New Dean of Birmingham announced

THE next Dean of Birmingham is to be Canon Matthew Thompson, who has been the Vicar of St Peter’s, Bolton, since 2008, and Borough Dean of Bolton since 2010. Born in 1968, he trained at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, and has served in parish ministry in Manchester diocese since his ordination in 1994. He is married, and has a ten-year-old daughter. He will be installed in September.

Richard III to be staged in Leicester Cathedral

A NEW production of Shakespeare’s Richard III by the theatre company Antic Disposition is to be staged in July at Leicester Cathedral, where the king’s remains are interred The production will then be seen at Ely, Peterborough, Gloucester, Bristol, and Salisbury Cathedrals, before the tour concludes at the Temple Church, in London, in September. Philippa Langley, who played a prominent part in the re-interment of the king’s remains after their discovery in a car park (News, 27 March 2015), has condemned the cathedral’s decision to stage the play, which portrays him unsympathetically, as “deplorable” and disrespectful.

Exhibition and radio series to focus on religion

BBC RADIO 4 and the British Museum are collaborating on a 30-part series, Living with Gods, on the world history of religion told through historical artefacts. An exhibition at the British Museum will open in November to run alongside the series, to be broadcast on Mondays at 9.45 a.m. from 23 October. It will be presented by the former director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, from locations including Newgrange in Ireland, the River Ganges, Salisbury Cathedral, and the Vatican. A book is also to be published by Allen Lane in the autumn.

Supreme Court to hear arguments on Ashers Bakery case

THE Supreme Court is to review the recent judgment against Ashers Baking Company. Belfast County Court ruled that the baker had breached human-rights law when it refused to provide a cake decorated with the words “Support gay marriage” (News, 22 May 2015) in response to an order placed at its Belfast shop in 2014 by a gay-rights activist, Gareth Lee (News, 14 November). The Supreme Court has listed a two-day hearing for legal arguments for October.

Durham Cathedral used as Marvel Avengers location

THE Dean of Durham, the Very Revd Andrew Tremlett, played host to the directors of the latest Marvel Avengers movie, Avengers: Infinity War, this week, as the cast and crew spent six days filming scenes in Durham Cathedral, the Newcastle Chronicle reported. The Dean met the directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, when filming finished on Tuesday. “As you can imagine, it has been a very busy and exciting time,” he said. “Welcoming such a large team on to the historic site has been a huge adventure.” Anthony Russo said that the film was on an “incredible scale”, and locations such as the cathedral were needed for that reason.