BBC Tells churches to liven up broadcasts
Alan Bookbinder, the head of the BBC’s religion and ethics department, called on church leaders recently to become more courageous and passionate in using the media or risk losing their broadcasting slots.

Speaking at the Methodist conference in Llandudno, Mr. Bookbinder claimed that the BBC was finding difficulty recruiting talented and fluent speakers for religious broadcasting.

“Think of David Attenborough, Melvyn Bragg, Jamie Oliver, all on fire with enthusiasm” he said “That’s what brings broadcasting alive; infectious, irrepressible zest! By contrast, voices from the mainstream churches can often seem muted and defensive”

The BBC devotes 112 hours a year to televised religious broadcasting and 400 hours on network radio, much more than most interest groups, with the possible exception of politicians, cooks and gardeners, can command.

Mr. Bookbinder went on to warn that while output was currently guaranteed, that could change. He further called on the churches to “address the big questions of morality and mortality that are the very stuff of religion”. Only by doing that, he said could they secure their place on the network.

Daylight Robbery
More bother on the bishop front. Except this scandal involves daylight robbery. The Bishop of Ely was calmly presiding over last weekend’s ordination of 12 priests and 7 deacons at his cathedral, cheerfully reflecting that it was the largest intake for years. All went well and the beaming clergy were gathering outside for Episcopal snaps, when two teenage yobs walked up behind the bishop, Dr. Anthony Russell, whipped off his mitre and scarpered

Forgetting the piety of the occasion the Rev. Brian Athong, a newly ordained curate hauled up his cassock and gave chase.

“It started like a scene from Trollope and ended like The Bill” says one onlooker, impressed by the curate’s pace “When he caught up with the yobs, he did not rugby tackle them, just wrestled the mitre out of their grasp”

Bishop’s mitres don’t come cheap. Nicholas Steeples, the shop manager of J. Wippell and Co, Ltd. of Exeter, which makes then said “A mitre cost between £365 and £429”. Finally a Diocesan spokesman claimed it was all good clean fun in the end and everyone kept their dignity.

One Line Philosophy
It’s hard to raise a family - especially in the morning

 

Clem Beaumont