The BBC will increase its coverage of more religions and could broadcast Friday prayers after complaints that it was too Christian, The Times has learnt.
Lord Hall of Birkenhead, director-general of the corporation, is inviting religious leaders to join discussions about plans for multi-faith coverage. He will also appoint a senior executive, who will sit on the board of governors, to draw up new programme ideas alongside broadcasts such as Songs of Praise and Thought for the Day.
The aim is to ensure more coverage of all faiths after criticism that Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs were being ignored. This year a BBC report concluded that there was a disproportionate amount of programming on Christianity compared with other faiths.
In the summer Aaqil Ahmed, former head of religion and ethics at the BBC, told a Commons committee that he had prepared a report for Lord Hall to set out the religious mix across TV and radio. “Christianity remains the cornerstone of our output and there are more hours dedicated to it than there are to other faiths,” he said.
Sources have made clear that a new focus on other faiths would not be at the expense of Christian output. An insider said that Lord Hall was determined to do more to more represent others. The coverage will involve documentaries such as Britain’s Muslim Soldiers, which was broadcast on BBC this year, and told the story of a dilapidated cemetery in Woking in which 27 Muslim soldiers who died fighting for Britain are buried.
“Faith is remarkably important. The BBC can and must do more to ensure that the important role faith plays is recognised and reflected in our programming,” a source said.
Religious leaders likely to be invited to the discussions include Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, and Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi. Harun Khan, head of the Muslim Council of Britain, and Hindu and Sikh leaders are expected to attend.
Ibrahim Mogra, of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that the BBC could televise Friday prayers from a mosque, cover Eid, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan, or children attending Koranic lessons. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “We would love to see a programme exploring the history of Jewish-Muslim co-operation over the centuries, such as during the Holocaust when many Jews were saved by Muslims.”