Retired Cumbrian producer attacks BBC over religious coverage
Last updated at 13:51, Wednesday, 20 January 2010
A retired Cumbrian BBC producer is to attack the corporation over its coverage of religious and ethical issues.
Nigel Holmes, 64, from Great Corby, a former BBC senior local radio producer, will call upon the BBC and broadcasting watchdog Ofcom to “explain” why British television – once “exemplary” in its coverage of religious and ethical issues – now allegedly “marginalises” the few that remain.
He will ask members of the Church of England’s General Synod next month to back his Private Member’s Motion accusing BBC television of ignoring Good Friday 2009.
In a background briefing paper for the General Synod, Mr Holmes said over the past 20 years the output of general programmes on BBC Television had doubled.
Yet BBC figures for the same period show there has been a reduction in religious television output from 177 hours to 155 hours a year, he said.
This was in spite of a BBC survey showing 78% of people recognise Christianity as the “backbone” of their spirituality, he said, and a YouGov poll showing 71% said they considered themselves to be religious.
Advent last year, for the first time, was marked not by programmes celebrating or explaining this significant season, but by an interview programme presented by Fern Britton, he said.
There seem to be “even fewer” programmes celebrating faith in the way that natural history programmes “rejoice” in the living world and gardening programmes aim to encourage horticulture, he added.
Mr Holmes said ITV appeared to be a “lost cause” in terms of religious broadcasting – with an even steeper fall from 110 hours a decade ago to next to nothing now.
“It seems possible that powerful prejudice against the dissemination of religious ideas and practice has led to the received wisdom in broadcasting maintaining that religious programmes lose audience,” he wrote.
“However it can be demonstrated that programmes made to high production standards, well scheduled and effectively promoted can build audiences for a given time slot.”
First published at 11:21, Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
Liz, hi.
I had 20 years of Sunday School, Bible camp, Youth Services, etc, etc. I could almost recite the Bible by heart. I even have a copy of 'The Message', a version written in colloquial English.However, if some of it poetry and some is story, then it flies in the face of the statement 'All scripture is God-breathed'. If some of it isn't true, then how do you know which bits are factual?The Bible, and especially the New Testament, is the results of a thousand years of polical and relgious meddling. Whether Jesus existed or not is not provable by a piece of Christian propaganda. If I was God, I'd want people to think I was omnipotent and omniscient too. Just to make sure, I'd write a book telling people that anything else is wrong wrong wrong.View all 27 comments on this article
Have your say
Liz, the problem is that the Bible is exclusive in telling the story of one tribe and the impact of Jesus upon it. Western society has changed and Christianity can no longer live in isolation lording it over the rest of the world who now live with us and have brought their culture with them that we may share. The Church of England and the BBC are not living in the days of Lord Reith when they were the backbone of white 'English' society. The BBC is part of a modern secular society in which lots of religious beliefs and convictions must have equal standing. Nathan can have his scientific doubts and beliefs as can those who take a literal approach to the Bible as well as those Christians who take an allegorical rather than a literal understanding. The original article questioned the lack of time given over to Christian broadcasting and fostering a Christian ethos. In my first post I detailed the three solid hours of religious broadcasting on Radio 4 each Sunday morning, given that practically all of this is Christian based then I cannot see why TV should have to carry this as well. Finally, we forget the Atheists and Agnostics who are no longer to be seen as lacking an essential part of human nature but have as much right as myself to have a share in our culture.
Posted by Charlie on 22 January 2010 at 18:41