Tuesday 22 July 2003

I just watched a documentary called Did Jesus Die? I still think he did. At the traditionally agreed time I mean. This was a programme devoted to suggesting everything except the Christian claim, BBC Four it was. It is the most obvious thing in the world that, in the current climate, a programme on the opposite tack will never be screened, even at 2200 on a peripheral BBC channel. And well it might not be. I am not familiar with the precise details of the BBCs remit, but I certainly know that, in the BBC, bias is not to be admitted, sacred or profane. And already I'm protesting too much, because I seem to be saying that agnosticism rules the airwaves. Well I'm not. My point is that the commissioning of bland, habitual and self-reflexive Christian telly like Songs of Praise effectively waives our rights, admitted rights, to answer such programmes. Every second of minority interest TV should take that minority outwards and into the majority. If grown-up Christian telly is being pushed to the margins, and obviously it is, has been for decades then the answer is not to cling to comfortable things but make every second of exposure count.

Also caught a few seconds of Ruby Wax. Right, joking apart; who exactly is Liza Minelli? She doesn't seem famous...