THE Archbishop of Canterbury will present his first "Thought for
the Day" during BBC Radio 4's Today on Good Friday, the
BBC announced last week.
Archbishop Welby will also be interviewed on Songs of
Praise on Palm Sunday, by the broadcaster Bill Turnbull. The
Archbishop will discuss "the significance of Holy Week", a BBC
statement said.
The Easter Day eucharist on Radio 4 will be live from Liverpool
Cathedral. The preacher will be the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt
Revd James Jones; the Dean of Liverpool, the Very Revd Dr Pete
Wilcox, will be the celebrant.
On the Wednesday of Holy Week, the Rector of St James's,
Piccadilly, the Revd Lucy Winkett, will give the final in a series
of Lent talks on Radio 4. During Easter Week, the Bishop of London,
the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, will present Prayer for the
Day.
In The Mystery of Mary Magdalene, broadcast on BBC 1 on
Good Friday, Lord Bragg will set out to "unravel the many questions
surrounding one of the Bible's most vivid, and to some,
controversial figures", the BBC said.
The former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe will investigate "why
Christianity is such ripe material for mocking by comedians" in
Is Christianity a Joke? It will be broadcast during Holy
Week, although the BBC has not specified which day.
On Easter Day morning, a Church of Scotland communion service
will be broadcast live on BBC 1 from Paisley Abbey, which
celebrates its 850th anniversary this year. This should be followed
by the Urbi et Orbi blessing, live from St Peter's Square
in Rome, where the new Pope will give his Easter message.
The BBC's head of religion and ethics, Aaqil Ahmed, said:
"Easter is the cornerstone of Christianity, and the programmes
across the BBC reflect the beauty and mystery of the season through
sacred music, reflection, live worship, and documentaries."