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Strange Fruit; Prison during the Pandemic; Religion and the Census

Ed Stourton looks at the ethical and religious issues of the week.

In this episode of Sunday we hear the little known Jewish history of one of the most influential protest songs of the 20th century 'Strange Fruit' and how it came to be performed by Billie Holiday, which is the subject of the film 'The United States vs Billie Holiday' currently streaming on Sky Cinema.

Former prison inmate now prison chaplain, Jonathan Aitken takes us inside HMP Pentonville, as he describes a year of prison chaplaincy during the pandemic which he says has led to some ground-breaking and long overdue reforms.

‘If you’re not religious, say so!’ – that is the request of a campaign launched this week by Humanists UK. They want people who are "not in any meaningful sense religious to tick the ‘no religion’ option on the 2021 Census". Ed Stourton is joined by the Chief Executive of Humanists UK, Andrew Copson, and also Nick Spencer of religion and society think tank Theos to discuss the Census, religion and the none-religious.

Producers:

Catherine Earlam
Louise Clarke-Rowbotham

Available now

44 minutes

Broadcast

  • Sun 14 Mar 2021 07:10

All the colours of the rainbow

All the colours of the rainbow

The Covid-19 rainbows painted by children today are part of a rich and ancient symbolism.

Podcast