Omid is a stand up comedian, actor, producer and writer. He grew up in Kensington with his Iranian Bahai family. He has appeared in Mamma Mia 2, Snatch, His Dark Materials and The Infidel among many other films, and he currently hosts the quiz show The Winning Combination on ITV2.

In this episode he speaks about the impact of the Iranian revolution on his teenage faith, seeing comedy as a vocation that brings joy, and his experiences of dealing with racism.

Our sabbatical has lasted a little longer than expected, but we are so excited to be back very soon with some brand new episodes for you.

We will be celebrating our return with an event to premiere our first-ever Sacred short 'My Dream, My Taste', a 3-minute animated film featuring a clip from episode 50 with Miroslav Volf. The event on 29th March will feature a screening of the film followed by a conversation about what it means to live a good life with Miroslav himself, Julian Baggini and Sarah Stein Lubrano. You can find out more and register for your free ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/my-dream-my-taste-what-does-it-mean-to-live-a-good-life-tickets-142089895703

To everything there is a season and The Sacred needs a season change. The podcast is not ending but it is pausing so that we can reflect and refresh, and pop up again with new life and energy. We expect to be back in February 2021, please keep an eye on our social channels for updates (@sacred_podcast).

Meanwhile, we would love to hear from you. We have created a questionnaire https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JFLSFLS that will take just a few minutes to fill in where you can give us feedback about the show and take part in our reflection process. We’d also love a smaller group of listeners to gather for a virtual focus group where we can really discuss how the podcast can be most fruitful in its second season. If you would be up for giving up an hour or so to sit down with the team, please indicate that on your questionnaire and we may well be in touch.

Rachel is a doctor with a specialism in palliative care. Before going to medical school, she was a television journalist and documentary maker. She is the author of Sunday Times bestselling books ‘Your life in my hands’ and ‘Dear Life’, which is about her experiences working in a hospice. Her next book ‘Breathtaking’, about her experience on hospital COVID–19 wards, will be out next year.

In this episode she speaks about unsuccessful attempts to become a Christian, her deep faith in humanity, feeling like a fraud as a journalist, and why we should all have more conversations about death.

Krithika is a columnist at the Wall Street Journal in New York and a former foreign correspondent based in Indonesia. She is a National Geographic Explorer and her first book ‘The Call: Inside the Global Saudi Religious Project’ was launched in April.

In this episode she speaks about growing up in a Hindu home, being humble and doing your research on covering religion, and why it’s vital that journalists take faith seriously.

Helen Lewis is a journalist, staff writer at The Atlantic and former deputy editor at The New Statesman. She is the author of ‘Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights’.

In this episode she speaks about feminism, her parents Catholicism, navigating online backlash, and why she looks forward to the day when British media is more representative.

Jules is a writer, speaker and practical philosopher. He’s a research fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions, Queen Mary University of London. He’s also the founder of the London Philosophy Club and co-founder of the first Stoicon, festival of Stoicism. He’s also the author of ‘Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations’, ‘The Art of Losing Control’, ‘Holiday from the Self’ and most recently ‘Breaking Open: finding a way through spiritual emergency.’

In this episode he talks about his boarding school hedonism, near-death experiences, foray into charismatic Christianity and why he thinks our society needs more space for ecstatic experiences.

Sophia Smith Galer is currently working as the BBC World Services’ first ever visual journalist in faith and ethics. In this episode Sophia speaks about her experience as one of the first journalists in the UK to be experimenting with Tik Tok, why good religion reporting is so vital, and why journalism and opera singing have a surprising amount in common.

Mark is a psychotherapist who writes, lectures and broadcasts on philosophy with a focus on insights that illuminate our inner lives. He was formerly a priest in the Church of England and has written books on friendship, agnosticism, consciousness and love. His most recent book is ‘A Secret History of Christianity’ which is based upon the ideas of Owen Barfield.

In this episode he speaks about why he left the Church of England, his time as ‘nearly an atheist’, and how he found his way back to experiencing the presence of the divine.

Myriam Francois is a journalist, filmmaker and senior fellow at the Centre for Global Policy, an American think tank working on the intersection of American foreign policy and Muslim geopolitics. She has made radio and television documentaries for the BBC, Sky and others, and presented a range of programmes related to religion. She is currently running the website and podcast ‘We need to talk about whiteness’.

In this episode she speaks about the process which led to her embracing Islam after university, her experiences as a white woman in a headscarf, and why she will no longer take part in debates which she calls religious bear–baiting.