Debbie Isitt facts for kids

Debbie Isitt is a talented English writer, film director, and composer. She is famous for creating the popular Nativity! Christmas movies. She also writes and directs plays and musicals.

Early Life and Education

Debbie Isitt was born in Birmingham, England. She went to Our Lady of Fatima Primary School and Lordswood Girls Secondary School. Later, she studied at Coventry University, finishing her course in 1985.

Debbie Isitt's Career in Film and Theatre

Debbie Isitt is best known for her fun Christmas comedy films, the Nativity! series. She has written and directed four movies in this series so far.

Before the Nativity! films, she wrote a TV show called The Illustrated Mum. This show won a BAFTA award. She also wrote a play called The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband and directed films like Nasty Neighbours and Confetti.

After university, Debbie joined a theatre group and performed plays across Europe. She then started her own company, Snarling Beasties. For 15 years, she wrote, directed, and acted in plays that toured the world. In 2001, she adapted the classic story The Hundred and One Dalmatians for the stage.

The Nativity! Film Series

Nativity!, Debbie Isitt's third movie, came out in November 2009. It starred Martin Freeman and became the most successful independent British film that year.

The next film, Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger, starred David Tennant. It was released in November 2012 and earned twice as much money as the first movie! Two more sequels, Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey? and Nativity Rocks!, were released in 2014 and 2018. These films were also popular with audiences.

Nativity! The Musical

In 2017, Debbie Isitt created a stage musical based on the first Nativity! film. She wrote and directed the musical and also helped compose the music with her partner, Nicky Ager.

Nativity! The Musical was a big hit! It ran from October to January and starred actors like Daniel Boys and Simon Lipkin. The show toured again in 2018 and 2019. Simon Lipkin often returned to play the funny character Mr. Poppy. The musical also played at the Birmingham Rep for Christmas in 2022.

Other Recent Projects

Debbie Isitt also directed the TV series Love and Marriage. More recently, she wrote and directed a family comedy for Netflix called Christmas On Mistletoe Farm. This film stars Scott Garnham and Kathryn Drysdale.

In 2023, it was announced that Debbie Isitt wrote and would direct a new musical called I Should Be So Lucky. This musical uses songs by the famous music producers Stock Aitken Waterman.

Debbie Isitt's Personal Life

Debbie Isitt's long-term partner is Nicky Ager. Nicky helps edit her films and also composes music and writes songs with Debbie. They have a daughter named Sydney Isitt-Ager. Sydney even appeared in the first three Nativity movies!

Debbie Isitt is also a cousin of the footballer Darren Wassall.

Awards and Honours

Debbie Isitt has won several awards for her amazing work:

• In 2005, she won a BAFTA award for Best Adapted Screenplay. She also won an International Emmy for her work on The Illustrated Mum.
• Her film Confetti was nominated for an award at The British Comedy Awards.
• Nativity! won two Richard Attenborough Film Awards. It was also nominated as Best Breakthrough Movie at The National Movie Awards.
• In 2023, Warwick University gave Debbie Isitt an honorary doctorate. This award recognized her efforts in supporting creative talent in the West Midlands area. She is now known as a Doctor of Letters (DLitt).