Entertainment

Laura Whitmore to explore religion as part of BBC radio festive line-up

The presenter and ex-Strictly Come Dancing contestant will host What To Believe on 5 Live.
The presenter and ex-Strictly Come Dancing contestant will host What To Believe on 5 Live. The presenter and ex-Strictly Come Dancing contestant will host What To Believe on 5 Live.

Laura Whitmore will be exploring the subject of religion as part of BBC radio’s Christmas line-up.

The presenter and ex-Strictly Come Dancing contestant will host What To Believe, on 5 Live.

She asks whether she is “losing her religion” in the programme, to air on December 23.

The Irish star was raised as a Roman Catholic and “keeps a bottle of holy water” on her dressing table.

“But like many ‘millennials’ she is beginning to wonder what religion means in the 21st century. Is she ‘losing’ her religion?

“With many surveys claiming her age group are the least religious members of all society, Laura sets out to find out what young people actually believe in. And if it’s not religion, what is it?”, 5 Live said.

Fleur East will host a 5 Live show on Christmas Day
Fleur East will host a 5 Live show on Christmas Day Fleur East will host a 5 Live show on Christmas Day (Ian West/PA)

On the same station, singer Fleur East, currently taking part in I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! will be joined by a panel of celebrity guests for the station’s Christmas morning show to “chat about their personal Christmas experiences and favourite family traditions”.

Other shows scheduled for the festive period include Take That, looking back at the band’s history on Christmas Day on Radio 2, while Gary Barlow will later interview Sir Paul McCartney.

Matt Lucas hosts his own Christmas Day live special on Radio 2, joined by celebrity friends, listeners and his mother.

Tony Blackburn will host a show in the early evening on New Year’s Eve on the same station.

Scott Mills will host the Radio 1 Christmas Day Breakfast live show.

More religious programming is due to be announced.

BBC director of radio and music Bob Shennan said: “This Christmas, BBC radio will offer an unrivalled collection of programmes featuring the finest DJs, musicians and actors.

“Across our stations, teams have curated brilliant schedules with world-class talent, all of which are available on BBC Sounds.”