BBC Radio 2 explores the idea of beauty for Faith In The World Week 2016

The Radio 2 initiative will launch during Good Morning Sunday hosted by Fern Britton (Sunday 23 October, 7am-9am) and will close in the same programme the following week.

A series of features and interviews with thought-provoking contributors will air on the station from Sunday 23 to Sunday 30 October examining our relationship with beauty and looking at the moral, religious and ethical issues surrounding it.

Christine Morgan, Head of BBC Radio Religion and Ethics, says: “Radio 2’s Faith in the World Week always uncovers the unexpected and I’m very excited that this year’s theme has really got people talking. When we asked, what does beauty mean to you? we got an amazing range of thoughtful, funny, and very personal responses - and we’ll be asking listeners for more thoughts throughout the week.”

Lewis Carnie, Head of Programming, Radio 2, says: “As the UK’s most listened-to radio station, Radio 2 prides itself in producing distinctive speech content alongside music and entertainment programming. Faith programming is an important part of our schedule and this year’s topic will explore many different themes around beauty which I’m sure will resonate with audiences of all faiths.”

BBC local radio is joining forces with Radio 2 and will be discovering what people regard as the most beautiful qualities in their partners, friends and parents in a specially commissioned COMRES poll for Faith in the World Week. The results of the poll will be revealed as part of the launch on October 23.

Faith in the World programming includes:

Believing in Beauty
Tuesday 25 October, Radio 2
Reverend Kate Bottley, best known as the vicar on Gogglebox as well as being a regular contributor to Pause for Thought on Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show, presents a documentary which explores perceptions of beauty - both inner and physical beauty from a religious/spiritual and psychological perspective.

In the documentary Kate talks to fashion and beauty blogger, Gracie Francesca, who advises millions of viewers on self-acceptance and body positivity via her YouTube channel; and country singer Sasha McVeigh, who discusses the bullying she endured at school because of her looks and how the experience has influenced her music.

Fitness trainer to the stars of Made In Chelsea, Bradley Simmonds, puts Kate through her paces in a workout and reveals the extremes people go to for a beautiful body; while cosmetic surgeon, Dr Robert Tornambe, will talk about the things that really make someone beautiful, such as self-confidence, optimism and altruism.

Listeners also hear from Shelina Janmohamed, author of Generation M, who talks about Islamic beliefs on inner beauty and how religion challenges our perception of beauty; Joanna Jepson, former Chaplain for the London College of Fashion, discusses the relationship between Christianity and the fashion industry; and photographer Alex Rotas, who examines perceptions of beauty in old age.

Good Morning Sunday
Sunday 23 October, 7-9am, Radio 2
Fern Britton looks at the way different cultures and religions perceive beauty. Guests in the programme include Mariah Idrissi, the first Hijab-wearing model to work for H&M, who discusses how her faith influences her attitudes towards beauty; former X Factor winner Sam Bailey, who talks about why people shouldn’t be judged on appearances; and Dina Brawer, founder of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, who chats about Judaism and beauty in the natural world.

Sunday 30 October, 7-9am, Radio 2
Good Morning Sunday with Fern Britton closes Faith In The World Week with special guests including Models of Diversity agency founder Angel Sinclair; country singer Jess Clemons, who will perform on the show and talk about her Christian faith and her role as an ambassador for plus-size clothing company Evans; art critic Matthew Collins talk about the 10 qualities that make art beautiful, including nature, simplicity, surroundings, pattern and surprise; and Chine McDonald, author of Am I Beautiful, who explores the classical perceptions of beauty in ancient Greece and discusses her research into body image among Christians.

Jeremy Vine
On Wednesday 19 October, Jeremy is joined by Katie Piper, the bestselling author, TV presenter and charity campaigner who was the victim of an acid attack in 2008. She tells him 'what makes us human' ahead of Faith In The World Week.

From Monday 24 to Friday 28 October, the show will discuss the influence of social media on the perception of beauty and talk to broadcaster Barbara Want for an item entitled: I Always Thought I Was Ugly.

5 Live Daily
Monday 24 October, Radio 5 live
Presented by Adrian Chiles and Emma Barnett, this programme will feature a discussion on the topic of beauty and body image.

Pause for Thought
All week, Radio 2
Pause for Thought contributors provide their reflections on beauty from their religious perspectives. From Monday to Friday, these segments will air during the overnight programming, 5.45am during Vanessa Feltz (5-6.30am) and 9.20am during The Chris Evans Breakfast Show (6.30-9.30am). Contributors include Anglican priest and writer, Patrick Forbes; Catholic Passionist Priest, Father Brian D’Arcy; and Rabbi Jonathan Hughes of the Radlett United Synaogue.

The Sunday Hour
Sunday 30 October Radio 2
Diane Louise Jordan explores the beauty of creation and what Christianity says about inner beauty through words and music.

BBC local Radio
Faith in the World Week features will also air across religious programmes on local BBC radio stations. Sunday morning programmes across BBC local radio will carry features and real life stories of how people see the beauty inside others. They will also explore how technology is changing and distorting the way we see others, what different faiths believe about beauty and how conventional measures of beauty are being challenged.

There will also be a Faith In The World Week website - bbc.co.uk/radio2 - which will include 30 real-life stories in which people talk to each other about the beauty they see in each other as well as articles, images, clip highlights from the programming and videos of the conversations on the Radio 2 Facebook page.

AF2