BBC to ease religious criticism at Easter

BBC Religion & Ethics has outlined plans to mark the Holy Week of Easter with a range of programming following recent criticism of the BBC's religious output.

For the first time ever, the BBC will broadcast Easter At Kings featuring coverage of a special service from Kings College Cambridge, including the world-famous Chapel Choir and readings to mark the Easter Story.

Former Watchdog host Nicky Campbell will front Are Christians Being Persecuted? on BBC One, which will analyse what it means to be a Christian in modern Britain. Campbell will explore a range of high-profile legal cases to investigate the "changing nature of how Christianity and Christians are viewed in our society".

The BBC's Easter season follows a raft of criticism about the scope and tone of religious content on TV, including BBC Radio 2 DJ Simon Mayo recently expressing concern that the corporation is pushing religious coverage and topics to the margins of its output.

Last month, senior members of the Church of England held a debate about the "sensationalist and unduly critical nature" of religious programming on British TV.

Nigel Holmes, member of the Carlisle diocese and an ex-BBC producer, told the Synod in a private motion that the BBC's religious coverage has declined by a third over the past ten years.

He said that the corporation now runs just two regular religious programmes, Songs Of Praise and The Big Questions, with the latter's "adversarial format" frequently reinforcing the notion that religion is a problem.

In response to such criticism, a Songs of Praise special will air during the Easter celebrations featuring presenter Aled Jones travelling to the Holy Land to "discover what life was like for those who witnessed the first Easter Day".

On Good Friday, leading Christian figures such as Rowan Williams, John Sentamu and Tom Wright will appear on The Day That Jesus Died to discuss the meaning of Christ's death on the cross.

Easter Day coverage will this year come from Winchester Cathedral, with BBC One also preparing to broadcast Pope Benedict XVI's traditional Easter message and blessing.

BBC head of religion and ethics commissioning editor Aaqil Ahmed said that Christian programming remains the "cornerstone" of BBC output on TV, radio and online platforms.

He added: "I am very pleased to announce our eclectic array of programming on television to mark Easter this year, which I am sure viewers will find both thought-provoking and enjoyable."