Wells Cathedral is one of the settings for this year's most extraordinary church event - the first admission of women to the clergy of the Church of England. As deacons, women may now wear the dog collar, but they are still not allowed to become full priests and celebrate communion. The Movement for the Ordination of Women have seized this opportunity to explore the deep-seated sexual and spiritual resistance to femininity at the altar.
Ann Easter is a deacon in Stratford, East London, whose ministry is presented as living proof of a woman's suitability to be a priest.
Open Space is the series where the public make programmes under their own editorial control with help from the Community Programme Unit.
Info: page 77
Page 77: This year, for the first time, women have been admitted to the ranks of the Church of England clergy as deacons, but are still prohibited from becoming priests. Open Space discusses how women have reached this point and explores the struggle that lies ahead.