Chester Mystery Plays, Chief rabbi, Is the NHS a religion?

Sunday

The nave of Chester Cathedral has been transformed into a huge theatre set for the performance of medieval mystery plays which take place in the city every five years and are running now. Rosie Dawson has been to a rehearsal.

Nigel Lawson once likened the NHS to a religion; Trevor Barnes explores whether people think the NHS is a religion.

After several years of mental illness, Guy Stagg set off one morning, from London, to walk to Canterbury. This led him to follow the paths of the medieval pilgrims to Jerusalem and he explains how this walk of over 5000 miles has helped his recovery.

The chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis accompanied the Duke of Cambridge on his historic tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories. The Chief Rabbi talks to Edward about the trip and the wider significance of it.

Does the church attract narcissistic personality types in leadership roles? Some new books on the topic suggest this is certainly the case. Edward discusses with Mark Vernon, former priest and psychotherapist and Andre Spicer from Cass Business School.

The Court of Appeal in Belfast has ruled that humanist celebrants must be registered by the state as able to perform legal marriages for couples. We look at what this means for humanists as they take on more services such as funerals, naming ceremonies and marriage. Professor Linda Woodhead from Lancaster University talks about the role of such non-religious ceremonies.

Producers Carmel Lonergan Louise Clarke-Rowbotham

Series Producer: Amanda Hancox

Photo credit: Neil Kendall.