Skip to main content.
« Previous entry: Saturday links | Main page | Next entry: You win again »

March 25th, 2007

BBC merges Christmas and Easter

The BBC filmed the Christmas Songs of Praise and the Easter Songs of Praise on the same day, reports the Telegraph.

After filming the Christmas edition, flowers were swapped, lighting boosted and congregation members reportedly asked to shed their winter coats to record the show for the Spring time festival.

I was thinking there might be some scope for a combined festival:

eastmas

One Bishop has admitted to being in on the act:

the BBC explained to us in advance the cost and difficulty of rigging such large and beautiful cathedrals such as Lichfield.

Something was certainly rigged, and it wasn’t the cathedral.

[Feel free to blog this cartoon with a link back here. I can supply a high-res version if any subscribers require one.]

Update - Further news reports:
The Sun Online – News: Songs of Praise in trick row
BBC criticised over ‘Songs of Pretence’ | News | This is London
Scotsman.com News – UK – 24 hours after Christmas – it’s Easter
Scotsman.com News – Opinion – Hymns, lies and videotape

Monday morning:
Christmas or Easter, it’s all the same to BBC Songs of Praise | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited
‘Cons of Praise’ – or how BBC threw in Easter at Christmas-Comment-Faith-TimesOnline
Daily Express: The World’s Greatest Newspaper :: News / Showbiz :: Cons of Praise
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | BBC defends early Easter filming
Sky News: BBC Faked Easter Show

13 Comments »



Share this on Facebook:

If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy these (possibly) related articles:

If you liked this post why not send it to someone else by e-mail? Click here to do so.

This is a single post on the Cartoon Blog by Dave posted on Sunday, March 25th, 2007 at 6:57 pm. Click here to read all of the latest posts. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Other things technologically advanced people may like to do: trackback from another site, follow responses via the comments feed, bookmark on del.icio.us or digg.

13 Responses to “BBC merges Christmas and Easter”


  1. Doris says:

    I am shocked. I thought the congregation only faked the singing.

    March 25th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
  2. Mary says:

    Dave, thats classic LOL humour!!! I’m sitting here sniggering!

    March 25th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
  3. Adrian says:

    Yet another example of the BBC thinking that people are stupid and treating them with contempt.

    I hope that enough people will contact the BBC via their website – http://www.bbc.co.uk, and demand that the programme be withdrawn or at least an apology be given at the beginning of the programme, even though that will only be ‘trite words’ said without sincerity.

    What sort of a world are we living in?

    The BBC need to remember that it is the licence payer who pays their wages and they deserve better.

    March 26th, 2007 at 8:45 am
  4. Kate P says:

    But they’ve been doing this sort of thing for years! I couldn’t give you exact dates or places, but I certainly know people who’ve taken part in sop recordings on two consecutive evenings, with different season’s clothes and flowers for each.

    March 26th, 2007 at 9:08 am
  5. joe says:

    I’m not sure I really understand why there is a problem. Does it matter when a recorded service is recorded?

    If you want to watch canned “worship” then I don’t see that you are in a position to dictate when it was filmed.

    March 26th, 2007 at 9:39 am
  6. Simo says:

    I think I agree with Joe on this one, yes it is a shame but lets think logically, it would cost a large fortune to do 2 separate sessions and maybe we should look at the success of things like Comic Relief and the amount of money the BBC put into that (and children in need) and would they be able to do so much of this without some cutbacks in other areas? The only real possible problem that could come is if there is a major event takes place between the filming and showing that you would expect to be mentioned during such a service.

    March 26th, 2007 at 10:36 am
  7. Karin says:

    As the Bishop of Lichfield said, it makes economical sense. It is a shame for the housebound who can’t get to a proper church service, perhaps, but as the programme is usually pretty naff it isn’t much of a substitute.

    Most people can attend a genuine Easter service if they really want to. Church is not meant to be a spectator sport.

    March 26th, 2007 at 10:43 am
  8. Karin says:

    btw, is he Ruth Gledhill’s dad?

    March 26th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
  9. joe says:

    Apparently not.

    March 26th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
  10. Karin says:

    Ah yes, just seen she says he’s no relation (in the comments)http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2006/12/five_things_you.html

    March 26th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
  11. Toby says:

    I’m not entirely sure what the fuss is about. FOr several years the BBC has recorder two “Big Sing” Songs of Praise in September at the Albert Hall. Each time I’ve been, they record one for use in October and one for Christmas. For the latter one they dress the place to look Christmassy and people wear Santa hats and sing carols. No-one has ever complained.

    March 27th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
  12. Sarah B says:

    I think it’s been said but we do realy need to “get real” about it. IT’S ON THE TELLY. It’s not live.SOP aims to produce good qaulity programmes with a high standard of music. Our choir recently sang for it along with another choir in London and it took something like 4 hours for them to sing three hymns. I can understand why they might want to combine a few programmes at one site.

    Do remember that the BBC in fact broadcasts LIVE WORSHIP everyday on LW radio and twice in the day LIVE on FM radio on Sundays. I really think they’re doing a fair job to be honest!

    March 27th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
  13. Lent & Beyond… » Lenten Links 4 via Fr. Binks says:

    [...] – THE BEEB merges Christmas and Easter. So we celebrate the birth of the Holy Bunny, and the Wise Men bring him chocolate.. or something. Gledhill– Eastmas ‘Cons of Praise’ … (cartoonchurch, gledhill) [...]

    March 28th, 2007 at 12:53 pm