Television viewers in the U.K. are about to find out:
A convent in Norfolk is taking centre stage in a reality television series about “party girls” swapping sex, parties and alcohol for religious life.
The four-part series, to be aired on Channel 5 on Thursdays, features five girls who were told they would go on a “spiritual journey” but were horrified to discover they had been sent to a convent.
Sister Frances Ridler, of the Daughters of Divine Charity in Swaffham, said the experience had been a “rollercoaster” but she felt that the programme – “Bad Habits, Holy Orders” – was an “honest portrayal” of religious life and would be “good for the Church”.
She said the community had been persuaded to take part because Sisters did not “always have a good press” in popular culture, citing Nuns on the Run and Sister Act.
The “party girls” told newspapers that the two weeks with the Sisters had been life-changing. One enrolled in a healthcare course and another – who used to work as a nightclub dancer – had started volunteering with the homeless. One girl told the Times she was “the happiest I have ever been” while staying at the convent.
And watch the promo above.
As you can tell, right off the bat the producers betray a certain ignorance about religious life with the title of the show; Sisters don’t receive Holy Orders. I wonder what else they got wrong.
Stay tuned. For another glimpse at the show, check out the longer clip below.
