The Heaven and Earth Show


The Heaven and Earth Show is a BBC television programme that aired on Sunday mornings from 10am to 11am on BBC One. The show ran for nine years between 1998 and 2007, looking at spiritual and moral issues. Over the years it had numerous presenters, and its final presenter was Gloria Hunniford.

Format

The programme had a magazine format, with guests of all backgrounds talking about various ethical, spiritual and cultural issues. The programme also featured phone-ins, email and text readouts. Commonly a celebrity guest would be interviewed about their career with a particular focus on religious belief or spirituality; some later guests included Jermaine Jackson, Al Green, Alexei Sayle and Vic Reeves. Heaven and Earth was notably different from traditional "God slot" programming in that it concentrated on a wide range of beliefs rather than just Christianity — for example, features on the ethics of halal meat or "New Age" concepts of spirituality. It included prominent figures from the Church and Islamic, Jewish, Hindu and secular communities and would also contain reports on topical religious issues, with notable reporters including Toyah Willcox, John Walters, Ed Stourton, Myleene Klass, Kate Silverton and Kate Gerbeau.
Occasionally there were special programmes such as that on 7 September 2003 covering three different types of beliefs: theist, New Age followers and atheists or agnostics. A specially commissioned poll was produced on issues raised.

Productions

Heaven and Earth was made by the BBC's in-house Religion and Ethics department and was broadcast live from a former news studio at the BBC in Oxford Road, Manchester. Later on, as part of a re-launch, the show moved to ITV's Granada Studios.

Cancellation

The BBC announced in the spring of 2007 that they would be cancelling the show in autumn after a run of nine years and replacing it for a 12-month period with commissions made by two independent production companies. On 2 September 2007, Heaven & Earth had its final show; The Proclaimers and Beth Neilsen Chapman were the final musical guests.

Notable guests

Over the years many guests appeared on the programme, including: