Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey

(MA) ABC DVD

Hats off to Aunty for letting frank and forthright comedienne Judith Lucy tackle an issue that will likely offend, amuse and entertain in equal measure.

Never one to hold back, Lucy’s “spiritual journey” is a fascinating one. Her genuine search touches on some of the hard issues including: Why bother with religion and what does it all mean?

Although the series has the trademark Lucy humour, there is a serious side to this quest. She wants to find out why her parents went to church. The passing of Lucy’s parents has caused her to evaluate life from their perspective and why they found solace in religion — something she is unable to do.

She fearlessly interviews both believers and non-believers and digs especially hard when it comes to the Catholic faith she was bought up in. At one point she was intent on becoming and nun and now is a proud atheist. Recreations of her past often don’t segue all that well into the serious interview segments but they serve to underscore her current predicament with religion in general.

Like John Safran’s special a while ago Lucy gets involved in everything from faith healing to Aboriginal rituals and even journeys toIndia. Brutally honest, in only the way Lucy can be, the show is rated MA for a reason folks. Lucy’s particular brand of humour is not to everyone’s taste but this is an insightful, frank and thoughtful look the subject.

The series also begs the question, how does religion serve someone like Lucy and what can it offer her — I for one am enjoying the journey of discovery.

Adrian Drayton