 2020 and 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[10]
Isitt also directed the ITV seriesLove and Marriage,and more recently wrote and directed the family comedyChristmas On Mistletoe FarmforNetflix.[11][12][13]The film starsScott Garnham,Scott Paige andKathryn Drysdale.
On 21 March 2023, it was announced thatI Should Be So Lucky,ajukebox musicalmaking use of the songs byStock Aitken Waterman,was due to open later in the year at theManchester Opera Houseand then proceed on a UK tour. The original story and script was written by Isitt and she will also direct the production.[14][15]
Personal Life[edit]
Isitt has a long-term partner, Nicky Ager, who works as the editor for her films as well as composing the music and writing the songs alongside Isitt. Together they have a daughter, Sydney Isitt-Ager, who appeared in the first threeNativity films.[1][16][17]
Isitt was pregnant during filming for her first feature film - Nasty Neighbours - but she still completed the film and took her then 2 month old toCannes Film Festivalfor the film's screening.[18]
Isitt is a cousin of the footballerDarren Wassall.[19]
Awards and Honours[edit]
In 2005, Isitt won aBAFTAfor Best Adapted Screenplay as well as anInternational Emmyfor her work onThe Illustrated Mum.[18]
Confettireceived a nomination at The British Comedy Awards.[20]
Nativity!won twoRichard AttenboroughFilm Awards and was also nominated as Best Breakthrough Movie atThe National Movie Awards.
In 2023,Warwick Universityawarded Isitt an honorary doctorate for her work in championing the creative potential of theWest Midlands.She is now aDoctor of Letters (DLitt).[21][22]
Controversy[edit]
ActorsRobert WebbandOlivia Colmanpublicly criticised the filmConfettiupon release.[23]The pair play a couple ofnaturistsplanning their wedding, and claim they were misled about the amount of nudity involved in the film.[24]Webb said in an interview that Isitt had told them their genitals would all be pixelated in the final film, and was not aware until the screening that this was not the case.[25][26]Colman and Webb started legal proceedings against the filmmaker, but these were eventually abandoned when the actors concluded it was too late and the lengthy process would prevent them from "pretending it didn't happen".[27]
References[edit]
- ^abcdMoorhead, Joanna (16 December 2017)."From Coventry with love: Debbie Isitt's Nativity! story".The Guardian.Retrieved21 January2024.
- ^Black, Claire (13 November 2014)."Interview: Debbie Isitt - 'I'm proud to say we knocked Jim Carrey and Disney off their spot'".The Scotsman.
- ^"Children vote Shrek 2 best film".BBC News.
- ^"Debbie Isitt: Executive Profile".Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived fromthe originalon 13 November 2014.
- ^Young, Graham (17 November 2014)."Coventry film director Debbie Isitt hits back after Nativity 3 is panned by critics".Coventry Telegraph.Retrieved1 December2014.
DistributorsEntertainment Onecommissioned a third movie after Nativity 2 grossed more than £10million in the UK alone.
- ^"Casting announced for Nativity! The Musical | WhatsOnStage".www.whatsonstage.com.2 May 2017.Retrieved8 October2022.
- ^"Nativity! to return for UK tour and London run in 2018 | WhatsOnStage".www.whatsonstage.com.13 December 2017.Retrieved8 October2022.
- ^Wilma (7 September 2018)."Cast announced for the UK Tour of NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL".West End Wilma.Retrieved8 October2022.
- ^"Nativity the musical announces London cast for Christmas 2019".British Theatre.11 September 2019.Retrieved8 October2022.
- ^Mullen, Enda (16 January 2022)."Nativity the Musical is returning in 2022".CoventryLive.Retrieved9 October2022.
- ^"Love And Marriage - Production Details".comedy.co.uk.British Comedy Guide. Archived fromthe originalon 5 December 2014.Retrieved1 December2014.
- ^Kendall, Paul (5 June 2013)."Love and Marriage, ITV, review".The Telegraph.Retrieved1 December2014.
- ^"Netflix gets into the Christmas spirit early with announcing new family film".Paudal.26 October 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 28 October 2022.Retrieved28 October2022.
- ^"I Should Be So Lucky, based on the catalogue of Stock Aitken Waterman hits, to premiere this autumn | WhatsOnStage".www.whatsonstage.com.21 March 2023.Retrieved5 April2023.
- ^"Stock Aitken Waterman musical I Should Be So Lucky to open this year".The Stage.Retrieved5 April2023.
- ^"Nicky Ager".Birmingham Rep.Retrieved3 July2024.
- ^"Nativity transformations: Here's what the child cast of the iconic film look like now".The Tab.12 December 2022.Retrieved3 July2024.
- ^abAdmin (29 July 2015)."Testimonial: Debbie Isitt".Raising Films.Retrieved29 June2024.
- ^"The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband being served up at Oldbury Rep".Halesowen News. 27 September 2016.Retrieved15 May2018.
- ^Arnold, Lewis (21 August 2020)."Debbie Isitt".Directors Now.Retrieved29 June2024.
- ^"award-winning_film_director".warwick.ac.uk.Retrieved29 June2024.
- ^"List of all Honorary Graduates and Chancellor's Medallists".warwick.ac.uk.Retrieved29 June2024.
- ^10 questions for Mitchell & WebbArchived31 August 2011 at theWayback Machine,fromThat Mitchell & Webb Log;originally featured on theBBC Twoweb site.
- ^Dempster, Sarah (18 June 2007)."'Fame is quite scary'".The Guardian.London.Retrieved30 October2012.
- ^"BBC One - The Graham Norton Show, Series 6, Episode 2".Bbc.co.uk. 12 October 2009.Retrieved26 October2013.
- ^"Mitchell and Webb's Rants on Smoking, Coffee and Nudists - The Graham Norton Show Preview - BBC One".YouTube. 9 October 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.Retrieved1 May2019.
- ^Hattenstone, Simon (9 September 2011)."Olivia Colman takes on the Tyrannosaur".The Guardian.London.Retrieved30 October2012.
External links[edit]
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