Chorus of disapproval as BBC moves Songs of Praise to lunchtime

THE Church of England has accused the BBC of ‘marginalising’ Songs of Praise after it moved its flagship religious show to a lunchtime slot.

The programme, which has been running for 57 years, used to air late on Sunday afternoons – sometimes going out at 6pm – when audiences were settling down in front of their televisions.

But in November, the BBC shifted it to the earlier time of 1.15pm, when many viewers are out or having Sunday lunch.

Addressing the General Synod, the Church’s governing body, member Chris Angus asked bishops if they had ‘questioned why the only regular religious programme previously to be broadcast in peak time has … been marginalised to a slot early on Sunday afternoons’.

In a written answer, the Archbishop of York, the Most Rev John Sentamu, said: ‘ The Church House communications office has been in direct contact with the BBC regarding the scheduling of Songs of Praise.

‘The BBC has informed them the new scheduling time has been introduced to ensure the programme holds a consistent place in the schedule after the lunchtime news and is not dislodged by the over-running of any sporting events being broadcast later in the day.’

The BBC yesterday defended the move, saying it wanted to make the programme easier for viewers to find, ensure ‘consistency’ and avoid displacement by sporting events.

But the shake-up has sparked concern that older viewers are being forced to choose between watching the show and using Sundays for other activities.

A petition to return Songs of Praise to its later slot, which has attracted more than 1,000 signatures, also raised fears the BBC is deliberately burying the show in the schedules so it can eventually be dropped.

Caroline Hobbs, who launched the petition, said: ‘ For the housebound and those in care homes, like my mother, this is their only access to Sunday worship. They are unable to record it or use iPlayer.

‘By moving it to a time when they will be having lunch they are deprived of a much-loved programme. This will also mean that viewing figures will drop, which may lead to it being axed permanently.’

She added: ‘This is the only Christian programme still shown regularly on TV and although viewers may be in a minority, they still have a right to enjoy it.’

Songs of Praise – first launched as an experiment in 1961 – was made by the BBC until 2017, when the broadcaster decided to farm it out to commercial producers. At the time, the move was described as a ‘nail in the coffin’ of the country’s ‘religious literacy’.

‘Denied access to Sunday worship’