Seen & Unseen Aloud

13th April 2026: Retrospective Birthday Compilation

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This week this we have a special retrospective compilation episode; with articles chosen and introduced by Nick Jones, Senior Editor of Seen & Unseen, Belle Tindall-Riley - Seen & Unseen's staff writer and co-host of the Re-Enchanting podcast and Graham Tomlin, the editor-in-Chief of Seen & Unseen, and a former Bishop of Kensington. Enjoy!

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6th April 2026: 3rd Birthday Compilation: Begging, the Death of Fun and a warm welcome back to Glastonbury

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

In S&UA's 3rd Birthday compilation episode, I have chosen an article from Seen and Unseen’s first three years. I have chosen Jon Kurt talking wisely and compassionately about begging on our cities’ streets from 2023; Simon Walters from 2024 talking about how playing video games can all too quickly turn into a form of work and finally Jessica Norman’s piece from 2025 reliving the heart warming welcome Lewis Capaldi received as he returned to the Glastonbury stage after he took time off to look after his mental health.

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30th March 2026: Quiet Faith; the Manosphere & how Sin explains the Epstein story

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Graham Tomlin addresses the flawed data in the "Quiet Revival" and explores the power of quiet faith; Tim Yearsley shares his personal reaction to Louis Theroux's documentary about the "Manosphere"; and Jonny Torrance asks why people do terrible things and how an understanding of Sin helps us understand the unfolding story of the Epstein files.

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23rd March 2026: S&U's 3rd Birthday; Death & Life; the Oscars

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

This month Seen & Unseen celebrates 3 years. In this episode, Graham Tomlin contemplates how much the world has changed in 3 years; Barnabas Aspray considers life and rebirth and Belle Tindall-Riley writes our 2,000th article - all about the Oscars.

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16th March 2026: James van der Beek; the moral imagination of the Left and parking with empathy

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Arabella Moore-Smith dives into actor James Van Der Beek’s story to discover what it reveals about love; Belle Tindall-Riley ruminates on an interview between Trevor Noah and NYV Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, asking why the Left keeps misplacing its moral imagination; and Jonathan Rowlands discusses the thorny moral issues of parking at the supermarket.

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9th March 2026: Churchyard thoughts; Innocent questions & Outdated legal OS

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Natalie Garrett shares some life-framing thoughts from a churchyard; Alex Stewart unpacks the UK's legal operating system and Roger Bretherton asserts that there is no such thing as an "innocent question".

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2nd March 2026: Dancing Robots; Small Prophets & Digital Lent

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Josh Hinton asks why everything good we make must also be terrifying; Susan Gray watches Small Prophets and how it quietly restores dreaming of the future to our screens and Graham Tomlin suggests Lent is vital for our digital future

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23rd February 2026: Elizabeth Day; Alex Pretti and Shooting Up

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Belle Tindall-Riley explores Elizabeth Day’s psychic call and the crisis of talking to ourselves; George Pitcher asks how a single moment can reveal what martyrdom really means and Jonathan Tepper tells us how a boyhood among addicts reframes today’s noisy battles over belief.

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16th February 2026: Euphoria; Bridgerton and A Third Way

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

This week, Alex Knole takes us into the euphoric feeling when music takes us to the place of touching Heaven; Bex Chapman explores the theme of class in Bridgerton's latest season and Jamie Mulvaney forges a potential third way between awful and awesome

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9th February 2026: Hamnet; the Odyssey and AI

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

This week, Giles Gough reviews the movie Hamnet, how it turns a literary ghost into a living pulse; Roger Bretherton considers how old epics (like The Odyssey) and cosmic stories still shape who we become and K.K. Yeo explores how old wisdom meets new machines in our search for meaning and the role of AI in our midst.

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2nd February 2026: Burnham; Beckhams and Broken Britain

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

This week, Paul Woolley examines the King of the North’s career and how it exposes the tension between political drive and public credibility; Lauren Westwood explores how the broken Beckhams expose our universal need for a way back and Graham Tomlin suggests that every society cracks - not just Britain - and why that’s not the whole story.

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26th January 2026: Reverends in Football; Identity in Illness; Trump's Powerful Wanting

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Henry Corbett (Chaplain to Everton Football Club) tells the story of how unlikely founders shaped the game we love today; nurse Helen Cowan talks about how being recognised by name protects dignity, even at the end of life; George Pitcher explores the concept of peace and how it falters when power becomes the only currency.

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19th January 2026: Exorcism, Slow Fashion & Cultural Change

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 11:31:41 GMT

This week, Rick Hansen talks about how his father's job as an exorcist has given him a specific frame of reference for understanding the world; Alexandra Kytka-Sharpe takes us through her learning from a year of fasting from fashion; Graham Tomlin considers what makes for profound and significant cultural change.

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12th January 2026: Change; Stranger Things; Attention and Mindfulness

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, while the year is still quite new, Derek Hughes suggests that real change comes slowly; Beatrice Scudeler unearths hope in the finale of Stranger Things; Steve McMillan gives us a meditation on attention and Roger Bretherton explores the origins and future of mindfulness.

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5th January 2026: Guarded Hopefulness at the start of 2026

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this first episode of 2026, Mark Meynell ventures into the work of J.R.R. Tolkien (and others) to find a guarded hopefulness for the year ahead.

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29th December 2025: Graham Tomlin's Top 3 of 2025

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT

As 2025 draws to a close, Graham Tomlin shares with us three of his articles, what he's been thinking about as a result of the political and social events and issues of this past year.

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22nd December 2025: Three favourite articles from 2025

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, as we come towards the end of 2025, I have curated three articles that have made me stop and think this year: Paul Bradbury grieving the demise of the semi-colon; Jessica Norman understanding the big welcome for Lewis Capaldi at Glastonbury and Roger Bretherton considering the role of prayer

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15th December 2025: Shock of Christmas; Knives Out & baby Jesus being kidnapped

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this nearly-Christmas episode, Belle Tindall joins forces with CS Lewis and Dorothy L Sayers to go deep into the shocking truths buried beneath the Christmas tinsel; Krish Kandiah reviews Wake Up Dead Man and finds the Church playing a key role in the mystery; Lauren Westwood witnesses the baby Jesus being kidnapped and follows a trail of believing.

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8th December 2025: Angels; Juries & Christmas Karma

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT

This week, Jamie Mulvaney asks us to consider why we love angels so much; after David Lammy suggests amending jury trials in the UK, George Pitcher uses a Nazarene's trial as a case study in legal efficiency; Graham Tomlin suggests Christmas Karma is contradiction in terms.

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1st December 2025: MI6; Elon Musk & the price of parenthood

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:06:44 GMT

This episode finds George Pitcher taking us backstage at MI6; Sam Tomin asks Elon Musk the trillion dollar question and Imogen Ball tracks just how much it costs to have children

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24th November 2025: Alan Bennett; Rationality and the Budget

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 06:00:00 GMT

This week we start with Roger Standing's review of Alan Bennett's latest film, The Choral; then Alister McGrath unpacks the terrain between the "Age of Reason" and the era of "post-truth" and finally Annika Greco Thompson discusses the possible Christian response to financial (in)security, in the lead up to the UK's Chancellor announcing the Autumn Budget.

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17th November 2025: BBC, bequeathing and being still

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 06:00:00 GMT

This week, Tim Wyatt dives into the crisis of trust and asks whether the resignations from the hierarchy will serve to rekindle trust in the BBC; Annika Greco Thompson encourages us to pass on our values as well as our wealth to the next generation and Helen Cowan poignantly explores the power of different types of stillness within wellness and illness that she witnesses as a care home nurse.

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10th November 2025: Shame, Remembrance and Alice Roberts

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this week's episode, Belle Tindall considers both Jacob Elordi and Zadie Smith's take on shame, and presents her own; Henna Cundill asks why too much emotional expression seems to be frowned upon at Remembrance and the Cenotaph; Jonathan Rowlands gives his personal (and very strong) opinions on Alice Roberts' book Domination: The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity

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3rd November 2025: Eccles, Older Brothers and a King & a Pope

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 06:00:00 GMT

This week, Derek Hughes tells the story of how a tiny congregation in a forgotten town tried something that changed their community for the better; Will Fagan watches Peaky Blinders and House of Guinness, to see how Steven Knight shows being needed—not being perfect—transforms people; and Graham Tomlin unpacks the historical significance and the cultural hope of King Charles and the Pope praying together

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27th October 2025: shifting seasons; Ruth & Boaz and Big Tech

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode Rachael Newham considers the seasons and what we can learn from embracing the changes; Giles Gough reviews the Netflix movie version of the biblical story of Ruth & Boaz; Jean Kabasomi takes us through her experiences of Big Tech and asks whether we are being gaslit into waste

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20th October 2025: a Wild Belle, Sarah Mullally and Defending our Girls

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Evens takes us to Union Chapel where Natalie Bergman's soul-soaked set turned personal tragedy into communal celebration; George Pitcher evokes historical precedent for why Sarah Mullally’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury is about more than just breaking the stained-glass ceiling and Belle Tindall passionately suggests that “Defending our girls” is less about safety, more about scapegoating (please be aware of potentially triggering content in this last article).

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13th October 2025: Taylor Swift; the ABC & the Anti-Christ

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This episode takes us from Belle Tindall's review of Taylor Swift's new album, via Jack Nicholson talking about Peter Thiel and the Anti-Christ, to Graham Tomlin's advice to the new Archbishop of Canterbury

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6th October 2025: Sacraments at Anfield; behaviour at the Ryder Cup & thinking in cafés

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this week's episode, Jonathan Rowlands explores the relationship between trauma and sacraments as he visits Anfield; Graham Tomlin asks whether a loss of an "ultimate" is the reason behind the recent behaviour at the Ryder Cup and Joshua Nurcombe-Pike explores the big thinking that goes on in the midst of cafe culture.

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29th September 2025: Severance, child poverty & what makes us human

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Rick Hansen explores the worlds of Apple TV's Severance through the lens of Blaise Pascal; George Pitcher asks how a supposedly "Godly nation" can have such extensive levels child poverty and Claire Williams asks the biggest question of all, what makes us human?

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22nd September 2025: Protests; Demonic AI Chatbots & Charlie Kirk

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Thomas Sharpe gives us an on-the-ground view of the protests against the protests in Trafalgar Square; Gabrielle Thomas asks whether AI chatbots are demonic and Graham Tomlin dives deep into the event of Charlie Kirk's murder.

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15th September 2025: nuanced thought; theological debate & the summer we turned romantic

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Graham Tomlin suggests we have much to learn about nuanced cultural debate from the writers of the Nicene Creed; Henna Cundill agrees as she explores how helpful studying theology is for compassionate, engaged debate in all spheres of life; Belle Tindall takes a deep dive into humanity's propensity for romance and marriage.

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8th September 2025: Ed Sheeran's Irishness; Being school-ready & Tim Burton's Wednesday

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Julia Kendal looks beyond the flags flying to Ed Sheeran's (and our own) sense of national belonging; Henna Cundill asks whether the Education Secretary's new plans will genuinely help our children become school ready and life ready; Lauren Westwood explores Tim Burton's world of the outsider in Netflix's Wednesday.

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1st September 2025: Wallis Island; Thursday Murder Club and Voting at 16

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Steve Dew-Jones finds his new favourite film in The Ballad of Wallis Island; Theodore Brun traces our obsession with cosy crime from Dostoyevsky to the Thursday Murder Club and Graham Tomlin reckons adolescence should be a safe space to be daft, not voting in elections.

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25th August 2025: Perfect Job; Bitcoin & Molly Mae

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Thomas Sharpe questions the vocational shame found on LinkedIn; Laurence Fletcher explores the rise of crypto evangelism; Susan Gray goes virtually travelling with Molly-Mae Hague.

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18th August 2025: Football, Disney and ChatGPT

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Henry Corbett asks why fans are so invested in football; Natalie Garrett disobeys Disney and questions happiness; and Rick Hansen has a profound conversation with ChatGPT

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11th August 2025: Language, Danny Kruger and the Fantastic Four

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Jonathan Rowlands suggests that learning other languages opens up other ways of experiencing the world; Graham Tomlin responds to Danny Kruger and his critics; Krish Kandiah shares what the Fantastic Four taught him about family, truth and navigating the end of the world.

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4th August 2025: Portofino; Neurodiversity diagnoses; McGovern's Unforgiveable

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, George Pitcher takes us on our tour of the Portofino "bubble"; Henna Cundill has read Suzanne O'Sullivan's book and suggests we don't have an over-diagnosis problem, we have a society problem; and Henry Corbett describes Jimmy McGovern's brave storytelling in Unforgiveable and asks whether there is such a thing as an unforgiveable sin.

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28th July 2025: Superman; the Seaside and the Salt Path

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Yaroslav Walker gives us his thoughts on the new Superman movie; Paul Bradbury talks about why we all like to be beside the seaside, and why it's good for us; in the wake of the Salt Path revelations, Susan Gray explores the feelings we experience when we've been taken in, or scammed.

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21st July 2025: Don Quixote and the Life of Christ at Wintershall

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week we explore the world of art in literature and drama: Jonathan Rowlands feels liberated by reading Don Quixote and Rachel Luckett is uncharacteristically effusive about her experience attending The Life of Christ at Wintershall.

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14th July 2025: Beyoncé; Reality and The Four Seasons

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In today's episode, Lauren Windle goes to a Beyoncé concert and contemplates the idolatry of Queen B; Simon Burton-Jones explores how we may be extinguishing reality; and Giles Gough watches The Four Seasons and Dying for Sex to find the most common question of humanity: “What does it mean to live a full life?”

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7th July 2025: Lewis Capaldi; Angels and Istanbul

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Jessica Norman welcomes Lewis Capaldi back to the Glastonbury stage; George Pitcher introduces us to some Angels called Melanie and Dave; and Becky Ruth writes us a letter from Istanbul and talks neighbours

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30th June 2025: Prison Fellowship; Spotless Minds & a Culture of Death

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Daniel Bey shares with us four things he's learnt from working with prisoners; Beatrice Scudeler has discovered Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 20 years on and unearths helpful wisdom for her own trauma; Graham Tomlin asks what will stop the culture of death that libertarian Britain has embraced?

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23rd June 2025: Love: not an order, it's found within prayer and The Salt Path

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode we explore love from three very different perspectives: Barnabas Apsray considers Christian Nationalism - is it an oxymoron? Roger Bretherton talks about how 1 in 4 people pray or meditate daily and how beneficial that is to their life; Roger Standing walks us through Salt Path - from real life to book to movie - the story of love against all odds and what it teaches us about ourselves.

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16th June 2025: The ABC; Bear Grylls and Fashion's role in diversity

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week we hear from Graham Tomlin explaining why it seems like the Church of England is taking ages to appoint a new Archbishop of Canterbury; Bear Grylls gives us a personal introduction to his new book, The Greatest Story Ever Told and Alexandra Kytka-Sharpe dives into the world of fashion to find out whether or not Anna Wintour should be our moral compass.

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9th June 2025: Assisted Dying; Jane Austen & Politics in Gaza

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week's thought-provoking selection starts with Jamie Gillies asking suicide prevention organisations to get involved in the Assisted Dying debate; Beatrice Schudeler introduces us to Jane Austen-inspired novels of different times and genres and Graham Tomlin tracks the political history of Gaza back to the Roman Empire and still suggests that only politics can find a long term solution.

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2nd June 2025: Semi-colons; Race Across the World and The Book

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this week mix we mourn the demise of the semi colon (and all it represents) with Paul Bradbury; Lauren Westwood gets lost in the drama of BBC's Race Across the World and Belle Tindall asks why a book has changed the world (and her).

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26th May 2025: "Ordinary"; Third Space and lessons from Pope Leo

Mon, 26 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Ed Chan-Stroud explores Alex Warren's song, "Ordinary" for signs of the fundamentals of human longing; Jessica Norman goes to a Third Space gym and thinks about the cost of belonging and Graham Tomlin was at Pope Leo's inauguration and shares with us what he noticed.

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19th May 2025: Insta Judge; Thunderbolts* and the Mind & Body relationship

Mon, 19 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Rosie Phillips looks at how the human desire for truth and judgement plays out on Social Media; Giles Gough explores the unexpected depths of Marvel's latest unexpected blockbuster and Rachel Newham's own experience gets her asking questions about the relationship between mental and physical health.

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12th May 2025: The Met Gala, The Conclave and AGI

Mon, 12 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Belle Tindall takes us to the Met Gala in NYC and asks whether the unseen exists; Graham Tomlin considers why the choice of the next Pope is so important and Callum Elwood asks if AI animation really is harmless fun?

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5th May 2025: Last One Laughing; AI and the Unruliness of Humanity; Diplomacy at a Funeral

Mon, 05 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT

On this Bank Holiday Monday, Jonny Torrance comments on Last One Laughing, deciding we’re less in control than we think; Henna Cundill suggests that AI will never codify the many unruly exceptions to rules as they are what make us human; Jamie Mulvaney asks whether or not a Funeral is the appropriate backdrop for Diplomacy.

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28th April 2025: Pope Francis; chocolate seasons; smartphone games and Narnia

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jack Chisnall pays tribute to the late Pope Francis; Imogen Ball plots her year through the seasons celebrated by chocolate and asks what's next after Easter? Mark Gilbert confesses to being addicted to a game on his smartphone and asks why that's such a bad thing; Steve Dew-Jones marks the 75th anniversary of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by seeing it in the theatre and realises how much it still speaks to a contemporary audience.

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21st April 2025: Go Compare Spirituality; Football as Religion; Anxiety isn't a new invention

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Graham Tomlin suggests the Spiritual Marketplace may be selling us short; Henry Corbett asks the important questions: Is Goodison Park a place of worship? Is football a religion? and Andy Hood suggests that anxiety has a long history and so perhaps needs an ancient solution.

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter Box set #8: Why the anthropologists miss the point of Easter

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In our final, Easter Day episode, Graham Tomlin looks into how and why the anthropologists miss the point of Easter

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter Box set #7: Identifying as human has deadly implications

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

On Easter Saturday, Barnabas Aspray explains why identifying as human has deadly implications.

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter Box set #6: top 5 movies for Good Friday

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 05:00:19 GMT

In the Good Friday episode of the Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter series, Yaroslav Walker takes us to the movies and tells us about his top 5 favourite Good Friday films.

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter Box set #5: making the vital visible

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In episode 5 of our Easter special, Andrew Davison takes us to the National Gallery and explores how Pesellino makes the vital visible.

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter Box set #4: Life before death?

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In Easter episode 4, Julie Canlis suggests the big question is not, is there life after death, but what about life before death?

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter Box set #3: Pontius Pilate - lord of misrule

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In our third Easter episode, George Pitcher dives into the character of Pontius Pilate, lord of misrule

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter Box set #2: a sensory journey through Lent and Easter

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In the second episode of our Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter series, Lianne Howard-Dace takes us on a sensory journey through Lent and Easter.

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter Box set #1: NT Wright's When Creation & Justice Converge

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter series. First up, for Palm Sunday, NT Wright explores the meeting of creation and justice

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7th April 2025: Frankenstein; Friendship and Assisted Dying

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Beatrice Scudeler revisits Kazuo Ishiguro’s brilliant novel, Never Let Me Go as the perfect Frankenstein story for today; Tom Dove invites us to visit the Friendship Lab and take risks by investing in our friends; Ryan Rodrigues introduces us to the people he believes will be most affected by legalising assisted dying.

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31st March 2025: Simnel Cake; Culture Wars, Amandaland & Assembly Bangers

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this week's particularly eclectic mix, Katherine Amphlett shares what she's learnt about forgiveness from a Simnel Cake; Graham Tomlin brings Blaise Pascal into play in today's culture wars; Beatrice Scudeler finds the reality of Amandaland and Natalie Garrett lets loose with some Primary School Assembly Bangers.

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24th March 2024: Adolescence, Witches and theological map-making

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this week's eclectic mix, Lauren Westwood dives into Netflix's powerful new series, Adolescence; Belle Tindall asks why we are so bewitched by witches and Rowan Williams invites us to "come and see" while he gives us a lesson in theological map-making.

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Easter [New Subscribers Boxset]

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 06:00:32 GMT

In this Easter Boxset, we welcome new subscribers to the world of Seen & Unseen Aloud. We have put together 8 articles that take us through the journey Easter week.

We start with NT Wright's exploration of when creation and justice converge; Lianne Howard-Dace takes us on a sensory guide to Lent and Easter; George Pitcher gives us a character sketch of Pontius Pilate as a lord of misrule; Julie Canlis suggests the important question is about life before death rather than the other way around; Andrew Davison goes to an art exhibition and discovers Pesellino's ability to make the vital visible; Yaroslav Walker gives us his top 5 Good Friday Passion movies; Barnabas Aspray makes the claim that identifying as human has deadly implications and Graham Tomlin welcomes Easter Day with a discussion around why anthropologists miss the point of Easter.

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17th March 2025: With Love, Meghan; Giles Coren; Cathedrals and Communities

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 06:00:00 GMT

This week, Jessica Norman unpicks the ancient language of Megan Markle's new Netflix series; Jamie Mulvaney asks whether Giles Coren will dive in; Pat Allerton gives us a synopsis of his TV series about the glory of British Cathedrals; Robert Wright introduces us to two of London's Christian communities.

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10th March 2025: The Passion in the White House; Creme Eggs; Timothée Chalamet & White Lotus

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In a bumper episode we travel with George Pitcher to the White House considering how amid the power plays, the Passion of Zelensky stands out; Ionia Curtius encourages us not to rush to the Creme Eggs, Roger Bretherton prays for Timothée Chalamet in his pursuit of greatness and Belle Tindall joins the conversation between Jaclyn, Laurie, Kate in Season 3 of Mike White's, White Lotus.

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3rd March 2025: Rome, AI and place attachment at work

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this week's episode, Mark Gilbert explores the reality and impact of AI's attention; Matt Lewis gets inside the "dream that is Rome" as he watches Gladiator II; Henna Cundill forgets her office door key and questions her attachment to the place of the workplace.

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24th February 2025: Trump; Fashion and the FA Cup

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT

This week, Graham Tomlin compares and contrasts President Trump with a Roman Emperor of yesteryear; Alexandra Kytka-Sharpe explores the tensions between London Fashion week and religion; Jonathan Rowlands digs deep into "the magic of the Cup"

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17th February 2025: Remembering The 21; Grenfell and Rom Coms of the past

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT

This week, Belle Tindall talks to us about The 21 - a new and powerful short film telling the story of 21 men killed by ISIS 10 years ago; Graham Tomlin explores the different ways of remembering as plans begin to take down the Grenfell Tower; and Yaroslav Walker takes a stroll through his Top 5 romantic comedy movies of years gone by.

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10th February 2025: Love - friendship; Vance vs Stewart & contestants on The Chase

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT

As this week concludes with Valentine's Day, we have our own collection of articles about love - John Wyatt brings a great celebration of friendship; Graham Tomlin acts as Augustinian mediator between JD Vance and Rory Stewart; Stuart Haynes talks about his strong bond with fellow The Chase teammates.

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3rd February 2025: beer; work/life balance; thanking the Universe and the power of the little red cross

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this week's bumper episode, we hear Callum Elwood's exhortation to Sabbath - as opposed to constant hustle or quiet quitting; Jonathan Torrance takes seriously the marketing suggestion to "drink religiously"; Graham Tomlin suggests that the philosophy often espoused by Love Islanders - thanking the Universe - makes no sense; finally Piotr Ashwin-Siejkowski celebrates the power of the little red cross, trusted by everybody.

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27th January 2025: The Traitors, Apple AI and the Inauguration....

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 06:00:00 GMT

This week we delve, with Jonathan Rowlands, into the world of BBC's hit TV show The Traitors; Jenny Lander questions Apple AI's morality and Jack Chisnall asks why at this Inauguration Day, the 'Church and State' separation just can't hold.

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20th January 2025: Lady Mary's OT gangsters; Russian Reformation & colours of grey

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 06:00:00 GMT

As 2025 gets going, Katherine Amphlett encourages us to travel back in time with Lady Mary to get to know some of the bad guys of the Old Testament to find how little has changed; Simon Burton-Jones reminds us that there is a great deal more to Russia that Putin and Lauren Westwood paints a colourful picture of life in the grey areas....

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13th January 2025: Mysticism, Elon Musk and Wallace & Gromit

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 06:00:00 GMT

As we start the year, we hear from Belle Tindall about some of the great mystics of the Christian faith; Cameron Wiltshire-Plant warns Elon Musk that there is always a cost to "free speech" and Jonathan Rowlands celebrates the deep humanity of Wallace & Gromit.

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30th December 2024: exploring the "happy" in Happy New Year

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:00:11 GMT

In our last episode of 2024, Rahil Patel explores the universal human motivation to wish one another a "happy" New Year.

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Christmas Countdown Day 25: God owes us nothing on Christmas Day

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:00:51 GMT

Christmas Day: Graham Tomlin reflects on gifts given and received at Christmas - and spots the key to a whole lot of wisdom.

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Christmas Countdown Day 24: Challenging OCD on Christmas Eve

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 06:00:34 GMT

Day 24: amidst the anxiety of Christmas, Paula Duncan challenges her OCD on Christmas Eve and finds a freedom of faith as a result.

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Christmas Countdown Day 23: The Advent poets who can’t wait till the world is sane

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 06:00:46 GMT

Day 23: Beatrice Scudeler takes us through poems by Tennyson, Eliot, Rossetti and L’Engle, to discover their claim that at Christmas, sorrow doesn’t preclude joy.

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Christmas Countdown Day 22: If you think Christmas is right, you've got it wrong

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 06:00:18 GMT

Day 22: Katherine Amphlett compares and contrasts pre-COVID Christmas with 2020 Christmas and finds she learns more when Christmas feels wrong.

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Christmas Countdown Day 21: The Innkeeper's Wife

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 06:00:28 GMT

Day 21: an audio version of The Innkeeper's Wife written and performed by Natalie Garrett. Experience an overfamiliar story, in a new way.

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Christmas Countdown Day 20: The Earth-shaking consequences of Christmas

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 06:00:29 GMT

Day 20: Today we go Big Picture as Barnabas Aspray considers the earth-shattering consequences of Christmas.

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Christmas Countdown Day 19: How to push past the stress of the season to rediscover the magic

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 06:00:27 GMT

Day 19: Psychologist Roger Bretherton asks how we can push past the stresses of the festive season to rediscover the magic and tells us how he learned to find joy in being on Team Christmas. Part 2 of Unwrapping God this Christmas.

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Christmas Countdown Day 18: S&UA and the sound of belonging

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 06:00:45 GMT

Day 18: Today we revisit S&U Aloud's birthday and the shared sense of belonging to the S&U Aloud community. And we join Belle Tindall at a Jacob Collier concert and hear again the sound of strangers sharing a sense of belonging.

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Christmas Countdown Day 17: Spending time with family at Christmas

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 06:00:58 GMT

Day 17: Psychologist, Roger Bretherton, offers advice for those who find it challenging to spend time with the family at Christmas: Part 1 of Unwrapping God This Christmas

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Christmas Countdown Day 16: How to have a philosophically Happy Christmas

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 06:00:11 GMT

Day 16: Charles Foster raises a glass to toast the invasion of history by the author of history

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Christmas Countdown Day 15: Navigating reality at Christmas

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 06:00:05 GMT

Day 15: Recounting how Christmas changed for her, Lianne Howard-Dace re-evaluates the story and experiences of the season

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Christmas Countdown Day 14: It's a Wonderful Life

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 06:00:16 GMT

Day 14: Jon Kuhrt gives us 3 reasons why everyone should watch It's a Wonderful Life this Christmas

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Christmas Countdown Day 13: Decoding the hidden messages in Christmas carols

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 06:00:57 GMT

Day 13: Ian Bradley opens up the meaning of some familiar carols of the season

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Christmas Countdown Day 12: TV's search for the perfect sitcom Christmas Special

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 06:00:18 GMT

On Day 12 of the Christmas Countdown, sitcom writer James Cary takes us on the search for the perfect Christmas Special

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Christmas Countdown Day 11: Beauty’s extraordinary masterpiece

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 06:00:35 GMT

Day 11: Nick Jones - Senior Editor of Seen & Unseen - chooses his top pick of S&U articles from 2024

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Christmas Countdown Day 10: Sharing food is antidote to despair

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 06:00:40 GMT

Day 10: Ian Frisby is struck by a Foodbank trolley in his local supermarket and its call to sharing joy through sharing food

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Christmas Countdown Day 9: Considering who wears the crown at Christmas

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 06:00:00 GMT

Day 9: Re-enchanting's Justin Brierley shares his standout cultural moment from 2024 and we dig deeper into the theme in Jamie Mulvaney's article Consider the crown and who wears it

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Christmas Countdown Day 8: In the Bleak Midwinter

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 06:00:28 GMT

On Day 8 of the Christmas Countdown, JS Averill looks beneath the tinsel and finds that in a world of devastation, you can share honest feelings of hopelessness - yet not be overcome.

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Christmas Countdown Day 7: 5 Christmas Movies to curl up with

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 06:00:21 GMT

Christmas Countdown Day 7: Yaroslav Walker reviews his top 5 Christmas Movies.

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Christmas Countdown Day 6: the origin story of Father Christmas

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 06:00:00 GMT

Christmas Countdown Day 6: Graham Tomlin tells us the origin story of Santa Clause

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Christmas Countdown Day 5: Christmas cards - art ancient and modern

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 06:00:03 GMT

Christmas Countdown Day 5: Jonathan Evens talks us through the art that comes tumbling through our letterbox this time of year and explores the historic and contemporary art of Christmas.

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Christmas Countdown Day 4: Binge Watching

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 06:00:03 GMT

Day 4 of the Christmas Countdown brings us Belle Tindall with her plans for Christmas binge watching

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Christmas Countdown Day 3: Is your Nativity missing a dragon?

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 06:00:58 GMT

Christmas Countdown Day 3: continuing yesterday's theme, today we consider how this Christmas, we might be closer than ever to the Nativity story's origins. Terror. Surveillance. Poverty. Genocide. Julie Canlis asks whether perhaps it's time to add a dragon to tame Christmas crib scenes.

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Christmas Countdown Day 2: In Defence of the Traditional Nativity Play

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 06:00:15 GMT

Christmas Countdown Day 2's episode of the Christmas Countdown, Yaroslav Walker puts forward his defence of the traditional nativity play and what it brings to us at Chr

istmas

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Christmas Countdown Day 1: Advent Calendars

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 06:00:24 GMT

The Christmas Countdown begins! Day 1: Alianore Smith talks Advent Calendars

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25th November 2024: awe-inspiring snow, the grudge of a crow and Dear Sally Rooney

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 06:00:38 GMT

This week we start with Josh Richards asking why snow still generates awe and wonder in even the most grown up of us; Jamie Mulvaney tells us that crows can hold a grudge for up to 17 years and considers the consequences of human grudges being held; finally James K. A. Smith writes an open letter to Sally Rooney to thank her for opening his heart.

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18th November 2024: Trump, Wolf Hall, Paddington and Small Things Like These

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 06:00:26 GMT

This week's smorgasbord includes Graham Tomlin's claim that Trump's win may be neither total triumph nor total disaster; Jack Chisnall discusses national leadership from Henry VIII in Wolf Hall to present day; Krish Kandiah unpacks the Paddington Paradox and Kevin Hargaden shines a spotlight on the backstage goodness of Small Things like These

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11th November 2024: Honest Remembrance; the Miracle of Democracy and the Contempt of the Apprentice

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 06:00:15 GMT

This week we mark Remembrance with Simon Cansdale as he suggests that hospitals are home to the truth of war; Belle Tindall helps our psychological state post-US election sharing some political wisdom from Luke Bretherton and Yaroslav Walker reviews the Trump movie and how it comments on the President's recent election success.

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4th November 2024: Seeing Donald Trump; being seen in Beijing and Miranda's diagnosis of the Unseen

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 06:00:29 GMT

This week's episode includes the burning question: is Donald Trump a fascist or a buffoon? asked by George Pitcher; Alex Ross takes us into the world of surveillance that is China and Belle Tindall explores Miranda Hart's diagnosis of the unseen.

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28th October 2024: Vampires; Auden and Ludwig

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 06:00:19 GMT

In this episode, Ryan Stark points out some of the pitfalls in dating a vampire; Jack Nicholson pays beautiful tribute to W.H. Auden's poetry and its ability to give us words for current world trauma; and Jack Chisnall cracks the puzzle of our love of puzzles in his article about BBC's drama, Ludwig.

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21st October 2024: Harvest, the Nicene Creed and Conscientious Objections to Assisted Dying

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 05:00:32 GMT

This week, George Pitcher asks why we still bother celebrating Harvest; Jane Williams explains why the Nicene Creed was such a total game-changer and Henna Cundill explores the proposed legislation around Assisted Dying from the point of view of Conscientious Objectors.

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14th October 2024: Joy, Kaos and Assisted Dying

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:37:49 GMT

In this week's particularly eclectic episode, Natalie Garrett contemplates the power of real joy; Theodore Brun gives us a thoughtful review of Netflix's "Kaos" and Matthew Hall challenges us to think again about Assisted Dying

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7th October 2024: Cosy time, the power of beauty and loving your neighbour in the Middle East

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 05:00:27 GMT

In this episode, Belle Tindall gets cosy and looks to make the mundane meaningful; Katherine Amphlett tells a very personal and poignant story of a grieving family finding solace and God's presence in natural beauty; on the anniversary of the conflict in the Middle East, Graham Tomlin urges the importance of loving our enemies and embracing a touch of doubt about the certainty of our moral case.

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30th September 2024: Tree of knowledge - Google, Ukraine & St Michael's dragons

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 09:33:08 GMT

This week week Elizabeth Wainwright asks whether the Google impulse started in the Garden of Eden - to know all immediately; Mark Meynell visits Ukraine and tells us a bit about "normal" life there; James Cary considers what the dragon-slaying St Michael might have to say about our culture's battle between good and evil.

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S&UA short: Watching Grenfell - the lost art of penitence by Graham Tomlin

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:03:24 GMT

In our first Seen & Unseen Aloud Short, Graham Tomlin narrates his own article "Watching Grenfell - the lost art of penitence".

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23rd September 2024: Stories vs Facts in US election; is sorry the hardest word? and a Tolkien poem speaking into dementia

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 05:00:13 GMT

This week we start with Jared Stacy unpacking how projections and polls cannot capture the power of stories shaping identity and US election politics; Roger Bretherton asks why it is that "sorry" just might be the hardest word and Helen Cowan dives into a poem by JRR Tolkien which speaks to her, poignantly, about the experience of living with dementia.

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16th September 2024: Labour PMs & Britpop; the poignancy of aging parents and the surprising wisdom of Deadpool & Wolverine

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 05:00:52 GMT

In this episode, George Pitcher tracks the cultural story of Oasis and two Labour Prime Ministers; Katherine Amphlett visits her aging parents and needs to put on an armour of feathers while James Lawrence finds a surprising story amid the cynical desert of Deadpool and Wolverine's nihilism.

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9th September 2024: Inside Out, Wild God and Grenfell's Tale of Two Towers

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 05:00:51 GMT

This week we enter a world of high drama - internally we voyage with Henna Cundill through the spiritual potential of the Inside Out films; Belle Tindall takes us on an emotional ride through Nick Cave's new album, Wild God; and Graham Tomlin challenges us to see The Grenfell Tower Inquiry as a significant cultural moment to reflect personally and nationally on the way we treat each other.

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2nd September 2024: how to find meaning - in Olympic gold; music and the big questions of life

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 23:00:48 GMT

This week we contemplate the challenges of winning and losing as Julia Kendal asks what Simone Biles might be doing today; Oliver Wright explores the relationship between religion and music and Silvianne & Barnabas Aspray ask why religion and faith aren't dying any time soon

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26th August 2024: paganism, secularism and faith found in publishing and in the Olympics

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 05:00:29 GMT

This week's episode finds George Pitcher hoping that faith and religion are being given a revival in the world of publishing and Graham Tomlin explores the Paris Olympics for evidence of the choice between faith, secularism and modern paganism

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12th August 2024: Summer Box Set Special: Summer Holidays

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 05:00:41 GMT

In this Summer Box Set Special, Jamie Mulvaney thinks about third spaces and when the journey is the destination; Natalie Garrett makes a case for taking a holiday and Roger Bretherton talks us through how to get the best out of our downtime

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29th July 2024: Summer Box Set special: Emerson Csorba on politics, purpose and people encounters

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 05:00:40 GMT

Our Summer Box Set Special is dedicated to Emerson Csorba. He talks us through US politics with a focus on James Baker; he asks what's the point of purpose and how do we find it? and he contemplates the power of supposedly random encounters with people.

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15th July 2024: Myth maketh meaning; the Disneyfication of the monasteries and mistake make us human

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 05:00:10 GMT

In the second of our Summer episodes, Simon Horobin unpacks CS Lewis's assertion that great stories allow ideas to be experienced rather than merely thought about; James Cary explores the Disneyfication of the Monasteries in Shardlake and Sylvianne Aspray asserts that it's our mistakes that set us apart from the machines.

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1st July 2024: the Election, the Euros, the possibility of revival and betting on eternity

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 05:00:34 GMT

In this episode, we make a nod to the events of the week as Joel Pierce asks if political practice can capture something heavenly; Sam Tomlin talks national identity amidst the Euros; Abigail Frymann Rouch asks whether we may be we moving beyond the secular scepticism of religion and James Sampson-Foster invites us to place a bet on our eternal destination.

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24th June 2024: the companionship of reading, the benefit of enemies and the power of mercy

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 05:00:47 GMT

This week, we slow down with Jessica Brown and consider the companionship to be found in reading with others; Henna Cundill asks whether loving our enemies (even within the political realm) can be beneficial for personal growth and Natalie Williams contemplates the extraordinary power of mercy within the workings of society

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17th June 2024: How we decide what is true rests on where we start from: God, football and politics

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 05:00:35 GMT

This week we take a close look at how we think: Graham Tomlin considers the different thought paradigms of Richard Dawkins and Ayaan Hirsi Ali; Simon Burton-Jones delves into the psychology of football fans and Barnabas Aspray thinks about what happens when political dialogue gives way to animal-like culture war.

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10th June 2024: Undemocratic dairy; SciFi theology and Tears of Gold

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 05:00:33 GMT

This week, Yaroslav Walker argues that Democracy and Dairy just don't mix; Roger Bretherton explores the philosophy / theology of Netflix's The Three Body Problem and Jane Cacouris is moved by artist Hannah Thomas' visceral and moving portraits which offer a glimpse into suffering, and healing, souls.

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3rd June 2024: Bridgerton, "messianic" politicians & AI's liberation of humanity

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Bex Chapman unlock's Bridgerton's complex identity coding; Cameron Wiltshire-Plant advises his younger self not to believe in the messianic hype of politicians and Daniel Kim suggests that AI's dominance could unleash our very humanity

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27th May 2024: Humility and leadership - a weird but essential combo

Mon, 27 May 2024 05:00:08 GMT

This week we think about leadership and humility as unlikely but essential bedfellows: Roger Bretherton exhorts us to look out for the outliers who bring something unique to the group; Graham Tomlin learns about humble leadership from Pope Francis and Elizabeth Wainwright calls out for a new style of leadership in a year of local, national and international elections.

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20th May 2024: Life is messy, making a home in Blackpool and the art of pilgrimage

Mon, 20 May 2024 05:00:46 GMT

This week we turn with Emerson Csorba to American politics - and James Baker in particular - to explore the messiness of life; we travel with John Clifton to Blackpool to find out how to make a place a home and Graeme Holdsworth asks what makes a journey into a pilgrimage?

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13th May 2024: Simon Reeve's zeal; reform votes at the Garrick Club and weaponised words in the world of knife crime

Mon, 13 May 2024 05:00:18 GMT

This week we start with the infectious zeal of Simon Reeve's green agenda; we go to the Garrick Club with George Pitcher, comparing the vote for inclusion of women in its membership with the vote for ordaining women as priests in the Church of England; we close with Krish Kandiah's poignant telling of the parallel stories of Daniel Anjorin, Salman Rushdie and Bishop Mar Mari, highlighting the part words play in a world rife with knife crime.

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6th May 2024: Angels, anxiety and what Taylor Swift has in common with Mr Bennet

Mon, 06 May 2024 05:00:04 GMT

This week, Graham Tomlin talks Angels and their ability to reveal the unseen; Belle Tindall talks about Taylor Swift's new album and what it says about Romanticism and our obsession with epic love stories; Henna Cundill asks whether we are getting anxious about anxiety and what the younger generation has to teach us about using smartphones.

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29th April 2024: Marriage as martyrdom; Bullies in the Political playground and VAR stealing the joy

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 05:00:23 GMT

Henna Cundill and a tutorial of students discuss the living martyrdom of marriage; George Pitcher unearths Trump & Putin's Christ complex and Graham Tomlin gives VAR a red card

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22nd April 2024: Scottie Scheffler; the power of love; and Graham Tomlin's take on the rest is Luther

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 14:57:19 GMT

This week, Jonny Reid unearths where Scottie Scheffler finds his deep sense of security; Elizabeth Wainwright explores the power of love in the face of lovelessness and Graham Tomlin casts a professional critique of Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook's Luther series on The Rest is History podcast.

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15th April 2024: Scorsese, Beyoncé and the importance of not trying to cope alone

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 05:00:13 GMT

In this week's episode, we are taken on a guided, spiritual tour of Martin Scorsese's movies by Sonny Tindall; Krish Kandiah commends Beyoncé's country fight and Katherine Amphlett finds comfort in sharing her discomfort with others

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8th April 2024: Jane Austin's fashionable goodness, re-enchanting glum councillors and Theresa Lola's hopeful poetry

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 05:00:39 GMT

This week, Beatrice Scudeler explores the world of Jane Austen; Elizabeth Wainwright tries her best to re-enchant local government with the joy of beauty and Jonathan Evens describes the work of Theresa Lola, the death-haunted yet lyrical, joyful and moving poet for a new generation

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1st April 2024: the serious art of playing; lament as we remember Sarah Everard; and our addiction to distraction

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 05:00:06 GMT

This week, Simon Walter takes a serious look at the lost art of playing; Belle Tindall helps us look lament right in the face as we remember the traumatic events of Sarah Everard's death; and Jonathan Rowlands diagnoses the consequences of our widespread addiction to distraction and

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25th March 2024: big thoughts for Easter Week

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 06:00:31 GMT

In this episode, to mark Easter Week, we are thinking about some of the biggest questions of the human experience: Barnabas Aspray explores the unfashionable but possibly vital virtue of temperance; Owen Gallacher asks whether Putin's reality is the most "real" reality or whether the events of Easter may point to something even more real and Nathan Betts reminds us that in our darkest moments, we are loved and missed by Someone.

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Seen & Unseen Aloud Special Episode: Graham Tomlin interviews Miroslav Volf

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 06:00:31 GMT

An exciting special episode: Bishop Graham Tomlin has a chat with Croatian-born, US-based theologian, writer and thinker Miroslav Volf about cultural themes in the run up to the US Election; how Christian faith and politics make good sparring partners.

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18th March 2024: Birthday Celebration Episode

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:00:55 GMT

This week, Seen & Unseen Aloud celebrates its first birthday so this episode includes shout outs to our friends in the UK and around the world as well as replaying 2 of our most popular articles: Belle Tindall's joy in finding the sound of strangers belonging at a Jacob Collier concert and NT Wright's exploration of the Easter Story, finding where creation and justice converge.

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11th March 2024: Loneliness, the emotion of politics and misreading the moment at weddings

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 06:00:50 GMT

This week we explore loneliness with Belle Tindall, the NHS and Downing Street; we think about the role of emotions alongside reason in the realm of politics with Henna Cundill and Jonathan Rowlands straddles both sides of the dispute between wedding photographers and clergy.

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4th March 2024: Time travel on a train; the gospel according to ITV's docu-dramas and Navalny's thirst for justice

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 06:00:40 GMT

This week we hear about James Sampson-Foster's lesson in time travel as he waits for a delayed train; George Pitcher commends the story telling of ITV's docu-dramas as truth telling and Michael Bird contemplates the Christian faith that motivated Alexei Navalny's dangerous thirst for righteousness;

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26th February 2024: doubt and the spiritual practices of Lent explained

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 06:00:55 GMT

As we gear up to celebrate the first anniversary of Seen & Unseen Aloud, to thank our listeners for their support, we invite requests for a special compilation episode. To submit your request, head over to seenandunseen.com. Meanwhile, this week, we have an in depth dive into the realities of doubt, inspired by Prince William and explored by Bishop Graham Tomlin, the Editor in Chief of Seen & Unseen; followed by a sensory explanation of the Christian journey through Lent by Lianne Howard-Dace

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19th February 2024: ADHD facts beyond the fad; identifying as human and Medieval wisdom on intermittent fasting

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 06:00:31 GMT

This week, first up Henna Cundhill helps us consider the real life challenges and superpowers of an ADHD diagnosis and then we head into the first of our Lent offerings with Barnabas Aspray explaining how identifying as human has deadly implications and Julie Canlis exploring some medieval wisdom around the benefits of intermittent fasting

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12th February 2024: Church & State, Northern Ireland and a whole lot of FOMO...

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 06:00:22 GMT

This week's selection includes Graham Tomlin's thoughts about what a healthy relationship between church and state looks like; Andy Flannagan talking about the power of distraction at a national, political level and Mica Gray muses on faith, hope and her recent experience of FOMO

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5th February 2024: Jesus walks on the red carpet, the damage of mental ill health and life lessons from Jurgen Klopp

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 06:00:12 GMT

This week we have the glamour of Jesus walking the red carpet in Leicester Square as Natalie Garrett analyses the success of the TV show The Chosen; Rachael Newham speaks out on Time to Talk Day about the deeper realities of severe mental ill health; and Jonathan Rowlands is reeling from Jurgen Klopp's decision to leave Liverpool FC and thinks about the powerful statement the successful manager is making about the limits of human beings.

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29th January 2024: Ancient cave paintings, Veganuary and an Egyptian mega church in Garbage City

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 06:00:13 GMT

As ever, we have a smogarsbord to listen to... Iwan Russell-Jones explores some 30,000 year old cave paintings; Trystan Owain Hughes asks why Veganuary still has merit and Graham Tomlin tells the story of how the biggest church in the Middle East was born in Garbage City.

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22nd January 2024: the Post Office, Politics and Medicine

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 06:00:13 GMT

In this episode, we dig into the (sometimes murky) world of public service: We hear from MP Danny Kruger on why we need a gentle radical revolution in political thinking around social care; we hear from Bp Graham Tomlin with his reaction to the Post Office scandal; and we hear M. Ciftci's (possibly controversial) thoughts about the Hypocratic Oath, made by the medical profession.

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15th January 2024: assisted dying, One Life saves 100s and the flawed power of self-belief

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 06:00:48 GMT

As we come back to normal after the holiday compilations, we hear Michael Wenham answer his brother's question about Esther Rantzen and the assisted dying/suicide movement; Krish Kandiah reflects from the London Premiere of One Life and the extraordinary story of one man who saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish children; and Roger Bretherton dives into the era of "self belief" psychology and questions whether it works.

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8th January 2024: New Year compilation: the Writer's cut

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 06:00:18 GMT

This second of our New Year compilations has been put together by Belle Tindall, Writer for the Centre for Cultural Witness and Seen & Unseen and Co-host of the Re-enchanting Podcast

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1st January 2024: New Year Compilation: the Director's cut

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 06:00:36 GMT

At the start of a new year, Bishop Graham Tomlin - Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness (which publishes Seen & Unseen and hosts the Seen & Unseen Aloud podcast) looks back over his favourite articles of 2023

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25th December 2023: Christmas Compilation - Senior Editor's top picks

Mon, 25 Dec 2023 06:00:31 GMT

In the second of our Christmas compilations, Senior Editor of Seen & Unseen, Nick Jones, chooses his favourite articles from Seen & Unseen from 2023 - sit back and enjoy a curated stroll down memory lane and see if we've picked your favourites...

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18th December 2023: Christmas Compilation - Narrator's top picks

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 06:00:19 GMT

For the Christmas season, the Team at Seen & Unseen Aloud have put together Christmas Compilations from the past year: sit back and enjoy a curated stroll down memory lane - have we picked your favourites? This week's compilation has been chosen by Seen & Unseen Aloud's Narrator, Natalie Garrett.

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11th December 2023: de-coding carols; tears in the bleak midwinter and the earth-shaking consequences of Christmas

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 06:00:02 GMT

In this week's episode we get a lesson in de-coding the hidden messages in Christmas carols from Ian Bradley; in a world of devastation, J.S. Averill shares poignant and honest feelings of loss and hopeless and the Advent possibility of not being overcome; Barnabas Aspray mines the earth-shaking consequences of Christmas

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4th December 2023: how we find ourselves in algorithms, barbers' chairs and TTRPGs

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 06:00:39 GMT

This week we are exploring the surprising and different ways we find out about ourselves and the stories we inhabit - Graham Tomlin dives into the moral algorithms of social media; Adrian Urquidez and Neal Presa tell stories of deep friendship and Harry Gibbins unpacks Dungeons & Dragons' philosophical toolkit

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27th November 2023: a Faith museum; the Screwtape Letters and dinner in Amman

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 06:00:15 GMT

In this week's episode, we get a guided tour of some impactful exhibits as Robert Wright visits the UK's only Faith Museum, in Bishop Auckland, and hears how its funder hopes to inspire reflection on the divine; 60 years after its author’s death, The Screwtape Letters image of hell as an unscrupulous business is still relevant. Simon Horobin tells how C.S. Lewis came to author the influential bestseller; and dining in a different culture lets Belle Tindall contemplate struggle and belonging across the heartlands of the Middle East.

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20th November 2023: Attention, the Beatles and Chandler Bing

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 06:00:29 GMT

This week we consider the power of attention - the giving and receiving of it and its power for healing but also the complexities of fame; Justine Toh considers what Simone Weil's philosophy of attention has to say to western culture's attention battles; Jamie Mulvaney takes us to the National Portrait Gallery in London to look at Sir Paul McCartney's unseen portraits of the Beatles; James Cary speaks of the grief at the death of Matthew Perry and unexpected twists in the story of real life

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13th November 2023: the preciousness of an ordinary day; visiting the memorials of American history and human dignity and worth

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 06:00:10 GMT

This week we hear Julie Canlis explaining the church's season of Ordinary Time and why it's so special; we continue to follow Ian Hamlin on his adventures as he takes us to some significant memorials of American and human history; Ryan Gilfeather asks questions about human dignity and worth in the context of the Israel/Hamas war

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6th November 2023: the art of dying, the end of killing and the search for Martin Luther King

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 06:00:41 GMT

This week, Lydia Dugdale celebrates All Saints Day by remembering the lost of art dying well; George Pitcher observes that simple calls for peace are often against the grain of power, yet many still yearn for it, even when faced with complexities and impossibilities; Ian Hamlin talks about the merging of stories and their power to inspire and change the world, as he continues on the trail to find out more about his hero.

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30th October 2023: Fear of Dad-hood, following our noses and exploring the space of death

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 06:00:15 GMT

In this episode Nick Brewer contemplates becoming a Dad and what he has learned from the love of his own father; Henna Cundill follows her nose on an emotional scent trail from childhood to adulthood and, as part of our How to Die Well series, Natalie Garrett talks about her experience of bereavement and what death has taught her about life

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23rd October 2023: from the horror of the Israel-Hamas war, via the Disney phenomenon to the modern loves story of Travis and Taylor

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 05:00:48 GMT

This week Graham Tomlin talks about the need for courageous leadership as the only hope for the intractable war in the Middle East; on the 100th anniversary of Disney, Jared Stacy declares there's much more to Disney than a mouse and Tory Baucum comments on the modern-day love story of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift being played out on a very public stage

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16th October 2023: Crazy Christians in movies, a felled tree and a Catholic comedian

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 05:00:12 GMT

The line up for this week's episode sounds like the start of a joke.... but it's actually very thought-provoking. Roger Bretherton asks the age old question, "why are all Christians in movies crazy?"; Theodore Brun mourns the loss of the Sycamore Gap Tree and explores what it's demise can teach us; Belle Tindall takes us backstage to her conversation with Frank Skinner and the surprise that Christians are actually interesting.

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9th October 2023: "what if"s in politics; the power of faith & foodbanks and the reality of Disney's Prince Charming

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 05:00:45 GMT

This week Belle Tindall takes us behind the scenes in British politics with Rory Stewart's "tell all" published memoir; Robert Wright explores the powerful motivation of faith at work in food banks in the midst of the cost of living crisis; and Lauren Windle finds little charm in Snow White's Prince Charming as Disney celebrates its centenary.

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2nd October 2023: from a blank page to the pub, what are we waiting for?

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 05:00:15 GMT

This week we travel with Ian Hamlin through the challenges of starting a sabbatical and how difficult (and important) taking "time out" can be; Krish Kandiah gives us a review of Ken Loach's new film "The Old Oak" and what it tells us about the power of community; Stefani Ruper, in the last of her series Confessions of an Atheist Philosopher plots the course from distrust to trust and asks the important life question, "What are we waiting for?"

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25th September 2023: the human condition - the problem with men; the power of shame and imagining the fragility of our hearts

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 05:00:43 GMT

This week we explore the human condition: James Ray seeks the Authentic Man in answer to the question of the Problem with Men; Henna Cundill takes a dive into the murky shallows of cancel culture and shame's historic role in guarding community boundaries; Belle Tindall goes to the Seven Psalms Exhibition to experience the songs and sketches of Paul Simon and Charlie Mackesy's collaboration and finds questions and answers from the duo we didn’t know we were missing.

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The Seven Deadly Sins Vol 3

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 05:00:39 GMT

In the last volume of the Seven Deadly Sins, Graham Tomlin looks at what’s lost to life when sloth sets in; while also digesting gluttony’s distorting obsession with food. Our series is brought to a reflective conclusion by psychologist Roger Bretherton as he turns sin back to front with a subversive proposition: we don’t understand sin because we don’t understand goodness.

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18th September 2023: Taylor Swift, Beethoven and the meaning of meals

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 05:00:04 GMT

This week we have a smorgasbord of culture: Nathan Betts talks about Taylor's truth and how her superstar authenticity appeals; Musicologist Daniel Chua explores the faith found in the music of the hero of humanism, Beethoven; music may be the food of love but Matthew Croasmun

explains how food is the nexus of relationships.

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11th September 2023: Back to school and the need to keep learning

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 05:00:20 GMT

In this episode we mark the beginning of the school year with Henna Cundill taking an honest look beyond headlines about school refusers and ghost children; Yaroslav Walker ambles down an academic memory lane reminding us of back to school movies of the last 5 decades; George Pitcher gives us a lesson in looking evil squarely in the face

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4th September 2023: Justice and the difference between sloth and seeing slowly

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 05:00:31 GMT

This week we consider the character of Justice, as seen through the Lucy Letby case; we take a leisurely stroll through the ills of Sloth with Graham Tomlin and discover the joys of seeing slowly with Alex Hughes

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The Seven Deadly Sins Vol 2

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 05:00:35 GMT

In this second volume of the Seven Deadly Sins, we hear Belle Tindall exploring how Lust minimises or sensationalises sex and desire; we find James Mumford encountering Anger, reflecting that its object is no mere object; and Jonathan Aitken identifies Pride as egotism with a capital E and the cause of his own royal flush of crises

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28th August 2023: Edinburgh Fringe, loneliness and Dear Greta (how Netflix's Narnia can be a roaring success)

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 05:00:20 GMT

This week's episode takes an insider's tour of the Edinburgh Fringe experience with James Cary; a wander through a couple of classics of English literature with Graham Tomlin seeking answers to the question of loneliness; and we read an open letter by Narnia fan John Kuhrt to a daunted Hollywood director, on helping her handle the Great Story

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21st August 2023: confessions of an atheist; the reassurance of football and the power of pride

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 05:00:09 GMT

This week we have the usual eclectic mix: we hear the second part of the confessions of an atheist series (see the website for other articles) by Stefani Ruper; we hear about the reassurance Graham Tomlin finds in the unpredictability of the football season; and we hear something of the powerful reality of a life controlled by personal pride as written by former MP (now Prison Chaplain) Jonathan Aitken

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The Seven Deadly Sins Vol 1

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 05:00:49 GMT

The first volume of our series on the Seven Deadly Sins, this volume comprises an introduction to sin itself as Graham Tomlin introduces the idea of a spiritual/moral health check. We hear Roger Bretherton's take on envy (jealousy's evil cousin) and Jane Williams' consideration of greed. Stay tuned for further volumes exploring the other five...

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14th August 2023: Summer Travels: to the Andes, Bordeaux and the world of re-enchantment

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 05:00:11 GMT

This week we travel to the Andes - listening to the music of a garden with Anthony Baker; back in time to find King Edward I meeting a Chinese monk in Bordeaux with Benjamin Sharkey; and into the age of re-enchanting and the related brandification of spiritual experience with Daniel Kim.

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7th August 2023: a clash of worlds: Barbie and begging

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 05:00:57 GMT

This week's episode offers us 2 articles thinking deeply about the potential shallows of Barbieland - Lauren Windle's The Good the Bad and the Barbie and Belle Tindall's thoughtful insights into Billie Eilish's soundtrack song What was I made for? - and then to bring us crashing back into the Real World, Jon Kuhrt explores why "Begging bothers us tremendously".

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31st July: Summer Special Part 3

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 05:00:19 GMT

This is the third episode in our series of Summer Specials: Belle Tindall - Reporter for Seen and Unseen and co-host of the Re-Enchanting podcast - chooses and narrates a trilogy of powerhouse women: Chasing the Rains by Jane Cacouris; Trusting her Experience by Jane Williams and Diary of an Invisible war by Lika Zakaryan

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24th July 2023: Summer Special Part 2

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 05:00:03 GMT

This episode is the second in our series of Summer Specials with guest narrators. This week we hear from the Rt Rev'd Graham Tomlin as he narrates Jane Canlis' article about the healing power of the F-word and his own article claiming the language of politics cannot domesticate religion; we also hear Paula Hynd's choice, written by Belle Tindall, A Sky Full of Stars: lessons on awe from Coldplay's concert.

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17th July 2023: Summer Special part 1

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 05:00:45 GMT

Seen & Unseen's Senior Editor, Nick Jones, picks and narrates 3 of his favourite articles from the last few months: on cancel culture, a soldier's perspective on war and a review of a Japanese film about assisted dying

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10th July 2023: Bach, bed-rotting and Beijing

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 05:00:44 GMT

This week we hear Jeremy Begbie's impassioned exploration of Johann Sebastian Bach's musical genius; we get under the covers with Lianne Howard-Dace to find out about bed-rotting and the art of rest; we learn from K. K. Yeo about the parallels between the experience of the growing Christian Church in China and the 1st Century Church starting under the rule of the Roman Empire

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3rd July 2023: loneliness; "Local Hero" and listening to the stories of refugees

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 05:00:22 GMT

This week, Roger Bretherton digs into the curse of loneliness in our culture; Yaroslav Walker celebrates the 40th anniversary of "Local Hero" and what it teaches us about the beauty of the natural world as well as the beauty of human relationships; Krish Kandiah encourages us to hear the personal stories of refugees from 5 authors who have written about their extraordinary journeys

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26th June 2023: Brazilian slums, Scottish politics, (de)personalisation of medicine and the life of vows

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 05:00:14 GMT

This week's episode explores life in all its fullness: from a Jane Cacouris in a Brazilian slum to Kate Forbes discussing her walk of faith within politics; David Cranston making a plea for personalisation in personalised medicine and Alex Hughes finding freedom within the "vowed life"

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19th June 2023: Sorry seems to be the hardest word; chasing the rain and life lessons from a pup

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 05:00:22 GMT

This week's eclectic mix includes Graham Tomlin reflecting on the Boris Johnson report and that sorry seems to be the hardest word; Jane Cacouris delves into the impact of gender inequality and climate change in developing countries; Natalie Garrett talks about learning to live well from her new puppy

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12th June 2023: neurodiversity in Pentonville Prison; nuns hold up a bank; finding Eden in the East End & cycling from darkness to light

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 05:00:01 GMT

This week's episode discovers a successful neurodiversity unit at Pentonville Prison and Nuns holdin up a bank in Oxford Street, Belle Tindall discovers Eden in the East End and Graeme Holdsworth cycles from darkness into light

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5th June 2023: Creating out of nothing; wrestling with the God desire and when Christenings happened in secret

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 05:00:00 GMT

This week's episode finds Barnabas Aspray wrestling with ideas about creating something out of nothing; Krish Kandiah wrestling with David Baddiel's book and the "God desire"; Julie Canlis unearths some of the secret and dangerous aspects of early Christian baptism

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29th May 2023: Guardians of the Galaxy; the interruption of trauma; new ways of doing international aid & how Indian cinema represents Christians

Mon, 29 May 2023 05:00:40 GMT

This week's episode includes Krish Kandiah reflecting on the success of diversity represented in Guardians of the Galaxy 3; Roger Bretherton acknowledges the many traumas and interruptions in life; Christian Aid’s Head of Humanitarian Policy Simone Di Vicenz argues the Ukraine war shows a change in approach is required to respond more effectively to global crises and Indo-Christian Culture’s Sha reviews how India’s film industry tackles the complexities of life, morality, harmony and violence, as experienced by its Christian community

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22nd May 2023: reflections on Grenfell and the power of penitence, what's annoying about dying and the hidden benefits of meditation

Mon, 22 May 2023 05:00:41 GMT

This week Graham Tomlin remembers Grenfell and reflects on the power of penitence; Roger Bretherton considers what's so annoying about dying and how his dad's death changed his relationship with his father and with himself; beyond noticing the moment, Jane Williams sees another dimension to meditation, giving a different kind of account of what is going on

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15th May 2023: Church & State; Science & Religion; Guys & Dolls

Mon, 15 May 2023 05:00:31 GMT

This week's collection includes reflections on various relationships: Jonathan Chaplin asks what's next for Church and State after the Coronation; Andrew Davison talks about the personal strand of the drama debated between Science and Religion; Oliver Wright reflects on the The Bridge's production of Guys and Dolls and what it says about the role of commitment and gambling in relationships.

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8th May 2023: activism, authenticity, astronomy, transhumanism and a campfire encounter

Mon, 08 May 2023 05:00:37 GMT

An eclectic mix: Stephen Backhouse's reflections on Søren Kierkegaard; Elizabeth Wainwright thinking about what's up with activism; Belle Tindall talks about her conversation with Jennifer Wiseman; Oliver Dürr challenges transhumanism and Jer Swigart remembers a campfire encounter and what it taught him about enemies and empathy

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Box Set Special: A Coronation Cornucopia by Ian Bradley

Thu, 04 May 2023 07:31:55 GMT

A special collection of Ian Bradley's articles explaining what's going on at the Coronation: Why we make kings; How faith helped the monarchy flex; Making sense of the Coronation's oaths, orbs and acclamations; The seen and unseen of the Coronation regalia

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1 May 2023 "Air", the Coronation and a bit of theological paranoia

Mon, 01 May 2023 05:00:12 GMT

This week's selection of articles include Yaroslav Walker discussing the movie "Air"; Graham Tomlin and Ian Bradley reflect on monarchy in the run up to the Coronation and Jared Stacy probes the moral and political consequences to conspiracy theories underpinned by theological paranoia.

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24 April 2023 - thoughts on dumping emotional rubbish, the power of addiction and reviving post-Liberal society

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 05:29:25 GMT

A trip to the dump leads Natalie Garrett to consider the practice of confession; Lauren Windle watches A Good Person & revisits her own experience of addiction & recovery (possible trigger content); Graham Tomlin explores the crisis in post-liberal society

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24 April 2023 Justice, mercy and a familial fanfare for the Coronation

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 05:02:18 GMT

As Shakespeare’s birthday approaches, Anthony Baker explores how the playwright let two ancient enemies fight it out on stage – justice and mercy; John Milbank analyses the wider meaning of the coronation: the culmination of family saga or a snapshot of the universal family?

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9 April - thoughts on Easter: faith, chaos and carnage.

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 06:00:43 GMT

A selection on articles reflecting on the themes around the Easter weekend, with articles from Graham Tomlin, Daniel Kim and others.

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3 April - The war in Ukraine, spiritual consciousness and Jacob Collier

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 06:00:17 GMT

Daniel Kim explores what’s driving a $3.7 trillion industry ‘market’ for spiritual consciousness, Ukrainian musician Lyuba Reznichenko reflects on the war’s anniversary, Belle Tindall wonders why thousands of strangers singing together has been eliciting such a powerful reaction and Sian Brookes reviews the film adaptation of Alan Bennett’s play.

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27 March - On "home", risky generosity, and dating shows.

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 09:40:36 GMT

A curated selection of the editor's top picks of our recent articles.

In this episode Miroslav Volf examines the nature of home, Jane William introduces Julian of Norwich, Britain’s first female author, Owen asks the question "why do soldiers go to war?", Mark Wreford recalls a moment at a church door and contemplates the challenge of it and Daniel Kim explores what’s driving a $3.7 trillion industry.

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20 March - Discovering the Seen & Unseen

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:42:11 GMT

A curated selection of the editor's top picks of our recent articles.

Our first episode features articles from Graham Tomlin where he explores more of the Seen & Unseen, and article from Alister McGrath - Seeing the World through Different Eyes - which explores how the creeds can help us help imagine life, and Where it's Dangerous to Believe with Belle Tindall, a reflection on the fifty most dangerous countries to be a Christian in the world this year.

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