Award-winning British writer Jimmy McGovern has revealed that he wanted to portray priests in a positive light in his latest hit show as a tribute to hard-working clerics.
Broken – which is currently airing on BBC television – tells the story of Fr Michael, a priest working in a deprived community who works to help people overcome their struggles.
Played by Sean Bean, Fr Michael portrays the daily work that priests do to try and give more meaning to their parishioners’ lives.
Dramas
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 this week, Mr McGovern, who has won a BAFTA award for his dramas, admitted that he no longer practises his Catholic faith. However, he said: “I have a lifelong fascination with Catholicism.”
While he parts company with the Church on teachings around sexuality, Mr McGovern said he felt the need to show the reality of how priests spend their lives: “up here in Merseyside we have got some marvellous priests…you find them in food banks, they work with the homeless, they work with the alcoholic, the old, the sick”.
“They are absolutely amazing priests,” Mr McGovern said.
During the same interview, he appeared to lament the loss of his own Catholicism admitting that he would like to regain his faith.