The BBC scores again: Bible Year 2011 (1)

When the BBC gets it right it really gets it right. The Nativity, shown in the week leading up to Christmas, was a triumph and the Dr Who Christmas special was an excellent reworking of A Christmas Carol. There was also some nonsense last night about something called The Archers but I was busy listening to the football.

Then this morning Radio 4 broadcast the first of three episodes telling The Story of the King James Bible. This was high quality broadcasting, setting the religious and political context for the creation of what has been described as the ‘noblest monument of English prose’. Presented by James Naughtie and based at Hampton Court, the first part, The Commission, will be  rebroadcast this evening and the remaining episodes, The Translation and The Legacy, will go out on Tuesday and Wednesday at 9am. The series will also be available on iPlayer and podcast.

This is a great introduction to the King James Bible as we celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of the translation and further testimony to the value of public service broadcasting.