Melvyn Bragg Introduced by Diarmaid MacCulloch

Writer and broadcaster Baron Melvyn Bragg explains what drove William Tyndale to create an English translation of the Bible in 16th-century England and how his work brought about profound change in the world and continues to resonate today.

Tyndale was executed for heresy in 1536, yet the Tyndale Bible was the key to spreading Reformation ideas across the English-speaking world in the following years. Tyndale’s determination to give the English-speaking people a Bible in their own tongue led to him being called the most dangerous man of Tudor England. Bragg argues his influence can still be seen today in international diplomacy, new English-based dialects, new versions of the Bible and in the works of some of our greatest writers including Shakespeare, Dickens, the Brontes and Tennyson.

Bragg is a writer and broadcaster best known for his work as editor and presenter for more than 30 years of ITV’s South Bank Show. His novels include The Hired Man, Grace and Mary, Now is the Time, Without a City Wall and The Soldier’s Return. He will be introduced by renowned historian and broadcaster Professor Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch, best known for his 2009 BBC television series and book, The History of Christianity.

Biography & Memoir