with Cathy Macdonald

As 2025 draws to a close, Cathy looks back on a remarkable year, revisiting some of our favourite This Spiritual Life conversations.

Tony Kearney speaks with comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri towards the end of Ramadan, as she reflects on how the holy month shapes her spiritual life. Known from Taskmaster, The Big Fat Quiz of Everything, Silence is Golden and The Last Leg, she talks openly about faith, identity and comedy.

Charlotte Church spoke to Cathy ahead of Celebrity Traitors to share her love of the Scottish Highlands, the role of nature in her spirituality, and how Scotland has shaped her throughout her career.

And the Rev Richard Coles - a man whose journey has taken him from chart-topping pop stardom with The Communards to parish ministry, broadcasting, bestselling crime fiction and reality TV. He spoke with Zara Janjua about his life, his work, coming out to his mother at 16, and how faith has remained central to who he is.

Plus Karen Dunbar reflected with Tony Kearney on the role faith has played throughout her life, and whether her career in comedy might have been, in some way, divinely destined.

Cathy's Faith Forum Panel this week are Professor Joe Goldblatt, Ambassador for the Edinburgh Interfaith Association, theologian Dr Eve Poole, and educationalist and practising Catholic Rosa Murray. The take a wider view of 2025 through a faith and ethics lens, reflecting on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, and the fragile signs of hope emerging through renewed efforts toward peace. They also remember another defining moment, the death of Pope Francis and the appointment of his successor Pope Leo XIV, prompting reflection on his legacy and what we look for in our spiritual leaders today. They also look back at the cultural moments that have shaped the year from compelling television to Scotland qualifying for the World Cup. And finally, as we get to the end of 2026, we ask: what have we learned from the last twelve months?