One of the most quintessential British Christmas films is on TV today, November 15.

The 2009 gem – known for being a yearly tradition in many households – follows Paul Maddens, a teacher who lies to his rival that his class’s Nativity play will be turned into a Hollywood movie.

What follows is predictably a series of elaborate schemes to make the lie seem credible – in which Paul must find a way to make the production happen, and, in turn, reunite with his Hollywood producer ex-girlfriend.

With a script written by director Debbie Isitt but partially improvised, Nativity!’s cast boasts the big names of Martin Freeman, Alan Carr and Phyllis Logan. Marc Wootton, Jason Watkins, Ashley Jensen and Ricky Tomlinson round up the main cast.

When released in the UK, the film earned £794,315 at the box office initially – a number which eventually grew to £5,187,402 as audiences warmed up to it.

Nativity! also got a stage musical adaptation, starting in the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2017 and going around the country every Christmas – with special guest stars such as Louis Walsh, Danny Dyer, Dani Dyer, Jo Brand, Rylan Clark-Neal and Sharon Osbourne.

Despite the cultural symbolism and audience affection, the film has a score of only 48% on the review platform Rotten Tomatoes. Critics point out “wooden dialogue” and “clumsy construction”, and claim the story is simply “not funny”.

Audience reviews, though, make a case for the opposite. On Rotten Tomatoes, one fan wrote: “Such a brilliant film. Perfect to watch with all the family. The critics really don’t get this and don’t seem to have a sense of humour. The kids are outstanding and it is absolutely laugh out loud.”

Another one called the plot “heartwarming, funny and even serious at some points, so don’t go around saying it’s ‘just for kids’”. The same person also ferociously disagreed with critics, saying: “Critics are just depressed, allergic to the idea of fun.”

A third commenter said: “This is my favourite Christmas movie of all time. This or the second one. Or both! It just has a nice, warm, comforting vibe that I love. And the music is amazing.”

Nativity!’s success earned it three sequels. Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger starring David Tennant, Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey? with Martin Clunes and Nativity Rocks! with Simon Lipkin and Celia Imrie.

The first instalment of the Nativity! series will be on the BBC at 3.40 pm.