Stacey Dooley to live with nuns for new BBC documentary

Stacey Dooley is to go behind the doors of a Convent in a new BBC documentary.

Stacey Dooley – Inside the Convent is a new one-hour special which will see the TV presenter explore life as a nun.

Stacey will join the Sisters at The Order of the Holy Paraclete Anglican Religious Community, who reside at St Hilda’s Priory in Whitby.

The BBC share: “Stacey must adhere to the nuns’ strict timetable, eating meals in silence, learning how to pray and singing in their choir. Very little has changed at the convent in the 115 years since its foundation, but with an ageing population and fewer women being called to the vocation, this way of life is dying out.

“Stacey explores how the sisters – some of whom have been at the convent for half a century – cope with the rigidity of an old-fashioned, timetabled life, which is so removed from her chaotic everyday existence.

“Can living with these 23 devout sisters, who have dedicated themselves to a very different set of priorities, give her new insights into her own life that might last beyond her time with them?”

Stacey Dooley – Inside the Convent will air on BBC One on Wednesday, 9 March at 10:35PM and be available to stream on iPlayer.

Stacey Dooley said: “I had wanted to film in a Convent for a while, so was delighted when the Sisters at St Hilda’s invited us into their home, allowing us to truly witness and experience, first hand, their way of life.

“I really do believe it can be hugely beneficial, spending time with those you wouldn’t usually. It forces you to see things from an entirely different perspective and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in their Convent! Thank you sisters!”

Daisy Scalchi, BBC Commissioning Editor added: “We’re so excited to have Stacey’s collaboration on this new film for BBC1. It’s enlightening to see Stacey living with this unique community, alongside a group of women who have dedicated their lives to exploring some of life’s biggest questions.

“We’re also very grateful to the nuns at St Hilda’s Priory for their honesty, openness and for offering us a rare window into their world.”

Director Alice Bowden commented: “It is a huge privilege to be given access to film in a Convent and Stacey, with her natural warmth and curiosity, is the ideal presenter to explore this contemplative life and tackle some of the bigger questions so many of us have been wrestling with over last few years.”