The son of a market gardener, Hutley amassed a £110m fortune in property development, and bought Wintershall in the early 1960s. At the time, his wife, Ann, was suffering from depression. When she heard about sightings of the Virgin Mary at Medjugorje in Bosnia, she went on pilgrimage to the site, converted to Catholicism and was "cured". Her husband followed suit, and decided to dedicate his life to God.
He started writing plays for the Nativity and the Passion at Wintershall, but was inspired to write something much bigger after Pope John Paul II declared 1999 the year of preparation for the millennium. "Everyone was talking about parties and the Dome," says Hutley. "But there wouldn’t be a millennium without Jesus."
It took him 14 months to write The Life of Christ; the response was astounding, and the play has run every year since. It regularly attracts audiences of 3,000, from all over the UK, Europe and even Australia. Hutley now employs a director, three assistant directors, nine stage managers and teams for sound production, props and wardrobe. "And, of course," he adds, "my own staff are trained in what has to be done and when."
Hutley is honest about his motives for The Life of Christ: "I’m not into theatre – I just wanted to reach as many people as possible. We all need Christianity to help us grow up. We’re all babies. We need a daddy."
(They also produce organically produced beef)
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