RELIGIOUS broadcasting should be at the heart, rather than the
margin, of television schedules, the comedian Ian Hislop said this
week.
Writing in the Radio Times, Mr Hislop said: "All
programme-makers are ultimately looking for good stories to tell.
And audiences are looking for good stories to watch. And there are
few richer repositories of stories than the world's faiths, and the
. . . ways that human beings have attempted to find meaning through
them."
The article highlights the opening of the vote for this year's
Radio Times Readers' Award in the annual Sandford St Martin Trust
Awards for religious broadcasting.
Five of the six programmes shortlisted were broadcast on the
BBC: The Story of the Jews (BBC2) with Simon Schama;
Cathedrals (BBC4); The Choir: Sing while you work -
the gospel episode (BBC2), presented by Gareth Malone;
God's Cadets (BBC4), about Salvation Army recruits; and
Make Me a Muslim (BBC3). Also shortlisted is
Ramadan (Channel 4).
Voting, which is open to all, closes on 11 May. The winners of
all the Awards will be announced at Lambeth Palace on 3 June.
www.radiotimes.com/sandford