David Kossoff offers a unique take on the story of Christmas from his book the 'The Three Donkeys'.
While the English actor David Kossoff is known for his work on stage, screen and radio, in the 1960s he found fame for his simple and humorous interpretations of Bible stories, in which his characters often speak as a witness or a reporter.
At Switzers department store in Dublin David Kossoff and reads from his nativity story 'The Three Donkeys'. This story is told from the point of view of a donkey owned by the carpenter Joseph. In response to a Roman order, everyone in the empire was compelled to return to the town where their families originally came from for a census.
Joseph's donkey was responsible for carrying Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem and he gives his account of the journey. Because Mary was heavily pregnant the journey was slow and the donkey was very careful with his passenger. When suitable accommodation in Bethlehem was not forthcoming, the donkey expresses concern about his mistress lodging in a stable.
I've slept in stables all my life, but she was a rather, refined, well brought, up quietly spoken sort of person.
The donkey fell asleep in the stable but was woken up by a group of excited shepherds and saw his mistress had given birth to Jesus.
As far as I could make out, these shepherds, in the middle of the night, had been told, in the middle of the night, by a whole arm of angels, that my mistress’s baby was something very special.
The shepherds were told to spread the word that this baby born in a stable shared by three donkeys and a cow, was going to change the world.
This episode of ‘Cosmos’ was first broadcast on 18 December 1977.
