'GMB' viewers outraged as guest calls for traditional Christmas nativity plays to be ditched

Good Morning Britain viewers were left outraged by a guest on Tuesday after she called for primary schools to ditch the traditional nativity in favour of a more modern and diverse play.

Former The Apprentice candidate Jessica Cunningham made the case to hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, after a survey revealed that only 37% of schools will be performing a traditional nativity play.

She said: “I think we’re living in a very diverse country now, and if you look at the nativity, traditionally, it is Mary and Joseph, whereas every time I go to a Nativity play it’s a loose story. I think it is time to modernise it a little bit and bring a bit of diversity.”

In reference to some of the alterations modernised plays have made, Morgan asked: “Why would you want Elvis and Lobsters [instead of Jesus]?”

To which she simply replied: “Why would you not want Elvis and Lobsters?”

Morgan responded: “Because the nativity is supposed to reflect what Christmas is actually about. It’s a religious festival. It’s about the birth of Jesus Christ, not the birth of Elvis or a lobster.”

Cunningham fired back: “Well, when you go to watch the nativity do you go and watch it because of the storyline or do you go and watch them perform?”

However, viewers appeared to be largely against the idea of tampering with tradition, with one person writing on Twitter: “It’s tradition leave it alone if you don’t support it then don’t be part of it simple as that… Shall we start rewriting Dickens/Shakespeare as it may offend? The worlds going mad.”

Morgan ended the debate by asking Cunningham if she knew that the ‘Christ’ in Christmas meant ‘Jesus Christ’, to which she replied: “Yes, of course.”

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