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Kenneth Williams; Misogyny in schools; Israel-Gaza

Re-surfaced recordings of the much-loved performer Kenneth Williams. Can faith help deal with the growing problem of misogyny in schools? Muslim Aid tells us about work in Gaza.

Archive on 4 is available on BBC Sounds featuring previously unheard tapes of Kenneth Williams reading Bible stories. They were recorded by a young James Jones, now the retired Bishop of Liverpool when he was a young producer working for a Christian charity, charged with getting new recordings that would bring new audiences to Christianity. The tapes explore Williams's talent in bringing these well-known stories to life and 'open a window into his soul', exploring his own relationship with faith through the people who knew him. Edward Stourton discusses Kenneth Williams' faith with Mark Oakley who is the dean of Southwark Cathedral, and James Jones, the former bishop of Liverpool.

Also on the programme; the founder of the first secure school for young offenders with a faith ethos, says the spiritual health of teenagers needs addressing. Steve Chalke says schools in his Oasis group use an holistic approach to address bad behaviour. According to a new Teacher Tapp survey commissioned by the BBC, more than a third of secondary school teachers say they’ve seen misogynistic behaviour from a pupil in their school in the last week. But while Steve Chalke argues that a faith ethos in a school can help, are some religious beliefs part of the problem?

As Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza, six UN aid agencies have this week appealed for a ceasefire and the resumption of urgently needed aid deliveries. We hear from Muslim Aid, which has worked with aid workers in the strip for the last 19 years. Meanwhile Jewish people around the world are celebrating the start of Passover – but in Israel some of the hostages who’ve been released say it’s hard to celebrate this festival of freedom when 59 hostages are still in captivity. The President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews gives us the view from the British Jewish diaspora.

Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Amanda Hancox
Studio Managers: Sam Smith & Nat Stokes
Editor: Tim Pemberton

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44 minutes

Broadcast

  • Sun 13 Apr 2025 07:10

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