250 years of 'Amazing Grace'. The hymn was written for a New Year service in 1773.

01 January 2023 BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship BBC Sounds Available for 29 days. Featuring a broad variety of arrangements of the famous hymn and reflections from those who’ve performed or adapted it, including Bob Chilcott, Karen Gibson, John Rutter and Will Todd.

Also 08 January 2023 13:15 BBC1 S0ngs of Praise On 1 January 1773, John Newton’s now famous words were first performed in the parish church where he was curate. 250 years on, Claire visits that same church to discover the remarkable story behind the hymn, the extraordinary life of its composer and the reasons for the composition’s enduring power. In Olney, Claire meets local experts who reflect on the life of John Newton, from his early years of debauchery as a sailor and then as a slave trader to his later life as a dedicated clergy man, hymn writer and abolitionist. Claire hears how a moment of epiphany at sea sparked a deep Christian faith that helped him to realise the full horror of his actions and compelled him to spend the rest of his life serving others and striving to abolish the evil of slavery.