Explore Scotland’s sacred islands with Ben Fogle

A new four-part OU/BBC production of Scotland’s Sacred Islands with Ben Fogle is airing on BBC Scotland and BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer. 

This is the second series of the programme that sees adventurer Ben Fogle travel across some of Scotland’s most beautiful islands to explore how faith and belief took root and how that still thrives in island communities today.

Episode one sees Ben visit Arran and Holy Isle, followed by Islay and Jura in episode two, the Orkney Isles in episode three, and episode four concludes this series when he visits the Isle of Skye.

Professor Marion Bowman, from Scotland, is an Open University (OU) Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies and an Academic Consultant for the OU on the series. She said: 

“As a Scottish Religious Studies scholar, my research areas are Vernacular Religion (which focuses on religion as it is lived in everyday life), diverse forms of contemporary spirituality, and new non-traditional forms of pilgrimage.

“So working on Scotland’s Sacred Islands has been right up my street! It’s been a pleasure to be involved in bringing to a wider audience some insights into possibly unfamiliar places, spiritual practices, cultural traditions and worldviews. 

“I hope that people will find the beauty and diversity of the islands visited, the insights into traditional forms of religiosity, new spiritual and personal quests and the many means of community-building and making sense of life featured both fascinating and thought-provoking.”   

Another Academic Consultant for the OU on the series, Professor of Religious History, John Wolffe said:

“Through its focus on fascinating and scenic islands this series explores changing forms of religious expression and spirituality in the contemporary world and raises important questions about the nature of communities and their relationship to the environment. It has been a rewarding privilege to be involved.” 

This series was commissioned by the OU's Broadcast and Partnerships team and is supported by the OU's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. 

It's transmitting on BBC Scotland at 8pm on Tuesday 17, 24 and 31 October, and 7 November. It's also airing on BBC One at 10.30am on Sunday 22 and 29 October, and 5 and 19 Nov.

Each espisode will be available on BBC iPlayer after transmitting.

Visit our Broadcast and Partnerships site OU Connect, where you can find an exclusive interview with Ben Fogle discussing spirituality and mindfulness, as well as articles from the Academic Consultants on the rediscovery of pilgrimage and the perceived Christian decline in Scotland. 

Image: © BBC / Tern Television Productions

17 October 2023