He Will Portray Jesus -- Jonathan Swift - The BBC is to portray Jesus as a child in a play on children's television later this month - the first time a portrayal of Jesus has been given on television in Britain. The part will be played by 12-year-old Jonathan swift of Bedford. Viewers will see the boy Jesus Arguing with the priests in the temple. Mother artists will play the virgin Mary and John the Baptist in the play called "The Messenger". Jonathan, brown-haired and Blue-eyed, is studying at a London dramatic school. March 1, 1955. (Photo by Paul Popper Ltd.).