On paper this sounds like a great concept. Six young people from different religious backgrounds undergo a two-week immersion/swap with one of the other participants. They live in that person's home, adopt their style of cultural dress, interact with their family and peers and explore their religious practices.
This set-up promises both tension and inspiration; the awkward politeness of the fish-out-of-water scenario giving way to moments of conflict on the one hand, and enlightenment and growth on the other. The Compass special Holy Switch does offer these, but in truth barely scratches the surface of the intriguing premise.
The main problem is the running time. Each episode cuts back and forth between the experiences of two participants, so only half of the barely 30-minute running time is dedicated to each person. The impression is of a tantalising sketch that captures highs and lows of their experiences but not a sustained character 'arc'.
Sunday's episode saw a young Hindu man switch places with an Anglican evangelical. This fervent young woman Kim does undergo some growth; her initial sadness that good people will go to hell if they don't believe in Jesus is challenged by her confusion at sensing God's presence during a Hindu ceremony.
On the other hand, her Hindu counterpart is baffled by the unthinking platitudes and exclusivity insisted upon by Kim's Christian friends, and is rightly outraged when they earnestly imply that he is destined for hell. All this is ripe to be properly challenged and explored, but the running time and format doesn't allow for it.
This fact also lays bare the undermining simplicity of the series' format. There is a sense in that first episode that this was intended to set open and inclusive Eastern religion alongside narrow-minded, even arrogant, Western Christianity. That impression is reinforced in the second episode, due to screen this Sunday.
In it, a starchy Maronite Catholic trades places with an ebullient Buddhist monk (pictured). While Anthony the Maronite is dismissive of his hosts' beliefs, stubbornly resisting the immersion experience that is the whole point of the switch, Freeman the Buddhist finds meaning in the symbols and rituals of Catholicism.
Predictably, the third and final episode sees a young Jewish woman switch with a young Muslim woman. Both receive warm hospitality from their hosts, and while the episode barely skims the central conflicts that have divided these cultures, it implies that basic human interaction is the antidote to inter-cultural