BBC celebrates Easter with reflective and inspiring programming

The beeb have lined up Easter programming for 2018.

“This Easter we’re celebrating this most important date in the Christian calendar across the BBC, with an array of programmes that mark Easter as a special time to reflect and feel inspired.” – Fatima Salaria, Commissioner, Religion and Ethics

Central to this year’s Easter offering on TV will be thought-provoking journeys of discovery, with an all-star cast taking part in BBC Two’s new three-part travelogue Pilgrimage: The Road to Santiago, as seven famous faces embark on the spiritual journey of a lifetime, reaching its final stretch on Good Friday. BBC One’s Painting the Holy Land, across Good Friday and Easter Sunday, explores key sites of Christianity through the eyes of artist Lachlan Goudie – as he packs his easel to illustrate how the Easter story has been represented over the ages.

These highlights will join the annual live Easter services from around the country, with Easter from the Chapel of Kings College; Songs of Praise from Bangor Cathedral; and Easter Day from Sheffield Cathedral, together with Pope Francis’ Easter Sunday Message and Blessing – Urbi et Orbi.

Meanwhile on BBC radio highlights include At the Foot of the Cross, an evening of music and reflection presented by Dan Walker to mark Good Friday on BBC Radio 2. On BBC Radio 3, the Reverend Richard Coles talks to Michael Berkeley about his double life as a celebrity priest, and his enduring passion for classical music, in Private Passions on Easter Sunday.

On BBC Radio 4, Good Friday Meditation comes from the Reverend Mike Long, the minister for Notting Hill Methodist which stands at the centre of a devastated and grieving community affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The Reverend Mike was one of the first to respond to the tragedy on the night and his meditation focuses on the role of public lament.

“Our Easter programmes on Radio this year have a glorious mix of extraordinary stories and profound reflections plus some of the best music to be heard anywhere to convey the Passion story and the Joy of Easter.” – Christine Morgan, Head of Radio for Religion and Ethics