Lend Me Your Ears

The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer is now a podcast

I wouldn’t normally bother you on a Tuesday afternoon, but I wanted to mention my new podcast: The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer.

It is also an audiobook. No prizes for guessing which book I’ll be reading from. That would be The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer: Why John’s Gospel is Much Funnier Than You Thought. In a Good Way was published by SPCK and written by me, James Cary, a sitcom writer. (Miranda, Bluestone 42, Hut 33 etc.)

I retained the audio rights of The Gospel According To A Sitcom Writer, by which I mean no one wanted to buy the audio rights. So I’ve decided to exploit them myself, record it myself and give away the audio version for free. Take that, Audible! Yes, if anyone’s going to rip me off, it’s going to me.

So here it is on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify (and other podcast apps if you have a rummage). There’s a new chapter of the book each week. Down the line, there may be some other audio content related to the Bible and jokes. But for now, listen to The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer. The first chapter is about why the book even exists.

How would I describe the The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer? At some point I agreed to the following blurb:

You would think it weird if someone suddenly ascended into heaven, right? Reading between the lines, do we detect a touch of rivalry between Peter and John? And surely the lack of parables in the latter's mystical tome is simply crying out to be redressed…

In this sparklingly witty book, BBC sitcom writer James Cary gives us a new and liberating way of looking at the gospel as he entertainingly relates it to a modern context, with references ranging from Charles Dickens to The Vicar of Dibley. Cheerfully playing around with the text, he takes the Bible seriously but allows us to laugh at our own petty vanities and foibles - and be enlightened in the process.

The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer is ideal for anyone wanting to liven up their Bible reading and looking for new ways to be thrilled by this sacred text. It's also perfect for priests, pastors, youth leaders and all those involved in ministry and giving sermons, as James Cary shows using comedy and humour is a brilliant way to communicate the gospel.

Warm, funny and full of brilliant insight and Christian humour, The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer will make you laugh out loud and shake your head in awe. You'll never read the Bible the same way again.