BBC News 24 10.40 pm Wednesday 30th October ‘The Papers’
‘With me tonight discussing tomorrow morning’s papers are the financial editor of The Guardian and a journalist with the Huffington Post. Shall we start with the rather bizarre headline in several papers that scientists have discovered the devil actually exists, James?’
‘Well this is one story my paper has missed Satan Certainty says The Sun people really do hear voices and it’s The Devil talking to them. Obviously this is going to be used by the Tories as an excuse to reduce funding for mental health services.’
‘Sarah?’
‘Or as a crafty way of diverting attention away from the Brexit Fiasco.’
‘Precisely and if it was true it would be more scary than Putin or North Korea.’
‘This is a team of highly acclaimed physicists, can we be sure it is not true?’
BBC 1 Breakfast 7.23am Thursday 31st October
‘…and the story breaking overnight is that a group of eminent scientists have proved that Satan is real, alive and watching us now. Joining us on the sofa we have an archbishop and a humanist. Let’s get straight to the point. Archbishop, hasn’t the church always claimed the Devil exists, so what’s new?’
‘Not as depicted in films. Evil exists, but not of course an actual devil; evil can’t be reduced to a person called Old Nick, anymore than we can perceive God Almighty as a person.’
‘Isn’t that what you claim Jesus was?’
‘Yes, yes of course, but…’
‘As a humanist I believe that people create both good and evil and these ridiculous ideas are going to harm a lot of vulnerable people…’
‘… let’s go over to the sports desk …’
BBC Radio 4 9.am Thursday 31st October ‘The Life Scientific’
‘And my guest this morning is the scientist who led the team that has recently discovered, or claimed to have proved, the devil exists. Angela, when you were a child did you ever imagine you would become one of the country’s leading experts in such a field?’
‘No, no my parents were both ardent atheists and I wasn’t even allowed to go to school assembly or be in the nativity play, then one day I found a stack of Dennis Wheatley novels hidden in my parents’ wardrobe…’
BBC 1 7pm Thursday 31st October ‘The One Show’
‘What do you make of today’s startling news that the devil has been discovered, or rather has at last been proved to be real. Our guest this evening claims to have met Satan. What did he actually look like?’
‘He can take many forms, that is why neither the police nor my GP believed me.’
‘So where did you meet him?’
‘On Facebook. Luckily one of my Twitter followers had also met him and Tweeted some advice, otherwise I wouldn’t be here today.’
‘I believe you had a narrow escape.’
‘Yes indeed, I nearly sold my soul to Satan…’
BBC2 10.30pm Thursday 31st October ‘Newsnight’
‘It is barely twenty four hours since scientists revealed that The Devil actually exists and while some academics are already arguing whether we write his name with capital letters or even whether we can ascribe a gender, for most of the world’s population it has not yet sunk in. Our guests tonight are a representative of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and a member of JW.Org who believes some people have actually sold their soul to The Devil.’
‘We’re not sure of the numbers, it could be in the thousands.’
‘But isn’t it a scandal that these people were not helped sooner, before it was too late…’
BBC News 24 11.40pm Tuesday 31st October ‘The Papers’
‘Since last night’s breaking news, more and more people are coming forward to say they have met The Devil. To discuss tomorrow’s first editions we have a journalist from The Times and the cultural editor from The Sun.’
‘Our readers are saying why didn’t they come forward before, but the obvious answer is that nobody would have believed them.’
‘…and the sad fact is that they are still not fully believed, that they have sold their souls to Satan.’
‘Our editorial is taking this matter seriously, but we must realise there is a big difference between people in powerful positions, who have got there by selling their souls and vulnerable people who have been under Satanic influence.’
‘The Mirror has the most graphic front page with the headline
Satan to collect souls at midnight.’
‘Yes, midnight on Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve just before All Souls Day.’
‘…but that’s in ten minutes time…’
‘… er hmm… Stay with us here on News 24 with the headlines coming up at midnight.’
For tales of good and evil dip into Hallows and Heretics
Times and Tides of a Beachwriter 