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Fr Alex FrostFr Alex Frost is the vicar of St Matthew’s the Apostle, Burnley, where he grew up. He describes himself as the ‘fundamentally unemployable’ host of The God Cast, a podcast devoted to issues of faith and spirituality, which has featured celebrities such as Eamonn Holmes, Alastair Campbell, Edwina Currie, Dom Joly, George Galloway, Anthea Turner and football legend Lou Macari. Ordained in 2012 after a mixed career working as a football referee, manager at Argos and a stand-up comic, Fr Alex was recently appointed to the General Synod for Blackburn Diocese. He is married and has three children.
Fr Alex made headlines when he featured in a 2021 BBC documentary The Cost of Covid – One Year On, which has been viewed over 12 million times since it was aired. Running a food bank from a car park in Burnley, helping the desperate amid his flock as the pandemic raged, Fr Alex’s down-to-earth style of ministry struck a chord with people of all faiths, cultures and classes across the UK in a time when the divide between rich and poor widens cataclysmically. The Church of England priest, who sports tattoos of his favourite band Depeche Mode, has become the last bastion of support for many in the aftermath of austerity measures, Government cuts and Covid 19 upon a community already ravaged by poverty, addiction and neglect. ‘No-one cares, that is the real pandemic,’ Fr Alex says about his 17,000 parishioners whose souls he has care of at St Matthew’s, yards from the estates which have been abandoned and forgotten. His first book, OUR DAILY BREAD, will be published by HarperNorth in 2022. Listen to The God Cast Follow Alex on Twitter |
'Alex is a one-off and worth reading' Jeffrey Archer
'Alex Frost is not your regular man of the cloth. His wit and wisdom is more akin to the stand up circuit than the pulpit.' Ian Collins, Talk Radio
'Father Alex is a person and priest of real integrity, joy and compassion. His vital work in bringing hope, practical help and a voice to those society too often forgets and neglects has been inspirational. This book speaks real truth to power and reminds us all what loving our neighbours could and should look like in practice. 'Alex knows how to tickle our funny bones too - really important that.' Reverend Matt Woodcock, bestselling author and Radio 2 contributor
Nothing works without community, Fr Alex is funny, engaging, totally sincere and never afraid to ask, everyone who reads this book will take something from it, some maybe inspired to pick up his banner. Anthea Turner
During the Pandemic, when others stepped back and locked themselves away Fr. Alex stepped forward and opened his arms and the doors of St Matts. He and his Church became the frontline and with-it life-giving salvation for so many people suffering terribly during lockdown and Covid. Fr. Alex’s kindness and unconditional love for people during this crisis helped inspire a nation. His story and that of those he helped is a story of Britain today and deserves to be told. Ed Thomas - BBC News Special Correspondent RTS News Coverage winner 2017/2022. Orwell Prize nominee
'Funny, thoughtful and, most importantly, humane: Alex Frost is a light in dark times.' Ian Dunt
'Alex Frost is not your regular man of the cloth. His wit and wisdom is more akin to the stand up circuit than the pulpit.' Ian Collins, Talk Radio
'Father Alex is a person and priest of real integrity, joy and compassion. His vital work in bringing hope, practical help and a voice to those society too often forgets and neglects has been inspirational. This book speaks real truth to power and reminds us all what loving our neighbours could and should look like in practice. 'Alex knows how to tickle our funny bones too - really important that.' Reverend Matt Woodcock, bestselling author and Radio 2 contributor
Nothing works without community, Fr Alex is funny, engaging, totally sincere and never afraid to ask, everyone who reads this book will take something from it, some maybe inspired to pick up his banner. Anthea Turner
During the Pandemic, when others stepped back and locked themselves away Fr. Alex stepped forward and opened his arms and the doors of St Matts. He and his Church became the frontline and with-it life-giving salvation for so many people suffering terribly during lockdown and Covid. Fr. Alex’s kindness and unconditional love for people during this crisis helped inspire a nation. His story and that of those he helped is a story of Britain today and deserves to be told. Ed Thomas - BBC News Special Correspondent RTS News Coverage winner 2017/2022. Orwell Prize nominee
'Funny, thoughtful and, most importantly, humane: Alex Frost is a light in dark times.' Ian Dunt