At the start of the new year, the Rev Kate Bottley visits a stunning earth installation in Bristol Cathedral and meets Christians inspired by faith to care for the environment. The cathedral is hosting the Gaia artwork, a stunning representation of planet earth as seen from space, created by Luke Gerram to spread awareness of climate change. Canon Jonnie Parkin tells Kate what the cathedral is doing to help protect the planet and why faith inspires us to celebrate God’s green earth. To the south of city, the Bristol Steppin Sistas group head out to walk, sing and pray in the great outdoors. Founder Sophia Brown talks about why she was inspired to help women of colour to get out into nature.

Claire McCollum is in Edinburgh to meet Christians putting their faith into action in communities around the city. At the Bethany Christian Centre, Claire meets Dave Biddulph, whose own journey to faith and recovery from addiction led him to work at the very place that helped him 13 years ago. At the Edinburgh City Mission, Claire joins a group of newly settled asylum seekers for an art and craft class designed to create a sense of welcome for all and to help practise language skills. And Christian artist and retired teacher Peter Gray explains how his faith means more than just reading the Bible, as he works with a local charity to help make a house a home for people who’ve recently transitioned from living homeless.

To mark the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Sean Fletcher visits one of the largest gatherings of Christian church denominations in Europe. Organised by Churches Together in England, the conference brings together leaders from different church traditions, including Anglican, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Orthodox, and many more. Sean speaks to attendees to discover how this annual event, held since 1990, has fostered unity among Christians across England. As well as celebrating togetherness, the conference provides a forum for Christians to discuss their differences and work together to tackle the challenges of the day. The chair of Churches Together, Bishop Mike Royal, shares his personal story, and Sean meets Paulina Hlawiczka-Trotman, a Lutheran who left her homeland of Poland for the UK to pursue her calling to the priesthood. She paved the way for other women, becoming the first ever female Polish bishop of the Protestant Church. We also hear the inspiring story

Pam Rhodes is in Edinburgh to meet renowned singer and actress Barbara Dickson to find out about her journey of faith and the music that has shaped it. The pair meet at a folk bar Barbara knew well back in the 60s, when she moved to Edinburgh and was making a name for herself on the burgeoning folk scene. Barbara reflects on those exciting, early days in the city and finding her faith around the same time, when she was drawn to a local Catholic church. Barbara shares how her faith grew and how she had always felt like a Catholic, although she was baptised a Presbyterian. At St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, she explains to Pam that when she was confirmed in the Catholic Church, it felt like coming home.

Ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February, the Rev Kate Bottley meets Christians affected by cancer and explores how their faith sustains them. Kate meets minister and Britain’s Got Talent comedy star the Rev Allan Finnegan at his church in Netherton, Liverpool. Allan is living with a terminal cancer diagnosis, and he shares the comfort, hope and challenge that faith brings. In Lancashire, Kate joins a Christian cancer support group to learn how faith and friendship can be a huge help on the cancer journey. And we meet Professor Richard Gilbertson, a world-leading professor and committed Christian heading up a research mission to cure cancer.

Claire McCollum is in Belfast, discovering some of the hidden religious gems in the churches of her home city. With so much to see, Claire enlists the help of two local Christians who became friends when they trained to be official city tour guides together. Eileen is an Anglican and Christine is a Catholic, and throughout the tour, Claire finds out about the importance of faith to each of them. They begin by going through the keyhole at St Mark’s Church, where one of the world’s best-loved authors, CS Lewis, was baptised. They speculate whether an engraved lion head could have been the inspiration to the famous Christ-like character of Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia books. Along the way, they journey through Belfast’s shipbuilding history, visiting an extraordinary maritime-themed church in what would have been the city’s Sailortown.

Aled Jones explores the joy of being in a choir and joins a packed congregation in Huddersfield Town Hall for some rousing hymns, led by the world-renowned Huddersfield Choral Society. In a quiet moment offstage, Aled chats with regular Songs of Praise conductor Ken Burton to explore what makes choral music so special, with singers of the Huddersfield Choral Society lending their voices to help demonstrate the dynamics. Aled then meets two members of the famous choir to hear about its rich history, which stretches back to 1836, and how, for many, their performances are an act of worship. The Huddersfield Choral Society also has thriving youth choirs, and Aled drops in on a rehearsal to meet choir leader Alison North and her daughter Madeline. Aled hears how choral music, and the friendship found in choirs, has helped them through the grief of losing Madeline’s brother Alexander. Then, back in Huddersfield Town Hall, Madeline sings a poignant rendition of Count Your Blessings.

Claire McCollum discovers spectacular wall paintings in a Yorkshire village church and explores how traditional and modern art can bring stories of faith alive. St Michael and All Angels Church in Garton on the Wolds in East Yorkshire is a beautiful building and a seemingly typical parish church... until you step inside! Claire McCollum meets the vicar, the Rev Jane Anderson, to hear the story behind the extraordinary artwork that adorns every inch of this special little church. From the ancient to the very modern, in nearby York, Claire meets artist Dave Nevard at the opening night of his new exhibition. Using a compelling ‘photo-real’ form of digital painting, Dave’s work depicts some of the Bible’s most challenging and notorious characters, helping people to engage with their stories in a new way. And we explore St Hilary Church in Cornwall, with its collection of works from the famous Newlyn School of Art, which caused a great deal of controversy when they were first installed.

The Rev Kate Bottley explores the belief that laughter is a gift from God and meets clowns and comedians who explain how humour and joy profoundly connect them with their faith. Kate meets Mattie Faint, who has been a professional clown for over 50 years. Mattie is a key figure in planning one of the most unusual church services you will ever see – London’s annual clown service held at All Saints Church, Haggerston. The Rev Laura Luz, who leads the service, shares the joy of having a church full of clowns and explains the significance of humour in fostering inclusivity within the church. Social media content creators John and Jade Reynolds discuss the healing power that laughter has had on their lives. They have garnered millions of views online through their videos, which use humour to explore and challenge perspectives on topics like faith, family and Jade’s paraplegia.

Sean Fletcher visits Ripon College Cuddesdon, a theological college near Oxford, to explore one of the world’s most famous, influential and powerful prayers, spoken by billions every day – The Lord’s Prayer. Sean meets theologian Dr Paula Gooder in the college’s chapel to delve deeper into what The Lord’s Prayer means and why these words of Jesus continue to be so powerful for Christians across the world. Students from the college discuss different lines from the prayer and share why they mean so much to them. Sean then heads to north London and joins a boxing class led by Dr Mark Prince. In an emotional interview, Mark shares with Sean why The Lord’s Prayer’s focus on forgiveness was crucial in the aftermath of his son’s murder and why his faith inspires him to help young people and bring hope out of tragedy.

Sean Fletcher returns to Ripon College Cuddesdon, a theological training college near Oxford for the second of two special episodes exploring Jesus’s most famous and revolutionary set of teachings – the sermon on the mount. Sean continues his conversation with theologian Dr Paula Gooder to discover why the sermon on the mount has had a huge worldwide impact for over 2,000 years, influencing famous figures like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. He then joins Dr Eleanor McLaughlin in the college library to discover the remarkable story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German preacher and theologian who was inspired by Jesus’s teaching to lead a religious rebellion against Adolf Hitler, resulting in his execution exactly 80 years ago, just weeks before the end of the Second World War.

The Rev Kate Bottley is in Cheshire to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week by meeting Christians who champion their strengths and challenge the stereotypes of their conditions. Kate joins the Rev Emma Speake at a meeting of Brick by Brick, a worship community for neurodiverse families, at her church in Runcorn. Kate takes part in the fun of this inclusive church service and hears how Emma started the community after receiving her own autism and ADHD diagnoses. Kate also heads to a salon in Sandbach, owned by Sally Coles-Robertson, a Christian who has five neurodiverse conditions. Sally reflects on the role faith has played in the joys and challenges of her life – and does Kate’s nails at the same time!