Cathedrals: Wakefield

Series in which Richard Alwyn explores the purpose and daily workings of three Church of England cathedrals. Wakefield Cathedral is entering the final phase of a costly renovation project driven by its dean, the Very Reverend Jonathan Greener. But a Church of England commission has responded to the failing fortunes of the Church in Yorkshire with a proposal to dissolve three dioceses, including Wakefield, and replace them with one 'super diocese' of Leeds in which Wakefield would become one of three cathedrals. The dean has theological and financial misgivings and opposes the proposal. A cathedral is the spiritual headquarters of a diocese, sole seat of its bishop - if the diocese were to go, the dean believes the theological understanding of the cathedral would begin to 'wobble' and future funding may be jeopardised. With access to the dean and the bishop of Wakefield, chapter meetings and synod votes, the film becomes a portrait of the dean's passionate defence of his cathedral.