“BIBLE study with Russell Brand”, an episode of The Rest Is Entertainment, could be called “Bible Study with Russell Re-Brand”, as it charts his evolution from quirky Lefty to MAGA megaphone. The allegations that were getting him into hot water (which he denies) are discussed by the presenters, Richard Osman and Marina Hyde, quickly followed by his getting himself into cold water in the Thames for his baptism; his new book, How to Become a Christian in 7 Days; and how much of his output is funded by the Christian Right in the United States. Also, the now viral failure to find a key verse in his Bible on the TV programme Piers Morgan Uncensored. Is he a “just prophet”? Or is it just for profit? You decide.

Talking about creative writing, Death by Shredder, Chapter One, looked at “Novel Idea”, with Matt and Mollie: two friends who have a go at writing a novel by penning alternating chapters, while the third member of the team both reads out their offerings and provides prompts for the next stage of the story — things such as “add a twist”, or “introduce some romance”, for example. The results are hilarious, as, instead of completing each other’s ideas, they wind up competing with them. One understands why more novels are not written by committee.

In the “Purity” episode on Arts and Ideas, the topic is examined from all angles: a panel explore the history of purity, its religious overlay, and its inherent harms. Catherine Coldstream, a nun no longer in the habit (Features, 28 March 2024), describes how she was trying, through prayer, to attain with God a depth of relationship which was transcendent and true. The feeling of not being good enough, however, and God’s exacting nature and that of the convent were hard to distinguish at times. We also learn the stories of the Magdalene Laundries, and the silence around the young women spirited away to have their babies out of sight. Once the babies were adopted, these young women were often left bereft and broken.

In Untold: Opus Dei, the Financial Times documents this Roman Catholic personal prelature through interviews with former members, who courageously tell stories of dire servitude and misogynistic practices. In the first episode, “Whistling”, one young woman describes how there was a lack of transparency when she entered the society. Once she was committed, the full extent of the horrors were revealed. For example, she worked in a busy retreat centre seven days a week, from morning till night, pausing only for prayer. The expectation was that all her hard-earned money was to be donated back in full, as her basic needs for food and shelter were already met.

In People First. Systems Second: “Different”, Jill Rowe and Steve Chalke take a look at how regulation is a good servant but a poor master. Repeatedly using the phrase “Computer says no,” they explore how many people in education — and society in general — fall through the cracks because systems are rigid. Rowe and Chalke argue that systems should fit people, not the reverse. It is good practical wisdom, delivered with a light-hearted touch.