1. Representations of
Religion and Spirituality
in Mainstream Factual
British Television
2000-2009
Ruth Deller,
Sheffield Hallam University
2. What will be looked at?
⢠BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five - including digital
analogue channels (e.g. More4, BBC Three).
⢠Factual programming where the topic is religion
or spirituality.
⢠Arts (e.g. Art of Eternity)
⢠History (e.g. Christianity: A History)
⢠'Reality' (e.g. Make Me a Muslim)
⢠Docusoap (e.g. Priest Idol)
⢠Investigative documentary (e.g. Undercover Mosque)
⢠Travelogue (e.g. Around the World in 80 Faiths)
⢠Debate/discussion (e.g. Soul of Britain)
⢠Educational/informative (e.g. Hindu Babies)
⢠'Religiousâ (e.g. Songs of Praise)
3. Key questions
ďWhat is the nature of coverage of
religion/spirituality in factual television?
ďHow can it be understood in relation to
notions of secularisation and âre-enchantmentâ?
ďHow does it represent minority groups and/or
other cultures?
ďWhat are viewersâ responses to these
programmes?
ďWhy are they commissioned?
4. Why?
⢠Observing range of programmes on
religion/spirituality on the major channels.
⢠Filling a knowledge gap in both
media/cultural studies and sociology.
⢠Part of a wider trend within academia at
the moment exploring religion and
society (e.g. AHRC/ESRC programme).
5. Methods
ďTextual analysis
⌠Semiotics, CDA, narrative, quantitative
ďIndustry research
⌠Ratings
⌠Interviews
ďAudience research
⌠Analysis of online discussion
⌠Questionnaires/focus groups (online and face-
to-face)
6. Background
ďOver 200 different programmes or series on
religion/spirituality shown on channels run by
the BBC, ITV, 4 and five in the past decade.
Some are series, some one-offs, some part of
existing series.
ďTo keep the study manageable, this does not
include fictional media, or mentions of
religious/spiritual issues in programmes such as
the news, Newsnight, Big Brother or other factual
media with a wide remit.
7. Background
ďMany series have been publicised or commented
on widely (e.g. The Monastery, Undercover
Mosque). A number have received significant
press coverage.
ď2009 alone has seen several significant series and
a number of repeats and one-off programmes.
9. Textual Analysis
ďA sample will be chosen from a range of
genres, topics, years and broadcasters.
ďMany programmes have already been
analysed but the selection of which to
focus on in most detail will be made in
2010.
10. Textual Analysis
ďLanguage: word choice, emphasis, level of
prior audience understanding assumed,
use of emotive language.
ďWho speaks: who is an âexpertâ, who is
seen, who isnât, who controls narrative,
who participates, how participants are
used.
ďImagery: symbolism, connotations,
colours, metaphors, âshorthandâ.
11. Textual Analysis
ďSound: use (and choice) of music, sound
effects, silence, layering of elements (e.g.
speech over music).
ďTitles of programmes.
ďUse of locations and connotations of
these (e.g. libraries, deserts).
ďOpening and closing monologues.
ďPre-credits voiceovers.
ďPromotional / listings / website imagery
and language.
12. Textual Analysis: programme
themes
ďSeeking to understand belief in socio-
historical context.
ďDebunking/unpacking particular beliefs,
stories and practices.
ďPersonal exploration of beliefs and
practices.
ďEducation about different beliefs and
practices.
ďDebate and discussion about world events
and belief.
14. Textual Analysis: representation
ďOf the 'big six', Islam and Christianity
receive most coverage; Sikhism and
Buddhism least; particularly in relation to
Britain.
ďAtheism occasionally discussed but
agnosticism rarely mentioned; however
agnosticism often default ideological
perspective.
15. Textual Analysis: representation
ď'Spirituality'
widely discussed but mainly in
relation to mainstream religion.
ď'New age', 'occult' or 'supernatural' beliefs
often dismissed, ridiculed or presented as
light entertainment (e.g. ITV2).
ďPaganism, occult/spiritualism and some
other beliefs (e.g. Voodoo, Wicca,
Scientology) often presented as sinister or
'spooky' - sometimes jokingly.
17. âAcceptableâ
ďModeration, tolerance, liberalism, acceptance
ďWillingness to change or be questioned
ďDoing âgoodâ deeds
ďEmotional/sensory â within limits
ďPeacefulness, silence, stillness
ďâNaturalâ or âauthenticâ practices and beliefs
ďRationality
ďâMeaningfulâ to those experiencing it
19. âAcceptableâ
ďâIthink sheâs, sheâs the epitome of the English
Muslim because in the United Kingdom really
thereâs a need to create a culture, not preserve
a culture, not preserve a Moroccan or an
Egyptian or a Pakistani or an Indian way, but the
need to create a British Islam, which meets the
spiritual needs of the British people, people in
modern timesâ. (The Retreat, BBC Two)
20. âAcceptableâ
ď âFor these people a love of God is at the heart
of their community. In these merciless
conditions, their faith is what breathes life into
their existenceâ. (Around the World in 80 Faiths,
BBC Two)
ďâItâs impossible not to be drawn in by the
beauty of the ritual of prayerâ. (Dan
Cruickshanksâ Adventures in Architecture, BBC
Four/Two)
21. âAcceptableâ
ďâIthink our Hindu faith is very very
important to us. I donât sit in a temple
and pray for hours on end. Even if itâs
expected of me, I donât think Iâd be able
to carry that out, Iâm not that religious.
But yeah, we do have our two minutes in
the morning, myself and Godâ (Karma
Babies, BBC One).
22. âAcceptableâ
ďâI truly believe that Christianity is not on
its last legs, that the faith I learned from
my grandmother is still as strong as ever.
If the traditional churches of the west can
only resolve their problems and reach
out to and work with people of faith
across the world then Christianity can
not only survive, but prosperâ.
(Christianity: A History, Channel 4)
23. âUnacceptableâ
ďâExtremeâ emotional or physical manifestations
and expressions
ďBeing âtoo formalâ, cold or closed-minded
ďConservative, âfundamentalistâ views
ďâFlakyâ insubstantial beliefs
ďIrrational or suspicious/sinister beliefs
ďControlling others, especially children
ďTrying to force beliefs on others
26. âUnacceptableâ
ďâIssomeone who believes the Holy Spirit speaks
to them in the language of angels worthy of our
respect, or in need of psychological treatment?â
(Am I Normal?, BBC Two)
ďâAre these children just innocent conduits of
the work of God, or are they the result of
desperate parents and overzealous
congregations in search of the miraculous?â
(Baby Bible Bashers, Channel 4)
27. âUnacceptableâ
ďâWell, my first impression is that this is justâŚ
silly. There may be hidden truth in that but itâŚ
looks like a sort of er, just a kind of sell for
people who are desperateâ (Imagine: The Secret
of Life, BBC One)
ďâHardline Christians are not just campaigning to
change our laws. A group meets regularly in
London to campaign against the building of a
large mosqueâ. (Dispatches: In Godâs Name,
Channel 4)
28. âUnacceptableâ
ďâGreen Lane mosque (shots of promo material)
calls itself a centre for interfaith
communication, welcoming people of all
religions, but our reporter filmed there over
four months, and found this speaker, Abu
Usama, was their main English Language
preacher. He says Christians and Jews are
enemies to Muslimsâ. (Dispatches: Undercover
Mosque, Channel 4)
29. Industry Research: interviews
ďDimitri Collingridge
ďDavid Henshaw
ďRobert Beckford
ďMichael Wakelin
ďAaqil Ahmed
ďJon Ronson
ďMark Dowd
ďParticipants
ďOthers
30. Industry Research: Interviews
ďUnderstand lack of diversity within
religious programmes, but feel there
arenât good programming ideas for some
of the under-represented faiths.
ďDonât know how to present âspiritualityâ
outside of religion.
ďSee importance of religion to mainstream
and within non âGod slotâ genres.
31. Industry Research: Interviews
ďFeel emphasis on personality can be at
expense of deeper, more intellectual
discussion.
ďConstrictions of budgets, timeslots etc.
ďSome topics are seen as more audience-
friendly (e.g. Da Vinci code).
ďFeel less experimental commissioning
now compared to earlier in decade.
32. Industry Research: Interviews
ďSome freedom to choose projects, sometimes
response to âhotâ topics.
ďWanting to make programmes that have a
reaction.
ďSometimes wanting to expose an issue,
sometimes to debate it, sometimes to discuss a
new perspective.
ďProgrammes often have a longer life and are
circulated/discussed a long time after broadcast.
ďDissatisfaction with some scheduling slots.
33. Industry Research: interviews
ďDimitri Collingridge
⌠[on 'moderation'] 'I don't know if that's a sort of
editorial line at Channel 4, but that's what I certainly
think, it seems pretty you know kind of bad because
as soon all you have to do is look at the twentieth
century and the extremes of ideology and various
groups of people cos as soon as you have an
extreme, as soon as you're actually convinced you
are right, be it a secular ideology or a religious oneâŚ
you know, I do think that all channels are trying to
sort of say that extremes are bad, you know.
34. Industry Research: interviews
ďVictoria Bennett, The Convent
⌠Editing to fit predetermined narratives.
⌠Many experiences left out that were crucial to her
time and âjourneyâ.
⌠Sexism within portrayals, especially compared to The
Monastery.
⌠Dealing with negative press and hostile public
response.
⌠Crew betraying trust of women and nuns?
35. Audience Research
ďMonitoring forums and blogs, both
entertainment based and belief-group specific.
ďMonitoring comments on broadcaster websites
and YouTube â also what is circulated on YT,
Google Video and blogs.
ďFollowing Twitter discussions and hashtags.
ďFocus groups â online and in person.
ďSmall amount of survey research.
ďNot just monitoring opinions of programmes,
but also discussions sparked off by them.
ďBroadcastersâ own research.
36. Audience Research: Likes
ďOpen-mindedness
ďLearning something new
ďWillingness to debate
ďDetailed exploration of issues
ďAttractive visuals
ďRespect for those featured
ďCovering wide range of beliefs and practices
ďBeing âfairâ
37. Audience Research: Likes
ďCreativity, something ânewâ
ďInteresting narratives and âcharactersâ
ďKnowing the perspective of those involved in
making programme â or at least of the key
voices
38. Audience Research: Likes
ďâI have thoroughly enjoyed this series as
the presenters have looked at the religion
from their personal perspective but have
gone to great lengths to see other
positions and educate the viewerâ.
(Christianity: A History)
ďâIt didnât hit you over the head with the
messageâ (Saving Africaâs Witch Children)
39. Audience Research: Likes
ď âAmazing programme last night. Not sure I'd take part
in the Punch-up at the top of those stairs, in
Japan....then run down them. But overall this was a
fascinating look at Faith in the Far East. Even better
then last weeks programme. And that Mt Huashan
Trail, stunningâ. (Around the World in 80 Faiths)
ď I love Jon Ronson and, like all of his work, it was
interesting, entertaining and funny. I didn't know
anything about the Alpha course before this and it's
always nice to feel you've learned something from
televisionâ (Revelations: How to Find God)
40. Audience Research: Dislikes
ďMisrepresenting their own beliefs
ďGiving a voice to people they donât like
ďThe presenter/narrator patronising those
featured
ďInaccuracy
ďOmitting key points, facts or events
ďStereotypical imagery and portrayals
ďLength of programmes
ďSensational titles, trailers or opening
monologues
41. Audience Research: Dislikes
ďNot being allowed to make up their own minds
ďâFlakyâ people
ďNot getting to the âheartâ of an issue
ďNot being able to see a particular programme
(e.g. many are watercooler stuff, hear about it
after event via friends, press coverage, awards;
repeats happen too soon or at odd times; some
programmes not publicised)
42. Audience Research: Dislikes
ď âUnfortunately I am reeling from this
programme, which I thought was another of the
chain of Christian Bashing Programmes on over
the Christmas PeriodâŚIt would be good to
have real Christian Scholars on the programme,
so that two atheists donât sped an hour trying
to discredit Christianity which is what the
programme is for I thinkâ. (Christianity: A History)
43. Audience Research: Dislikes
ďA) âCaught a bit of this in passing... but is it
really right for a 13 year old with strong views
to be put up against older adults who
apparently want to try and "catch them outâ?â
ďB) âNo, indeed. I also wasn't keen on the show's
general subtext of "look at all the things you're
missing out on - underage drinking! Underage
sex! Vacuous celebrities!" Yeah, good oneâ.
(Deborah, 13: Servant of God)
44. Audience Research: Dislikes
ďâThatâs exactly how you always see Africa
portrayedâ (Saving Africaâs Witch Children)
ďâThat woman was so patronising. Judaism is a
really beautiful faith and they were really
interesting people. They handled it with dignity
though.â (Jews ep3)
ďâI was cringing throughoutâ (Wife Swap)
ďâHe was trying to be Jon Ronson or somebody
and just came across as patronising and weakâ
(Gary, Young Psychic and Possessed)
45. Tweeting Revelations
ďChannel 4 series Revelations began last
night.
ďThe first programme, âHow to Find Godâ
was very popular with Twitter audience
(often 25-45, more educated).
ďUpdates came very quickly, at a similar
rate to Ashes to Ashes (which often
made top tweeting trends) though not for
as long a period.
46. Tweeting Revelations
ďPartly due to Jon Ronsonâs involvement
and his presence on Twitter as well as his
interaction with viewers during
broadcast.
ďRonson asked questions about course
itself, his own response to course, what
participants and church were like, what
Alpha thought of documentary and some
technical queries (e.g. music, imagery).
47. Tweeting Revelations
ďSeveral âtweetersâ expressed interest in
Alpha because of friends/family
involvement.
ďA number of responses discussed
peopleâs orientation towards doing
course themselves.
ďâTonguesâ moment the moment of
controversy as anticipated by framing of
doc. Many people found the idea âcultâ
like or disturbing.
48. Tweeting Revelations
ďThose who identified as Christians either
tended to say they thought it was sensationalist
or else distanced their own Christianity from
tongues, or from the way tongues used in this
example.
ďShort âexitâ survey posted after revealed strong
atheist audience (reflecting Twitter population
rather than general?) but strong interest in
religious programmes. Most (of all beliefs)
positive about programme.
49. Tweeting Revelations
ďPositive comments about programme all to do
with sense of fairness or balance; some negative
ones to do with feeling Ronson âsneeryâ but
most to do with limitations of hour-format.
ďFrom around 30 other programmes listed, the
most watched were Panorama: Scientology and
Me, Around the World in 80 Faiths, The Root of All
Evil?, Baby Bible Bashers and The Manchester
Passion.
50. Tweeting Revelations
ďMajority said theyâd watch more
programmes in the series.
ďSeveral will be followed up for focus
groups and surveys.
ďHashtag set up for future episodes (may
or may not be successful, but designed
purely to indicate participation in my
research).
51. Next Stages
ďAudience research around Revelations
series: Twitter, focus groups, message
boards etc
ďTextual Analysis of some early decade
programmes
ďPossible extra interviews
ďAll the hard stuff â organising literature,
data, doing transcriptions, writing papers
and the final thesis!
52. Summary
ďSense of importance of religion (this has
increased over decade, less âwhy believeâ,
more âwhat is role of religionâ).
ďEmphasis on moderation and tolerance
within religious belief.
ďDesire for âfairnessâ and detailed
exploration of topics.
ďClear levels of what is and isnât
acceptable.