Maggy Whitehouse is an ordained independent sacramental minister (or Hedge Priest), currently working as vicar on the West Devon Methodist Circuit. She is a a professional stand-up comedian and an expert and prolific author on Bible History and metaphysics. She began leading funerals before ordination because she couldn't find anything suitable when her first husband died, back in 1990 and it is her joy and delight to ensure that anyone who trusts her with any special and sacred event in their lives gets a personally-written, beautiful service tailored to their exact level of faith and filled with love, comfort and humour. Maggy has more than 30 years’ experience as a radio and television journalist and documentaries presenter and producer and was host moderator for the BBC’s Religion & Ethics message boards during the second Iraq war. Alan Bookbinder, head of BBC Religion and Ethics 2001-6 described her as ‘terrifying!’ She's pretty much bomb-proof and can re-write and adapt on the hoof (like the time, when conducting a wedding in the Czech Republic, when she was asked to remove all references to God ten minutes before the ceremony - and get it re-translated). She is the author of 20 published books including six on Judeo-Christian mysticism, five novels and China By Rail (Century 1988) Maggy has been widowed, divorced and is now happily married to an astrologer which worries the Parish Council considerably. She has worked as a hospice chaplain, ridden on a Bengal tiger and survived a barracuda attack off the Barrier Reef. Both Maggy’s mother and her Bishop think she should get a proper job.