It's not often that a program dedicated solely to Hinduism is shown on terrestrial television. So when a program called: 'The Beginner's Guide To Hinduism' was broadcast on Channel 4 recently it certainly was something for Hindus and those interested in Hindu affairs to take notice of. Along with Islam and scientology, Hinduism was the other ideology chosen as part of a Channel4 mini series where 'celebrities' explore a particular belief. The 'celebrity' that presented the program was former EastEnders star Paul Nicholls (who used to play Joe Wicks).

Paul Nicholls quickly pointed out his dislike of organized religion. This is no problem with Hinduism, as in the words of David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri), "Hinduism is probably the most disorganized religion in the world", in that Hinduism places less emphasis on a doctrine or ceremony that everybody has to perform or believe in, and more emphasis on individual conscience. It was stated that Paul already had a brief knowledge of Hinduism, as he had read a book borrowed from another person, and had a friend who had spoken to him about the similarities between Hinduism and science; however this isn't followed up later in the program.

The amount of laughing and giggling he does in this programme you would assume that the producers filled him up with laughing gas every time he went behind the camera!

Unfortunately the program doesn't explain much at all about Hinduism is about. The Swami he visits seems to have missed a golden opportunity when asked to explain Hinduism further. Instead he gave the rather generic and vague answer that Hinduism is about being a good person. I'm sure there were many other people than myself that were anticipating a far greater insight.

The first spiritual experience the former East Enders star has is when he was sitting besides the Ganges during a ritual at night where he felt "absorbed" with what was happening around him through the chanting and "forgot" that the cameras were on him. He only remembered where he was when he had a garland of flowers placed around his neck!

His meeting with the accountant turned guru was interesting because for the first time it showed a philosophical dimension to the program. From this point onwards it was clear that Paul Nicholls' visit had caused a bit of re-evaluation of his beliefs and ideas.

It's clear to see that entertainment was primarily on the mind of the producers when deciding what to cover, and entertainment wasn't far off in some way or another. This included himself receiving a blessing from a semi-naked ash-smeared sadhu who uses a mobile phone, to trying to move through a small Hindu sacred site and towards the end witnessing the sacrificial slaughter of a goat.

One thing that this programme displays, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is that Hinduism is a colourful and vibrant religion. The lack of seriousness throughout most of the show is hard to miss. As Paul Nicholls says he pace is just so much slower and everyone is so much more relaxed in India compared to the west. His constant laughing and amusement adds to this. Even his guide cracks a joke about the cow being holy and its droppings therefore being the "holy…****" (well I'm sure you can figure it out for yourselves).

However this attitude works both ways, on the one hand it shows Hinduism as an open and rather enjoyable experience on the other hand it also portrays as it as a bit of a circus. Therefore giving it an image that dents its legitimacy and credibility therefore leading many not take it as seriously as other religions that may be portrayed in a far more no-frills manner. This becomes more important since we live in a time and place where Hinduism is frequently ridiculed and often taken advantage of.

Although, undoubtedly, to the casual viewer the program would've been fun to watch, anyone looking to discover more about what Hinduism is actually about would find the Channel 4's 'The Beginner's Guide to Hinduism' quite substandard and disappointing.