GP Taylor: Thought for the day: The BBC should stick to what it does best and leave religion alone

I waited at the traffic lights; a voice came on the radio. It was dull, boring and lacked any relevance. The man gave his "thought for the day". It was incongruous and jarred against the rest of the programme. Even though I was sure I had heard the man was a Bishop or another high-ranking clergyman, what he said was banal, inoffensive and instantly forgettable. I could see the raised eyebrows in the car next to me. Soon it was over. Chris Evans tried to make a joke to tie in what the man had said with the rest of the show and the star guest. It didn't work. This was the BBC doing what it is very bad at – religious broadcasting.

Ever since the organisation was founded it has had the remit to provide religious programming. Some say that was easy when the country was predominantly Christian. Now the BBC pundits would argue they have to take into account the religious needs of the whole country. What they don't seem to realise is that 70 per cent of their listeners would describe themselves as being Christian.

Culturally, Britain is still a Christian country despite those who would try to tell you otherwise. We may not all want to go to church every week, but many of us – far more than could be imagined – believe in God. That is the English way – a quiet faith not thrust down your throat.

It is a shame that our national broadcaster does not share our belief.

Having appeared on most of the BBC's religious programmes I can say that it has a very different attitude to faith than the woman or man in the street. Cardinal Keith O'Brien said recently that the BBC's news coverage is contaminated by "a radically secular and socially liberal mindset". It was added that insiders within the BBC had privately admitted that there is a cultural intolerance of Christianity at the corporation.

This has been clearly seen with the erosion of quality religious programming at the BBC. In their attempt to be modern and edgy the BBC seems to produce programmes that pour scorn on Christians and Jews and appease Muslims. Even Casualty changed a storyline so as to not offend a particular religious group while Bonekickers, a demented archeology drama, had Christians chopping off the heads of those who disagreed with them.

If that isn't bad enough the people they choose as presenters for "religious" programmes seem to have been hand picked from the valley of the strange. They never seem to give a "straight" comment on the Christian faith. The subject matter of these programmes appears to go to great lengths not to offend anyone but Christians. This was certainly highlighted with what was broadcast during the Pope's visit.

Last year I looked on in awe as a "vicar" got stuck in to a pot smoking session and then appeared naked with some witches. Whilst this benign figure romping around the world as a manic pilgrim was hilarious, I found the subtle agenda behind it quite disturbing.

It is as if the BBC likes to take an attitude of critical observation of the Christian faith while allowing others to broadcast without comment.

Even the most gentle of all presenters, Aled Jones, and his programme Good Morning Sunday are in my opinion at the forefront of religious triteness. It reminds me of a low calorie drink or a fat free sausage. Faith lite… and without much taste.

I struggle to find the slightest link between some of his guests and any aspect of faith. It certainly isn't Christian and is far from being inspirational. Last week they interviewed the drug smuggler Howard Marks – another celebrity promoting another book. And, just rolling out the Arch-wizard of Canterbury once a year doesn't cut the mustard in religious broadcasting.

Clearly it is time for the BBC to stop all this nonsense. If they can't broadcast quality religious programmes that are without bias then they should not broadcast any religious programmes. Honesty would be the best policy.

I would quite like to wake up with Terry Wogan on a Sunday morning, and would certainly feel far closer to God at the end of it. Thought for the Day would not be missed – Songs of Praise would soon be forgotten and the producer of Good Morning Sunday could be gainfully employed on Farming Today.

The Catholic Church carried out detailed research into BBC news coverage of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, together with a systematic analysis of output by the Catholic church, and this revealed a consistent anti-Christian institutional bias.

A BBC spokesman responded to this by saying: "As the majority UK faith, Christianity remains central to the BBC's religious programming."

If that is the case why does it seem that everything produced is so critical? It is impossible to stop institutional bias. One senior executive said, "Unfortunately, much of it is so deeply embedded in the BBC's culture that it is very hard to change it."

In this so-called multi faith society the only way forward is for a secular approach to broadcasting. There should be no religious programming on the BBC.

I can assure you that this would be welcomed at Broadcasting House as many producers find the tightrope of religious broadcasting and political correctness a difficult thing. If covering a particular subject cannot be done impartially then it should not be done at all. Programme-makers would breathe a sigh of relief.

The BBC should stick to what it does best, drama, comedy and, of course, Strictly Come Dancing. Religious broadcasting should be left to the hundreds of television and radio channels designated for that purpose. Chris Evans could rant on for five extra minutes – oh, what joy…

GP taylor, from scarborough, is an author and broadcaster. His latest book is The Vampyre Labyrinth.