Pam Rhodes is an English television, radio presenter and author, known for presenting BBC Television's long-running religious series Songs of Praise since the early 1980s. [1] [2]
Rhodes grew up in Gosport and attended Gosport County Grammar School. [3] [4] Her first job in television was in 1969 as programme secretary for Thames TV's Today which was hosted by Eamonn Andrews, going on to become programme organiser for the ITV network documentary series This Week . [5]
In January 2015, Rhodes presented the "Songs of Dre's" feature on BBC Radio 2's "Dermot O'Leary Show".
Rhodes wrote a number of novels: With Hearts and Hymns and Voices (Lion Hudson); The Trespassers, Whispers, Ties That Bind and Letting Go (all for Hodder and Stoughton Publishers); Coming Through (Macmillan Publishing); Springtime at Hope Hall (2020), Summer's out at Hope Hall (2021) and Christmas at Hope Hall (2021) (all for Lion Fiction), Colours for the Soul, As Time Goes By and Love Bites (all quotation books for Lion Hudson) and Hear My Song (SPCK Publishing). Rhodes also wrote four novels as part of The Dunbridge Chronicles: Fisher Of Men, Casting The Net, If You Follow Me and Saints And Sailors.
In 2020, Rhodes received the Thomas Cranmer Award for Worship from Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, "for her outstanding work in hosting Songs of Praise on the BBC for over 30 years." [6]
Rhodes and her husband, Richard Crow, own and run Biggleswade Cat Lodge, a boarding cattery in Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, which also boards and re-homes RSPCA cats. She is a vice-president of the Church Army; patron of Livability and Methodist Homes for the Aged (the MHA Group); and an ambassador for Keech Hospice Care based in Great Bramingham Lane, Luton. She was made an honorary member of the Royal School of Church Music in 2009 and was awarded an honorary doctorate of arts for her contribution to news journalism and charity work by the University of Bedfordshire in 2010. [7]
Bagpuss is a British animated children's television series which was made by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate through their company Smallfilms. The series of thirteen episodes was first broadcast from 12 February to 7 May 1974. The title character was "a saggy, old cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams". Although only thirteen episodes were produced and broadcast, the programme remains fondly remembered, and was frequently repeated in the UK until 1986. In early 1999, Bagpuss topped a BBC poll for the UK's favourite children's television programme.
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Luton (225,262), and Bedford is the county town.
Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet, who served as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012. Previously the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales, Williams was the first Archbishop of Canterbury in modern times not to be appointed from within the Church of England.
Biggleswade is a market town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the River Ivel, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Bedford. Its population was 16,551 in the 2011 United Kingdom census, This figure increased by 36% to 22,541 at the time of the 2021 United Kingdom census.
Sandy is a town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. It lies 8 miles (13 km) to the east of Bedford, 18 miles (29 km) to the south west of Cambridge and 43 miles (69 km) north of Central London. It had a population of 12,171 at the 2021 census.
Moira Clare Ruby Stuart, is a British presenter and broadcaster. She was the first female newsreader of Caribbean heritage to appear on British national television, having worked on BBC News since 1981.
John Lamberton Bell is a Scottish hymn-writer and Church of Scotland minister. He is a member of the Iona Community, a broadcaster, and former student activist. He works throughout the world, lecturing in theological colleges in the UK, Canada and the United States, but is primarily concerned with the renewal of congregational worship at the grass roots level.
Songs of Praise is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Christian faith is lived out.
Barb Jungr is an English singer, songwriter and theatre writer, who has recorded versions of songs by Bob Dylan, Sting, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Cohen.
John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu, Baron Sentamu, is a retired Anglican bishop and life peer. He was Archbishop of York and Primate of England from 2005 to 2020.
Fiona Phillips is an English journalist, broadcaster and television presenter. She is best known for presenting the ITV Breakfast programme GMTV Today.
Bay House School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Gosport, Hampshire, England.
Dunton is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England; about 12 miles (19 km) east south-east of the county town of Bedford. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Newton and Millow.
Sandy Heath transmitting station is a television and radio broadcasting station in England, located between Sandy, Bedfordshire and Potton near the B1042. It is owned by Arqiva, formerly NTL Broadcast. It was built in 1965, originally broadcasting Anglia Television on VHF 405-lines, UHF with 625-line services of BBC2, BBC1, and Anglia Television being added by January 1971. It carried Channel 4 and Channel 5 from their launch days, Channel 5 at lower power than the other four services. Today it broadcasts digital television on the DTT platform as digital switchover took place on 13 April 2011. On 17 June 2018, as part of the 700MHz clearance, Com5 moved from Ch52 to Ch36, Com7 moved from Ch32 to Ch55 and Com8 moved from Ch34 to Ch56
Stratton Upper School is a mixed British upper school and sixth form located in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. It is an academy school, governed by the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust.
Frederic Athelwold Iremonger was an Anglican priest.
Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) is a public research university located in Canterbury, Kent, England. Founded as a Church of England college for teacher training in 1962, it was granted university status in 2005.
Rose Josephine Hudson-Wilkin, is a British Anglican prelate, who serves as Suffragan Bishop of Dover in the diocese of Canterbury – deputising for the Archbishop – since 2019: she is the first black woman to become a Church of England bishop. She was previously Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons from 2010 to 2019, having trained with the Church Army before entering parish ministry.
The Lambeth Awards are awarded by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In addition to the Lambeth degrees, there are a number of non-academic awards. Before 2016, these awards consisted of the Lambeth Cross, the Canterbury Cross, and the Cross of St Augustine. In 2016, these awards were expanded with six new awards named after previous Archbishops of Canterbury.
Helen Clare was a British singer who was well known in the 1930s and 1940s through her work in variety, radio, television and recording. Clare worked extensively in light entertainment, appearing on BBC Radio and recording with British dance bands. Her distinctive soprano voice saw her working with some of the biggest names of the era, including bandleaders Jack Jackson and Henry Hall. She was one of the last surviving British singers who had been active in the 1930s.