From 1970 until today

Thought for the Day was first broadcast in April 1970, following a long tradition of short religious broadcasts in BBC radio’s breakfast programming.

The first was Lift Up Your Hearts, which began in 1939 and aired five mornings a week. Then came Ten to Eight, which ran from 1965 to 1970.

The talk, which once lasted more than four minutes, is now 2 min 40 secs, usually related to current affairs. Recent shows used Brexit, North Korea’s nuclear weapons and the idea of a “post-truth” society as starting points.

At the start, contributors were Christian and Jewish, but the first Muslim speaker joined in 1992. Since then, it has featured speakers from the world’s major faiths.