Seven Catholic commentators appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day in 2020.
Research from the Catholic Union has found that out of 312 episodes of the regular Today programme slot last year – Catholics featured 35 times, representing just over 11 per cent of contributions.
Thought for the Day is a daily slot on the Today programme offering “reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news.”
Catherine Pepinster appeared on the programme more than any other Catholic commentator – featuring in nine episodes last year. Tina Beattie featured eight times, followed by Tim Stanley with seven appearances.
Anna Rowlands made five appearances, with Bishop Philip Egan, Francis Campbell, and Pádraig Ó Tuama each contributing twice to the programme.
A total of 52 contributors took part in the programme in 2020, representing all main faith groups. The Church of England had the greatest number of contributors, with 27 Anglicans taking part and featuring in 186 episodes of the programme.