Topic: Friends

Meet Adam and Ali, a married couple sharing their journey of love, faith, and what it means to build a life together across religious traditions.

Adam, who is Jewish, and Ali, who is Muslim, invite us into their everyday lives as they reflect on how their relationship has shaped their understanding of both Islam and Judaism. The film explores key moments in their story, from meeting and falling in love, to navigating family, community, and faith as a couple.

Alongside these moments, we see how shared experiences, especially cooking and eating together play an important role in their relationship. Through food, Adam and Ali bring their cultures and traditions into the same space, creating something that reflects both of them.

It’s an intimate snapshot of a modern interfaith marriage, highlighting themes of love, identity, belonging, and the ways different faiths can connect, overlap, and work together in everyday life.

Transcript

Producer: What I’m going to ask you two to do first. Is if one of you can do one big clap in front of your face.

Ali: Go on.

Adam: Keep going?

Producer: Just do one big one.

Adam: Oh okay! Oh!

Adam: Hi. I’m Adam and I’m Jewish.

Ali: Hi, I’m Ali, and I’m Muslim.

Adam: And we are married. I went to religious schools my whole life. My family, my upbringing wasn’t overly religious. I was in quite a religious environment for most of the day at school, so it still plays a big part in my life. I may not be traditionally religious in terms of keeping all the exact customs and rules, but it still plays a big part in my identity and my values.

Ali: So with myself, my family were very liberal. We did celebrate Eid, every year, and I just remember going to the mosque with my dad. But growing up, you know, I did then start, um, learning more about my faith and about my religion. I had met, obviously Jewish people in my life growing up, but I had them. I wasn’t really aware of their festivals. Um, I knew on Friday they had Shabbat and that’s all I really knew. When I met Adam and, um, I started learning more about his faith and his religion. I knew it was really important to him. Friday night dinners with his family. And that was very similar to me and my family because every Friday night we would have our Friday nights dinner. We met and we, you know, Adam told me he was a Sephardi Jew and I thought he was from a safari. I didn’t understand what the difference was when you got Sephardi and you’ve got Ashkenazi. And, you know, from that first week I started learning about the difference in Judaism.

Adam: So I’m making like our own kind of take on chicken shawarma, like chicken kebabs. So we’ve got our marinated chicken. It’s been marinating overnight. But I know for Ali, particularly his dad, this kind of food, he would cook. And for me, it would make me think of like Middle Eastern Jewish food and um, as well. It’s definitely a food that crosses a lot of different cultures, lots of flavour, lots of spice, like lots of energy and sunshine as well.

Ali: This, um, just reminds me of my nan, to be honest with you, when I was younger. Um, and then as I got older and then met Adam, he then reintroduced it to me when we went to Israel and it was one of Adam’s favourite as well.

Adam: Something that I didn’t really know anyone else knew. This was quite unique. I was like, we both quite slightly different names, but we both absolutely love this dessert, yeah. I guess what you learn a textbook about a religion or a festival, and then what individual families do can also be really different as well.

Ali: My family are not full on practicing Muslims, but we still have our faith and culture that we still do celebrate. And that’s really lovely.

Adam: I guess from a culture perspective, it just felt actually really everything felt really similar, really familiar as well. like, um, like food we liked. It was all really similar, just different names like music we like. The way our families are and the way they’re, they’re kind of quirks and mannerisms that are really similar. And I think that really brought us together initially as well. I guess the challenge is for us in our relationship as well. That we both understood was that there’s a big sense of what will people think? It’s their small communities. Things are very tight knit. So there is a worry from people. What would this person think, what would this person think, which is the more traditional parts, I guess, of being from a smaller community. What I would say is someone who believes interfaith relationships won’t work is you need to find your own path and your own way of doing things like, you absolutely just got to find what’s right for you. And whether that’s taking bits from both your cultures or nothing, from both your cultures and just doing you and your own and what works for you, whether it’s taking religion or not taking religion. I think families can apply pressure in different levels. And I’ve seen it with, with, with different friends as well. Um, and you’ve just got to stay strong. Stay as one team and work together to kind of overcome things like that, because there’s always going to be challenges in any relationship, whether it’s an interfaith relationship or not.

Ali: I feel we should have passed that stage in life now. So whether it is an interfaith relationship, that shouldn’t really be a concern. Someone made us glasses with our with our with our names on every single person, the wedding that attended has got these glasses on. It’s quite fun. I didn’t realise I forgot that the bottom was fake. So when I went to cut the cake we were cutting. The cake wasn’t cutting and you could see me going urgh, Adam! And then the cake lady was saying, she’s like, Ali, the bottom’s fake. I was like, oh yeah. And everyone burst out laughing.

Adam: And I’ve seen it. Yeah. With with um, Jewish, Christian, Christian weddings where the brides wanted to have the Jewish dancing and the, the, the, the groom who’s Christians were like scarily and reluctantly been on the chair. And I think it’s really incredible because it shows that love that person has for the other one, that they want to love all aspects of them and not change or remove any of that.

Ali: We work together as a team. Um, you know, don’t get me wrong, I know we can annoy each other sometimes because that’s just life, unfortunately. But as long as you don’t lose that respect for one another, and as long as you know you are there supporting each other all the time, you can get through through anything. You’ve got the younger generation now who are, you know, bringing more things, breaking the rules, you know, because that’s what it’s all about, trying to follow this rule that you should just stay in your lane when actually you’re allowed to come out of your lane. And, um, it’s more fun actually.

Adam and Ali: Our Interfaith Story

Video length - 06.25

Published date - Jun 2026

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Come and join us for Vesak – the Buddhist festival that celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and the passing of the Buddha, observed by millions around the world. Vesak is one of the most important festivals in Buddhism, offering a time for reflection, compassion, and spiritual growth.

Here, we explore the meaningful traditions and practices associated with Vesak, with a focus on observances at the vihara (Buddhist temple). Throughout the day, devotees gather to offer flowers, candles, and incense before the Buddha’s statue – which symbolise impermanence, light, and respect. You’ll see moments of quiet meditation, hear the rhythmic sound of chanting, and learn about the teachings that encourage mindfulness and understanding, rooted in the life of Siddhartha Gautama – the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

Acts of generosity and kindness are also central to Vesak, as people take time to give to charity, support their community, and reflect on living a more compassionate life. The calm and reflective atmosphere of the vihara highlights the core Buddhist values of peace, mindfulness, and compassion, inviting you to pause and think about your own actions and intentions.

Transcript

Vesak TrueTube Transcript

Interviewee 1: Today we are celebrating Vesak.

Interviewee 2: Vesak symbolises Buddha's birth.

Interviewee 3: Attaining enlightenment. And passing away of Buddha 2,600 years ago.

Voiceover: Happy Vesak! Vesak is the most important festival in the Buddhist calendar, and it’s celebrated on the first full moon of May. It’s a time when Buddhists like me remember the events of the Buddha’s life - in particular his birth, his Enlightenment and his death.

Interviewee 4: The Buddha, it directly translates to the enlightened one. But Buddha was actually a person like you and me.

Voiceover: Buddha is a title which was given to a man called Siddhartha Gautama. He was a prince who had lived a life of luxury, but he wasn't happy.

Interviewee 1: One day he decided when he went out of the palace grounds, he just saw a lot of suffering in the world, and he wanted to try and do some good.

Interviewee 4: And he followed lots of teachers, but unfortunately, none of them was able to identify the cause of suffering.

Voiceover: The Buddha sat down in the shade of a tree and meditated until he found the answer. He was enlightened! He realised that people suffer because they want the wrong things, so the answer was to stop wanting them, and his teaching still helps us to live simpler, more centred lives. We believe that when someone dies, their atman - their real spiritual self - will be re-born in a new body, but because the Buddha was Enlightened, he attained what we call Nirvana or Nibbana instead.

Interviewee 2: In Buddhism, we learn that enlightenment means you attain nibbana.

Interviewee 5: Nibbana is when you are not born again, you free from any sort of luxury.

Interviewee 1: And nibbana is basically a state of bliss.

Voiceover: This is our Vihara - our temple. It’s where the bhikkhus live, which is what we call the monks - men who have committed their whole lives to the Buddha’s teachings. The vihara is given a thorough spring clean before the festival begins. We all wear white clothes to symbolise purity and simplicity. The first thing we do is raise the Buddhist flag.

Interviewee 4: Buddhist flag was designed by a gentleman called Colonel Olcott, who came from America to Sri Lanka in search of Buddhism. Now this has six colours, and they are supposed to be colours that emanated from Buddha when he became enlightened.

Interviewee 6: Vesak is celebrated in almost all Buddhist countries in different ways. All the Buddhists come together and reunite in charitable causes.

Interviewee 4: We are making offerings as a sign of gratitude and veneration. Mostly we offer flowers and incense and also light the lamp.

Interviewee 2: Some people celebrate at home because they can't go to the temple, and they light lanterns and they pray.

Interviewee 5: Today I'm looking forward to singing devotional songs that kind of sum up Buddhism.

Voiceover: The Bhikkhus lead us in meditation and give talks throughout the day.

Interviewee 5: What I like best about Vesak is spending time with friends and family in the temple.

Interviewee 4: I like the lovely sermons that are given.

Voiceover: And it's good to get together and enjoy some food.

Interviewee 7: Temples don't indulge in meat or fish. It's all vegetarian food.

Interviewee 8: It's a day to show my gratitude to the Buddha for teaching the doctrine that he taught to the world, and for giving us the opportunity to follow the path that he took. People get together in communities and they celebrate it as a society.

Interviewee 4: We want to exhibit the goodness across the whole world.

Interviewee 1: It's a day of gratitude. It's to show respect to the teachings that we are learning. After all, we're Buddhists because we believe in the teachings of the Buddha.

Interviewee 8: What it means to me, especially today, is basically recenter myself and bring myself right back into the right path.

Interviewee 1: Sometimes life is really hard, and it's nice to come to a really peaceful environment and not be judged and just be allowed to do you however you want. So that's what Vesak means to me.

Vesak

Video length - 05.44

Published date - Apr 2026

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Meet Angus, a young man using social media to challenge expectations around male body image. Angus is a body positive content creator working in the fashion industry. This film, made with the BFI Film Academy, follows his personal journey through confidence, identity, and self-acceptance, as he opens up honest conversations about body positivity for boys and young men. Through candid reflection, Angus explores the pressures surrounding appearance and the impact they can have on mental health and self-worth. Intimate and direct, the film highlights why these conversations matter and how shifting them can create meaningful change.

Transcript

Body Positive Transcript

Angus: I think there's a very outdated body image standard for men. Me posting what I do and the content that I make actively challenges that standard. What you see online isn't what you see every day. There shouldn't. There shouldn't be this idealised body type that is this muscly man. A lot of what I do is fashion, and a lot of the fashion content creators that I was seeing weren't inclusive, and I thought it might be nice if I start making content around bigger people in fashion.

Producer: Would you be able to just introduce yourself?

Angus: Um, hi, I'm Angus and I'm a body positive content creator. A lot of what I do is fashion. Um, and I was on TikTok, Instagram, um, and a lot of the fashion content creators that I was seeing weren't inclusive. And I sort of thought, hmm, it might be nice if I start making content around bigger people in fashion and plus size fashion. I just try and stay true to who I am as a person. Put that out on the internet and then try and hope that people who may feel like they're being shut down by traditional masculine views, that they can express themselves and they can have emotion and they can be vulnerable. As I was growing up, I was bullied for the way I looked. I've always been a heavy set guy.

Um, I've always been bigger. It's sort of shaped the way that I view my body now. Um, in the fact that I've sort of gone past that feeling of being bullied and feeling that I'm not accepted for the way I look to now, knowing that that's just completely not true. And just realising that when you are in the real world and not online or next sat next to your bully at school, that realistically, nobody does actually care what you look like. This is my favourite thing ever. This is a late 1960s German/French chore jacket, which sounds confusing. I try and be like really authentic and I don't try and hide anything about myself. Like I think a lot of people, if they had my body, might try and hide their body behind the clothes they wear. Um, and with the content they make, I feel like I make people feel comfortable in themselves. Um, or at least that's what I try and do. And I get a lot of lovely messages from people that have messaged me saying that my content has helped them feel more comfortable in themselves.

It's taken me quite a while to get to where I am. Um, I think even when I started off posting, there was part of me that wasn't confident. And it is difficult when you do get hate comments from people, it's difficult not to let them affect you. And there was a point where I was letting them affect my confidence. My body positivity message is mainly to men, is to make men feel comfortable in their bodies. Like not everyone has a six pack and abs and has massive biceps. Like that's just not real. Like not everyone looks like that. And it should be widely accepted that. People with bodies like mine are just the standard body for men. From an outside perspective. And what traditional masculinity is, it's someone who or a man that thinks that they can't show emotion, and they have to be this sort of permanently, mentally and physically stable rock. I think it's important to take a step back off social media and actually just get out in the real world, experience real people, talk to real people and just try and stay off social media as much as possible. I've certainly tried doing that in the last few months, and I think it just gives you a better perspective on who you are and who you can shape yourself into being.

Body Positive

Video length - 04.46

Published date - Apr 2026

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Every year, people across the UK switch on the fairy lights, wrap up presents, and gather with friends and family — filling living rooms, high streets, and school halls with the familiar sights and sounds of the festive season. But for all the mince pies eaten and Christmas jumpers worn, how much do we really know about where Christmas comes from, how its traditions began, and why we celebrate it the way we do today?

To find out, we head onto the streets and ask people of all ages and backgrounds what they think about the origins, rituals, and deeper meaning behind this time of year. From long-standing customs to modern-day habits, from religious reflections to festive fun, their answers reveal a whole range of ideas about what Christmas truly represents.

Christmas

Christmas Transcript

S1 Happy Christmas. Christmas is a Christian festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. You probably know the story how Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem but couldn't find anywhere to stay, so they ended up in a stable where Jesus was born and laid in a manger. They were visited by shepherds and wise men from the east, who brought presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And giving presents is something we still do today. But Christmas isn't just for Christians. It happens just after the winter solstice, when the nights are at their longest, and it's always been a time for families to gather together for warmth, to enjoy good food, and to hope for the return of light and life to the world.

S2 Christmas is like a celebration of love and warmth, you know? It's a time where even when it's cold, you still feel a lot of warmth from those closest to you.

S3 Christmas isn't just the one day. As such, it's a period over sort of across December, up leading up to Christmas Day, where you have decorations and a tree that you place presents under for your loved ones, and the actual day is then marked by the unwrapping of the presents and the sharing of gifts and love. And then you kind of finish it off, I guess, with eating a nice meal together.

S4 It's a time that you're kind, jolly, I'd say even.

S5 I would say it's the most magical time of the year. It's very festive and it's a time when you just feel belonging.

S6 I think it's a time where people reflect on the people who need help the most. And I think it's a time where people really need support and help, the sense of belonging as well, because it's when families come together. It's when people kind of have this sense of catching up with the people that mean the most to them at that time.

S2 It's obviously a time of celebration. I'm a Christian. I also feel like it's a time to really connect with your family. You know, obviously, because the day that Jesus was born, I believe that, you know, Christmas is all about togetherness. Looking after others, especially those that are less fortunate, you know, giving back to charity, making sure that we're all looking out for each other in this time of need.

S7 I think it means like a hell of a lot of time, like family time when everyone comes together. I think it's a lot of connection for everyone to get together.

S8 Spending time with friends and family, literally. That's like the main thing.

S5 Christmas to me is all about family. I feel like we're always busy going to school, going to work. It's the only time of year that we can spend with our family. So that's what's sentimental to me.

S4 I believe it was the birth of Jesus Christ. So that's still the original meaning for me. And, uh, people just think it's Santa Clause riding around on the sleigh, bringing them presents.

S9 The best Christmas present. When I was with my family.

S2 We tried to assemble the tree together. we like to delegate certain parts of building the tree to each other. Just so it's like us as a family. We're all building the tree, decorating the house, getting the house and the decorations ready for Christmas.

S7 We all just get together and just have a big wild bash and just enjoy it. Get the mistletoe out.

S3 We do unwrapping of presents in the morning. We will play Christmas music while we're doing it.

S4 Yeah, we have a Christmas dinner. Like a turkey or a family gathering. We'd go out and see my grandparents and just all spend the time together.

S5 We all get together and we all bring a dish and we all just celebrate at one of our houses.

S8 We do like, have a nice dinner. I'm not Christian. I don't celebrate Christmas religiously, but we still keep the warm tradition going.

S6 I grew up a Catholic in Ireland, so I think it is always seen as traditionally a religious event. Even if you don't go to church regularly.

S2 It's quite interlinked. So I'm obviously constantly reminded that Christmas is a joyous time. I'm able to give thanks that, you know, I've seen another year. I'm able to give rather than receive. And that's me trying to be Christ like and give back the same way that Jesus did as well.

S7 No, I believe everyone should just stick together. Don't believe in anything like that. No, I think everyone should stick together. The love is the love and that's that.

S8 As part of my religion, I do a charity. So we go around for around December. Every Saturday weekend we do, um, soup kitchen. I like Christmas very much. I have nothing against it. It's like it's probably the favourite times of year for me.

S6 If I could give a gift to anyone at Christmas, it would be peace of mind and a self, a belonging for everyone.

S7 My love, my love and my heart and my happiness.

S8 I'd say especially right now. Peace. Definitely. Like everyone needs a bit of peace. Everyone needs to be a bit more calm now.

S2 The world is missing a lot of love, a lot of kindness right now. So I think it's imperative that we just love each other to the greatest extent, no matter what.

S5 To the world I would give love. There's some people who just don't have a special Christmas, so I would give love to everybody.

Christmas

Video length - 05.47

Published date - Dec 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Meet Kaia, activism isn’t just something she does — it’s a part of who she is. Growing up, she saw inequality in everyday life: in the classroom, in the streets, and in the way people’s voices were silenced. But instead of turning away, she decided to speak up.

Her journey into activism started with small steps — attending local marches, sharing posts online, and joining community groups. Over time, those steps became a movement of her own. Through protests, campaigns, and honest conversations, Kaia found the power of her voice — and the strength of the people standing beside her.

In this film, we hear Kaia’s story in her own words. She talks about the moment she realised silence wasn’t an option, the challenges she’s faced as a young Black woman, and the hope that keeps her going.

Transcript

An Activist Tale Transcript

Kaia: My name is Kaia. I'm a racial justice activist, and I'm passionate around inviting people to be a part of the discussion to change the world. I would say that activism found me at a time of which I couldn't put into words what I was doing. I just started to question the education system and wanted to find out why the gaps were there, especially around minoritised communities.

And from seeing those gaps, I naturally started to learn about myself and my history and my lineage, and wanted to invite others to be a part of that journey. So I started to create infographics, which basically is informative posts which are short bite size information to share in a digital realm. Due to the death of George Floyd during 2020, it really platformed the work that I was doing. And naturally from that point on, I really was passionate around sharing not just the trauma and the realities of people's lived experiences, but also the joy of which we can embody, which is a fundamental part of activism. I found it important to share what I was learning, because it's something of which the education system won't tell you.

Organising a Black Lives Matter protest in Brighton comes with conflict. Because yes, it is you being framed as somebody who is organising and doing great things and a champion for the community, and they're here to bring change, which is especialy what I'm trying to do. But with that came with the realities and the epiphany of sitting with what I would be dealing with in terms of the legal system, what it meant in terms of my relationship with the police and how they would see me and perceive me, but also the necessity of showing up and doing it regardless. Because who will bring change otherwise.

A year and a half later, marching through the streets in Brighton, it's a trend that's no longer socially convenient because it feels too uncomfortable. And that's what we can call performative allyship. Performative activism is an activism that anyone can fall into. It often is an emotionally driven response, so it is often short term. It is often affected by what you see in that moment. And rather than it being a sustained action, it actually is a that's so shocking. Let me do something now. But when we think about maybe a week later, you've forgotten about it. When we think of grassroots activism, it is often the most strongest forms of driving social change, as long as you make it a sustainable effort and an ongoing, consistent journey. And it may not be in my lifetime. It may not be the lifetime of which generations are to come. It may be in distant futures, but I know that I've done my part in driving that social change, just like my ancestors have done.

What empowers me to keep going is, I think, sitting with the weight of it all. It is a challenging thing to sit with. There's so much more I still need to learn. A big humbling thing around allyship is that it's a continuous learning journey and also understanding. It's about the joy and the more of which I do it, the closer we are to revolution. The closer that we are to social change, the closer we are to a world of which we all can coexist in. Black girl we may never meet. But I hope you know that you have a family. By blood and through melanin. A collection of black souls present and gone. Knighting you in gold, but proud nonetheless. No matter what society reflects, look in the mirror and digest? Does the vision of yourself reject the power of colonialists and supremacists? Because black girl, you are a queen and made so stunningly black girl past, black girl present and black girl forever? You are a sacred shadow, one that persists through light and flows through darkness.

An Activist’s Tale

Video length - 05.00

Published date - Oct 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Welcome to the Jewish festival of Sukkot, which is celebrated in the autumn soon after Yom Kippur. Lasting for a whole week, Sukkot is sometimes called the Feast of Booths, and it’s all about remembering the time when the Israelites lived in tents in the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt. To mark the festival, Jewish families build a sukkah, a temporary hut, often decorated with fruits, vegetables and leaves. They eat their meals inside it, and in some traditions even sleep there. We explore the use of the “four species” the etrog (a citrus fruit), the lulav (palm branch), myrtle and willow and how they are shaken together during prayers. Sukkot is both a harvest festival and a spiritual reminder to be thankful for food, shelter, freedom, and the importance of welcoming others into your home!

Transcript

Sukkot is, I think, the happiest festival of the Jewish year.

It's a harvest festival. So at this time we will be praying for rain, which we get most days anyway, so we probably won't have to pray that hard for that, I wouldn't have thought.

We thank Hashem or God for everything that Hashem has given us.

So we celebrate Sukkot by building a sukkah, which we have behind me.

Sukkot is the celebration of the Jews escaping from Egypt and wandering in the desert for 40 years. They have to have somewhere to live. So they built these booths and that is what we are celebrating.

It is a hut that we build with wood, metal poles. You can make edible Sukkah's. It symbolises the houses that our ancestors, the Israelites, built in the middle of the desert.

Sukkot is when we build a sukkah and make and eat in it, and it lasts for seven days.

However, outside of Israel, many communities make it last for eight days. This is to do with being absolutely sure of the starting timing by seeing the full moon. It's the same time in the Hebrew month. It's always around September. October. But why do we do Sukkot in the first place? Well, there's a number of reasons. It's a harvest festival, so the harvest would have come in and you need to celebrate. So when you see our sukkah, you'll see we always have fruit and vegetables hanging up in it. It's also a festival where we remember the journey of the children of Israel from Egypt to Israel long, long, long time ago, recorded in our Bible, in our Torah. And it says there that the Israelites had to live in temporary structures, which they called Sukkot. So when we build a sukkah, it's a little bit like having that experience ourselves. And there's another reason, which is if you're a farmer or if you're just somebody growing food, you need rain. And if you haven't got rain, it's not going to grow. So this festival is also a festival where we begin to pray for rain. So our community comes together and we create a sukkah, which is a temporary structure. It can't be a permanent building, and it's got to be made, if we can, out of natural materials. And what we'll tend to do is take bits and bobs out of our garden and use them to make the sukkah look beautiful.

They would provide shade during the day and shelter during the night, and obviously were not designed to be this far north because they're not quite rain proof. One of the great joys of Sukkot is getting to decorate our sukkah. It's a little bit like my Christmas tree. I have a box of decorations that I bring out every year. Memories come out of the box, things the kids have made, and it's really special. We also celebrate by inviting lots of guests into our sukkah, to celebrate in the festival, to enjoy hospitality and good food, and to keep each other warm.

Many people will sleep in the sukkah and, you know, literally barely walk out the Sukkah unless they're going to work. This is important because, you know, it is a celebration. Yes, we're praying for rain because it's harvest. I've had many meals in the sukkah and got absolutely drenched.

And we also have the four species which the Torah tells us to bring together and shake. They are the etrog, which is a giant citrus fruit. The lulav, which is the palm. hadass, which is myrtle and willow. Some people say that the citron, the etrog, represents our hearts. The palm represents our spine, which should be tall and proud. The hadass. The myrtle represents eyes because the leaves are eye shaped, and that we should look out on the world and see goodness before us. And the willow is the shape of our lips, so it represents our lips that we should only speak goodness in the world. And of course, with the citron being our heart, that it should we should have a good heart in the world as we go into this new year.

The etrog is really important because it's for someone who does good deeds and also knows about Torah, which is the Old Testament. If you like the Jewish Bible, I have a terrible sense of smell, but I'm told that it's got a wonderful sweet fragrance.

We wave them in six directions. We say a Baruch, which is a prayer. And then we wave them forwards, to the right, behind, to the left, up and down. We shake them in those different directions so that it encompasses the whole world, and that we are praying for rain.

On Sukkot we come to synagogue. We'll do that on Sukkot evening, and we'll do that on Sukkot morning. We'll do that for one day. In some synagogues. They'll do that for two days, and it'll be a beautiful service, a lot of celebration. Everybody gets the chance to shake the lulav. As we say, the Psalms called the Hallel in the Bible, these are Psalms 113 to 118, very specific set of psalms. And we know that Jews have been singing those psalms on Sukkot for 2000 years, maybe 3000 years. It's a very celebratory service, and it finishes by going out into the sukkah for what we call kiddush, for a lovely, special meal that we have together out in the sukkah.

I think I have two favourite things about Sukkot. The first is the smell of the etrog, which is incredibly fragrant. If I could bottle it, I would spray it all over myself. And my second favourite thing is being able to decorate our sukkah with memories and joys that we've packed away each year and bring out again.

My favourite part of Sukkot is when you go into the sukkah and eat food.

My favourite part is eating all the tasty food.

I like most about Sukkot decorating the sukkah because it's a really fun task, and I do it with my family and it always ends up with a really pretty outcome, which is what I love the most.

And then all the way through the festival of Sukkot, we'll continue waving the lulav. Often we'll have tea parties in the sukkah. Often schools come to visit our sukkah, and the sukkah will then be taken down. And that's it for the year.

Sukkot

Video length - 06.36

Published date - Oct 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

From the critically acclaimed BBC Two and iPlayer series Pilgrimage follows well known personalities of differing faiths and beliefs on a personal journey of discovery as they tackle some of the most famous walking routes across the UK and Europe. In this series the Pilgrims go to Wales in Pilgrimage The Road Through North Wales.

Jay and Helen have a chat about what it means to be atheist or agnostic, and how the death of a loved one can affect a person’s belief in the afterlife. Does anything survive after we’re dead?

See the whole episode on on iPlayer here.

Transcript

Pilgrimage Moments: Life after Death?

Narrator: After a hard day. Helen is having a drink with Jay.

Helen: Do you wanna sip?

Jay: Yeah go on babes, thank you.

Narrator: Raised Catholic. Jay became an atheist in his teenage years, but recently has realised he's more agnostic.

Helen: What I want to know with you is because we talk about atheism and we talk about agnostic being agnostic.

Jay: There could be a lot more than meets the eye in this world and beyond and beyond.

Helen: So you are saying there's something else, right? And because I believe in God, there is something else.

Jay: You do believe in God.

Helen: I do believe in God when we die. What happens to our soul? I don't think life just ends. I'm just thinking that we. We live on in who we've touched. Don't you ever get a sense of something or.

Jay: I'm tempted to think that, but no, I think that I want to think that.

Helen: I know that when like when my mother died, for instance, when you're having to face grief, then that person is still with you. I get a sense of her being with me. Um.

Jay: One second. Just going to have a little cry in the toilet.

Helen: Okay do that.

Jay: I'll be right back love.

Helen: Right. Got it. No. Do the cry.

Narrator: In 2022, Jay lost his close friend and bandmate Tom Parker, who died from cancer aged just 33.

Helen: All right.

Jay: Okay, I'll probably go again, but don't panic.

Helen: Yeah, I'm not panicking because I was great. Great to see you back. No, but no, but it's interesting because I said that about my mother. Only because being the one left behind. Um, you have to think about it. So I know your close friend Tom died. Did you know that he was dying?

Jay: Yeah. Um. So they knew it was serious quite quickly. And, um, there's not really lots you can do.

Helen: Did it make you think a person is here? And what happens to you, um, when that person's not there? Oh, totally.

Jay: Um, I think it felt. Really senseless.

Helen: Did that make you believe less than God? I mean, it's so painful to think of the end of a human. Yeah. All the joy, all the little micro cells that made that in him. Then you just go, well. Is that it? What was it all for?

Jay: I think as much as you can be. I'm agnostic. I'm really open to the idea that there's something. But I haven't got a clue. I haven't got a clue.

Helen: But you have got a clue. You've got loads of clues. That's why you're agnostic. If you're an atheist. It would be like, yeah.

Jay: You've got loads of clues.

Helen: Yeah.

Jay: I'm missing something I think.

Helen: Yeah, but we need to work on it, don't we?

Jay: Yeah, probably. But knowing that someone that I really respect and really love believes in God is a big comfort to me. Thank you. I just don't know if I'm exactly there yet, but.

Helen: And you don't have to be. I'm going to drink some wine now.

Jay: Yeah, maybe I'll get one.

Pilgrimage Moments: Life after Death?

Video length - 03.55

Published date - Jun 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

We hit the streets of London to uncover a diverse range of opinions on relationships. Whether it’s the bond between friends, the love shared between romantic partners, or the connection within families, we delve deep into what makes these relationships work well and what can cause them to turn toxic.

Beyond exploring the dynamics of healthy and unhealthy relationships, we also take a closer look at the concept of respect. What does respect truly mean to people? How do they express it, and in what ways do they expect to receive it in return? Through honest conversation, we gain insight into the values, challenges, and expectations that shape the way people navigate their relationships every day.

This film is a perfect resource as a catalyst for classroom discussions in PSHE or RSE lessons.

Respect and Relationships

Video length - 04.30

Published date - Feb 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Where do we come from? Humanists UK’s new schools video with Alice Roberts tells the scientific story of our origins, from the Big Bang, through the evolution of stars, planets, life, and, ultimately, us, revealing what we are made from and how we are connected to the rest of the living world. This short but beautiful animation highlights the wonder in this story that humanists (and others) might draw on as a source of inspiration, meaning, and value in their lives.

https://understandinghumanism.org.uk/

Transcript

Billions of years ago, the whole universe was packed tightly together, smaller than a grain of sand. Then suddenly, bang! It got bigger. Much bigger and very, very fast. In this early universe, there were atoms, the tiny building blocks that would build almost everything else. Gravity pulled the atoms together. Millions, billions, trillions of them. And made the stars and the atoms inside the stars smash together, releasing heat and light in the hearts of the stars. New atoms formed bigger but still ever so small. New building blocks that in time would go on to build new things. Things like you. You are made from stardust. But stars don't last forever.

They grow bigger and bigger then collapse and explode. Throwing atoms out across the universe. Until gravity pulls them together again to make new stars. Stars like our sun and planets. One of which is very special to us. Earth. Our home. At first the Earth was lifeless and boiling hot, but in the depths of the oceans, something sparked a few chemicals built from those atoms that had been formed in the stars began to make copies of themselves. The beginning of life. Life was very simple for a long time, just single, tiny cells. But over time, life changed slowly at first. Each generation a little different from the last.

Like children, are a little different from their parents. And over millions of years, many, many small changes can lead to big changes. Life exploded into millions of brilliant and beautiful new forms, branching in many different directions, adapting to environments, evolving over time. We are related to every other living thing on the planet. Plants and fungi. Worms and insects. Fish. Amphibians. Reptiles. Mammals. Primates. Apes. Humans. You. Thinking. Feeling. Choosing. Caring. Dreaming. Wondering. You. Such simple ingredients. Such wondrous results. You're lucky to be here. If any one event in this chain had happened differently, then you might not have made it.

We are all a part of this story. We all belong to it. How incredible that we're able to look back and tell this story, to answer our questions about where we come from. To see the evidence all around us. The story is not yet complete. We don't know everything. But if we keep looking, we'll learn more. Maybe you can help.

Where do we come from?

Video length - 03.24

Published date - Feb 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Join us on Luke’s journey in our short animated film I Believed in Father Christmas. As his Baptism approaches, Luke finds himself grappling with questions about his faith in Christianity, a central part of his identity that has always provided him with a sense of purpose and belonging. Through a series of reflective moments and poignant scenes, the film explores Luke’s internal struggle as he begins to question the beliefs he once held so strongly. The story delves into the complexities of faith, doubt, and personal growth, shedding light on the pressures Luke faces from both external expectations and his own evolving understanding of spirituality. As he navigates these challenging questions, Luke must come to terms with the shifting nature of his beliefs and their place in his life. Will he rediscover his faith, or will this journey lead him to redefine what faith means to him? This heartfelt narrative offers a powerful exploration of identity, belief, and the transformative process of self-discovery.

Transcript

I Believed in Father Christmas

Luke: My name is Luke. I'm 12. I'm into music and science, and I'm a Christian. Except, I'm not sure about that last bit anymore. I want to believe, like it's something I can make myself do. I don't want to lose it.

But it was the same with Father Christmas. I totally believed in Father Christmas, and I carried on believing in him long after all my friends stopped, long after I knew, really, deep down that he didn't exist. But I loved the idea of him - the magic and the mystery. I wanted to believe, so I did. But it couldn't last forever.

One year I asked my mum if Father Christmas was real. She didn't know what to do with her face. She smiled, but then realised I was afraid to hear the truth, and she looked so sad. I wasn't her little boy anymore.

Is that what this is? Am I just growing up? But it can't be that because Mum and Dad and everyone at church still believe in God and Jesus and miracles. They say that God must exist because who created the world and all the animals? But you can explain it with science.

We went to the zoo on a school trip, and Miss Wilson - our science teacher - gave us some questions to do. One was, "The human neck has seven bones. How many do you think a Giraffe has?" I thought, must be 50? 100? And then we found the answer: seven.

A giraffe has exactly the same number of neck bones as a human. Miss Wilson says it's because we evolved from the same fish or something. Mum and Dad said a giraffe has seven bones in its neck because that's the way God designed it. But I dunno. You can prove science, but you have to believe in God. Can you do both? Miss Wilson runs the Christian Union at school, so... maybe?

Sophie in my form won't say prayers in assembly because she's a Humanist. She says that we only have one life, and that it's up to us to make everyone's lives better now, because she doesn't believe in Heaven or Hell or God. She's an atheist. Is that what I am? Or an agnostic? Sophie says that's someone who can't make up their mind if there's a God or not.

And what about all the other kids in my form? Hamza and Ayesha are Muslims, Malathi's Hindu, Dilpreet's a Sikh. Who's right? Or maybe we're all right in different ways.

Dilpreet's great. Eurgh! His Gurdwara gives out food to homeless people and runs a clothes bank. I think they do more than our church!

But church is pretty much my life when I'm not at school. Sunday, I go to the family service in the morning and the worship service in the evening. Tuesday night it's house group, Thursday night it's band practice, Saturday it's youth club, and then it's Sunday again. Most of my friends are at church. I feel safe there.

But I've got my Baptism soon. I've got to stand up in front of everyone and say I believe in God and Jesus and everything. What would Mum and Dad say if I told them I didn't want to go through with it?

My name is Luke. I'm 12, I'm into music and science and... and I'm still working everything else out.