The Profile

Allan Finnegan's stint on Britain's Got Talent in 2020 made him known to millions. The Baptist minister turned stand up comedian, who wears his dog collar in stage and draws on his experience as a minster, impressed all the judges, including Simon Cowell who gave him a standing ovation.

Finnegan made it to the semi-finals but his journey there was unorthodox. He grew up in Bootle in the 70s, a poor area of Liverpool where 'he...

The new Archbishop of Melbourne Ric Thorpe is no stranger to change. He's an accomplished church planter and until very recently served as the Bishop of Islington. But even with that experience, he still admits that moving with his wife over 10,000 across the world is both exciting and daunting.

Thorpe grew up going to church and as a schoolboy attended a boarding school where chapel was mandatory. It was only when he reached...

The British broadcaster, journalist, and campaigner Charlie Webster has known her fair share of trauma.

As a child in Sheffield she was abused by her stepfather and watched her mother be the victim of domestic abuse. Later as a young teen she was groomed and abused again by her running coach. She speaks openly about her experiences and its effect on her and campaigns for greater scrutiny on the issue calling for greater under...

Dr Matthew Porter admits he may not be a greatest or even the most natural Evangelist himself but says his own passion for sharing The Gospel tends to override that. It must be this quality that has lead him to his current position as Champion Lead Bishop in Mission and Discipleship in the Church of England.

Porter is also Bishop of Bolton and serves as one of three Anglican bishops within Greater Manchester bringing over 30 ...

The writer and publisher Stephanie Duncan Smith was raised by Christian parents in the state of Maryland in the US, so from a very young age faith was woven into her life. Smith likes to talk about in terms of 'rhythms' and says there were three that dominated her early life: Church, dinner and reading. It didn't take long for her to develop an instinct for 'the word'.

She is now the senior editor for HarperOne which produce...

"God gives us human curiosity" says the renowned American physician-geneticist Dr Francis Collins whose is best known for his leadership of the Human Genome Project and his contributions to finding a vaccine for Covid. It's curiosity which has helped Collins play a part in some of the most extraordinary scientific discoveries of the modern age.

Born in 1950, Collins trained as a physician and geneticist, eventually becoming t...

John Dickson didn't set food in a church before the age of 15 but says, looking back, he would probably have described himself as a 'thoughtful child'. After his father died in a plane crash he began thinking more about faith and was encouraged to explore Christianity by a secondary school teacher who was very open about her own faith.

Dickson went on to become a singer songwriter in 1990s for the rock band In the Silence befo...

The MP David Smith says that while he never wanted to be a 'pigeonholed' as a Christian neither would he ever deny how central his faith is to his work.

He's only newly been elected to the Labour seat in North Northumberland last year. His previous work included being Chief Executive with Oasis as well as senior roles in faith-based organisations such as Bible Society and Tearfund. It was work that deeply influenced his deep ...

Miel de Botton is a Swiss-born singer-songwriter, psychologist and philanthropist.

In this podcast she describes a loving but strict upbringing along with her brother, the author Alain de Botton. As her interests grew she went onto study law at Oxford before then switching to clinical psychology in Paris, where she worked with people overcoming addiction.

Miel began her professional musical career later in life. Her debut ...

Phil Knox is best known for his work with the Evangelical Alliance - an organisation which represents and connects evangelical churches and people across the UK and where he serves as evangelism and missiology senior specialist.

Knox grew up in a Christian household and attended church regularly. Home was a place where Scripture was regularly referenced. On car journeys he describes his parents teaching him to memorise Bible ...