Radio Programmes 1. God's Healing Love - The FAQ's TX: 25/07/2015 Premier Christian Radio Dur: 12’00” Production Company: Premier Christian Radio / Methodist Central Hall The FAQ's were a strand away from the normal programme, which took a look at some of the issues around healing and what it does and doesn't represent. 2. God's Healing Love - The FAQ's (Show 4) TX: 15/08/2015 Premier Christian Radio Dur: 12’00” Production Company: Premier Christian Radio / Methodist Central Hall Show #4 (Second entry from the FAQ Series for God's Healing Love) 3. Premier Drive - Simon May TX: 14/09/2015 Premier Christian Radio Dur: 27’13” Production Company: Premier Christian Radio He's probably one of the best song writers around and has had his music played into peoples homes for more than 30 years. Simon May is the man behind the EastEnder's and Howards Way theme songs (to name but a few!), and joined Loretta to chat about some of his work in music, how he's using those talents to help others, and why he decided now was the time to write a book. 4. The Premier Drive FAQ Sessions - Why Do Some Prayers Work, And Others Don't? TX: 12/11/2015 Premier Christian Radio Dur: 10’00” Production Company: Premier Christian Radio This was put together in conjunction with the 24-7 Prayer Movement's UK Director, Brian Heasley. 5. The Note TX: 14/12/2015 Premier Christian Radio Dur: 06’13” Production Company: Richard Littledale The story was written and narrated by Richard Littledale, with music by Andrew Stamp and produced by Elliott James Frisby. The whole thing was taken from concept to launch in 89 days, with money from every sale going to Tommy's the Baby Charity You can read the story about how The Note came together here. There is a collection of associated pictures here, and this post includes a 1-minute sample. The radio interview from December 14th (which was then followed by the full airplay of the story) is here. 6. Life Matters: Prayer TX: 17/05/2015 RTE Radio 1 Dur: 27'00" Production Company: Colette Kinsella Independent Radio Producer No additional information supplied. 7. Christmas: In Search of Mary TX: 21/12/2015 Things Unseen website (www.thingsunseen.co.uk) Dur:39’01” Production Company: CTVC Alison Hilliard grew up a Protestant in Ian Paisley’s Northern Ireland, where any devotion to Mary was scorned; Mark Dowd is a cradle Catholic and former friar; and Remona Aly is a Muslim who loves Christmas, but approaches Mary very much from an Islamic perspective. In this Christmas edition of Things Unseen, these three very different people go on pilgrimage together in search of the mother of the Christ child. Their destination is Walsingham in North Norfolk, “England’s Nazareth” and its most important shrine to Mary. All three are Things Unseen presenters and, by background, critical journalists. Yet as they meet Mary through each other and the people they speak to in Walsingham, astonishing stories emerge: stories of visions and prayers answered, of motherly love and comfort – and of Mary as a strong woman and disciple who has none of the sugary, sentimental qualities so often attributed to her. Among many positive audience responses, one listener called this programme "a perfect gem, which deserves far wider exposure and a much bigger audience, instead of being tucked away on the internet". 8. High Street Hijabis TX: 14/07/2015 BBC Radio 1/1Xtra Stories Dur: 60’00” Production Company: BBC Radio 1 Original BBC Programme Page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b061pmqh Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud fame and Muslim style and beauty vlogger Nabiilabee join together to explore why so many young Muslim women are turning to 'modest fashion' vloggers for inspiration on how to interpret their Western identities coupled with their Eastern religion and cultures. The pair set out to uncover the truth about hijabis and the modest fashion movement. Along the way they will be set a £100 challenge to try and shop for each other on the UK high street. How will Nicola fare when choosing a modest fashion outfit and will Nabiilabee rise to the challenge of finding an outfit for Nicola? Nicola and Nabiilabee will also be speaking to high street chains, high end labels and an Islamic scholar to explore the emergence of the modest fashion movement. They will be asking whether dressing stylishly conflicts with religion and trying to discover why British high streets and UK fashion houses have not yet tapped into this potential market. 9. Ramadan Express TX: 10/07/2015 Things Unseen website (www.thingsunseen.co.uk) Dur: 28’27” Production Company: CTVC Mark Dowd is a radio and TV presenter and a former Dominican monk. Alison Hilliard has spent many years living in the Middle East and Africa and helping faith groups protect the environment. Both are Things Unseen presenters. Both are rooted in their Christian faith. In this programme, their colleague Remona Aly challenges them to join her in the Ramadan fast for one long, hot summer’s day. Which means starting with a meal and prayer at 2 o’clock in the morning. Going without food or water increasingly tests their physical stamina as the hours pass – but it also gives them personal insights into the meaning of such a rigorous fasting regime. Mark and Alison challenge Remona (a veteran of twenty years’ fasting) in turn, asking whether such a tough regime is in danger of breeding spiritual pride, and questioning what the purpose of Ramadan really is. The day ends at the London Muslim Centre with carrot cake and non-alcoholic beer, and a reflection on what the experience has done for each one of them. We are submitting this programme because it is an unusually personal and experiential approach to opening up the meaning and practices of Ramadan to a non-Muslim audience. 10. Art in Heaven? By Ali Smith Series: On Earth As It is in Heaven Episode 1 TX: 30/03/2015 BBC Radio 3 Dur: 13’30” The Essay Production Company: Cast Iron Radio Art in Heaven? by Ali Smith Author Ali Smith begins this series of essays on the Lord's Prayer. She focuses on the first lines, "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name". Later essays in the series are by British Muslim Academic Mona Siddiqui, Rabbi Julia Neuberger, poet and undertaker Thomas Lynch and poet and author Andrew Motion. Each writer examines a line of the prayer with a modern day searchlight, bringing theological knowledge, personal memory, poetic insight and imagination to our understanding of this prayer, murmured by millions every day. In all it's not even sixty words long and, as it appears in the Gospel according to Matthew, it's introduced by Jesus as a 'how to pray' guide: 'This then, is how you should pray". Today it's bound with the need to express our longing for a better world and something we all share, but what do these short lines mean and how do they help? BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05nscjh 11. Daily Bread by Rabbi Julia Neuberger Series: On Earth as It is in Heaven Episode 3 TX: 01/04/2015 BBC Radio 3 Dur: 13.30 The Essay Production Company: Cast Iron Radio Rabbi Julia Neuberger considers the middle section of the Lord's Prayer. She reflects on the line "Give us this day our daily bread". Other essays in the series are by author, Ali Smith, British Muslim Academic Mona Siddiqui, poet and undertaker Thomas Lynch and poet and author Andrew Motion. Each writer examines a line of the prayer with a modern day searchlight, bringing theological knowledge, personal memory, poetic insight and imagination to our understanding of this prayer, murmured by millions every day. In all it's not even sixty words long and, as it appears in the Gospel according to Matthew, it's introduced by Jesus as a 'how to pray' guide: 'This then, is how you should pray". Today it's bound with the need to express our longing for a better world and something we all share, but what do these short lines mean and how do they help? BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05nt04k 12. Contemporary Art and the Church presented by Fiona Shaw TX: 24/05/2015 BBC Radio 3 Dur: 43’40” Sunday Feature Production Company: Cast Iron Radio With the Holy See's pavilion gleaming amidst other nations' exhibitions at the Venice Biennale, the world's greatest contemporary art festival, Fiona Shaw asks can contemporary art be reunified with the church? Since the big bust up with contemporary art at the beginning of the 20th century, when the so-called "evil" force of Modernism that Pope Pius X believed "led to the annihilation of all religion", the Christian church has been a cautious commissioner of contemporary art. But a voice from within, that of Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, is trying to end the stand-off. Fiona Shaw travels to Rome to meet the Cardinal and hear more about his passion to reinstate "the marriage between art and faith". Ravasi has said, "There is an insoluble problem in the coexistence of art and religion and faith, but there's no need for the Catholic Church to retreat and lose contact with the contemporary art world by remaining stuck in the "reliable" neo-Gothic, neo-Romantic, neo-Classical styles that are perfectly coherent with religion...It's time to grow our relationship with the creative artists and creative energy of the artist..