Rev - A BBC2 series | The Christian Institute

BBC comedy confirms accusations of anti-Christian bias

REV
Created by Tom Hollander and James Wood
BBC 2
Six episodes, June 28-August 6

In July, a new TV comedy about a liberal vicar struggling in an inner city parish, looked set to further inflame accusations of anti-Christian bias at the BBC.

A BBC press pack claims that the sitcom Rev is ‘contemporary’, ‘heavily researched’ and ‘lifts the lid on how the modern church actually functions and what life is really like in a dog collar’.

It was co-created by James Wood and Tom Hollander, who also plays the lead role as the vicar. Tom Hollander said: ‘We’re trying to depict a real world’. James Wood said: ‘The one word I would pick to describe the show would be “heretical”’.

The opening episode features a decaying, near-empty church attended by a handful of eccentric oddballs and senior citizens. At one Sunday service, the church begins to fill with wealthy young families, but it transpires they are only attending in the hope of getting their children into the local church school.

In the second episode, a neighbouring evangelical congregation asks to share the church building while their own building is being renovated. The evangelical church is headed by a tall, handsome, slick communicator, who fills the church with happy youngsters. But the evangelicals are shown to be unforgiving, money-obsessed hypocrites who reach a large young crowd only because of trendy gimmicks.

The third episode features a Muslim group that wants to use the church to teach Islamic prayer to children. The vicar is keen on the opportunity for a multi-faith dialogue, but fears the move may be opposed by ‘prejudiced’ members of his own congregation.

The Muslims characters are portrayed sympathetically, shown to be self-assured in their beliefs and moral values. Inspired by their moral confidence, the liberal vicar decides to oppose a lap-dancing club that is planning to open opposite the church school. But he is anxious not to be seen as moralising, judgmental or anti-sex. The more zealous members of his congregation start a ‘stop the filth’ petition. One of the male members signs it but is later discovered to be a regular visitor to lap-dancing clubs.

The comedy, which contains adult language and themes, was broadcast on Monday evenings on BBC 2.

The show is believed to have attracted audiences of two million every week, but it is not known whether there will be a second series.