It's the name of our two big highlights and it's a reflection as well of all the effort that has gone into making this Easter a stand out in the calendar for our listeners and viewers.

The year before I started at the BBC, there had been some concerns expressed about the BBC's Easter coverage and I was clear when I joined that we'd listen to viewers' feedback and work hard to address this and get the balance right in the future. This is my third Easter at the BBC and since I joined I've been determined to provide coverage that is meaningful and relevant to viewers and listeners.

Anne Widdecombe and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams in the BBC One Programme Does Christianity Have a Future?

Since then, we have steadily built strong television content with documentaries presented by the likes of Bettany Hughes, Nicky Campbell and Ann Widdecombe on subjects as diverse as the future of Christianity, forgiveness and the perceived persecution of Christians in Britain.

This year we've really decided to be bold with major offerings on TV and radio. The Preston Passion on BBC One on Good Friday is the culmination of eighteen months of conversations, planning and effort to deliver a live event that not only marks Easter but also sends out a clear message that we take this subject area very seriously and back it with ambitious programming from dramas, to services, to debates and thought provoking documentaries.

Bishop Crowther (Ronald Pickup) and Samuel Horrocks (Tom Ellis) in 'Pilate', part of BBC One's The Preston Passion

Of course alongside the two stand out projects, The People's Passion on BBC Radio Four and The Preston Passion on BBC One, there will be Easter services and programming across many platforms.

I truly believe this is an exciting Easter line up, with something for all our viewers and listeners. I hope everyone will see and hear the passion that has gone into our programming.

• More details about the BBC's religious programming this Easter are on the Media Centre website.

This Sunday at 5.30pm on BBC One the 50th anniversary programme of Songs Of Praise, Songs Of Praise: 50th Birthday Celebration transmits. Fifty years in broadcasting is an incredible achievement.

From humble beginnings broadcast from the Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Church in Cardiff on October 1 1961 Songs Of Praise has become nothing short of a national institution and the cornerstone of our religious and ethics programming.

I was lucky enough to be one of nearly 7,000 at the recording of the programme on Sunday 25th September at the birthplace of TV, Alexandra Palace. It was absolutely fantastic to be part of the audience, and also meet many viewers, presenters past and present, and some of those behind the scenes who had worked on the programme over the years.

Songs of Praise surviving and flourishing is no accident; a lot of people on- and off-screen over the last fifty years have worked hard to make it happen. As The Right Rev Nigel McCulloch Bishop Of Manchester wrote in the Radio Times, Songs Of Praise shows "that there really are a lot of good people around." A fitting testimony to the programme if ever there was one.

Whilst attending the recording last Sunday some people asked me about a story that had made the headlines that day concerning the use of date systems BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era). The story, suggesting we had dropped AD (Anno Domini) and BC (Before Christ), was quite simply wrong. We have issued no editorial guidelines or instructions to suggest that anyone in the BBC should change the terms they use. The BBC, like most people, use BC and AD as standard terminology.

But we recognise that it is possible to use different terminology, and that some people do: that is what is reflected on our Religion website. Even though we told the newspaper this, they ran the story anyway.

Just for the record, for our religion and ethics programming on BBC television and radio we generally use AD and BC. It is a shame that people seeking to make mischief should cast a shadow over the wonderful celebration of our Christian religious heritage that is Songs of Praise.

Aaqil Ahmed is Commissioning Editor Religion and Head of Religion & Ethics

• The picture shows Aled Jones, presenter of the special 50th anniversary edition of Songs of Praise. More details on the BBC Press Office web site.

This weekend was the first weekend that I managed to venture into my garden. And, as I write, the sun is still shining and it is past 5pm - which makes more than a pleasant change. I love this time of year, as it marks the end of winter (and let's face it, it's been a long and cold one) and ushers in spring.

The arrival of spring of course also heralds the arrival of Easter, and this Easter the BBC has an array of programmes across television and radio -  from live worship to challenging documentaries - to both mark and celebrate its significance. I am really proud of our Easter content - it really has got something for everyone. 

Highlights, as always, are too numerous to mention in detail here but I just wanted to talk about a few that I really hope you will be able to find the time to watch and listen to.

For Holy Week in Does Christianity Have A Future? Ann Widdecombe investigates the changing face of Christianity in the UK, with some fascinating results.  And,  in The Jesus Story,  the life and teachings of Jesus are explored in a two-part series, featuring dramatic recreation of key moments of the Gospels,  coupled with expert examination of the latest archaeological, historical and theological research. Both Does Christianity Have a Future? and The Jesus Story will be shown on BBC One.

We will also broadcast live from Westminster Abbey The Royal Maundy Service (BBC One, Thursday 21 April). Presented by Huw Edwards, the service coincides with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's 85th Birthday, the first time this has happened during her reign.

And don't miss  BBC Radio 4's Thought For The Day on Maundy Thursday with The Archbishop Of Canterbury, the Most Rev  Dr  Rowan Williams.

For Good Friday on BBC One Bettany Hughes asks What Is The Point In Forgiveness? Embarking on a fascinating journey through 2,000 years of our history, she tries to find out if the concept of forgiveness has actually benefitted mankind.  

Also on Good Friday on BBC Radio 2, Aled Jones presents At The Foot Of The Cross. St Albans Cathedral is the glorious setting for meditation in words and music for Good Friday. Music, poetry and readings from the Bible read by Hugh Bonneville and Emma Fielding tell the story of the crucifixion with, at its centre, a complete performance of Fauré's Requiem .

And I'm delighted Easter From Kings makes a welcome return to BBC Two on Easter Eve, with music from Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus being sung by the world-famous Chapel Choir.

Full details of all the Religion and Ethics programmes on BBC TV and Radio over Easter.

I hope you have a great Easter  - and if you do find the time to watch and listen to some of  our programmes,  that you enjoy them!

Aaqil Ahmed is Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioning Editor TV

Tatiana Maslany and Andrew Buchan star as Mary and Joseph in Tony Jordan's adaptation of The Nativity for BBC One this Christmas.

With less than a month to go before Christmas Day (where has this year gone?), the first week of December has certainly blustered in with what can only be described as a uniquely Baltic flourish. 

This is my second Christmas as the BBC's Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioner for Religion TV, a job that I am extremely honoured to hold. As I write, across "Frozen Britain" (a BBC News term, not mine) the snow is falling across most of the country as fast as the temperatures outside, and the bookies odds on a white Christmas are changing daily. 

In addition to the inevitable news of the gridlocked roads, stranded trains and lorries, closed schools and general commuter mayhem have come some brilliant and heart-warming stories of both seasonal goodwill and the Great British spirit rising to the occasion - battling on against the elements to help others, and to keep the country moving. 

Of course as the temperatures drop outside, even the most hardy of us look forward to slumping on the sofa and watching television. As usual this year to both mark and celebrate the significance of Christmas, the BBC has some really fantastic programmes to offer across both TV and radio, from stunning original drama to worship and inspiring musical celebration. 

I am particularly pleased to tell you about a new commission from BBC Religion and Ethics for Christmas Day afternoon.  BBC Two's Carols From Winchester is an hour long special which will feature some of the best-loved Christmas carols and classical Christmas music. 

And don't miss Tony Jordon's stunning new drama for BBC One, The Nativity, starring Tatiana Maslany and Andrew Buchan as Mary and Joseph. The drama, over four half-hour episodes, shows the Nativity from a fresh viewpoint and tells the traditional tale known to millions from a very human perspective. 

Whatever the weather throws at us in the next few weeks, I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and that you manage to watch/listen to some of the BBC's Christmas programming and, more importantly, that you enjoy it. 

More details of BBC Religion and Ethics programming over Christmas.

Aaqil Ahmed is he BBC's Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioner for Religion TV

• BBC announces event coverage of the Pope's Visit 2010

It's been a little over eight months since I rejoined the BBC to be the Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioning Editor for Television and my first Easter is fast approaching.

Last year we got some criticism for our Easter coverage and, as I have already stated, I don't think the BBC got the balance of Easter programming on television right in 2009. But we've listened to viewers' feedback and worked hard to address this. I'm very proud of the output across both BBC TV and radio to mark and celebrate Easter this year. We have everything from live worship and sacred music to insightful and topical television documentaries on BBC One to mark both Good Friday and Easter Sunday. You can find a full list of the Easter programming on TV and Radio on this pdf. 

I hope you can take the time to watch and listen to some of the programmes listed and, if you do, I hope that you enjoy them!

Ahead of the Synod, the Sunday Telegraph did an interview with me that explored these issues. The article appeared on Sunday under the headline "Church is 'living in the past' says BBC chief". Great headline - but the truth lets the story down. The problem is: I am that BBC chief and I definitely didn't say that. In fact there were a lot of things in the Sunday Telegraph article that surprised me when I read them.

As the BBC's Head of Religion I feel that simply totting up the number of hours of religion we broadcast is not a fair way to measure its value. More is not always better. The range and quality of our programmes - the vast array of live worship; music and documentaries to mark Christian festivals across BBC TV radio and online; Songs Of Praise; landmark documentary series like the recent A History Of Christianity with Diarmaid McCulloch - and the ease with which people can view those programmes on TV and now online thanks to iPlayer, I feel are equally important.

The Sunday Telegraph article quotes me as saying that the BBC should not give Christianity preferential treatment. The question I was actually asked was whether minority faiths should be treated differently from other faiths - to which I replied that all faiths should be treated in the same way and that I don't believe in treating any faith differently. It's all a bit different when you put it in its proper context, isn't it?

The article in the Church Times (editor's note: the full interview is firewalled until Friday 12th February) is a truer reflection of my point of view - and a laudably accurate treatment of the interview I gave them.

In truth, hours of TV religion programming change year-on-year and there is no trend downwards. And, for the record, we are currently broadcasting 164 hours of religious programmes a year on BBC Television (and this figure does not take into account drama, arts and news programmes which also cover religious and ethical topics). We have some great new commissions at Easter, from a special service at King's College entitled Easter At King's, and a documentary about the meaning of Easter for Good Friday on BBC One, to an investigation into whether Christians are being persecuted for their beliefs today in secular Britain (also for BBC One).

We're also investing more in our coverage of religious festivals and worship programmes.

Religion on the BBC is safe in my hands. Watch the output and forget the prophets of doom.