Andrew Davison: aliens and incarnation

Oxford's Regius Professor of Theology on what life on other planets could mean.

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

Tarantula Nebula, by the James Webb Space Telescope.

NASA, via Wikimedia Commons.

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What does the possibility of life on other planets mean for the incarnation? Why is there so much fear and panic around theology? Is it merely a set of rigid rules, or is it something more expansive than that?

These are just some of the questions pondered by our three presenters – Jane Williams, Michael Lloyd and Graham Tomlin – along with Andrew Davison, Canon and Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University.

Find out more about Professor Andrew Davison's new role.

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Podcasts

Seen & Unseen Aloud

3 November 2025

1 min read

Eccles, Older Brothers and a King and a Pope

Listen to articles by Derek Hughes, Will Fagan and Graham Tomlin

Natalie Garrett

Natalie produces and narrates The Seen & Unseen Aloud podcast. She's an Anglican minister and a trained actor.

Two brothers look at each other in front of their ironworks.

Sibling rivalry House of Guinness style.

Netflix.

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About this episode

This week, Derek Hughes tells the story of how a tiny congregation in a forgotten town tried something that changed their community for the better; Will Fagan watches Peaky Blinders and House of Guinness, to see how Steven Knight shows being needed—not being perfect—transforms people; and Graham Tomlin unpacks the historical significance and the cultural hope of King Charles and the Pope praying together.

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