Things Unseen

In this Easter episode of Things Unseen, Amir Suleman speaks with Sister Liz Dodd about rethinking Lent and Easter through her book Easter in Disguise. Reflecting on the rare overlap of Lent and Ramadan, they explore shared themes of fasting, justice, and compassion, and consider how faith traditions can inspire meaningful action and hope in today’s world.

Mina Shannon is a reality TV personality and broadcaster with a growing presence across radio and television. Raised between Uganda, Glasgow, Birmingham, and Liverpool, her diverse upbringing shaped her confidence and adaptability. In conversation with Liz Adekunle, Mina reflects on her journey into broadcasting, her experience on The Traitors UK 2025, and her non-traditional Christian faith.

Sacha Jones is a reality TV personality, businesswoman and broadcaster who rose to fame on Married at First Sight UK in 2024. A former Miss Birmingham and beautician, she once explored New Age practices before a dramatic encounter led her to embrace Christianity. In conversation with Liz Adekunle, she reflects on her upbringing, pageantry, and how faith transformed her life.

In this episode of Things Unseen, Mark Dowd and his guests explore the enduring relevance of St Dismas, the penitent thief in the story of Christ’s passion. Biblical novelist Rob Seabrook, ex-convict Michael Emmett and former prison chaplain Sue Culver share their perspectives on how the thief's story of repentance can inspire those in search of hope and transformation.

In 2012 Manga, a young Christian from northern Nigeria, was attacked and almost beheaded by armed men from the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram. The attackers forced Manga and his younger brother to witness their father’s brutal murder before turning their attention to them. Manga, now 33 years old, relates how that horrific ordeal has changed his outlook on life and strengthened his Christian faith.

Taj Uddin Ahmed and Nazia Khatun are both fitness coaches. As observant Muslims, they want to help people have a more fulfilling and healthier life, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset. So what’s the best way of keeping up an exercise regime and eating healthily during Ramadan, while also trying to focus on your spiritual life? Taj and Nazia join Amir Suleman at the Muscleworks Gym in Whitechapel, London, to share their best tips.

Have you lost a beloved dog, cat or rabbit – and after their death, have you ever had a sense that they were still around? In this podcast, we hear from people who are convinced that their pets are living on after their earthly death. Discussing these cases are dog owner Mark Dowd, Christian theologian and environmental campaigner Canon Dr Ruth Valerio, and Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, who believes his dog taught him how to be a better human.

Composer and conductor Leo Geyer tells the story of how he came across unfinished manuscripts in the archive at the Auschwitz death camp, and his determination to share them with the world. With Jewish soprano Caroline Kennedy and Hungarian Roma violinist Antal Zalai. © Sky UK/ Windfall Films

O Holy Night has long been one of the UK's most popular Christmas carols. But what is its magic? In this montage of voices from singers and musicians, a priest, a Paralympic athlete and a historian, we discover how the tune and lyrics work together perfectly to create a song that is moving, uplifting and liberating in equal measure.

Christian author, magician and comedian Steve Legg died of cancer in September 2024, leaving wife Bekah and a blended family of children and grandchildren behind. Few things could be as tough as the first Christmas after losing a close loved one. In conversation with Mark Dowd, Bekah – who herself has a strong Christian faith - reflects on how, despite her grief, she is able to look ahead to Christmas with hope.

Liz Adekunle is a Church of England priest - yet she dreads Christmas. For her it’s often been a stressful and difficult time, and there have been years when she’s had no one to spend Christmas day with. Liz is not alone. Research has shown that nearly half of us have similar feelings, often because of the expense or pressure to spend Christmas time with family you may not get on with. So how, Liz asks, can those who do dread the season make Christmas better – for themselves and those around them, whether or not they are Christian? So, in this edition of Things Unseen, she gathers together some people who can help uncover a more spiritual – and more relaxed and meaningful - side to Christmas. Christian Comedian Paul Kerensa delves into how you can make new traditions to make it special for you, while Salvation Army officer, Jo Moir, explains how to her Christmas is about helping those who struggle the most. And Catholic nun Sister Gemma Simmonds advises on finding the still points in the season, even if you’re celebrating alone.

In this FaithTime episode, Liz Adekunle meets Bobby Seagull, former University Challenge captain, maths teacher, and education equality advocate. Bobby opens up about his upbringing as an Indian Catholic in East Ham, his pivotal career shift from banking to teaching and his ongoing search for both spiritual and romantic fulfillment.

In this FaithTime episode, Liz Adekunle meets Swarzy Macaly, BBC Radio 1Xtra weekend presenter, voice of BBC Sounds and campaigner for causes ranging from sustainability to the fight against racism. Swarzy opens up about how she found Jesus in the middle of a shoplifting incident, her search for belonging, and how her Christian faith helped her find a path out of hopelessness and insecurity.

Passover is one of the most important Jewish festivals, marking the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt and the start of their journey to the Promised Land – Israel. This year, the celebrations have an extra significance because of the Hamas attack on Israel in October and the subsequent violence unleashed on Gaza by Israel. In this Passover edition of Things Unseen, Amir Suleman, a Muslim, and Orthodox Rabbi Dov Cowan discuss the significance the festival holds this year, with Israel and Gaza at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who sent Jesus to be crucified, is often seen as the villain of the story. But was he downright evil, or merely weak? In this Good Friday and Easter edition of Things Unseen, the Ven Liz Adekunle hears from a priest, a Christian author and a former homicide detective turned evangelist about how we might see our own actions reflected in Pilate’s story.

The retaliation by Israel in Gaza following the Hamas attack in October, has caused deep-seated anger among Muslim communities, including in the UK. As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan approaches, with its focus on compassion, charity, and prayer, how are Muslims preparing, given the strong emotions triggered by the Israel-Gaza situation? Gaza will not be far from people’s minds as they get together to break the fast in the evenings, and much of the community’s charitable giving this year will go to help the Palestinians. In this Ramadan edition of Things Unseen, broadcaster Amir Suleman meets Muslims of different ages to ask how they can find compassion, even for people they might regard as enemies. Joining the conversation are social psychologist Anita Nayyar, community worker Faisal Mahmood and university student Abdul-Roqueeb Salman.

In the film One Life, Anthony Hopkins plays Nicholas Winton, who rescued over 600 Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Prague by sending them on what became known as the Kindertransport. For this podcast, Rosie Dawson welcomes two people who knew Nicholas Winton personally: Rabbi Jonathan Romain from Maidenhead synagogue in Berkshire, and Lord Alf Dubs, who was himself a Kindertransport child and campaigns for the rights of unaccompanied child refugees. Together with Sue Butler from Welcome Churches, a network committed to welcoming refugees and asylum seekers, they discuss what lessons the story of Nicholas Winton holds for us today.

The image of the Madonna and child appears on nearly every Christmas card and is at the centre of every nativity scene. But in most of these images, Mary looks European, a white woman with fair hair. Yet there are also Black Madonnas – and they’re often seen as particularly powerful. Liz Adekunle finds out about the rich history of the Black Madonna and her relevance to Christians today as they celebrate the birth of Christ.

Liz Adekunle, Chaplain to His Majesty the King, continues to meet celebrities who have been sustained by their faith during difficult times. Her guests in this episode of FaithTime are Carrie and David Grant, who are well-known for their work as vocal coaches, broadcasters and campaigners. From being struck down with illness to their experience of child-on-parent violence, the couple open up about their lives together and as a family and reflect on what their Christian faith has meant along an often difficult path.

Liz Adekunle, former Archdeacon of Hackney and Chaplain to His Majesty the King, sets out to discover what people in the public eye have learnt about their faith during challenging times. In this episode, Amos Ogunkoya, one of the stars of the reality TV show, The Traitors, and Luton Town FC first team doctor, joins Liz for a deep dive into experiences that have moulded his Christian faith.

For most people in the UK, Easter means extra days off work, family time and chocolate eggs. So how can its message be heard afresh through nature and astronomy, stories and art? With Fr Christopher Jamison, a Benedictine monk, writer and Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation; and Bonnie Lander Johnson, a writer and Cambridge academic with a love of stories, history and nature.

The Prophet Muhammad was 40 when he began to receive the revelation of the Quran. In this podcast, journalist Remona Aly is joined by three guests in their 40s to discuss the deeper meaning of maturity in Islam, and how the ‘age of revelation’ is best lived - through innovative approaches, the love of walking, life-lessons and personal legacies.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending broken bowls with lacquer and gold, which often makes the restored object more beautiful than the original. As a result, kintsugi has become a symbol of how human brokenness can lead to a new sense of inner wholeness and beauty.

What draws people from other faiths – including Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and Muslims – to sing in Christian choirs, even at Christmas? In this festive podcast, Zubeida Malik meets some of them during carol rehearsals to find out.

Writer Susie Stead describes how her 20-year friendship with Stephen, a man with profound mental health issues, challenged her perceptions about mental health and her own Christian faith. She also reveals how her decision to write a book about Stephen was to convince him that his life “did matter.”

Why is the Russian Orthodox Church supporting Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine? Are the Russian President’s alleged religious motives genuine, and has the church’s endorsement of the war tarnished Russian Orthodoxy beyond redemption? Lucy Ash discusses with guests Fr Cyril Hovorun and Lord Harries, former Bishop of Oxford.

When Christ’s bloodied body was taken down from the cross, his followers took very good care of it. Looking after the dead body of a loved one was normal then. So why is it, Mark Dowd asks in this Holy Week and Easter podcast, that we’ve become so squeamish about it?

Is there a clash between the generous hospitality that’s customary during Ramadan, and the self-restraint and solidarity with the poor also expected during the Islamic holy month? Remona Aly hears from Muslims who are trying to have a greener and simpler Ramadan.

The writer and broadcaster Mark Dowd throws fresh light on a question which has troubled people of faith down the ages and remains ever topical in times of Covid, wars and natural disasters: why does a loving God allow good people to suffer?

The Gospels tell us little about the actual birth of Jesus. What would it have been like for a young woman, probably a teenager, to give birth for the first time far from home, with no medical help, in a stable or cave? Rae Duke and two midwives discuss. With Tina Beattie.

Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang in China face serious restrictions during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, including a ban on fasting. Here, Uyghurs in exile in the UK recall what Ramadan was like back home and how the Uyghur Ramadan customs of their childhood form a bridge to loved ones.

The Easter story is perhaps the ultimate rollercoaster narrative. And it has its fair share of heroes and villains, praised or condemned down the ages. But what about the behind-the-scenes Easter? Could that make us think again? Moving between the present day and the 1st century, Patient 13 fills in the gaps of the Gospels in an intriguing look at the events of Holy Week.

Nearly one in five women in the UK are now childless at 40, many involuntarily. Among them was the writer and teacher Blanche Girouard, and she desperately wanted a baby. In this audio diary, she charts her journey from the decision to have a child from an anonymous donor, via IVF treatment in December 2019 and her pregnancy during the Covid-19 lockdown, to holding her miracle baby in her arms for Christmas this year.

Sarah Niyazi was pleased to get her husband, Arif, home from hospital in February, following treatment for a severe autoimmune condition. Within days they were both ill, but her husband was worse. Struggling to breathe he went back into hospital, one of the earliest UK cases of COVID-19. Mark Dowd hears from Sarah about how the following days played out, and from Muslim hospital chaplain Rehanah Sadiq, who was ‘like an angel sent by God’, Sarah says.

Journalist Remona Aly speaks to Islam scholar Abdal Hakim Murad, also known as Dr Tim Winter, about how to navigate the very different kind of Ramadan experience that Covid-19 brings – including how to cope with having to abandon traditional rituals and customs, and how to find spiritual meaning in a global pandemic.

In self-isolation at her new home in Virginia, former BBC religious affairs correspondent Jane Little reflects on whether the coronavirus pandemic could be a portal to a new world: one in which the poor and marginalized will finally get their fair share.

With churches closed and the coronavirus lockdown firmly in place, the UK faces a very different Easter this year. More and more people each day experience the sudden loss of a friend or family member. Others fear deeply for loved ones who are elderly or vulnerable. So how does the Easter story of death and resurrection help at this traumatic time, indeed does it help at all? Emily Buchanan talks to two remarkable women who have survived terrible sudden bereavement.

Among the saddest stories to come out of the coronavirus crisis so far is that of 13-year-old Ismail, who died without seeing the loving faces of his family around him. In this short reflection, Mark Dowd, a Catholic, considers the importance of seeing a loving face when you are close to death. Even Jesus on the cross saw his mother Mary standing and gazing up to him in his agony. So what hope is there in the Christian message this Easter time, with the families of the sick in lockdown?

Former BBC correspondent Mike Wooldridge has reported first hand on many of the world’s worst disasters of the last few decades, from the famine in Ethiopia to the AIDS epidemic in Uganda. In this short reflection, Mike draws his own lessons for the coronavirus pandemic: we should place the African concept of Ubuntu – a strong sense of our common humanity - at the centre of our response.

It’s there on almost every Christmas card featuring the scene of Christ’s birth, and in almost every school Nativity play: the donkey, or ass. But look at the gospel accounts of Christ’s birth, and you may be surprised: there is no donkey! So how has this much-loved seasonal character entered Christmas lore, and why has the donkey remained a Christmas favourite ever since? Jane Little goes in search of the Christmas donkey and its real-life descendants today.

“Mindfulness” seems to be everywhere these days. It’s often promoted as a way dealing with some mental health issues and reducing burnout. But with origins in Buddhism, how well does it sit with other faiths? And what caused Tim Stead to leave his calling as a Church of England priest to pursue a career in mindfulness teaching? To find out, Mike Wooldridge visits Tim’s “meditation barn” at the back of his house in Oxford.

For two weeks in October, members of the Extinction Rebellion movement are attempting to disrupt life in London and elsewhere to draw attention to what they say is an impending climate catastrophe. Among them are Christians of all ages who are camping out in the rain and risking arrest to make their point: that it’s their God-given responsibility to take care of the earth. Rosie Dawson meets some of them.

Concern over the environmental and welfare aspects of the meat and dairy industries is on the rise, but what about the world of fish farming? For those who want to protect the world’s oceans from deep sea trawling and over fishing, farmed fish seem like the ethical solution. But this may not be the case...

Former Lord Mayor of Sheffield Magid Magid is joined by a team of fasting veterans to answer your burning questions on Ramadan – including the fasting rules, spiritual highs, spiritual lows, veganism and moon-wars.

In the midst of a ferocious thunderstorm, Joe and Nick, two no-nonsense Irishmen, are carrying a body into a cave for burial. But their relief at getting out of the rain is short lived, when an earthquake traps them inside. Father Ted star Jim Norton stars in new Irish playwright Brendan Devitt’s drama from CTVC.

Not long after Christmas last year, Abbi Banks died of leukaemia. With the grief still so raw, how can parents Tim and Liz and sister Debbie hang on to the Christmas message of hope as the festive season comes round once again?

Shaunaka Rishi Das, an Irish-born Hindu priest reflects on his wife’s suicide and its aftermath. In her mid-50s and suffering from depression, Shaunaka’s wife Keshava took her own life, with questions over the medical response leading to a traumatic two-day inquest. Shaunaka tells the story publically for the first time, reflecting eloquently on death, mourning and letting go from a Hindu perspective.

After years of mental illness Guy Stagg embarked on a walk from Canterbury to Jerusalem, spending ten months on a 5,500 km medieval pilgrim route, a journey to the centre of the three Abrahamic faiths. And all this despite having no faith or belief in God. He joins Mark Dowd in Canterbury, retracing the footsteps of where it all began, to discuss why as a non-believer, he hoped the extraordinary adventure would heal him.

Mango cake and chocolate brownies might seem a world away from politics and rising levels of anti-Muslim feeling. But Great British Bake Off contestant Ali Imdad is on a mission to counter negative stereotypes with desserts from the Muslim world. All with the aim of bringing people together through a love of food.

Things Unseen travels through space and time for a close encounter between science fiction and faith. Steering the ship will be the writer and broadcaster Natalie Haynes, with crewmates Beth Singler, research associate with the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, and Robert Shearman, a writer whose work has often focused on the fantastical, and the man who brought the Daleks into the 21st century.