Richard Whiteley interviews Stuart Blanch, who was enthroned as the 94th Archbishop of York in February 1975. YORKSHIRE TELEVSION PRODUCTION Graphics based on various views of stylised male and female heads in profile introduce the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE Title: Richard Whiteley Richard introduces a film clip from February which shows the new Archbishop of York arriving at the minster. Richard introduces his guest the Archbishop of York Stuart Blanch. Richard notes that the new...

Richard Whiteley interviews Stuart Blanch, who was enthroned as the 94th Archbishop of York in February 1975. YORKSHIRE TELEVSION PRODUCTION Graphics based on various views of stylised male and female heads in profile introduce the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE Title: Richard Whiteley Richard introduces a film clip from February which shows the new Archbishop of York arriving at the minster. Richard introduces his guest the Archbishop of York Stuart Blanch. Richard notes that the new archbishop took the ceremony in his stride. The archbishop says that unless he approached the ceremony with a certain sense of humour, he would find the whole event too intimidating for words. He says he was glad when it was all over. Title: STUART BLANCH Archbishop of York Richard accepting that the archbishop despite his desire to take the enthronement ceremony very lightly was nervous on the day that he will remember for its importance and its pageantry, asks the archbishop what his most inner feelings were on that afternoon. The archbishop says his first feelings were of peace and assurance and that it was right to accept the office. Richard asks if there was any doubt, was there a possibility he would not accept the office. The archbishop says that the option to refuse is not really an option at all. He continues in that you must accept that a lot of work goes into choosing a successor, and that it must be accepted with grace, and to refuse would require very strong grounds to do so. He also says there are a lot of apprehensions about the job, as there is a lot of responsibility. Richard asks if he knew he was in the running for the job, the archbishop says he was not aware. Richard touches on the fact that the new archbishop was the former Bishop of Liverpool. Liverpool is where the Prime Minister’s constituency (Huyton) is, and it is the Prime Minister who chooses the next Archbishop of York. The archbishop says that in his role he had met the Prime Minister, and he explains meeting him during his work as a senior figure in the church, may well have influenced the Prime Minister, but he says of course it might also have put him off. The archbishop goes on to say that the Prime Minister was also probably advised by senior members of the church. Richard goes on to ask the archbishop how challenging it was working in Liverpool, given the perception that it is a tough place to live. The archbishop agrees it was tough and there were social problems, but he describes the people as friendly, ready to try anything and showed a great deal of support for the church. Richard asks if he had more contact with the people of the city than he might have now as archbishop of York. The archbishop says the same sort of informal meeting of people continues, although the diocese is much bigger. Richard goes on to ask the blunt question what makes up the job of archbishop of York? The archbishop replies that there is no job specification. The day to day work maybe familiar but there are possibilities in the role, such as guiding the church along a new direction. On a day to day basis, he has help to deal with the post and other administrative procedures. Richard talks of the archbishop’s early career in insurance and joining the RAF during the war. There was no interest at this point in the archbishop’s life to enter the ministry. The archbishop talks of his early experiences during the war as part of a group of people thrown together to serve their country that made him think about his life and its direction. It was also at this time he studied the Bible in depth. Richard brings up a point that the archbishop said in his induction sermon that was a pervading sense of despair in society. The archbishop explains that those who have responsibility in society, doctors, administrators, politicians etc. are concerned about the direction society is taking. However, he sees some of the issues as challenges not disasters. He says the church must also change as the old order of how things are done in society changes. Richard asks the archbishop if he has experienced anything in his life which has nearly turned him away from his Christian faith. He replies that there has been nothing that has seriously influenced him to turn away from his faith. Richard asks the opposite question as to whether he has experienced anything which fundamentally asserts or reinforces his faith. He tells the story of a married couple he knew completely at odds with each other with no reconciliation likely. The archbishop syas that gradually the couple became increasingly associated with the church and their attitude towards each other improved, 25 years later they are still happily married. He believes this was the result of the intervention of divine grace, as no human agency or technology could have resolved the situation. Richard the moves on to the topic of exorcism, which had been in the news recently. He says he views exorcism as only one of the tools with which the clergy must fight evil. He says that it should only be used after several checks and balances have been pursued, including consultation with doctors and psychiatrists. The case involved Christian groups meeting at homes rather than the church. Richard asks the archbishop if he approves of such gatherings or should they only worship within a church. The archbishop has no objection and says Bible study and prayer groups often meet at homes and he says this is increasing. He also says that some services in church are boring. Richard asks him why. He says for newcomers to the church a less formal means would be preferred, which is why he welcomes house meetings, where conversation, study and worship would be more welcoming and less formal. Richard outlines that the Anglican church seems to be poorer when compared to Methodists or Roman Catholics where more singing often takes place in services. The archbishop acknowledges the shortcomings in the Anglican service and is in favour of making services much more relaxed. He reminisces about services he had witnessed as Bishop in Liverpool and elsewhere which had been transformed by moving away from a traditional element in the service. Richard thanks his guest and closes the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE Tonight Featured Credits: Stuart Blanch – Archbishop of York Talking to Richard Whiteley Director - Nick Gray Editor - John Wilford End Title: YORKSHIRE TELEVISION Production