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The UK's religious landscape is changing but appetite for content in this area is undiminished.

Religion and ethics can be embedded in any conversation, genre or story, so whether reflecting a particular faith, an ethical question or spirituality more broadly, how can we produce programmes that grab the attention of audiences – whether they follow a religious tradition or otherwise?

We commission singles, formats and series and are looking for a strong performance on iPlayer as well as linear. To help do that, think about tone, talent, shape and above all – be ambitious.

Impactful singles

We’ve had great success with talent-led singles so how can we continue to bring audiences surprising and uniquely personal stories from some of our most well-loved faces?

Big Zuu Goes to Mecca was a bold, warm and joyful film about one man’s desire to understand his faith - and himself - better. Zuu’s energy and charm swept audiences along as he undertook his first pilgrimage to Mecca, offering us a unique insight into modern, British Islam along the way. Big Zuu Goes to Mecca won a Grierson award, five-star reviews and acclaim for the presenter’s honesty and charm throughout. This film demonstrates the genre’s capacity for joyful, surprising content led by well-loved talent that can garner attention and awards.

How can we continue to bring new approaches and a fresh tone to the slate? Treating subjects which can be seen as serious in a light-hearted way, but still with clear purpose, could engage a new audience with the genre.

Stacey Dooley: Inside the Undertakers is the top-rated religion single of the last five years. Stacey’s personal motivations for making the film gave it a compelling starting point which connected with viewers. Then, with her trademark humour and candour, she was able to get inside a subject that is universal but so often shied away from, holding viewers’ attention despite many of us finding the topic uncomfortable.

She found funny, honest and deeply moving stories, uniting both secular and faith perspectives in a way that resonated with audiences.

How can we provide more content that will appeal to both people of faith and those who may not follow one particular belief system?

In the upcoming Amol Goes to the Ganges (w/t), Amol Rajan, who was born in India to a practising Hindu family, has struggled to come to terms with the death of his father and hopes that reconnecting with his birthplace, during one of Hinduism's most important religious events, could help him process his grief.

These films, at their best, can highlight the universality of the human experience explored through an individual story, faith or cultural tradition. They can resonate with a wide audience from both religious and secular backgrounds.

We want ambitious singles where the morals and ethics of an issue or situation are brought to the fore. These could be explored through a religious or other worldview perspective. These could be based on an unfolding narrative, a journey of exploration into a culture, place or ritual, or centred around great talent with a personal story that will get us into big questions around life, death, meaning and purpose. These can be hugely varied in tone and approach.

What are the next big subjects, conversations or moments we could bring to life?

Access to hidden worlds

Two of our break-out successes on iPlayer have been Inside the Bruderhof and The Mormons Are Coming. Both offered unprecedented access to a hidden world with young characters at their heart and performed exceptionally well on the platform.

How could we scale up this access to series or boxsets? What are the different approaches we can take?

As well as present-tense stories, could we gain access to a past-tense story, something with national recognition, which can be told in a new and surprising way using brilliant archive and testimony at its heart? How could that sustain several episodes?

Premium two-parters

Our series across two or more parts explore definitive moments through a cultural, political or religious lens, such as The Holy Land and Us: Our Untold Stories.

Think about subjects or approaches which are both provocative – with difficult or complex questions at their heart - and have a clear purpose driving the narrative.

We have two upcoming series centred around extraordinary access, archive, investigation and intrigue. Each are rooted in stories which have demonstrably grabbed national attention in the past but where there is something new to explore now. We have space for more glossy, premium two-parters.

Returning brands

We also have returning brands such as the much-loved Pilgrimage, which takes a factual entertainment approach and is building year on year. Dropping all three episodes on iPlayer at once has grown its performance on the platform, with people watching all three back-to-back. Thinking carefully about talent and how they might dig into important questions we all care about is a key part of the series’ success.

What might a new format look like to sit alongside this returning brand? Is there a series of scale for a peak audience that could create bingeable viewing on iPlayer? Are there styles or approaches from other genres that could work well for this subject-matter, such as the documentary team’s Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland or factual entertainment’s Race Across The World?

Transformation moments

The genre also highlights significant moments in the religious calendars of major faiths, reflecting individual communities while inviting a broader audience to share insights into that faith. Eid Live and Celebrity Eid are great examples of broadcast firsts that we want do more of. These programmes can make a noise, bring people together around celebration and ritual and open the door to one another’s faith traditions.

Co-commissions

A priority for us is stories which could work well for co-commissioning partnerships with teams in the nations. We have had success with co-commissions such as Gareth Malone’s Easter Passion and Gareth Malone’s Easter Messiah (w/t) with ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Wales, First Communion with ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Northern Ireland and two series of Scotland’s Sacred Islands with Ben Fogle with ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Scotland. These series brought universality through a single point of entry and glorious locations explored in a new way.

Sacred Islands is centred around questions at the heart of specific communities but with themes and stories that resonated with viewers across the UK. First Communion brought a child’s view to big questions around life, death and forgiveness in a way that reminds us of events which impact us all. Gareth Malone’s unique and inclusive approach brings complex classical music with historical and theological themes to a wide audience through a driving, observational documentary narrative.

What new single or two-part stories can appeal to both nations and network audiences? Or is there a new series for religion that might work for both nations and network, allowing us to get to know a cast of characters across a high-volume series, while exploring some of life’s biggest questions?

Unscripted on iPlayer

Read about how we commission unscripted content in an iPlayer first-world, along with advice and further resources to maximise the impact of your programme on the platform.