Beyond Belief

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Religion & Ethics

Series exploring the place and nature of faith in today's world

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Beyond Belief: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

BBC Radio 4 - Beyond Belief, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Ernie Rea and guests discuss the Christian themes in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Lucy Mangan and Francis Spufford discuss the CS Lewis classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with Ernie Rea. Readings by Julie Hesmondhalgh.

Although it was written nearly seventy years ago, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ still appears in the top ten favourite children’s books and has sold over 100 million copies in 47 different languages. It's set in the magical Land of Narnia where the White Witch has cast a spell to make sure that it is always winter and Christmas never comes. This changes when four siblings – Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund – stumble into Narnia through the back of a wardrobe and defeat the evil that has engulfed Narnia with the help of the mighty lion Aslan. For some readers, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ is an allegory of the story of Jesus. Many others view it simply as a good yarn. To discuss the religious message behind the book – and whether or not it really matters – Ernie is joined by three authors: Lucy Mangan, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Francis Spufford.  Extracts are read by Julie Hesmondhalgh.

Producer: Helen Lee

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