The Church of England’s General Synod is to discuss the BBC’s marginalisation of religion and ethical issues in the corporation’s broadcasting.
Nigel Holmes, a former BBC senior local radio producer and lay member of the synod, will call on the BBC and media regulator Ofcom to explain why British television, which was once exemplary in its coverage of religious and ethical issues, now marginalises the small amount of religious programmes that remain and completely ignores Good Friday.
‘The controllers in radio have been very supportive of religion, in television less so, over the past 10 years. What triggered my proposal was last Good Friday when BBC seemed to ignore the Christian significance of that,’ he said.
In a background briefing paper for the General Synod, Mr Holmes claimed that over the past 20 years the output of general programmes on BBC had doubled and stated that BBC figures for the same period show there has been a reduction in religious television output from 177 hours to 155 hours a year.
Mr Holmes also said that another public-service TV network, ITV Channel, which was set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC, appeared to have a complete absence of religious broadcasting – from 110 hours a decade ago to next to nothing now.
The BBC however insists that religious broadcasting has actually increased in recent years, to an annual total of 164 hours.
Last week, the BBC’s Muslim head of religion accused the Church of England of ‘living in the past’ and said that the corporation should not give Christianity preferential treatment.
(See the Daily Telegraph report)
Aaqil Ahmed, the controversial BBC executive whose appointment last year prompted more than 100 complaints, said:
‘I think all the faiths should be treated in the same way. I don't believe in treating any faith differently.’
Mr Ahmed has admitted that last year’s television programmes on Good Friday could have been done better, but said the BBC was committed to religious broadcasting.
‘If you look at the broader broadcasting ecology, if you look at what's happening at ITV, Channel Five, Channel 4, everybody is turning their back on religion, but we live in a time when the BBC isn't doing that,’ he said.
In recent years, there has been a growing concern at top levels of the Church over the BBC’s approach to religion and the dearth of religious programmes shown on BBC television at Easter, with warnings that it must not ignore its Christian audience.