All Things Considered

Azim Ahmed hosts a panel discussion with a live audience recorded on 27th February at BBC Wales in Cardiff Central Square to mark Ramadan 2026. Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, marked by a month of fasting and prayer. But what’s it like to work in the media industry during this time? Azim Ahmed is joined by a panel of media professionals to hear first-hand what it is like. Is it difficult to balance fasting with work? Do Muslims face stereotypes in the work place? How do media professionals balance their work with their faith and what can we can we expect from religious broadcasting? On the panel Azim is joined by Mariyah Zaman, the co-founder of 'Now in a Minute Media' an independent media platform for and by Welsh Muslims. Shafin Basheer is an Assistant Producer at Slam Media. Dr Nadia Haq is a research fellow at Cardiff University. She looks at the representation of Muslims and Islam in the press from a journalistic perspective. Shazia Ali studied at the Cardiff School of Journalism and now works as a newsroom journalist at BBC Wales. The programme was recorded on 27th February.

As part of the BBC's AI Unpacked Week, Azim Ahmed and a panel of guests unpack whether Artificial Intelligence belongs in worship. Is there a place for it in our mosques, churches and temples, in our heartfelt prayers or songs of praise? Azim is joined by: Gary Bunt, Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David and author of the book “Islamic algorithms”. Professor Beth Singler, Assistant Professor in Digital Religion(s) at the University of Zurich and author of “Religion and AI: An Introduction” Matthew Harvey Sanders, chief executive of Longbeard and the creator of Magisterium AI, who's Catholic Mal Pope, broadcaster, singer songwriter and Christian

Rosa Hunt is joined by Graham Daniels, general director of Christians in Sport. The charity supports sportspeople in competitive and elite sport to live out their Christian faith, as well as working with churches, schools, and clubs to integrate faith and sport. Born in Llanelli and growing up in the 1970s, rugby was ingrained in the social fabric of Graham's community. But from a young age he dreamt of being a professional footballer. He went on to achieve this ambition in a highly competitive field, playing for Cambridge United, and he is now a director of the club. In 1984, Graham became a Christian, a moment that sparked a journey into ministry and shaped a lifelong commitment to living out his Christian faith through sport. Rosa and Graham share a warm hearted conversation to mark fifty years since the foundation of the charity.

This weekend we’ve just had Valentine’s Day – for some it’s very much a romantic occasion, but for many others the day isn’t anything to celebrate at all – it compounds their sense of loneliness. In this week's programme the guest presenter Richard Littledale, a retired Baptist minister and a writer and podcaster working in Colwyn Bay, explores the subject from a personal perspective. Nine years ago his wife Fiona died of cancer and loneliness has been a fact of life for him ever since. During the programme, Richard visits a café, a farm and a hospice and talks to a psychology student who's has battled loneliness. And, Richard introduces us to a polar bear called Arthur.

With a live audience at the Womens' Healthy Lives community event organised by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board from Cardiff City Stadium, Delyth Liddell and guests explore if faith can have an effect on access to healthcare. Delyth is joined by Dr Amara Naseem, a GP based in the Grangetown area of Cardiff who's Muslim, Dr Shylasree a gynae-oncologist at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff from a Hindu background; and Alice Lovering, a sexual health nurse, working in the city of Newport who was raised Catholic.

Today, churches around thew world are marking Candlemas, and stepping into that moment in the Temple when the infant Jesus was presented, and Simeon proclaimed him a light for all nations — a light that still reaches into every culture, every community, every corner of our world. But what does that look like in multicultural Wales today? How does that light sound, feel, and take shape among the many voices that make up our shared life? Jonathan Thomas explores the concept of a Polyphonic Church with Craig Gardner from Cardiff Baptist College; Tim Gill from Newtown Evangelical Church; Jessica Morgan from the Bont Church in Pontypridd, and Rev. Dominic DeSouza who recently co-authored a chapter in the book 'Polyphonic God'.

It sounds like the novel Jane Austen never got to write! But on this day dedicated to St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers, Azim Ahmed looks at what makes a saint in both medieval and modern times. In this panel discussion, four experts compare stories from Catholic, Anglican, medieval and Islamic traditions. Dr David Callander has studied Welsh saints' lives in both Latin and Welsh, and fills in some of the scant detail on the life of Dwynwen, whose cult was based at Ynys Llanddwyn in Anglesey. Father Sebastian Jones of Cardiff Oratory presents the contemporary Catholic view of saints, whilst Bishop Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff, gives shares her insights into the Anglican tradition. Saints are not unique to Christianity, and Professor Mark Sedgwick, based at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, explains about saints in Islam and gives some fascinating glimpses of saints in Sufi practice.

Rob Parsons grew up in Cardiff and has since become one of the most influential voices in the UK on family life, leadership and personal development. He’s written nearly 30 books — including a Sunday Times Bestseller — with over one million copies sold. He founded the charity Care for the Family, earned an OBE for his services to family life, and today speaks internationally on topics ranging from money to leadership to relationships. His latest book, A Knock at the Door, has received widespread acclaim, and he’s been appearing across podcasts and major news outlets to discuss its message.

Azim, Delyth, Jonathan and Rosa, the presenters of All Things Considered, choose their favourite episodes of 2025.

Azim Ahmed considers the cultural and religious significance of stars across many different faiths. Professor George van Kooten from the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge discusses the Star of Bethlehem and the journey of the Magi, while Conwy Fisherman, Carl Davies, explains celestial navigation. Author and Mathematician, Professor Sarah Hart, describes what a hexagram is. Dr Jaclyn Granick from the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University, tells us the origins of the Star of David and how its identity has changed over time. Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Cardiff University, Dr Mansur Ali, explains why stars feature prominently in Islam. Plus, Author and Welsh Witch, Mhara Starling, reveals the magic behind the pentagram. Presented by Azim Ahmed. Produced by Stuart Russell. Audio Supervision by Searle Whittney.

As Christmas approaches, schools and churches across Wales are busy making costumes, practising songs, and helping children learn their lines for one of our most enduring traditions: the nativity play. Delyth Liddell visits a range of nativities across Wales, from a drop-in immersive nativity performed in the centre of Aberdare, to a damp but joyful roving nativity in Llanidloes, to primary school children performing their first plays in rural Talgarth and urban Cardiff. But behind the tea towels, tinsel, and excited children lies something deeper, a story that has shaped cultures, communities and childhoods for generations. We explore why the nativity still matters. Should plays be re-shaped and told for modern audiences or stick with the traditional versions? Why is this retelling of an ancient story so important? Much of the nativity we know so well isn’t true to the Bible - does it matter? Delyth visits St. Philip Evans Roman Catholic Primary School in Cardiff, Ysgol y Mynydd Du in Talgarth, St. Elvans Church in Aberdare for a performance of 'Christmas a Story' and a roving nativity in Treveglois. She speaks to Professor Wyn Evans from the University of Cardiff and Naomi Johnson from 'Out of the Ark', a leading publisher of children's nativity plays.

Away in a Manger is one of our favourite carols, but what does it mean for a child not to have a bed of their own? Sadly, this is the reality for too many children in Wales and beyond. In this programme Rosa Hunt looks at three stories where Christian communities are trying to tackle this issue, from child bed poverty to children displaced by bitter conflict. Campbell Edmondson of the Lishon Project in Rhyl talks about addressing the need to supply some children in that area with beds and bedding. Sam Lomas of the Christian charity Home For Good talks about a campaign to get ordinary families to take adolescents and young adults into their homes to provide what they call 'supported lodgings'. Mari McNeill, Head of Christian Aid in Wales, talks about that organisation's Christmas campaign, No Crib for a Bed, drawing attention to the plight of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo where many children have been uprooted from their homes by the bitter violence. Obed Buhendwa, Christian Aid's senior programme officer in the region, reports from Bokavu, a city only 20 km away from the fighting.

Written in the 18th century, with words taken from the King James Bible, it is claimed that Handel's Messiah is 'the greatest piece of participatory art ever created'. Even today, it is performed and played in churches, cathedrals, theatres and music halls, each and every Christmas. In this programme, we ask the question: what is the enduring allure of Handel’s Messiah? Is it just a musical masterpiece, or is there something more going on? To help us ask this question, Jonathan Thomas is joined by the Gloucester Choral Society, pastoral theological Stephen Roberts, author Charles King, and authors of a new advent devotional on the Messiah, Dave & Sally Gobbett.

Azim Ahmed and guests ask if faith makes a person more susceptible to criminals or if it makes people more resilient in bouncing back afterwards because they're able to forgive? How much does being a victim of fraud test a person’s faith? Could it even break it? Over the course of the programme we hear from people who’ve been in that position, learn what happened to them and how they dealt with the aftermath. Jaci Prosser attends St Sannan's Church and volunteers at a foodbank. Kamal Ali from Newport South Wales is the founder and inventor of My Salah Mat, the world’s first interactive prayer mat. The Reverend Mike Hall is a Methodist Minister. He was working away from home in North Wales when his house was sold without his knowledge. Jagdev Singh Virdee is the general secretary of the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend. If you’ve been affected by the issues we’ve discussed in this programme you can get help and information by going to bbc.co.uk/actionline All of the BBC’s Scam Safe advice is available at bbc.co.uk/scamsafe

In September the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally, organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, drew many thousands of people to London. Advertised as the UK’s biggest ‘Free Speech Festival’, speakers made calls to reaffirm Britain’s Christian foundations. Many held wooden crosses and flags with Christian slogans, and the crowds were led in reciting the Lord’s Prayer. In response to the march, a group of Church of England bishops and senior clergy joined leaders from across denominations to write a letter condemning the “co-opting or corrupting” of the Christian faith and symbols to exclude others. The letter said that ‘communities felt anxious, unsettled and even threatened by aspects of the march.’ Meanwhile operation ‘Raise the Colours’, a campaign to cover Britain in flags, has seen St. George’s flags appear on lamp posts across England. Some see flying the flag as patriotism, while others are concerned and say the movement is underpinned by far-right nationalists. Today we’ll explore the issues. Why is it different to fly a Welsh Flag or a St. George’s Cross? What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism? In what way was the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march unsettling and exclusionary to others? Delyth Liddell is joined by Reverend Rhys Llwyd, leader of a Welsh speaking Baptist Church in Caernarfon, North Wales. The Rt Rev Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn who has recently written an article arguing that the flying of flags is a cry from long neglected communities. Suzanne Philpott lives near Swansea. She attended the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally in September and is a Christian. Ross Hendry is from Llanelli and is the CEO of Christian Action Research and Education. He was a joint signatory of the letter “Do not ‘co-opt’ the cross to divide."

This is Unesco's International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, marking a century and more since this fascinating branch of physics came to transform our understanding of the world. Not only that, for people of faith quantum science has arguably transformed our understanding of the nature of God and the nature of humanity. Rosa Hunt investigates the strange, and sometimes downright weird world of quantum uncertainty, dead-and-alive cats, and the possibility of multiverses. Her guests include Professor David Wilkinson, Dr Emily Qureshi-Hurst, Dr Nick Spencer and Father Lee Taylor.

On November 8th, Cherry Vann will be enthroned as the 15th Archbishop of Wales. Her appointment has been covered in an abundance of headlines, as it has come in the midst of a turbulent time for the Church in Wales. The former archbishop stood down amidst problems in Bangor Cathedral. But, her appointment is also hailed by many as a new era for the Church. A few weeks before her enthronement, Jonathan Thomas sat down with the new Archbishop of Wales at the Bishops office in Newport, to find out who she is beyond the headlines.

In light of the recent appointment of the Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, Azim Ahmed and guests examine whether women have shattered the glass ceiling of faith leadership. To discuss the issues Azim is joined by a panel of female faith leaders; the Very Reverend Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St. David’s Cathedral. Chine McDonald who is the Director of the Theos think tank. Zara Muhammed made history as the first woman to lead the Muslim Council of Britain, serving as Secretary General between 2021 and 2025, Rabbi Charley Baginsky is the Co-Lead of Progressive Judaism in the UK and Ireland. Together they examine the challenges of leadership in faith traditions shaped by patriarchal societies, the qualities women bring to leadership and the hope they have for the future of religious leadership and inter-faith relations.

October is World Menopause Awareness Month; Menopause tends to begin between the ages of forty-five and fifty-five but for some it can start much earlier in life. It’s a process that can be tiring, confusing, annoying, frightening and even alienating. But what part can faith play in this rite of passage that half the world’s population go through? Can faith be helpful for people navigating the menopause or is it a form of suppression, with the changes to our bodies rarely being talked about in our churches, temples and mosques? Delyth Liddell is joined by - Sarah Allen, author of 'Pause – How to enjoy God, find hope and bear fruit through midlife and the menopause'. Neera Vyas, a semi-retired religious studies teacher from Ruabon who’s from a Hindu background. Dr Camilla Mork, historian and founding member of the UK Menstruation Research Network. GP Dr Felicia Wong, who works for The Christian Medical Fellowship.

Jonathan Thomas visits the Torch Fellowship Group in Ammanford, speaks to volunteers of Guide Dogs UK, and interviews others about the experience of sight loss in the church. He also remembers the life and ministry of Peter Jackson, a blind pianist. All music performed by Peter Jackson for BBC Radio Wales Celebration in 1995 and 2013.