My latest podcast guest is the journalist Mark Dowd. Born in Salford in 1963, he was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended De La Salle College in Pendleton. He later obtained degrees from both Exeter and Oxford University, before exploring his vocation to the priesthood with the Dominican Order. After realising that the life of a friar was not for him, he found his way to journalism at The Times newspaper. From there, he moved to television, working on network programmes such as Weekend World, Newsnight and Panorama. Since leaving the BBC in 2001, he’s specialised in presenting prime time television documentaries on religion themes, such as the award-winning “Children of Abraham”, a three part series for Channel 4. He’s also an author. His latest book is “My Tsunami Journey: The Quest for God in a Broken World”. In a remarkable and honest interview, Mark talks about his life, his sexuality, his career, and his abiding faith.