Christmas countdown day 6: Father Christmas origin story

Red radical: the tales behind the Santa we see today

Graham Tomlin

Graham is the Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness and a former Bishop of Kensington.

A Lego Stanta figure strolls across a table holding a wrench

Artem Maltsev on Unsplash.

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The Christmas Countdown

It’s the season to be jolly, stressed, and all round Christmassy. On the Seen & Unseen Aloud podcast, we’re here for you with our Aloud Christmas Countdown!

Every day in December, we’ll drop some of the best seasonal content from Seen & Unseen Aloud. From how to survive Christmas, reviews of the best Christmas movies and the origin story of Santa Claus.

For when you’ve got your hands full of mince pies and baubles, but you still want to hear some thoughtful content, subscribe to Seen & Unseen Aloud for the Christmas Countdown.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon.

Throughout the year, the Seen & Unseen Aloud brings you the week’s best articles, in a short 20 minute podcast episode. Browse the index for episodes from Seen & Unseen Aloud, Re-enchanting and GodPod.

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Podcast

Podcasts

Seen & Unseen Aloud

5 May 2025

1 min read

Laughing, unruliness, and diplomacy

Jonny Torrance: we’re less in control than we think; Henna Cundill: AI will never codify the exceptions. And Jamie Mulvaney ask what's the right backdrop for diplomacy.

Natalie Williams

Natalie is the chief executive of Jubilee+ and an author.

A group of comedians pose on a TV show set.

On this Bank Holiday Monday, Jonny Torrance comments on Last One Laughing, deciding we’re less in control than we think; Henna Cundill suggests that AI will never codify the many unruly exceptions to rules as they are what make us human; Jamie Mulvaney asks whether or not a funeral is the appropriate backdrop for diplomacy.