Jesus Will Sing Joy Division In BBC Easter Special

The BBC will celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ with an hour-long rock 'n' roll procession through the streets of Manchester, England this Easter.

The television program, entitled Manchester Passion, will feature members of The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays and songs by The Smiths, New Order, Oasis and others. The show will begin with a still unnamed person portraying Jesus singing Robbie Williams' "Angels" to mark his procession into Jerusalem, which will be represented by Manchester's gay and red light district. According to the Guardian newspaper, the "contemporary retelling" of Christ's last hours will also feature the New Testament's penitent whore, Mary Magdalene, singing the Buzzcocks' "Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have)" with a string band.

Former Happy Monday member and British celeb Bez will play a disciple who'll be accompanied by "Godlike Genius" Ian Brown and Black Grape saxophone player Martin Slattery. The trio will join members of the public as they carry a large white cross while walking and singing anthems (including M People's "Search For A Hero Inside Yourself") along the way.

Jesus will also belt out Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" before joining Judas on a duet of New Order's "Blue Monday." Before the event concludes with Jesus being resurrected to a still undisclosed song at the top of Manchester's town hall, he'll sing The Smiths' "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" as he's flailed by Roman soldiers. He'll also go head to head with his prosecutor, Pontius Pilate, in a duet of Oasis' "Wonderwall."

Although the Guardian reports that the Buzzcocks and Smiths tunes will be included in the program, Yahoo News U.K. says that the BBC has denied that the songs will be part of the show.The procession, which will air live on BBC3 on Good Friday, has the support of the Church Of England and the Roman Catholic Church in the area.