Thought for the Day
Encyclopedia
Thought for the Day is a daily scripted slot on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4
offering "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news", broadcast at around 7.45 each Monday to Saturday morning. Nowadays lasting 2 minutes and 45 seconds, it is a successor to the more substantial five-minute religious sequence Ten to Eight (1965–1970) and, before that, Lift Up Your Hearts, which was first broadcast five mornings a week on the BBC Home Service
from December 1939, initially at 7.30, though soon moved to 7.47.
Notable contributors to the slot have included major religious figures including Rowan Williams
, the Archbishop of Canterbury
, and Pope Benedict XVI
. Major British rabbi
s to have contributed include Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks
of the United Synagogue
movement and Lionel Blue
of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
.
Other important contributors include Anne Atkins
, Jonathan Bartley
, Alan Billings
, John L. Bell
, Rhidian Brook
, Tom Butler
, Brian Draper, Giles Fraser
, Richard Harries, Roy Jenkins, James Jones
, Clifford Longley, Rob Marshall, Colin Morris
, Mona Siddiqui
, Indarjit Singh
, Elaine Storkey
, Antony Sutch and Angela Tilby
.
and the BBC, Pope Benedict XVI
recorded a 'Christmas message especially for the UK', which was broadcast as the Thought for the Day on 24 December 2010. The broadcast followed the Pope's visit to the United Kingdom
earlier in the year. In the message, he claimed to be fond of Britain and asked listeners to consider Jesus
's birth. The National Secular Society
had criticised the BBC for giving the Pope a chance to "whitewash
" the Catholic Church's record on Catholic child sexual abuse. The message was a 'damp, faltering squib', commented biologist Professor Richard Dawkins
on the Comment is Free pages of The Guardian
's website.
's morning show that hosts a Thought for the Day at approximately 7:30. Suffolk's programme differs from the national broadcast in that it is only 1 minute and 45 seconds long. Another difference is that it draws from a more diverse religious base, even including a regular pagan speaker, possibly reflecting the strong interfaith movement in the station's home town of Ipswich
. (See Suffolk Interfaith Resource.) BBC Radio Leicester
, too, has a daily Thought for the Day (See http://www.markamoment.com/ Suffolk Daily thought for the day). slot, broadcast live at 6:45 and repeated at 7:45. There is a "pick of the week" re-broadcast on Sunday morning. Speakers are drawn from a wide spectrum of Christian churches, and there is substantial representation from the Muslim
, Hindu
, and occasionally, Jain, communities. But here, contributors are restricted to a mere 90 seconds of broadcast time, which many feel is too short. BBC Radio 2
broadcasts a similar spot on weekday mornings called "Pause for Thought".
, drawn up by the British Humanist Association
, the National Secular Society
, and the Rationalist Press Association. This protested that the slot was available only to religious views. As a consequence, Professor Richard Dawkins
from Oxford University was given a two-and-a-half minute slot to deliver a reflection from an atheist viewpoint, although this was not broadcast in the Thought for the Day slot itself. The Editors of the BBC World Service's version of the same strand Pause for Thought, were not so dogmatic about contributions and between 1997-2002, over 20 secular thought pieces were recorded with Chris Templeton, Nicholas Walter
and Anthony Grey. However, the BBC commented that it wanted to keep Thought for the Day a unique offering of a faith
perspective within an otherwise entirely secular news programme. In response to this decision by the BBC the Humanist Society of Scotland
created their own programme 'Thought For The World'http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/ to accommodate these non-religious views. The last secular Pause for Thought was recorded for BBC World Service in 2002.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
offering "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news", broadcast at around 7.45 each Monday to Saturday morning. Nowadays lasting 2 minutes and 45 seconds, it is a successor to the more substantial five-minute religious sequence Ten to Eight (1965–1970) and, before that, Lift Up Your Hearts, which was first broadcast five mornings a week on the BBC Home Service
BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
from December 1939, initially at 7.30, though soon moved to 7.47.
Notable contributors to the slot have included major religious figures including Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
, the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, and Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
. Major British rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s to have contributed include Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks
Jonathan Sacks
Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks, Kt is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. His Hebrew name is Yaakov Zvi...
of the United Synagogue
United Synagogue
United Synagogue is an organisation of London Jews that was founded with the sanction of an Act of Parliament, in 1870. , it remains the largest religious grouping within the British Jewish community and indeed in Europe, covering 62 Orthodox Jewish communities...
movement and Lionel Blue
Lionel Blue
Lionel Blue is a British Reform rabbi, journalist and broadcaster. He was the first British rabbi publicly to declare his homosexuality. Born in the East End of London, he was the son of a master tailor....
of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
World Union for Progressive Judaism
The World Union for Progressive Judaism describes itself as the "international umbrella organization for the Reform, Liberal, Progressive and Reconstructionist movements." This overall Jewish religious movement is based in about 40 countries with more than 1,000 affiliated synagogues...
.
Other important contributors include Anne Atkins
Anne Atkins
Anne Atkins is a novelist, broadcaster and journalist. She is the author of three novels, The Lost Child, On Our Own, and A Fine and Private Place, and is a regular contributor to the radio feature Thought for the Day on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.-Early life:Anne Atkins was born in 1956 at...
, Jonathan Bartley
Jonathan Bartley
Jonathan Bartley is the founder and co-director of Ekklesia, a Christian think tank based in London, and a left-wing religious commentator who appears regularly on UK radio and television programmes...
, Alan Billings
Alan Billings
Canon Dr Alan Billings is a member of the Youth Justice Board and is a retired Anglican priest. Alan Billings is also the director of the Centre for Ethics and Religion at Lancaster University. He contributes regularly to the programme Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4. Active in local government,...
, John L. Bell
John L. Bell
John Lamberton Bell is a hymn-writer. A Church of Scotland minister, he is a member of the Iona Community, a broadcaster, and former student activist...
, Rhidian Brook
Rhidian Brook
Rhidian Brook is a novelist, screenwriter and broadcaster.He has written two novels. His first - The Testimony of Taliesin Jones - won the 1997 Somerset Maugham Award, a Betty Trask Award and the Author's Club First Novel Award as well being runner up for Welsh Book of The Year...
, Tom Butler
Thomas Frederick Butler
Thomas Frederick "Tom" Butler was the ninth Anglican Bishop of Southwark. He was enthroned in Southwark Cathedral on 12 September 1998...
, Brian Draper, Giles Fraser
Giles Fraser
Giles Anthony Fraser is a priest of the Church of England. He was Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral from 2009 until his resignation in October 2011. As Canon Chancellor, Fraser fulfilled the role of a canon residentiary with special responsibility for contemporary ethics and engagement with...
, Richard Harries, Roy Jenkins, James Jones
James Stuart Jones
James Stuart Jones is a British Anglican bishop. He is currently the Bishop of Liverpool.The son of Major Stuart Jones and Helen Jones, he was educated in the Duke of York's Royal Military School, Dover and Exeter University, where received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology in 1970...
, Clifford Longley, Rob Marshall, Colin Morris
Colin Morris (Methodist minister)
The Rev'd Dr Colin Manley Morris is an English Methodist minister. Born into a mining family, after his ordination he served the Methodist Church in Zambia then Northern Rhodesia) for 15 years...
, Mona Siddiqui
Mona Siddiqui
Mona Siddiqui OBE is a British Muslim academic. She is Professor of Islamic Studies and Public Understanding at the University of Glasgow, as well as the Director of its Centre for the Study of Islam, and is a member of the Commission on Scottish Devolution.She is also a regular contributor to...
, Indarjit Singh
Indarjit Singh
Indarjit Singh, Baron Singh of Wimbledon CBE , sometimes transliterated Inderjit Singh, is a British journalist and broadcaster, a prominent British Asian active in Sikh and interfaith activities, and a member of the House of Lords...
, Elaine Storkey
Elaine Storkey
Elaine Storkey is an English philosopher, sociologist and theologian. She is known for her lecturing, writing and broadcasting.-Early years and education:Storkey is the eldest of three children to James and Anne Lively...
, Antony Sutch and Angela Tilby
Angela Tilby
Angela Tilby is an author and Anglican priest, who works in Cambridge. She has made fairly regular appearances on television and radio, including "Thought for the Day" on BBC Radio Four. She has also appeared on The Brains Trust, when the programme was presented by Joan Bakewell...
.
List of presenters
- Anne AtkinsAnne AtkinsAnne Atkins is a novelist, broadcaster and journalist. She is the author of three novels, The Lost Child, On Our Own, and A Fine and Private Place, and is a regular contributor to the radio feature Thought for the Day on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.-Early life:Anne Atkins was born in 1956 at...
- John L. BellJohn L. BellJohn Lamberton Bell is a hymn-writer. A Church of Scotland minister, he is a member of the Iona Community, a broadcaster, and former student activist...
- Alan BillingsAlan BillingsCanon Dr Alan Billings is a member of the Youth Justice Board and is a retired Anglican priest. Alan Billings is also the director of the Centre for Ethics and Religion at Lancaster University. He contributes regularly to the programme Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4. Active in local government,...
- Lionel BlueLionel BlueLionel Blue is a British Reform rabbi, journalist and broadcaster. He was the first British rabbi publicly to declare his homosexuality. Born in the East End of London, he was the son of a master tailor....
- Rhidian BrookRhidian BrookRhidian Brook is a novelist, screenwriter and broadcaster.He has written two novels. His first - The Testimony of Taliesin Jones - won the 1997 Somerset Maugham Award, a Betty Trask Award and the Author's Club First Novel Award as well being runner up for Welsh Book of The Year...
- Thomas Frederick ButlerThomas Frederick ButlerThomas Frederick "Tom" Butler was the ninth Anglican Bishop of Southwark. He was enthroned in Southwark Cathedral on 12 September 1998...
- Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor
- Joel Edwards (UK)Joel Edwards (UK)Joel Edwards was the General Director of the Evangelical Alliance until the end of 2008. He is now International Director for Micah Challenge and is also a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. He has presented on the BBC Radio 4 feature of The Today programme, Thought for the...
- Giles FraserGiles FraserGiles Anthony Fraser is a priest of the Church of England. He was Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral from 2009 until his resignation in October 2011. As Canon Chancellor, Fraser fulfilled the role of a canon residentiary with special responsibility for contemporary ethics and engagement with...
- Richard Harries
- Satish KumarSatish KumarSatish Kumar is an Indian, currently living in England, who has been a Jain monk and a nuclear disarmament advocate, and is the current editor of Resurgence, founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher College international centre for ecological studies and of The Small School...
- Brian ProtheroeBrian ProtheroeBrian Protheroe , of a Welsh father and English mother, is a musician and actor.-Career:Protheroe joined a local church choir when he was twelve years old, and started piano lessons at about the same time. The music of Cliff Richard and The Shadows inspired him to start learning the guitar...
- Jonathan SacksJonathan SacksJonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks, Kt is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. His Hebrew name is Yaakov Zvi...
- Mona SiddiquiMona SiddiquiMona Siddiqui OBE is a British Muslim academic. She is Professor of Islamic Studies and Public Understanding at the University of Glasgow, as well as the Director of its Centre for the Study of Islam, and is a member of the Commission on Scottish Devolution.She is also a regular contributor to...
- Indarjit SinghIndarjit SinghIndarjit Singh, Baron Singh of Wimbledon CBE , sometimes transliterated Inderjit Singh, is a British journalist and broadcaster, a prominent British Asian active in Sikh and interfaith activities, and a member of the House of Lords...
- Russell StannardRussell StannardRussell Stannard is a retired high-energy particle physicist, who was born in London, England, on December 24, 1931. He currently holds the position of Professor Emeritus of Physics at the Open University...
- Elaine StorkeyElaine StorkeyElaine Storkey is an English philosopher, sociologist and theologian. She is known for her lecturing, writing and broadcasting.-Early years and education:Storkey is the eldest of three children to James and Anne Lively...
- Angela TilbyAngela TilbyAngela Tilby is an author and Anglican priest, who works in Cambridge. She has made fairly regular appearances on television and radio, including "Thought for the Day" on BBC Radio Four. She has also appeared on The Brains Trust, when the programme was presented by Joan Bakewell...
- David WilkinsonDavid Wilkinson (academic)The Revd Professor David Wilkinson, BSC, PhD, MA, PhD, FRAS is the current principal of St John's College, Durham. He is the author of several books on the relationship between science and religion, and a regular contributor to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4....
- Alan WoodrowAlan WoodrowAlan Donald Woodrow is a Canadian opera singer.Born in Toronto, Woodrow studied singing with George Lambert at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto before pursuing further studies at the London Opera Centre. On completing these studies he joined English National Opera as a principal tenor...
- Ankit Raj
- Vishvapani
Pope Benedict XVI
After months of negotiation between the VaticanHoly See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
and the BBC, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
recorded a 'Christmas message especially for the UK', which was broadcast as the Thought for the Day on 24 December 2010. The broadcast followed the Pope's visit to the United Kingdom
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom from 16 to 19 September 2010 was the first state visit by a pope to the United Kingdom...
earlier in the year. In the message, he claimed to be fond of Britain and asked listeners to consider Jesus
Historicity of Jesus
The historicity of Jesus concerns how much of what is written about Jesus of Nazareth is historically reliable, and whether the evidence supports the existence of such an historical figure...
's birth. The National Secular Society
National Secular Society
The National Secular Society is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no-one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of religion. It was founded by Charles Bradlaugh in 1866...
had criticised the BBC for giving the Pope a chance to "whitewash
Whitewash (censorship)
To whitewash is a metaphor meaning to gloss over or cover up vices, crimes or scandals or to exonerate by means of a perfunctory investigation or through biased presentation of data. It is especially used in the context of corporations, governments or other organizations.- Etymology :Its first...
" the Catholic Church's record on Catholic child sexual abuse. The message was a 'damp, faltering squib', commented biologist Professor Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
on the Comment is Free pages of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's website.
Other versions and adaptations
The Radio 4 Thought for the Day format has been copied onto some other BBC channels, notably local radio. An example is BBC Radio SuffolkBBC Radio Suffolk
BBC Radio Suffolk is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Suffolk, commencing broadcasts on 12 April 1990. Its studios are at Broadcasting House in St Matthews Street, Ipswich on 95.5 , 95.9 , 103.9 and 104.6 FM...
's morning show that hosts a Thought for the Day at approximately 7:30. Suffolk's programme differs from the national broadcast in that it is only 1 minute and 45 seconds long. Another difference is that it draws from a more diverse religious base, even including a regular pagan speaker, possibly reflecting the strong interfaith movement in the station's home town of Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
. (See Suffolk Interfaith Resource.) BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The station broadcasts from studios in Leicester on 104.9 FM, on DAB, and via the BBC iPlayer.-History:...
, too, has a daily Thought for the Day (See http://www.markamoment.com/ Suffolk Daily thought for the day). slot, broadcast live at 6:45 and repeated at 7:45. There is a "pick of the week" re-broadcast on Sunday morning. Speakers are drawn from a wide spectrum of Christian churches, and there is substantial representation from the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, and occasionally, Jain, communities. But here, contributors are restricted to a mere 90 seconds of broadcast time, which many feel is too short. BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
broadcasts a similar spot on weekday mornings called "Pause for Thought".
Criticism
In 2002, 102 people put their names to a letter to the BBC GovernorsBoard of Governors of the BBC
The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust on 1 January 2007.The governors...
, drawn up by the British Humanist Association
British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism and represents "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." The BHA is committed to secularism, human rights, democracy, egalitarianism and mutual respect...
, the National Secular Society
National Secular Society
The National Secular Society is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no-one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of religion. It was founded by Charles Bradlaugh in 1866...
, and the Rationalist Press Association. This protested that the slot was available only to religious views. As a consequence, Professor Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
from Oxford University was given a two-and-a-half minute slot to deliver a reflection from an atheist viewpoint, although this was not broadcast in the Thought for the Day slot itself. The Editors of the BBC World Service's version of the same strand Pause for Thought, were not so dogmatic about contributions and between 1997-2002, over 20 secular thought pieces were recorded with Chris Templeton, Nicholas Walter
Nicolas Walter
Nicolas Hardy Walter was a British anarchist and atheist writer, speaker and activist.-Career overview:Walter was born in London; his father was the neurophysiologist and pioneer of cybernetics, William Grey Walter...
and Anthony Grey. However, the BBC commented that it wanted to keep Thought for the Day a unique offering of a faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
perspective within an otherwise entirely secular news programme. In response to this decision by the BBC the Humanist Society of Scotland
Humanist Society of Scotland
The Humanist Society of Scotland is a Scottish voluntary charitable organisation that promotes humanist views. It is a member of the European Humanist Federation and the International Humanist and Ethical Union.-History and aims:...
created their own programme 'Thought For The World'http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/ to accommodate these non-religious views. The last secular Pause for Thought was recorded for BBC World Service in 2002.