A fried egg has no place in the nativity, say 77pc of parents

PARENTS are tiring of modern updates to the traditional nativity play, figures suggest, as they say their children have been cast as fried eggs and underpants.

According to a survey of more than 500 parents by website Families Online, 77 per cent of parents want the old story back.

Despite this, a clear majority of schools are opting for a modern update, with 63 per cent saying they had chosen a non-traditional version.

Parents said their children had ended up playing parts including an octopus, an alien, caterpillar, taxi driver or a morris-dancing shepherd.

The list of modern characters was not limited to humans and animals, however, it can also include a toy chicken, a pair of underpants, a mobile phone, a fried egg or a carrier bag.

Parents voted the Angel Gabriel as the most sought-after role in a nativity, with almost half saying they had most wished for it during their school days.

Mary was the second-most popular, with 37 per cent of mothers choosing it.

Another six per cent said schools should ditch the nativity altogether as it was no longer relevant.

Separate figures from the Church published on Friday revealed that 56,000 Christmas services were registered with its online map A Church Near You, including 28,000 carol services and 1,000 nativities, with 4,472 churches set to serve mulled wine and 6,653 providing mince pies.