Sunday - 05/09/2010

Earlier this week the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began a new round of direct peace talks in Washington. It was their first face-to-face meeting since December 2008. So far nearly two decades of on-off talks have failed to resolve the issues at the core of one of the world's most intractable conflicts. Edward Stourton asks whether or not this latest round could eventually lead to a permanent peace deal. As 'Sunday' celebrates 40 years on air we take a look back through our archives at some of the highlights. We'll hear from former Presenters like Clive Jacobs and Roger Bolton about some of their favourite moments. And we'll find out how the programme was shaped with some of its former Producers. Riazat Butt, Religious Correspondent with the Guardian and John Wilkins, Former Editor of the Tablet will discuss how media reporting of religious issues over the past 40 years has played a part in shaping our opinions and perceptions of other faiths The King of Comedy, Barry Cryer OBE reflects with Edward on how religious issues have provided a rich source of material for Comedians over the last four decades. Celebrating his own 40 years at the BBC, Mike Wooldridge, shares with us his personal memories of the time he spent as Religious Affairs Correspondent. He recounts the time he spent in the war zone that was Southern Sudan, as he covered the visit by the then Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey. And he tells of his report on the phenomenon known as 'holy laughter' that spread across the water to Britain from a Church in Toronto, Canada. And Dr. John Sentamu, The Archbishop of York talks to Edward about how he sees the relationship between Religion and the Media. E-mail: [email protected] Series producer: Amanda Hancox.