Sorted Magazine

Tag: Val Fraser

  • Comment: Help for parents in the digital age

    A new parent hub to help families navigate the world of video games has been launched.

    Ukie, the leading video games industry body, has launched Ask About Games a resource designed to support parents, caregivers and families in navigating the world of video games. As technology continues to evolve, so does the landscape of parenting, with video game ownership now a reality for 70% of UK households. Ask About Games aims to equip parents with the necessary tools and knowledge to engage in meaningful discussions about fostering healthy digital habits for their children.

    Despite widespread belief among three-quarters of parents that parental controls are essential for safeguarding children, many parents have yet to fully utilise these protective measures. Four in ten parents admit they haven’t discussed online decision-making with their kids. Recognising this gap Ask About Games seeks to empower parents and families to activate these controls, which are readily available on all video game platforms.

    Nick Poole, CEO of Ukie, explained: “Our mission is to empower parents with straightforward, practical resources that make video game safety easy to understand and implement. By offering expert advice and clear guidance, we aim to help families ensure a safe and enjoyable gaming environment for their children.”

    Ask About Games is backed by the video game industry and designed to distil expert advice into digestible insights. Recognising the time constraints faced by parents, it serves as a one-stop destination for accessing top-notch tips, starting the power up pact, and game guides that help parents navigate the video game landscape. The platform also offers a user-friendly guide on configuring parental controls, ensuring families can enjoy gaming experiences safely and joyfully, as well as the option to search and find games that suits families.

    Andy Robertson, Founder of the Family Gaming Database said: “In today’s digital age, it’s crucial for parents to be actively involved in their children’s gaming lives. Our API provides an instantly searchable library of the latest video games for Ask About Games readers.”

    Main Photo Credit: Alex Haney via Unsplash

  • Stephen Fry: “not just a green space”

    Stephen Fry (pictured above), Friend of St James’s Church, said: “What is needed in Piccadilly is a proper place to sit and reflect and take yourself out of the bustle. The garden at St James’s Piccadilly is not just a green space, it’s an active part of the community, as the rest of St James’s Church is.”

    A new show garden has been inspired by the green spaces and community spirit at St James’s Church, Piccadilly, in central London. Work has begun at RHS Chelsea Flower Show on St James’s Piccadilly’s Imagine the World to be Different show garden. The garden is sponsored by grant-making charity Project Giving Back and designed by award-winning landscape architect Robert Myers.

    Designer Robert Myers said: “The St James’s Piccadilly garden at RHS Chelsea centres around restoration and climate resilience. Through our commitment to environmental innovation, we aim to inspire others to create a more sustainable and resilient future. Already a place of refuge and consolation for thousands, the newly designed counselling cabin underlines the importance of healing at the heart of St James’s Piccadilly’s mission.”

    Rector, Rev Lucy Winkett said: “The garden and courtyard of St James’s Piccadilly (pictured above) offer a welcome space in the busyness of central London for conversations under trees. Robert’s design emphasises the inherent resilience of nature and its healing powers. For us it’s important that it is a space where each person has their own dignity and where our interdependence with the natural world is emphasised and celebrated.”

    The garden evokes St James’s churchyard garden and highlights the importance of public green spaces in the city for healing and biodiversity. The garden is inspired by St James’s inclusive ethos, the character and form of the existing gardens, bombed in World War Two, but surviving and evolving into a biodiverse, eclectic haven for people and nature. The show garden also features a unique timber structure designed by Ivan Morison to replace the existing hut which houses the counselling service providing 5,000 hours of free counselling a year.

    The church’s community is committed to making the world a better place. The RHS Chelsea garden will support efforts to raise £20m for The Wren Project, a scheme to rejuvenate the historic, Wren-designed church and particularly to restore its garden, in order to accommodate and amplify St James’s extensive social outreach and environmental work. Donations can be made at https://www.sjp.org.uk/chelsea-campaign/

    The Imagine the World to be Different garden will be re-sited in two phases. All the trees and plants will move to St Pancras Church on Euston Road, which is a partner to St James’s. All of the hard landscape elements and timber cabin will be stored and reused as part of The Wren Project at St James’s.

    Main Photo Credit: Jack Taylor via Getty Images. All other images courtesy of St James’s Church, Piccadilly, Central London.

  • Jeremy Clarkson: “what more could anyone want?”

     
    The hit show Clarkson’s Farm will return to our television screens. The show’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop will be back at the Silverstone Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend from August 23rd – 25th 2024.

    Jeremy Clarkson (pictured above) was at the festival with his partner Lisa Hogan in both 2022 and 2023, he said: “It really is an infeasibly good day out. You have literally acres and acres festooned with incredible cars all with nice sensible dials on their dashboards, a pop-up Diddly Squat Farm Shop selling lots of our stuff all washed down with lashings of my really rather refreshing Hawkstone beer, what more could anyone want!”

    The third Amazon Prime series received rave reviews, and the famous farm shop is gearing up for an even more exciting involvement with Silverstone Festival. The Hawkstone Bar will be back, together with the rustic store selling a range of Diddly Squat Farm produce and merchandise.

    Other Tasting Tent sessions include BBQ secrets, a history of British Cheeses, a trip through the world of chillies, Moldovan winemaking artistry, an artisan market with local produce and celebrated chefs on the Silverstone Kitchen Live stage.
     
    Further information and tickets are available here.

    Main Photo Credit: Courtesy of Silverstone Festival lifestyle Media and Silverstone Festival Motorsports Media

  • Comment: How much does it cost to lie online?

    How much does it cost to create and spread fake news or false narratives online? 

    According to new research from digital identity security specialists, ID Crypt Global, the answer depends on what scale of disruption you want to create. You’ll need to pay £400,000 to create a campaign of truly devastating falsehoods, but an awful lot of damage can still be done for absolutely no cost at all.

    Fake news and false narratives are commonplace online. They can be created by an individual sitting at home with their smartphone, by AI bots, or even large-scale ‘farms’ in countries like Russia, India, and China, where hundreds of people are employed to fabricate and falsify the things we see online. 

    ID Crypt Global has estimated the cost of creating and spreading various types of fake news and false narratives in 2024 by analysing previous 2017 data* published on the subject and adjusting the numbers for inflation. 

    The cost of creating fake news

    To enlist the help of a click farm, in which one server has the control capacity of 30 smartphones and can ‘click’ to artificially inflate the presence and therefore influence of certain posts, costs an estimated £4,922.

    To manipulate an online petition, such as those regularly created via change.org, with 100,000 fake votes or signatures will cost an estimated £1,064. 

    To generate one million fake YouTube views costs around £998, and to add 1,000 fake comments to a social media post each month is estimated to cost £250. 

    While these nefarious activities require you to have a pretty healthy budget for creating fake news, there are other influential methods that cost very little money, and one that costs nothing at all. 

    For example, to pay for a bot to produce 500 retweets costs just £2. 100 artificial YouTube likes costs £1.55; and to buy 100 fake YouTube followers is estimated to cost as little as 66p. 

    But perhaps most frightening of all is that anyone and everyone can create their very own convincing fake news story for absolutely free via a website called Break Your Own News. And once this fake news story has been shared to social media, there is no telling how far it will spread and how much influence it will have, despite having absolutely no relationship to truth. 

    What about the biggest, most disruptive fake news campaigns? 

    All the things described above are effective ways of creating false narratives, but they’re doing so on a relatively small scale which could fairly be described as ‘amateur’. 

    There is another side to fake news; a much darker side in which seasoned and skilled professionals can be hired to create disinformation that intentionally has an enormous impact on the real world without anyone even realising it’s happening. As such, the costs of these services are substantial. 

    For example, there are companies in the world that will work to manipulate a decisive course of action by influencing decision-making at critical junctures such as a referendum or general election. Such projects take around 12-months to execute, and their approach is multi-faceted. 

    To hire such a company, you’re going to have to spend something in the region of £400,000, which means these sorts of campaigns are reserved for large companies or even government states who wish to influence the public’s opinion and choices in nefarious ways. 

    There are other companies who will help organise or instigate large-scale street protests for an estimated cost of almost £200,000; and others who will execute a campaign to discredit an influential and honest journalist for a cost of around £50,000. 

    CEO and Founder of ID Crypt Global, Lauren Wilson-Smith, commented:

    “Welcome to the modern world. We live in what has often been described as the Post-Truth era, a description that is as terrifying as it is accurate. For all the good that the internet and social media has done for the world, it has also opened up endless avenues and opportunities for those with bad intentions to spread fake news, generate false narratives, and force their own agendas on an unsuspecting public.  

    The simple fact is that we as a society have not worked quickly enough to understand the ways in which our innovations can be manipulated and used for evil, and therefore haven’t created ways to protect ourselves from harm. 

    With new technologies like AI growing increasingly sophisticated and capable by the day, the risk is only increasing. It’s the responsibility of every company involved in the creation of news media to do their part, ensuring that their files are protected from being abused for disinformation purposes, rather than laying such responsibility at the door of social media platforms.”

    Data tables and sources

    Main Photo Credit: Nicolas McComber via Getty Images

  • Comment: Heatwave in India

    The Chief Executive of The Leprosy Mission has voiced his concern over the severe effects of climate change in Asia. The World Meteorological Organization has warned that Asia is bearing the brunt of climate change. The warning from the United Nations weather agency coincides with a severe heatwave in India. Temperatures are soaring to as high as 45 degrees across great swathes of the country.

    Chief Executive Peter Waddup said the World Meteorological Organization’s findings sadly come as no surprise. He said: “Over the past few years we have witnessed our colleagues in Asia struggle with severe heatwaves, floods and storms. In fact we now need to budget for extreme climate emergencies which happen every year. Last year we provided emergency food and medical supplies to communities in Myanmar. This was in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha which made landfall in Western Myanmar on May 14th. With wind speeds of up to 250km per hour, it was one of the strongest cyclones to ever hit the country, destroying homes and livelihoods.

    “Now my colleagues in India are battling daily life in hospitals and clinics without air conditioning. Their concern is to make the patients as comfortable as possible.” Peter said that in India, where the majority of people live hand to mouth, there is little option but to carry on. “For the majority in India, not working equates to not eating,” he said.

    “My colleague at Salur Hospital in Andhra Pradesh sent over a photo of women labourers working on the site yesterday in 45 degree heat. They are immaculately dressed in colourful saris and were stoically carrying on. I simply cannot imagine doing such physical work in insufferable temperatures. People continue to queue in the blistering heat outside our Outpatients’ departments in India. These are often the only places where they can see a doctor free of charge and places where they are loved , accepted and cared for. So although terribly uncomfortable, a wait in the burning sun is simply a means to an end.

    “I keep recalling the feeling of dread I had running up to July 19th 2022. This is when meteorologists had warned that, for the first time in the UK, temperatures would exceed 40 degrees. We all planned our lives so there was minimal movement for two days simply to make life bearable. I really cannot imagine how they can carry on for weeks in India in such severe heat. The summer monsoon will bring some relief but it is still weeks away.”

    The news that Asia’s struggle with climate change is greater than the rest of the world’s came a day after Earth Day on Monday [22 April]. Peter said: “I love looking at the photos that NASA release every year on Earth Day in celebration of our incredible planet. Taken from satellites, aircraft and deep-space missions, they leave me in awe and wonder. How to protect our beautiful planet is a monumental challenge. The World Meteorological Organization is calling for national weather services across Asia to improve disaster planning. There are also renewed calls for governments to implement net zero emissions by 2040 to help quell rising temperatures.

    “In our own lives we are encouraged to reduce our carbon footprints by flying and driving less and switching to renewable energy. I just hope and pray this will be enough to protect the people suffering the very most from climate change.”

    Main Photo Credit: Umesh Negi via Getty Images

  • Film: Unsung Hero debuts in UK and Ireland

    With advance sales of 2.3 million tickets in the USA, Unsung Hero will debut in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on June 14th 2024. Produced by Kingdom Story Company. Co-Director Joel Smallbone said: “We are thrilled to bring Unsung Hero to audiences in the UK and Ireland. This project is a testament to the power of storytelling and the impact it can have on people’s lives. We hope that audiences will be inspired by the characters’ journeys.”

    Set against the backdrop of Nashville in the early 1990s, Unsung Hero follows the journey of David Smallbone (pictured above) as he moves his family from Australia to the United States, searching for a brighter future. With their six children and nothing more than suitcases, and their love of music, David (For King & Country’s Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives. David and Helen begin to realise the musical prowess in their children, who would go on to become two of the most successful acts in inspirational music history: five-time Grammy Award®-winning artists For King & Country and Rebecca St. James.

    The cast includes Joel Smallbone and Daisy Betts, alongside Jonathan Jackson, Candace Cameron Bure, Kirrilee Berge and Lucas Black. Some US Film Critics say that Unsung Hero delivers captivating performances which will resonate with audiences and invite viewers to reflect on the true meaning of hope and sacrifice. On this side of the pond we’ve got Sorted Magazine’s resident film buff, Andy Godfrey, on the case, so please do stand by for the benefit of his expert insights.

    Unsung Hero is released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on the June 14th 2024. Watch the trailer here.

    Main Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate (Fair Usage).

  • Opinion: Do I dare to disagree with Monty Don?

    No Mow May is a popular gardening trend which advocates leaving lawns uncut throughout the month of May. The idea is to provide sources of food for pollinators and insects and this in turn helps creatures further up the food chain such as birds and small mammals. Leaving lawns uncut, for any length of time, to benefit the natural world is a lovely idea … in theory.

    In reality the soggy long grass resulting from No Mow May can often lead to Jammed Mower June followed by Junked Mower July and subsequently Absent Mower August. Bear in mind that as benefits to garden wildlife increase, the bank balance can potentially decrease. Domestic mowers are made for cutting shortish grass, meaning the motor can strain, and even burn out, under the extra power needed to cut long, thick, grass. Are lawn mower manufacturers the real winners in this equation? (If you don’t mind the endless gnawing ache of stooping, a decent strimmer is better at handling long wet grass.)

    “Leave grass long to attract small mammals” the sagely Monty Don advises. Hedgehogs and voles can bring their quaint story book personalities to the garden, making you feel as if you’re living in a magical woodland and a fairy might appear perched on a red spotted toadstool at any moment. In the reality of an urban setting, even a very posh one, the phrase “small mammals” is more likely to mean rats. What used to be called “vermin”. As well as their reputation for spreading deadly diseases (remember the Bubonic Plague?) vermin, particularly mice, can attract the neighbourhood cats, as many as four per night, each of them depositing a stinky poo parcel lurking within said long grass. Have you ever witnessed the fall out when barefooted children innocently run through long grass? It’s horrendous! I’m sorry Monty, you’re lovely and very wise about lots of things, but my grass will be mown and manicured in May and beyond.

    Main Photo Credit: Wellington Silva via Pexels

  • Prom Praise presents Chariots of Fire celebration

    A century ago, Olympic sprinter and Christian missionary Eric Liddell refused to compete in his favoured 100 metre race because it was held on a Sunday. Instead, he competed in the 400 metres … and won. Liddell’s story and the convictions that motivated him formed the foundations for the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.

    As the Olympics return to Paris this summer and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell’s historic race, All Souls Music are delighted to confirm guest artists for Prom Praise: Chariots of Fire, broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 4 May 2024.

    The concert will draw inspiration from Liddell’s tale of integrity, presenting an evening of musical sportsmanship that champions perseverance, character and hope.

    Artists include YolanDa Brown OBE, Martin Smith (pictured above), Ellie Limebear and Natasha Da Costa. Livestream host and Channel 5 News anchor Dan Walker (main photo above) will take to the stage with former Strictly Come Dancing partner, Nadiya Bychkova, performing a sensational new dance to Vangelis’ iconic Chariots of Fire main theme.

    Graham Daniels, General Director of Christians in Sport and a Director of Cambridge United Football Club, will offer a brief pause for thought and Eltham College Choir and musicians will be performing, honouring the school which formed such a crucial role in Liddell’s early life.

    Ellie Limebear (pictured above)

    The concert will also feature the World Premiere of a new orchestration of ‘How Great Thou Art’, celebrating the 75th anniversary of this well-known hymn, as well as featuring performances from Searchlight Theatre Company, bringing Liddell’s story to life.

    Sponsored by Christians in Sport and supported by Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Stuart Hine Trust, Prom Praise: Chariots of Fire promises to be a whirlwind of musical energy, celebrating an Olympic year and worthy of a giant of sport and faith.

    Natasha Da Costa (pictured above)

    Famous worldwide for a unique voice in music, the All Souls Orchestra has a longstanding residency at the Royal Albert Hall hosting an annual promenade concert, Prom Praise, which fuses a special partnership of classical and contemporary musicians for an evening of world-class music.

    PROGRAMME INCLUDES:

    Miklós Rózsa March of the Charioteers from Ben-Hur

    Vangelis Chariots of Fire Main Theme

    Rom Goodwin The Trap Main Theme

    Sibelius Finlandia

    FEATURING:

    All Souls Orchestra

    Prom Praise Massed Choir

    Conductor: Michael Andrews

    Special guests: Martin Smith, Ellie Limebear, YolanDa Brown OBE, Eltham College Choir and more

    Speaker: Graham Daniels

    Livestream host: Dan Walker

    The live event will be taking place at the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AP on Saturday 4 May at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office.

    The Livestream will begin at 7.15pm at allsoulsmusic.org<http://allsoulsmusic.org>

    All Photos: Courtesy of Prom Praise

  • Review: Notes on Feminism – Being a Woman in a Church Led by Men

    Confession: I’m picky. And for good or ill I only review books which are of personal interest to me. Those which have actually caught my eye and caused me to ask myself: “What’s that all about?”. One of my motives for reading Journalist, Lauren Windle’s latest book, Notes on Feminism – Being a Woman in a Church Led by Men from SPCK Publishing, was to gain a better understanding of this old fashioned word “feminism”. How has it evolved? How is it currently understood? And that burning question, which I’m often asked, and have asked myself, but have thus far hesitated to answer: “Am I a feminist?” Would Windle’s book help me to figure this out?

    Notes on Feminism is, in some respects, a fresh evaluation of the current state of play. A sort of stock-take of where we’re up to now, particularly in relation to church matters. It’s a smooth read, moves along at a pleasant pace, is clearly written and thoroughly researched. Windle explores differing view points regarding feminism within the church. Much of the book is a balanced piece of journalism, offering different points of view, at other times it is much more informal, like a conversation you might have on social media. I found myself nodding, laughing and occasionally rolling my eyes in agreement/disagreement/solidarity/outrage. Notes on Feminism is seasoned with shocking facts, mind-opening quotes and searing honesty. At times I really did gasp.

    Windle includes a succinct run down on the history of feminism. This served as a very helpful reminder. Just like author Lauren, I’m a female journalist, who’s five foot three inches tall, with a fondness for tea and Eccles cake. But the similarities end there. She’s middle class and I’m working class. She’s a southerner and I’m a northerner. She’s young and I’m not quite so young. I can well remember the days before feminism had achieved all that it currently has. This makes me exceptionally grateful for just how far women’s rights have come. Possibly I’m too grateful, too resigned, too accepting, and maybe just a little bit tired. Windle clearly has plenty of fight left in her! In the flow of her considerable enthusiasm, at times her journalistic impartiality veers off into opinion, beliefs and personal preferences. For example it would seem that she doesn’t want men to dictate what women can and can’t say, only to bleat about the detail of what men can and can’t say.

    To the author’s credit she makes the case both for and against feminism. She has gathered and included the voices of women with completely opposing views on feminism. For example a fascinating chapter by Delphine Chui has been included. Journalist, Chui, shares with considerable honesty and openness exactly why she isn’t a feminist. There are notes from writer and model Katie Piper on true beauty, Olympian Abigail Irozuruon women’s bodies, comedian Cassandra Maria on why people think women aren’t funny and author Tiffany Bluhm on why people don’t believe women.

    At times the author appears to be working out her own issues in real time on the page. She explores how she herself feels about certain issues such as weddings and marriage. In this respect the first word in the book’s title “notes” is an accurate reflection of its content. Lauren Windle is a curious, chatty and likeable author with a friendly contemporary writing style. Her “likeability” makes for a pleasant, undemanding reading pace. The occasional “meatier” section is open minded, rather than authoritarian. She takes the reader by the hand and essentially asks them: “Have you ever thought about this?” She nails her colours to the mast on several issues. That said her approach is refreshing in that she is clear that these views aren’t fixed forever. That she is open to discussion. She is accepting and respectful of others views and willing to change her mind in the light of new information.

    Overall Notes on Feminism is rigorously analytical and strives towards fairness and accuracy. Yes, sometimes there is an angry undertone, and the author openly admits she is angry about some things. For me, this book was at times a challenging read, but also educational. It has helped me to answer some of my own questions about where I stand on feminism and it’s definitely worth persevering to the end. I particularly enjoyed this statement from author Lauren Windle: “And finally, don’t blindly make my opinions, or the opinions of anyone referenced in this book, your opinions. Take each of these topics and pray about them, read Scripture and a range of commentaries, and consult your church leaders. This isn’t a reference book for your new position on contentious topics; it’s the start of the conversation.”

    Notes on Feminism – Being a Woman in a Church Led by Men is available from SPCK Publishing

    Main Photo Credit: Siora Photography via Unsplash

  • Brits binge-watch The Chosen on big tellies

    Three friends, two vicars and a musician have encouraged me to watch the historical drama, The Chosen. What’s the buzz about? Why is The Chosen one of the most-watched shows in the world? Why is it consistently a top-performer across streaming platforms Amazon Prime, Peacock and Netflix and a top-rated broadcast weekly on The CW? Why have episodes drawn 770 million views? How has it grown from a crowdfunded project into one of the most popular series in the world? And why does The Chosen have over twelve million followers across social platforms?

    Over the course of its first three seasons, the series garnered praise from critics and fans alike for its historical and biblical accuracy, playful spirit, stirring drama, genuine humour, and disruptive impact. And I understand that ambitious plans are afoot to translate The Chosen into over 600 languages which could potentially make it the most translated series in the world. I needed to find out what everyone was talking about and, after a faltering start, began watching Season One in earnest. A trusted friend had confided that she had found it to be a slow burn to start with, that I should “stick with it”, that the pace would “pick up” and it would be “well worth the wait”.

    My friend was correct on all counts. Against everything I’d learned on screenwriting courses, with The Chosen Season One, there was no cutting to the chase. Because The Chosen is an ongoing series, rather than a one-off movie, the writers have had an abundance of screen time to work with. They have used this extra time to develop and build the storyline and unpack the backstories of some of the characters involved. In that respect, and in many other respects, The Chosen is unlike any other dramatization about Jesus’ life I have ever seen.

    I confess to experiencing feelings of impatience and frustration just waiting for the story to unfold, waiting for familiar historical events to “kick off”. During this adjustment of sitting patiently and slowing down to the pace of the story I realised that perhaps I was feeling, in a very small way, something of what the Israelites must have felt waiting and waiting and waiting for their promised Messiah to arrive. Waiting was what they knew well. And by the end of Season One’s third episode I began to feel a connection to them which I had never previously experienced. I began to relate to them a little better, to understand a little more of the slower times into which Jesus was born.

    After watching a few episodes of Season One I settled comfortably into the familiar rhythm of play. And so, it seemed to me, had the cast. The actors themselves seemed more at home. Easier in their own skins, easier about working together, easier with the dusty ancient world they were inhabiting. I observed my own mild irritation at what seemed like petty squabbles and one-up-man ship along with a growing realisation that these ancient people were probably no different to the rest of us. Sometimes they’d get caught up in the pushing and shoving between families, communities and colleagues which is common to everyone across the panorama of human existence.

    Why is The Chosen series off the scale in its creative risk taking? Why has the producer, director and writer, Dallas Jenkins (pictured above) boldly gone where no man has gone before? His vision to create a detailed and lengthy dramatization of the gospel accounts holds the potential to upend the understanding of the millions of people who feel they already know them well. People who hold them dear. Sacred even. Jenkins and his creative team have certainly shaken up something which is familiar, but many viewers seem to find this refreshing!

    I may have to accept that while watching The Chosen I’m seeing an imagined Middle Eastern world through the lens of contemporary western culture and mindsets. Nevertheless I believe that the writers and producers have done their homework and have succeeded in creating rich, relatable human story lines which form the framework for each episode. Issues I had never previously considered have presented themselves to me. Unresolved questions have been, at least partially, resolved. Especially in relation to the recording of the gospel accounts. As something of a frantic scribbler myself it’s been interesting and reassuring to witness Matthew (Paras Patel, pictured above) dutifully scribbling away like a court reporter, recording events and statements as they unfold in real time. Watching The Chosen has been like seeing a complex tapestry appear stitch, by surprising stitch, until eventually I was able to make out something familiar.

    Season Two shifts up a gear as the narrative gathers momentum and the disciples interact with Jesus more and more. And it has to be said, the acting is simply superb. Some scenes were performed with such intensity they gave me the shivers. The actor, Jonathan Roumie (pictured above; far right) consistently portrays a magnetic and masterful Jesus. Disclosure: As someone who aims to follow Jesus, from his first moment on screen, I felt I sort of knew him before I knew him, and yet wanted to know him all over again. Here was a Jesus I could recognise and relate to. What a joy to see Jesus dancing, running and splashing. To see his kindness towards his Mother Mary (pictured next to Jesus above).

    Season Three races along and delivers yet more surprises. I’ve been particularly intrigued by the Roman officer, Gaius, believably played by the seasoned actor Kirk Woller (pictured above left). Gaius, a powerful man, is essentially “the enemy” but Woller somehow injects him with a rare combination of don’t-mess-with-me strength, curiosity and softness. Sorted Magazine’s Andy Godfrey recently interviewed Kirk Woller and, as Digital Editor, I had the privilege of eavesdropping on their zoom conversation. He came across as a sensitive and compassionate man and perhaps these characteristics are somehow shining through on the screen.

    Gaius is not recorded by name in any of the gospel accounts. He’s a compilation of characters. Perhaps this is why I find him to be the most unpredictable, the most mysterious and possibly the most conflicted of all the characters on screen. At any moment Gaius might draw his sword or fall on his knees. I’m fearing and cheering him. He is the wild card we never knew about. He’s the outlier watching from the wings. The stakes are high for him, he has much to lose. Gaius actually reminds me of some people I know and I’m eagerly standing by for the release of Season Four, hoping I will discover more of what Gaius is really about.

    To find out more please visit:

    Season 1 | The Chosen

    Season 2 | The Chosen

    Season 3 | The Chosen

    All Photo Credits: Courtesy of The Chosen