An atheist historian who once mocked believers for worshipping "dead people" has warned the UK risks losing sight of its Christian history.
Academic Professor Alice Roberts told BBC History Magazine that Christianity forms a "compelling and important part of our culture", and that "we risk losing part of Christian history" as society becomes more secular.
The "confirmed atheist" is a television presenter, author, and patron of Humanists UK, as well as being a professor of public engagement in science at the University of Birmingham.
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The 52-year-old made the comments ahead of the publication of her new books which focuses on the collapse of the Roman Empire, and the rise of Christianity in the West which followed.
In an interview to promote the book, Professor Roberts said: "I think Christianity is a compelling and important part of our culture.
"As society becomes more secular and biblical knowledge declines, we risk losing sight of Christian history."
She said people tend to "obscure" the religion's early history, and treat it like it appeared "fully formed", and that claims of the religion's "radical uniqueness" are "often overstated".
Professor Alice Roberts has been criticised in the past for her comments about religion
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However, Professor Roberts has previously been criticised for making controversial comments about religion on social media.
On Good Friday in 2021, she posted to her 415,000 followers: "Just a little reminder today. Dead people - don't come back to life."
Some criticised the comments as "petty, pointless and the cheapest kind of posing", while others mocked her for "confirming the definition of a miracle".
Professor Roberts then caused further controversy after she claimed Church of England schools run an "indoctrination programme".
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Figures show that the percentage of the UK who describe themselves as Christian is decreasing
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She added: "We really don't need more faith schools in this country."
According to recent polls from YouGov, almost half (49 per cent) of British people have a negative view of the Church of England.
Statistics from the 2021 census show that Christians now account for less than half of the population in England and Wales.
This marks the first time in history this has been the case.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 46.2 per cent of the population (27.5 million people) described themselves as Christian in 2021.
This is a sharp decrease from 59.3 per cent (33.3 million people) in 2011.
However, data from the census showed that every other major religion increased during this 10-year period.