Seaside Parish Series 3 - the Bishop and the Diocese

The Third Series, which retained the Seaside Parish title, because it had become a recognised ‘product’ focussed on Bishop Bill Ind, who had already become known to viewers through his visits to the Boscastle parishes. Nigel Farrell, the Director for Tiger Aspect reckoned that few knew much about the working life of a bishop, and he was given access to most of the Bishop’s public engagements, though, as with the filming at Boscastle, sensitive pastoral situations were always ‘off-limits’.

Filming took place for six months in 2005 and the third series was transmitted at the beginning of 2006 and was immediately as popular as its predecessors. The cameras followed the Bishop through much of the kind of hectic activity involved in being a Bishop of the Church of England, and few had realised before filming began how very busy, and non-stop, the life of a Bishop can be. The film crew, all many years younger than Bishop Bill, marvelled at his energy and ability to keep going,  and the diversity of activities that made up his life. So the series covered things as different as the ordinations of Deacons which take place at the end of June every year in the Cathedral, and the ordination of priests in the parishes in which they will serve. They saw the Bishop with young people's adventure training with the Bishop's Forum; preparations for the Bishop to become a member of the House of Lords; talks with Tim Smit at the Eden Project, and at Synods, meetings, barbecues, beaches. Saw too how his diary was organised, how his office was run, and sat in on meetings with his staff; saw the Bishop at prayer, at the Royal Cornwall Show, on the sleeper train to London; in Synods, in Cathedrals, on estuaries bird watching (one of the Bishop's passions) and in hospitals. Saw him at schools with children and pensioners; at formal gatherings with County Councillors and Lord Lieutenants, and relaxing on pilgrimage at St Michael's Mount, that most Cornish of settings.

Towards the end of the filming of the programmes, a vacancy occurred for a new Chaplain to the Isles of Scilly, and the cameras followed the process of choice by the parishioners and the appointment of the new priest, Fr Guy Scott.  The Bishop was asked if he would be prepared to allow The Isles of Scilly, their communities and their new priest, to be the focus for a new series, to be called ‘Island Parish'. Once Fr Guy and his family had agreed, the way was clear for the beginning of a further series, where the most isolated parish in the Diocese of Truro would become the centre of attention.

Click on the link below to learn more about the fourth series. 

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