Now It’s Priest Idol
Channel 4 will screen a new reality television series which aims to boost a congregation in a parish with poor church attendance.
With the working title Priest Idol, the show will give a vicar 12 months to boost the church’s turnout.
Backed by advisors, the vicar will be able to spend an undisclosed sum of money on anything he or she thinks will appeal to parishioners.
The three-part series is due to be broadcast at the end of 2005 and is currently filming in Wakefield, west-Yorkshire.
A Channel 4 spokesman said: “It will feature a parish whose church is on the verge of closing, attracting only eight or nine people each week, but it is quite a forward-looking area which is willing to risk a new approach.”
The vicar at the centre of the series will not be selected via a Pop Idol-style talent contest, the spokesman said.
He added: “By the end of the year the vicar will have to convince the local bishop and archbishop that he or she is the person for the job.”
The series is being made by independent production company Diverse.

from Wave Guide via Relapsed Catholic