QUESTIONS OF FAITH AND FRIENDS

Former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews has explained why he questioned whether Jesus was a real person on upcoming BBC programme Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales.

The TV personality, who hosts the Big Fish

podcast, said that Bible miracles sound “mad”, adding: “I kind of thought that the people in the (Bible) stories could also be made up.”

Matthews stars in the sixth series of the BBC Two show, and is joined by TV presenter Sonali Shah, comedian Eshaan Akbar, The Traitors’ Amanda Lovett, Friday Night Dinner

star Tom Rosenthal and former model Christine McGuiness, as they traverse North Wales.

Speaking at a Q&A event for the forthcoming series, Matthews addressed the moment he questioned Jesus’ existence on the show.

“By the way, the Jesus being real thing, just to reference it,” he said. “I think I’m a bit confused with Old Testament and New Testament – and parting of the seas and the turning water into wine all sounds mad, so I kind of thought that the people in the stories could also be made up.”

In the programme Matthews asks Akbar: “Jesus Christ definitely existed?

“I thought he could have been made up… that’s not disputed, no?”

During the Q&A, Matthews also discussed the death of his brother Michael and how he felt “accepted” by the group after he opened up about it on the show. His brother disappeared into blinding snow hours after becoming the youngest Briton to summit Mount Everest in May 1999. His death was explored by Matthews in documentary Finding Michael.

Asked which moments from the pilgrimage he will treasure, Matthews said: “I felt like as a group, we experienced quite a few things, moments along the way.”

Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales

starts on March 29 and will be available to watch on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.