Humanists rejoice! BBC will consult them on religion

Religious broadcasting has taken an unexpected turn at the BBC, leaving secularists last night claiming a breakthrough. An important new committee that the corporation will consult on religious broadcasting is to include a humanist.

The move, which some see as a potential threat to the future of slots such as Thought for the Day, will see groups representing secular beliefs offering advice and suggestions to the broadcaster. The move is a significant shift for the corporation, and follows a series of recent victories for secularists in public life, including a legal ruling in favour of the so-called atheist bus, the addition of humanism to a GCSE religious studies syllabus, and the launch of the first major national student secular society.

Andrew Copson, director of education and public affairs for the British Humanist Association, has been appointed to the BBC's Standing Conference on Religion and Belief, a new body which replaces the Central Religious Advisory Committee (Crac), which advised on "religion-related policy and coverage".

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Mr Copson suggested his appointment may give him the chance to challenge the long fought over Radio 4 religious slot, Thought for the Day. "We need to see an increased contribution from humanists in slots run by the religion and ethics department that are presently confined only to religions," he said.

The new body, which will meet with senior BBC officials several times a year, gathers for the first time on Wednesday. Unlike Crac, which was closed by the BBC Trust at the end of 2007, the Standing Conference on Religion and Belief will be independent from the broadcaster, but it will continue to have the same chairman, Bishop Graham James, at its head.

The BBC played down the significance of the inclusion, concerned that it would alarm religious groups. Despite this, the chief executive of the British Humanist Association, Hanne Stinson, heralded Mr Copson's appointment as a "great step". "Until now humanists have been excluded from any consultative or advisory role in relation to the BBC on a level with religious groups and representatives," Ms Stinson said. "In an open society, those of religious and non-religious beliefs should have a fair input on matters that concern them and the inclusion of humanist representation is a great step towards this."

The philosopher A C Grayling said the news was "incredible", and signified the culmination of a series of successes for secularists. "I would say in recent months we've seen a real change. There have been cracks in the ice over the last few years, but bits of Antarctica are finally floating free now. When you think of the great institution of the BBC finally conceding that a whole viewpoint needs to be heard, that's pretty incredible.

"At long last, here is one token of acceptance that the traditional way of thinking about matters of the spirit and matters of the mind needs to be rethought."

According to Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, 6 per cent of viewers watch religious programmes on the main TV channels – the lowest proportion of any programme genre. A recent poll found that more than a third of Britons did not feel they belonged to a religion at all.