0:00:06 > 0:00:08So it's almost Lent - a time to take stock of life,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11and here I am at London Zoo, doing it quite literally.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15I'm here counting penguins. Is that number 35 or number 36?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22This week, we're in St John's Wood in London,
0:00:22 > 0:00:26with plenty of pancakes, and more from London Zoo.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29At Lord's, a story of sporting sacrifice.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I had a chance to speak out against injustice, and I took it.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36And the sensational sound of Only Boys Aloud.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49London NW8 is one of the poshest postcodes around.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53It's full of faith communities, each with their own place of worship.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57And you'll find plenty of blue plaques on these streets,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59which tell of the movers and shakers
0:00:59 > 0:01:02who lived and worked here.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04It's also a place of pop pilgrimage.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Recognise that zebra crossing behind me?
0:01:07 > 0:01:08It's next to Abbey Road Studios,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11made famous by those four lads from Liverpool.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12I've got to, haven't I?
0:01:12 > 0:01:15# Roll up for the Mystery Tour... #
0:01:15 > 0:01:20But what exactly IS Lent, and how do Christians observe it?
0:01:20 > 0:01:25You have to use up your leftovers and you have to give up something.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28If people like to eat, they'll have to give up eating,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and that basically means fasting.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36Shrove Tuesday is another word for Pancake Day.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40The word "shrove" originates from the word "shrive", which means
0:01:40 > 0:01:45to turn around and repent of all the sins that you've committed.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50which is the day after Shrove Tuesday.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54It's when you burn palm leaves and make ash,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59and then you put the ash on your forehead in the shape of a cross.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Pancakes are made of egg, flour and milk.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08They taste really tasty.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12ALL: Happy Pancake Day!
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The 40 days of Lent can be bittersweet, a time for
0:02:16 > 0:02:20a fresh start, for discipline, and giving up unnecessary things,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23but also of sorrow and solitude,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25reflecting on Christ's journey to the cross,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28and it's that journey we think of in our first hymn,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32here in St Mark's Church. Praise To The Holiest In The Height.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Not far from St Mark's Church,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14hidden behind the busy streets,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16is the Regent's Canal.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Built almost 200 years ago,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20it was far from quiet in its heyday.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22International cargo passed through,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25from gunpowder to blocks of ice.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Today, though, it's a haven for those seeking solace
0:05:28 > 0:05:31from the busy demands of city life.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35This is Little Venice, but it used to be called Browning's Pool,
0:05:35 > 0:05:36after the poet Robert Browning.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Some say that he came up with the Venetian name, whilst others
0:05:40 > 0:05:44suggest it was another poet, Lord Byron, who made the comparison.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Whoever came up with it, it's rather nice, isn't it?
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'But today I'm not just enjoying the sights. I'm being taught to drive
0:05:52 > 0:05:56'a community canal boat by skippers Dave and Kelvin.'
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- Here we have a forward and reverse wheel.- OK.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04'And the first thing I've learnt is you have to...slow...down.'
0:06:04 > 0:06:06..and anti-clockwise to put it in reverse.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07BOAT CHUGS
0:06:09 > 0:06:10There's a four-mile-an-hour limit
0:06:10 > 0:06:13but most of the time we go a lot slower than that, which is great
0:06:13 > 0:06:17because it enables you to take in what's around you, particularly wildlife and things like that.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21It's mad, though, isn't it, because you're in London -
0:06:21 > 0:06:24the pace of life is always on and really fast.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27The canal is one place where you can't. You can't go fast.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Do you find that you kind of reflect a lot, then, when you're out here?
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Yeah. You can, because, you know, whilst you're concentrating,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37you can still take time to think about God,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40to think about what you're doing, to pray.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44It's certainly easy to communicate with God when you are relaxed,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46because there's no pressure.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50You know, if you're held up at the lock, you're held up at the lock. You can't do anything about it,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53so you just take it easy and enjoy it.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02It kind of forces you to slow down because you can't go anywhere fast.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07It's so beautiful and tranquil out here,
0:07:07 > 0:07:08and in London in particular...
0:07:08 > 0:07:10You can hardly believe you're in London.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14It's like being away from the hustle and bustle of the city,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18and it's like being away, like when Jesus went into the desert.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22I can focus on people I need to pray for,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25and reflect on my personal circumstances.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29It gives me chance to be away from my business,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32which is quite stressful at times,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34particularly at the moment in the current economic situation,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38where businesses aren't doing very well generally.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41It just gives us chance to not focus on anything apart from God and
0:07:41 > 0:07:47steering the boat, and just listen and be quiet and relax...
0:07:48 > 0:07:51..and think about the mercy and grace of Jesus,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and everything he did for us on the cross -
0:07:54 > 0:07:57his sacrifices he made for us,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59and how life-changing it is.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I've always loved the look of St John's Wood Church.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48It's so very, very pretty.
0:10:48 > 0:10:54It really has the most lovely calm, beautiful, spiritual atmosphere.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Elizabeth Maxwell clearly remembers the day, nearly 30 years ago,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03when she and her young son walked into this church.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07I spent a lot of years erring and straying,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11and, really, church didn't feature in my life at that time at all.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17It was Good Friday morning, and Anthony, at the age of four,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19quite naturally, wanted to come to the park,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21which is next door to the church here.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25My sight was becoming really very poor.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30In fact, at that point, it wasn't safe for me to go out on my own.
0:11:30 > 0:11:36And I had the most extraordinary urge...
0:11:36 > 0:11:39to come to church. I've not actually had...
0:11:39 > 0:11:43I hadn't had that feeling for many, many years,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and I couldn't help myself but I knew I had to come here.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51He took me gently by the hand and walked me along to the church.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55I felt as if we were both being drawn.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I got into the back pew and completely broke down.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04It was the most extraordinary experience
0:12:04 > 0:12:07because I felt as if I'd come home, spiritually.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Throughout this whole journey of losing my sight, I started to
0:12:13 > 0:12:19understand and to realise that I was developing a very clear inner sight.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26During Lent, I often think of it as three seasons in one.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30It's a time of quiet, of reflection,
0:12:30 > 0:12:36and then actual Holy Week itself is the really dark period.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40And then, of course, you have the rising of Christ himself.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47Liz now helps others facing the challenge of isolation,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50by bringing them together for monthly tea parties.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55'Losing your sight, you can become very, very isolated,
0:12:55 > 0:13:00'and I think I felt that there was a clear choice.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04'I was not going to let sight loss defeat me.'
0:13:04 > 0:13:07..I think I had that, somewhat...
0:13:07 > 0:13:10There is a big difference between looking at something
0:13:10 > 0:13:12and actually seeing it.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17'I see, now, from inside out - not from outside in.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20'I just look and see things in a different way.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24'Lent, for me,'
0:13:24 > 0:13:28is a very enriching time. Rather like me losing my sight.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30I mean, that's enriched my life,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34so I associate Lent
0:13:34 > 0:13:37with that period of great sadness,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42great difficulty, reflecting on how I was going to cope,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46but always knowing that there was the hope that it was going to be
0:13:46 > 0:13:47all right in the end.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51And I think it has certainly been all right in the end.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54It's opened my mind and my heart to the knowledge
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and the love of God, because without him,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01I certainly couldn't be or do the things that I do today.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09# Ave
0:14:09 > 0:14:18# Ave verum corpus
0:14:18 > 0:14:30# Natum de Maria Virgine
0:14:30 > 0:14:38# Vere passum
0:14:38 > 0:14:43# Immolatum
0:14:43 > 0:14:57# In cruce pro homine
0:15:07 > 0:15:20# Cuius latus perforatum
0:15:20 > 0:15:33# Unda fluxit et sanguine
0:15:33 > 0:15:47# Esto nobis praegustatum
0:15:47 > 0:16:00# In mortis examine
0:16:00 > 0:16:25# In mortis examine. #
0:16:48 > 0:16:51If you visit this part of London in winter,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53you might hear the sound of people counting,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55as London Zoo holds its annual stock take.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Every creature has to be accounted for by zookeepers like Rob.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Each year we need to take stock and count all the different
0:17:03 > 0:17:07species that we have here, and how many we have of each individual.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09It's an important part of our zoo licence.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12It helps our European and worldwide studbooks know exactly what
0:17:12 > 0:17:15stock's in what zoos, so they can move animals around if they need to.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17And I think we also,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21we reassess that our value to conservation all the time
0:17:21 > 0:17:25is something that actually has to happen not just once a year - we have to constantly be reassessing
0:17:25 > 0:17:28what we're doing, and deciding exactly the right thing to do.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Ever since I was about three, I've been really fascinated by animals,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and so it's an incredibly self-indulgent job.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38What do you prefer - humans or animals?
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Er... Well, no human's ever bitten me.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43THEY LAUGH
0:17:43 > 0:17:45I really like the giraffes.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47They're fantastic creatures.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49They have an incredible kind of presence about them.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52I think it makes you feel quite small
0:17:52 > 0:17:56when you work around the natural world and you realise just how
0:17:56 > 0:18:01complex it is, and how understanding it is such a difficult thing to do.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03I think it's humbling, more than anything.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07You start to think about the relationship that
0:18:07 > 0:18:11we have, as humans, with the natural world, and you see our impact,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and how to put right some of the wrongs that humanity's done to it.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18We live in a time of instant gratification, don't we?
0:18:18 > 0:18:21We want everything now, and we're not willing to put the time in.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- It's totally different here, I presume?- Yeah, it is.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26When you work with the animals, and the more you get an insight into their psyche
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and what makes them tick, and then you also
0:18:29 > 0:18:32know how to like their life better as well - more engaging and enriching.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36- What have you learnt from the animals that you've worked with? - I've learnt that individual animals
0:18:36 > 0:18:38can be very, very different, even within the same species.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42You have to take time to build a relationship with them and build that bond of trust
0:18:42 > 0:18:44based on positive experience, really.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Making sure that the best things that happen in their life come from us.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51And, yes, it teaches you to be patient and it teaches you to control
0:18:51 > 0:18:55your emotions and stay calm, so yes, I suppose it's a lesson in life.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Do you live out what you believe in your work here?
0:18:58 > 0:19:01I'd like to think that I get to use some of the patience
0:19:01 > 0:19:03and some of the grace and the calmness.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Whether my colleagues would say I'm like that...
0:19:06 > 0:19:10It would be another question! You'd have to ask them, but I'd like to think that I do, yeah.
0:19:16 > 0:19:24# Our father
0:19:25 > 0:19:33# Which art in Heaven
0:19:33 > 0:19:52# Hallowed be thy name
0:19:52 > 0:19:59# Thy kingdom come
0:19:59 > 0:20:04# Thy will be done
0:20:04 > 0:20:24# On Earth as it is in Heaven
0:20:34 > 0:20:44# Give us this day our daily bread
0:20:44 > 0:20:49# And forgive us our trespasses
0:20:49 > 0:20:54# As we forgive those who trespass against us
0:20:59 > 0:21:04# And lead us not into temptation
0:21:04 > 0:21:10# But deliver us from evil
0:21:10 > 0:21:15# For thine is the kingdom
0:21:15 > 0:21:22# And the power and the glory
0:21:22 > 0:21:29# Forever
0:21:29 > 0:21:34# Amen
0:21:34 > 0:21:40# Amen
0:21:40 > 0:21:47# For thine is the kingdom
0:21:47 > 0:21:54# And the power and the glory
0:21:54 > 0:22:00# Forever
0:22:00 > 0:22:05# And ever
0:22:05 > 0:22:12# Amen
0:22:12 > 0:22:21# Amen. #
0:22:23 > 0:22:27MUSIC: "BBC Test Match Special" theme
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Lent isn't just about giving things up.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32It may be the end of one season, but it's the beginning of the next.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Out with the old and in with the new.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Which is precisely what happens here at Lord's, the home of cricket.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43It may be hallowed turf but every winter it's dug up
0:22:43 > 0:22:45and replaced with a brand-new pitch.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49For former Zimbabwe international cricketer Henry Olonga
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Lord's will always be holy ground.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57I think most people who love the tradition of the game,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00who love the sport of cricket, understand that this is
0:23:00 > 0:23:02a special ground - there is a lot of history here.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06In '99, during the World Cup, I played here,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08and it's got special memories for me.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11I had a promising career ahead of me, but of course that all came to an end
0:23:11 > 0:23:15after the next World Cup, which was held in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18With the world watching, Henry Olonga
0:23:18 > 0:23:23and team-mate Andy Flower made a show of defiance against the regime
0:23:23 > 0:23:26of their president, Robert Mugabe, by wearing black armbands.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29It led to a warrant for Olonga's arrest,
0:23:29 > 0:23:30and he was forced into hiding.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35We were basically pleading with our leaders to lead righteously,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and, basically, to respect people.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39I knew that I might have to sacrifice
0:23:39 > 0:23:42my career, my way of life in Zimbabwe,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45and, if it meant going into exile, a lot of friends and...
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and just forsake the life I had before.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50'Were you scared of making that sacrifice?'
0:23:50 > 0:23:52'There were certain fears, definitely.
0:23:52 > 0:23:58'But so strong was our conviction, we weighed up the cost and we felt that'
0:23:58 > 0:23:59it was a price worth paying.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03- Staying silent wasn't an option for us.- Were you scared for your life?
0:24:03 > 0:24:06'There was a time when I received some death threats.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11'One of them was through my dad, who'd been contacted by a person who
0:24:11 > 0:24:14'was very close to the Intelligence Organisation of Zimbabwe,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17'and he said to my dad to let me know that after the World Cup
0:24:17 > 0:24:19'they were coming for me, so'
0:24:19 > 0:24:21I realised the game was up, in a sense,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25and that I had to start thinking about life after cricket.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28I really did feel like I was left out in the wilderness.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30I got booed from the side by Zimbabwean supporters
0:24:30 > 0:24:34and by some youth militia, and the newspapers started writing
0:24:34 > 0:24:38character-assassination-type articles.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41So it was a really lonely period.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Christ himself struggled with a few things.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Hunger - we know he got hungry. We know he got tired.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48We know he was abandoned by friends.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51And some of those things I have been through, and it's quite comforting
0:24:51 > 0:24:54to know that God isn't up there in Heaven completely oblivious
0:24:54 > 0:24:56to what we are going through.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00HE SINGS
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Henry now takes a stand in a new way.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06He performs in Christian concerts around the UK.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09'I've basically tried to share this wonderful message of God
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'loving human beings and desiring to reach out to them.'
0:25:13 > 0:25:16I certainly have heard that many people turn away from God
0:25:16 > 0:25:20at a time of crisis, but in my own life, I've chosen to run to him,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24because I've found him as a refuge in times of trouble.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27'Not only has he been there to protect me and to provide for me
0:25:27 > 0:25:30'in times of need, but I've also found him as a friend
0:25:30 > 0:25:32'whom I can talk to.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:35'But, as you said, it meant the end of your cricket career.'
0:25:35 > 0:25:38My cricket career ended after eight years.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42I was extremely privileged to play for my country, of course,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45but there were big issues in Zimbabwe,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49and if it meant the end of my career,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51I'm pleased I did what we did, because
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I have a clear conscience and I can at least look myself in the mirror
0:25:54 > 0:25:57and know I had a chance to speak out against injustice and I took it.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Heavenly father, thank you for the simple things in life,
0:29:38 > 0:29:39the things that really matter.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45Jesus Christ, we thank you for your ultimate sacrifice,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48for obeying the will of the father.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Holy Spirit, we thank you
0:29:51 > 0:29:57for the gifts of knowledge, wisdom and insight.
0:29:57 > 0:29:58Amen.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04So, two days till the start of Lent. What am I giving up?
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Well, not singing - that's for sure.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09For the next 40 days, many Christians will begin a spiritual
0:30:09 > 0:30:12journey where they reflect on Christ's life,
0:30:12 > 0:30:14and that's summed up in the words of our final hymn,
0:30:14 > 0:30:18I Will Sing The Wondrous Story. Until next time, bye-bye.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Next week, David explores the gift of music
0:33:29 > 0:33:32and how it transforms lives.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35He meets young people in harmony and a choir singing away the blues.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38Plus, there's music from gifted singers Laura Wright
0:33:38 > 0:33:43and Ramin Karimloo, and hymns from St Mary's Church in Portsmouth.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd