Posh and Beckham in wax nativity

Wednesday, 08 December 2004

Victoria and David Beckham's wax doubles have been given starring roles in a celebrity nativity scene at Madame Tussauds in London.

The pair play Mary and Joseph, while Tony Blair, George Bush and the Duke of Edinburgh make up the three wise men.

Actors Hugh Grant, Samuel L Jackson and comedian Graham Norton play shepherds and singer Kylie Minogue is the angel.

But church leaders are said to be unimpressed. A Vatican spokesman told The Times it was "in very poor taste".

The celebrities were voted into the roles by 300 people who visited the attraction in October.

According to The Times, some senior church officials had reacted angrily to the tableau, with one calling it "a nativity stunt too far".

A spokesman for the Archbishop of Canterbury also said he was not impressed.

The Rev Jonathan Jennings told BBC News: "There is a tradition in which each generation tries to re-enact the nativity, but oh deary me."

Source: BBC