An Unexpected Pleasure

Television out here in the UAE, although full of western programmes, is fairly heavily censored. I've been out here eleven years now and, until tonight, have never seen an openly Christian religious television programme.

Now, it doesn't escape me that today is the Christian Orthodox Easter Sunday. Mrs DB and I were having a quiet night in, watching the TV, I'd already looked at the UKTV schedules ('cos that is our channel of choice - when Bolton Wanderers are not playing a Premier League game) and, basically, according to the schedule there was bugger all worth watching on tonight. Isn't that usually the case, I hear you ask? Well yeah, but tonight there was even less than normal.

So, we decided to watch what we had recorded yesterday. At the end of the recording the TV tuned itself back to our normal channel. I was absolutely gobsmacked to find myself watching Rick Wakeman, Robert Powell, Ramon Remedios, The Israel Symphony Orchestra and the Eton College Choir performing The Word.

The Word is the Gospels set to music and goes right through the life of Christ - albeit fairly briefly. As I said, the significance of today does not escape me, nor does the fact that this concert is not mentioned in the schedule for today! I suspect that someone has just slipped it in there and broadcast the Christian story all over the Middle East.

I am sure that someone's head will roll, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and, I am sure, quite a few other people managed to enjoy this unexpected pleasure tonight.

Thank you UKTV.