The BBC has announced the sixth annual Faith & Hope season, an unparalleled commitment to multi-faith religious programming across TV and Radio beginning this month which will run throughout Spring and beyond, reflecting a range of faiths which are practised in the UK.
The season will bring together content to celebrate Easter and many of the other religious festivals taking place at this time of year, including new documentaries, live programming and content on flagship strands across TV and radio.
In addition, there will be a Faith & Hope rail on iPlayer acting as a central hub for all our religion and ethics programming including Celebration Kitchen – Purim and the Prayer and Reflection season.
The BBC is passionate about not just representing religion, faith and world beliefs but in recognising the vital role they play in connecting communities, and in providing solace and support at our most difficult times.
Daisy Scalchi, BBC Head of Religion and Ethics, TV, says: “The Faith & Hope for Spring season began in 2021 with the aim of celebrating different faiths at a shared time of religious significance. In 2026 there will once again be a range of content across TV and Radio, highlighting these special moments and inviting audiences, from all faiths and none, to take part.”
Tim Pemberton, BBC Head of Religion and Ethics, Radio, says: “Spring is a time of deep significance for many faiths, and this year’s programming reflects our commitment to bringing those moments of reflection and celebration to audiences across the UK. From uplifting music to powerful storytelling and worship, we hope listeners find insight and inspiration in these programmes.”
BBC One programming includes the Easter Morning Service from Ripon Cathedral in North Yorkshire; the Pope’s annual address Urbi et Orbi; Songs of Praise from Redruth Baptist Church in Cornwall; a special episode of Celebration Kitchen celebrating Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr and Harry Clark Goes to Rome. On BBC Two, seven well-known personalities with a range of faiths will take part in Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island.
This Spring, BBC Radio offers a range of programmes celebrating Easter, such as Radio 4’s annual Lent Talks series, which brings six thought‑provoking personal essays exploring the nature of power through the lens of Jesus’ Passion, alongside Sunday Worship services from Manchester Cathedral and Scotland, a Good Friday meditation from Rhidian Brook, and Easter Sunday worship live from Canterbury Cathedral. Holy Week also features Prayer for the Day reflections from Rev Richard Frazer and later from the Bishop of Manchester, plus Illuminated: Harrier Angels, a beautifully crafted exploration of the angel carvings at St Wendreda’s in Cambridgeshire.
On Radio 2, Reverend Kate Bottley leads Easter Reflections on Good Friday – an evening of soulful music and moving conversation – followed by a warm and uplifting Easter Sunday edition of Good Morning Sunday with Jason Mohammad. Radio 3 offers an extensive musical journey through Holy Week, beginning with Music for Holy Week on Palm Sunday, including performances from across Europe and the world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s Angels Unawares. The season continues with MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross with Tenebrae and Britten Sinfonia, and culminates on Good Friday with a special Classical Live recording of Bach’s St Matthew Passion from King’s College, Cambridge.
Radio 1Xtra celebrates Easter with a special gospel hour hosted by Swarzy Macaly, while across the nations, BBC radio offers a wide range of worship, reflection, poetry and music across Holy Week and Easter, and the World Service contributes a powerful edition of Heart and Soul exploring grief, technology and faith.
Thought for the Day on Radio 4 will mark faith festivals this spring including reflections over Easter from Rev Lucy Winkett of St James’, Piccadilly; Chine McDonald, Director of Theos; and Rev Canon Dr Jennifer Smith, Superintendent of Wesley’s Chapel, London; Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism, on Passover; and Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Religion and Society at King’s College London, on Eid.
In celebration of Spring faith festivals from other faiths, Asian Network marks Ramadan, Eid and Vaisakhi with curated playlists and a new season of Not Even Water.
TV and iPlayer
Easter Morning Service from Ripon Cathedral
A triumphant celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, with music, readings and prayers, from the gothic splendour of Ripon Cathedral in the heart of rural North Yorkshire. The service begins in the cathedral’s Saxon crypt (the oldest in England), where the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson, reflects on the transforming moment of that first Easter morning, when Jesus overcame the powers of sin and death, giving hope and the promise of eternal life. In her sermon, the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd Anna Eltringham, will explore how the events of the Resurrection continue to challenge and inspire.
The cathedral choir of boys and girls will combine with brass and timpani to lead the congregation in a rich feast of Easter music. The communion is sung to the majestic setting of the Mass for Two Choirs, by Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937), alongside a host of popular Easter hymns and anthems, including: Jesus Christ is Risen Today, This Joyful Eastertide, Now the Green Blade Riseth, and Thine be the Glory.
Songs of Praise
To celebrate the resurrection of Christ on Easter Day, Pam Rhodes joins the community of Redruth Baptist Church in Cornwall for a remarkable endeavour – raising the Carn Brea cross. Beginning in 1976 a huge 30ft cross has stood as a beacon over the Cornwall landscape every Easter and Pam is joining the team to celebrate its 50th year.
Pam meets Rodney Reed who, as a young Christian in the 1970s, first had the vision to place a cross on a hill as a symbol of Jesus’s resurrection and God’s love. He and his wife paid for the original cross and soon found it was quite an operation securing it on a rocky outcrop by Carn Brea castle 738 feet above sea level! Ever since a dedicated team has come together to raise the cross. Rodney reflects on 50 years of this remarkable act of dedication and how his faith has become even stronger over the years.
With inspiring hymns for Easter from Cornwall and across the UK including “Thine Be The Glory” and a special performance from the Mevagissey Choir.
Urbi et Orbi
Live from Rome, Pope Leo delivers his first Easter Message and Blessing, Urbi et Orbi – to the City and to the World. Petroc Trelawny sets the scene on this historic day.
Celebration Kitchen – Eid
Matt Tebbutt hosts this special programme celebrating the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan with food, family and reflection. Three exceptional chefs share mouth-watering recipes perfect for the occasion. British-born chef Dina Macki, who has Omani and Zanzibari heritage, prepares Oman’s national dish and Eid favourite, Shuwa – a spice-marinated lamb traditionally slow-cooked underground for up to two days until meltingly tender, smoky and aromatic. Author of The Ramadan Kitchen, Ilhan Mohamed Abdi showcases a vibrant Somali feast centred on fragrant, delicately spiced rice. Meanwhile, superstar pâtissier Naeem Mohamed creates a showstopping Pistachio Knafeh Cake, a Middle Eastern favourite with a contemporary Dubai twist, perfect for any celebration.
Celebrity guests include Faraaz Noor from the latest series of The Traitors; Sabrina Elba, model, actor, CEO and activist and Ola Labib comedian, writer and actor, who will share their cherished Eid traditions, personal memories and favourite dishes enjoyed during both Ramadan and Eid. The programme also features highlights from the BBC archives, including Big Zuu Goes To Mecca and plenty more. Prepare for a show filled with fun, food and fascinating insights into one of the most important festivals in the Islamic calendar.
Harry Clark Goes to Rome
A compelling exploration of faith in modern Britain as Harry Clark embarks on a quest to meet the new Pope, in a brand-new 60-minute documentary – Harry Clark Goes to Rome (w/t) – coming to BBC One and iPlayer this Easter.
Blending warmth, wit and emotional honesty, the film follows TV personality Harry Clark (The Traitors, Pilgrimage: The Road to the Alps) on a deeply personal journey to Rome and Vatican City – the heart of the Catholic Church – in search of answers about belief, identity and what it truly means to be a “good” Catholic today. But at the centre of the story is one audacious goal: Harry’s dream of meeting the newly appointed Pope Leo XIV, one of the most powerful figures in the world.
Living with his close-knit family in the Slough council house where he grew up, Harry’s faith remains central to his life. Yet as the pace of modern living accelerates – pubs, clubs, media events and relationships – that faith increasingly clashes with the traditions passed down by his mother and grandparents. Can belief survive modern life, and what does it really demand? For Harry, there is only one place that might offer answers – the Vatican and the hope of meeting the Pope himself.
As he prepares for his journey, Harry opens up conversations with those closest to him: his girlfriend Anna, his family and friends, his childhood priest, and the most important woman in his life – his mum, Georgia – who accompanies him to Rome. Along the way, he is challenged on his “lapsed” habits, engages in traditional Catholic pilgrim practices and raises interesting questions about the role of faith in modern Britain.
Running parallel to this spiritual journey is Harry’s determined – and often comic – attempt to reach the very top of the Vatican hierarchy. Through letters, phone calls, social media messages and every conceivable route of access, Harry pursues a meeting with the Pope, despite the scepticism of friends who question the odds. As one friend puts it bluntly: “Why would the Pope want to see you?”
Following in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims, Harry visits Rome’s sacred sites – testing his honesty at the legendary Mouth of Truth and undertaking a private confession.
As the journey reaches its climax, Harry is granted a meeting with a Cardinal from the Pope’s inner circle and a member of the conclave itself. Could this be his chance? Can Harry defy the odds and achieve what feels like a one-in-a-million moment?
Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island
A brand-new series of Pilgrimage returns to BBC Two and iPlayer, as seven well-known personalities of different faiths and beliefs, set off on a spectacular trail across the wild landscapes of North East England to explore the lives of early Celtic Christian saints.
Across 3 x 60 – minute episodes, this exciting eighth series, Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island (w/t), follows our celebrity pilgrims as they weave through the heart of Northumberland on a unique 390 km collection of trails. On the journey, they encounter Whitby’s world-famous cliff-top Abbey, and two of the most important pilgrimage sites in the North East: the UNESCO site of Durham Cathedral and their final destination, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
Travelling on foot and by bus, our celebrities are immersed in profound encounters with nature and the landscapes that helped inspire early Celtic Christianity. From stunning coastlines and remote moorlands to the rolling hills of the Cheviots with its spectacular views, it is an epic journey of deep discovery.
Beginning their journey on the coast just south of the dramatic ruins of Whitby Abbey, the pilgrims travel along a curated network of trails celebrating three of England’s most revered 7th century Northern saints – Hild, Oswald and Cuthbert.
In true Pilgrimage style, the pilgrims carry their own backpacks, and overnight in various locations, from small wooden pods to an off-grid hostel and a basic bunkroom.
Along the way the pilgrims visit several places of interest including Newcastle’s Reform Synagogue. Founded in the early 1960s by the local community, including Jewish refugees who fled the Nazis during the holocaust, this synagogue continues to have strong links with current-day immigrants. They also visit the ‘Nether Springs’ retreat centre, where the daily lives of this community are inspired by the 7th century northern saints.
After 12 demanding days, the group finally reach ‘Pilgrims’ Way’, where for more than a thousand years pilgrims have walked across the dramatic and dangerous tidal sands to reach Lindisfarne, known as Holy Island.
Michelle McManus sings for the Pope
This moving documentary follows Scottish singer and broadcaster Michelle McManus on the most profound spiritual journey of her life.
The hour-long programme follows the former Pop Idol winner as she embarks on an emotional pilgrimage from Glasgow to Rome to sing a new hymn, inspired by Pope Francis’s call to care for the planet.
The documentary shares the extraordinary moment she sings the hymn in front of Pope Leo XIV, Francis’s successor, in the Palace of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’s summer residence.
Written by Rev John L. Bell of Scotland’s Iona Community for the 60th anniversary of SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund), ‘Because’ is a spiritual anthem born from Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical urging humanity to protect creation.
The audience will join Michelle as she records the hymn in Scotland, reconnects with the Catholic faith of her childhood, and finally steps onto the world stage in Rome, performing before a global audience, and Pope Leo, at the 10th Anniversary Laudato Si’ Conference.
Produced by Glasgow-based Solus Productions, Michelle McManus sings for the Pope captures a deeply personal story of belief, purpose, and hope — all told with Michelle’s trademark warmth, humour, and powerful voice.
Radio and BBC SoundsRadio 1Xtra
5 April
1Xtra Gospel Easter, 10am
Swarzy hosts a special hour celebration for Easter Sunday on BBC Radio 1Xtra and plays the best uplifting gospel music. Swarzy will play well known classics, some of the newest hits, and will feature specially recorded music from Philippa Hanna and Israel Houghton and Becca Folkes.
Asian Network
Not Even Water
To mark the holy month of Ramadan, Asian Network are bringing back their podcast Not Even Water for its fourth season, which will be hosted by presenter Nadia Ali. The podcast offers a fun and judgement-free guide to Ramadan for anyone with questions about the month of fasting for Muslims, designed to be an entry point for listeners who may never have heard of the month before. The podcast explains what Ramadan is, why it happens and answers all the questions people may be too afraid to ask. Nadia will be joined several different guests and influencers throughout the series including influencers Christopher & Ben, Ebraheem al-Samadi from the Netflix series Dubai Bling, Faraaz Noor from The Traitors and comedian Shazia Mirza. Not Even Water will be available on BBC Sounds.
Ultimate Ramadan and Eid playlists
Available on BBC Sounds – BBC Asian Network will be offering bespoke playlists for Ramadan and Eid, designed to be reflective for those observing the month of Ramadan and celebrating Eid. The presenters curating the playlists include SMASHBengali, Haroon Rashid, Nadia Ali and Kan D Man.
Ultimate Vaisakhi Playlists
BBC Asian Network will be offering a selection of Ultimate Vaisakhi Playlists curated by the station’s presenters and well-known personalities on BBC Sounds in time for Vaisakhi 2026.
Vaisakhi Live Music Session
To celebrate Vaisakhi 2026, Asian Network will be broadcasting a special live music session recorded in Birmingham with legendary Punjabi singer Bakshi Billa. The session will be played out on Asian Network Punjabi with Dipps Bhamrah on Sunday 12 April.
Radio 2
Friday 3 April (Good Friday)
Easter Reflections, 6-9pm
The Reverend Kate Bottley hosts a reflective show with soulful music and inspiring guests. Good Friday is a time when many reflect on the impact of loss, but there is hope, faith and love to be found in the Easter story. Produced by Alexa Good.
Sunday 5 April (Easter Sunday)
Good Morning Sunday, 6-9am
Reverend Kate Bottley and Jason Mohammad present uplifting stories about life, love and modern spirituality.
Radio 3
Sunday 29 March
Music for Holy Week, 4-9pm
Radio 3’s annual celebration of Easter music on Palm Sunday with concerts from across Europe. Hannah French presents music for Holy Week from Spain, Denmark and Bulgaria, culminating in the world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s new work Angels Unawares, recorded in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
4pm – A programme of music by Handel and Bach that recreates an extraordinary event: Good Friday, 1747, when J.S. Bach performed Handel arias in Leipzig during a performance of the St. Mark Passion, the only known instance of artistic interaction between the composers, both born in 1685. The programme presents the seven Handel arias alongside other arias by Bach related to the Easter liturgy. Performed in Barcelona by soloists and the Barcelona Consort, directed by Daniel Tarrida.
5pm – An Easter concert of vocal music ranging from the early Renaissance to the present day. With the Danish National Vocal Ensemble and conductor Krista Audere, from Copenhagen including works by J.S. Bach, Judith Bingham, Samuel Sebastian Wesley and Sven-David Sandström.
6pm – A celebration of Bulgarian church music given by the St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral Choir in Sofia. Recorded in December, the concert celebrates two major Bulgarian choral composers, Dobri Hristov (1875-1941) and Angel Popkonstantinov (1905-1981).
6.30pm – The world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s new work Angels Unawares recorded last week in the Sistine Chapel, Rome. Performed by The Sixteen, vocal soloists and the Britten Sinfonia under conductor Harry Christophers, Angels Unawares evokes and explores encounters with angelic presences in the Old and New Testaments. It is a vigorous and contemporary expression of belief which reflects MacMillan’s own Catholic faith.
Thursday 2 April
Radio 3 in Concert, 7.30pm
Tenebrae joins the Britten Sinfonia for James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross.
Barber’s Adagio and Allegri’s Miserere prepare the way for James MacMillan’s great Passion meditation, in this emotionally charged evening from Tenebrae and Britten Sinfonia.
First heard in 1994, and recorded by Britten Sinfonia subsequently on Hyperion, MacMillan’s intense and emotionally direct Passiontide setting has deservedly become a modern classic. It is performed here alongside a sequence of musical meditations from Nigel Short, Britten Sinfonia and Tenebrae – the virtuoso British chamber choir whose singing was described by one critic as “a kind of musical miracle”.
Recorded on the 28 March at St Martin-in-the-Fields, presented by Ian Skelly.
Friday 3 April (Good Friday)
Classical Live, 1pm
A week of Radio 3’s Classical Live, in which Linton Stephens foregrounds specially-made recordings of music from composers undertaking ‘spiritual journeys’, reaches a culmination on Good Friday with a performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion – one of the most deeply moving expressions of the human, emotional aspect of the Easter story and one of the most profound articulations of faith in the classical music repertory.
In a recording made for Classical Live earlier in the week from King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, the King’s College Choir and the BBC Singers join forces with the Academy of Ancient Music, directed by the Director of Music at Kings’, Daniel Hyde. The performance features an outstanding roster of soloists including tenor Robert Murray as the Evangelist and the bass-baritone Matthew Brook in the role of Christ. Other singers include the soprano Mary Bevan, counter-tenor Lestyn Davies, tenor Gwilym Bowen, and bass Neal Davies. King’s College Cambridge is justly celebrated for its long association with the Christmas festival. In this performance listeners are offered an opportunity to hear this prestigious institution turn its attention to Easter.
Radio 4
Sunday 22 February
Lent Talks, 7.45pm – 8pm
1/6 – A series of personal reflections on power inspired by the story of Jesus’ Passion.
Six essays tracing the hidden currents of power in everyday life: how it shapes us, how it works, how it wounds, and how it can be resisted, claimed, and reclaimed.
In this episode, Keely Dalfen – CEO of ‘The Brick’, an organisation tackling homelessness and deprivation in Wigan – explores power and poverty.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
Sunday 1 March
Lent Talks, 7.45pm – 8pm
2/6 – A series of personal reflections on power inspired by the story of Jesus’ Passion.
Six essays tracing the hidden currents of power in everyday life: how it shapes us, how it works, how it wounds, and how it can be resisted, claimed, and reclaimed.
In this episode, Miro Griffiths – Associate Professor of Social Policy and Disability Studies, at the University of Leeds, who has spinal muscular atrophy and receives 24-hour personal health care assistance – explores power and support.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
Sunday 8 March
Lent Talks, 7.45pm – 8pm
3/6 – A series of personal reflections on power inspired by the story of Jesus’ Passion.
Six essays tracing the hidden currents of power in everyday life: how it shapes us, how it works, how it wounds, and how it can be resisted, claimed, and reclaimed.
In this episode, Susie Masterson – a psychotherapist and survivor of sexual violence – explores power and relationships.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
Sunday 15 March
Lent Talks, 7.45pm – 8pm
4/6 – A series of personal reflections on power inspired by the story of Jesus’ Passion.
Six essays tracing the hidden currents of power in everyday life: how it shapes us, how it works, how it wounds, and how it can be resisted, claimed, and reclaimed.
Mina Smallman is a retired vicar whose two daughters, Bibaa and Nicole, were murdered, in a case that resulted in two police officers being jailed for sharing photos of their bodies. In this episode, she explores power and vulnerability.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
Sunday 22 March
Sunday Worship: Manchester Cathedral, 8.10am
A sequence of music and reflection on Jesus’ Passion. The preacher is Bishop of Manchester, The Right Reverend Dr David Walker.
Lent Talks, 7.45pm – 8pm
5/6 – A series of personal reflections on power inspired by the story of Jesus’ Passion.
Six essays tracing the hidden currents of power in everyday life: how it shapes us, how it works, how it wounds, and how it can be resisted, claimed, and reclaimed.
In this episode, Kristin Breuss – an Anglican vicar who previously worked in the banking industry in the City of London for two decades – explores power and wealth.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
Sunday 29 March
Sunday Worship: Palm Sunday from Scotland, 8.10am
Sally Foster-Fulton, a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, will present Sunday Worship commemorating the rich symbolism of Jesus’s Palm Sunday journey as she traces paths of Christianity in some of Scotland’s pilgrim places.
Sunday 29 March
Lent Talks, 7.45pm – 8pm
6/6 – A series of personal reflections on power inspired by the story of Jesus’ Passion.
Six essays tracing the hidden currents of power in everyday life: how it shapes us, how it works, how it wounds, and how it can be resisted, claimed, and reclaimed.
In this episode, Luke Bretherton – Oxford theologian and author of “Christ and the Common Life” – explores power and community.
Producer: Dan Tierney
Sunday 29 March
Illuminated: Harrier Angels, 7.15pm – 7.45pm
The nature writer Robert Macfarlane looks closely at the extraordinary carvings of angels in the roof of St Wendreda’s church in March, Cambridgeshire, drawing connections between these and the once common hen and marsh harriers they are modelled on. Hed considers what they reveal about survival and our ideas of the birds, and of angels.
John Betjeman said it was ‘worth cycling forty miles in a head wind’ to visit St Wendreda’s church in March, Cambridgeshire, because of the 120 of angels in the roof. The C16th oak carvings are remarkable, their wings inspired by hen and marsh harriers, once common locally – and making a comeback now.
Michael Rimmer, who has studied the angel roofs of East Anglia and elsewhere, explains how the carvings were made by the Rollesby brothers in the 1520s, and why the faces are so lifelike.
Robert climbs the narrow winding stair to the ringing chamber to get close to – a bird’s eye view of – the harrier angels with the Rev. Ruth Clay, the vicar of St Wendreda’s, Edward Wilson-Lee, author of The Grammar and Ajay Tegala, ranger at nearby Wicken Fen. They discuss their meaning from their different perspectives, back in the C16th when they were carved, and today. They reveal how the story of their survival, corresponds to that of the birds their wings were modelled on.
During the Reformation iconoclasts were sent to destroy ‘idolatrous’ church decorations, including carvings. At the same time the Tudor Vermin Acts led to a frenzy of killing of birds of prey such as kites and harriers there was a legal duty to destroy ‘vermin’.
When Henry VIII’s agents came to March to destroy the carvings, instead of protesting the people of March welcomed them and plied them with drink and food. They left with the church silver, but the angels stayed intact.
Robert visits Wickham Fen, where hen and marsh harriers are in recovery, to observe them in flight and see the similarity of their wings and the carvings.
In William Barsley’s workshop the wood carver, who restored the earliest angel bosses, in Westminster Hall, explains how they were made as he created and new harrier angel.
The vicar of St Wendreda’s, Ruth Clay, talks about what the carvings reveal about the nature of angels. As with harriers, there is a fierce and awe inspiring aspect to aspect to them.
And musician Martin Simpson has made a recording especially for the programme, of his song ‘Skydancers’, about harriers, and other birds, their predicament, recovery, and our role in this.
28 March – 3 April
Prayer for the Day (Holy Week), 5.43am (every day except Sunday)
Rev Richard Frazer, a retired Church of Scotland minister living in the north of Scotland, presents Prayer for the Day for Holy Week.
Friday 3 April
Good Friday Meditation – Notes on an Execution, 3pm
Author and broadcaster Rhidian Brook reflects on the death of Jesus and asks whether it matters in the world today.
4 April – 10 April
Prayer for the Day, 5.43am (every day except Sunday)
Six separate reflections from the Bishop of Manchester, The Right Reverend Dr David Walker.
Sunday 5 April
Easter Sunrise, 6.35am
Reverend Grace Thomas meets with the Bishop of Salford at the Laudato si centre in Salford to discuss how the garden inspires volunteers and children amidst the busy urban landscape.
Sunday, 7.10am
More information to follow.
Easter Sunday Worship from Canterbury Cathedral, 8.10am
The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev. and Rt Hon. Sarah Mullally is the preacher at this live service from Canterbury Cathedral which features music from her installation and Matthew King’s, Canterbury Missa brevis – a new mass specially composed for the service.
Café Hope is a regular series which celebrates how individuals are making the world a better place – in big and small ways. In each episode Rachel Burden welcomes a guest into her virtual café, and after taking their drinks and pastry order, they settle down to hear about the individual’s background and what led them to their work. We’ve heard about an extraordinary variety of projects, including blood banks for pets, an inclusive running club and from the London taxi driver who takes military veterans to Remembrance Day events for nothing Many of the stories originate with suggestions from listeners and we hear frequently from about how these heartwarming tales have cheered our audience up, often in dark times. The team has twice produced special events for Christmas, recording a variety of stories – along with music – in special venues.
The 14’ episodes originate 28 times a year in the prime-time slot of 9.45am on Mondays.
30 March – 3 April
Daily Service (Holy Week), 9.45am
A special week of Daily Services for Holy Week, including a service with Canon Steve Williams and the Daily Service Singers in the BBC Philharmonic studio, reflective gospel from Angel Morgan, through to Maundy Thursday and Good Friday with the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell and Archdeacon Liz Hassall from Bishopthorpe, York with the Ebor Singers.
Sunday 5 April
Poetry Extra: The Psalms, 12pm and 6pm
Daljit Nagra selects a programme from the BBC’s poetry archives to mark Easter Sunday.
Some of the most beautiful poetry in the Bible is in the Book of Psalms. Jeremy Irons reads from the King James Version. The Psalms show a whole range of human emotions. Here we find hymns, laments and songs of thanksgiving. In this programme, Jeremy Irons reads the first psalms in the book, between Psalm 1 and Psalm 29, including one of the most well known of all, Psalm 23, as well as one of the longest, Psalm 18.
Produced by Susan Roberts
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.
World Service
Friday 3 April
Heart and Soul: Grief, God and the Chatbot, 1.30pm – 2pm
When Megan Garcia travelled to Rome, she carried with her a mother’s grief.
At the Vatican she met the Pope and asked him to pray for her son Sewell, who died last year at the age of 14. In the months after his death, Megan discovered something she says she had never imagined: for more than a year, Sewell had been spending hours talking to an artificial-intelligence chatbot which he believed was a real person. He formed a deep emotional attachment to it, confiding in it about his life and feelings.
Megan believes that relationship played a part in her son’s death. She is now pursuing legal action against the company behind the chatbot, arguing that safeguards for young users were inadequate. The company disputes the claims.
But this is not only a story about technology. It is also a story about faith.
Rather than losing her belief, Megan says her tragedy intensified it. She turned to prayer and devotion to the Virgin Mary, finding comfort in the idea of a mother who also knew the pain of losing a child.
“I felt like Our Lady was grieving for me as a mother who lost a child,” she says. “And I was grieving for her as a mother who lost a child. We were grieving together.”
For Heart and Soul, we hear Megan’s story in her own words — a deeply personal journey through grief, belief, and the new moral questions raised by artificial intelligence: what happens when machines become companions, and where do faith, responsibility and protection meet in a digital world?
Presenter: Colm Flynn
Series Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Radio Scotland
Friday 3 April
Good Friday: Trials and Transformations, 6am – 6.30am
The human suffering at the heart of Good Friday resonates powerfully in turbulent and anxious times. The Rev Alison Jack and Linden Bicket of New College, Edinburgh, find meaning in the story – how and why it was written and how its impact has endured over two millennia.
With personal stories of finding paths through anguish, they hear from Moira Taylor-Wintersgill, a minister in Orkney who lost her daughter in an accident ten years ago, about living with that loss; and David Harper, who has spent years working with people seeking healing from the damage caused by childhood trauma and addiction.
Good Friday: Confronting Chaos, 6.30am – 7am
The life story of Jesus can seem distant from everyday life, but many of us today can relate to the helplessness and loss of control in the face of overwhelming power which Jesus’s journey to his death represents. As we navigate fears springing from the actions of world powers, AI and social media, and our own personal difficulties – can the meaning of Good Friday offer ways to peace and grace in an uncertain age?
Sunday 5 April
New Every Sunday, 7.30am – 8am
An act of worship by the Very Rev John Conway, Provost of St Mary’s Cathedral Edinburgh on the theme of the Resurrection.
Sunday Morning with Tony Kearney, 8am – 10am
Tony Kearney explores some of the many messages of Easter and their topical resonances in the company of a panel of guests.
Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle
Saturday 28 March – Saturday 4 April
From Darkness to Dawn, 11.45pm – 11.55pm
A late-night meditation in words and music for Holy Week.
Friday 3 April
At the Foot of the Cross, 8.45am
Reflection and music for Good Friday.
Sunday 5 April
Morning Service, 9.03am – 10am
Easter Sunday service live from St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast.
Sunday Sequence: with Audrey Carville, 8am – 9am
Audrey Carville considers the meaning of Easter with local and international contributors.
Sounds Sacred: Richard Yarr, 5pm
Richard Yarr reflects Easter with a selection of wonderful hymns and sacred music.
Sunday with Brian D’Arcy, 9.03pm
Brian D’Arcy brings a selection of reflections and observations on the Easter theme with a variety of great music from old-time country to contemporary classics to lift the spirits and help listeners rest, relax and enjoy a special time and look ahead to a life renewed.
Radio Wales
Sunday 5 April
An Easter Meditation, 8am
Welsh siblings Rob and Kate Westall unite to bring you an Easter Meditation featuring scripture, songs and spoken word, recorded live at the BBC in Cardiff.
Rob is a Christian recording artist whose songs are sung at churches across the UK and beyond.
For this special programme he has teamed up with his sister Kate who is a BBC Wales A-list artist herself and has also sung with the likes of Ellie Goulding, Elbow, Seal, Goldie, Laura Mvula, Lewis Capaldi, Trevor Horn and U2.
Sunday Service
More details to follow.
Radio Cymru
Yr Oedfa, 12pm every Sunday
Caernarfon town’s ministers will guide listeners through the Services during Lent on BBC Radio Cymru.
The ministers – Anna Jane Evans (Presbyterian), Jenny Knott (Pentecostal), Rhys Llwyd and Hannah Smethurst (Baptists), Dylan Williams (Church in Wales) and Mererid Mair Williams (Independent) – will all bring a Welsh focus and lens to their services, encouraging a deeper understanding of the life, work, death and resurrection of Jesus, and how this applies to Wales and our cultures.
The Service will be broadcast at 12 every Sunday on Radio Cymru, on BBC Sounds or on your smart speaker.
Bwrw Golwg, 12.30pm every Sunday
Bwrw Golwg, BBC Radio Cymru’s programme discussing moral and religious affairs, will feature discussions on Lent and explore the meaning behind the Easter message.
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