PROFILE: Bishop Stephen Cottrell, the man named as next Archbishop of York

Effortlessly charismatic, England's first black Archbishop exploded onto the scene here 14 years ago. Enthroned in the chilly nave of York Minster to the sound of African drums played by bare-chested male drummers in leopardskin-style loincloths, he electrified a Church of England that, until his arrival, seemed overwhelmingly white, middle-class and hidebound.

A deeply religious man who revived a tradition of outdoor baptisms - dunking Christians in a tank of water outside the Minster - he also had an uncanny knack of connecting with ordinary people, whether by speaking out about job losses here in York, supporting York City Football Club, or giving his views on the right of British Airways staff to wear a cross at work.

The Ugandan-born Archbishop was also not afraid to be political: most famously when he cut up his dog collar live on air on the Andrew Marr show in 2007 in protest at the regime of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. Dr Sentamu said Mugabe had taken his people's identity and 'cut it to pieces' - and proceeded to do the same with his own dog collar, vowing not to wear one again until Mugabe had been removed from office.

Hard act to follow: Dr John sentamu playing bongo drums at his enthronement in York Minster in 2005

Ten years later, after Mugabe had eventually been forced to resign, Marr handed Dr Sentamu back the pieces of his cut-up collar and asked if he would start wearing them again. "You can't just stitch it up. I need a new collar," Dr Sentamu said.

There's no-one in the Church of England today who could demonstrate anything like that degree of chutzpah or charisma.

But it had been widely anticipated that, once Dr Sentamu retired next June, England's first black Archbishop might be replaced by England's first woman Archbishop.

Not so. Stephen Cottrell, the person unveiled yesterday to step into Dr Sentamu's shoes as the new Archbishop of York, is white, male (obviously) and middle aged (he's 61).

A missed opportunity? A case of the Church of England bottling it once more on the issue of women in the highest offices?

Not necessarily. Because Bishop Cottrell is very far from being the kind of wealthy, public school-educated Establishment figure that filled the higher ranks of the church for so long.

In fact, he's a Spurs-loving Essex boy who went to a secondary modern school and studied not at Oxford but at poly - the Polytechnic of Central London, in fact.

And while he undoubtedly comes from the 'high church' wing of the CofE (he is 'Bishop Protector for the Society of St Francis', an order of Anglican Franciscans very much at the 'Catholic' end of the CofE spectrum) he is also unashamedly liberal - and outspoken - on everything from homophobia to the church's attitude to race.

While not gay himself (he's married with three children) he has spoken out forcefully against homophobia and about how no-one, whatever their sexuality, should feel excluded from the church. "There is absolutely no place for homophobia in the Church... absolutely everyone, regardless of their sexuality, is welcome," he said.

The next Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell with his wife Rebecca. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire

He's also on record as saying that weapons of mass destruction are actually 'weapons of mass deception' which provide an illusion of security while making the world less secure. "Do we really feel safe with Donald Trump's finger upon the button?" he asked, speaking last year about the case for nuclear disarmament.

In August this year he was among the signatories to an open letter to the Government from the Church calling for the UK not to leave the EU without a deal. And he has even warned that we should not let the fact that we have had a black Archbishop of York blind us to the fact that the church is actually 'going backwards' on the issue of welcoming more people from ethnic minorities into senior church roles.

Oh, and as for the church itself - he has said it needs to shed its middle class 'Marks & Spencer' image. That was in 2009. "Even today I meet people who think you have to be highly educated or suited and booted to be a person who goes to church," he said then. "That's so frustrating. How did it come to this, that we have become known as just the Marks & Spencer option when in our heart of hearts we know that Jesus would just as likely be in the queue at Asda or Aldi?"

So who is the man who, next June, will be stepping into Dr Sentamu's very large shoes to become the 98th Archbishop of York?

Stephen Cottrell was born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in 1958. After going to his local secondary modern school, Belfairs High, he then went to the Polytechnic of Central London. Intriguingly, he actually began his working life in the film industry, working on the technical side - his name is said to have featured in the credits in at least one film.

The next Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell during a photocall at York Minster yesterday. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

That was short-lived, however. He had found faith as a teenager through the work of youth organisations at his local church. And in 1981, at the age of 23, he gave up a career in film to train for the ministry at St Stephen’s House, Oxford.

He was ordained deacon at the age of 26, served as a curate at Christ Church and St Paul’s, in Forest Hill, south London, then in the mid-1980s was priest-in-charge at St Wilfrid’s, a council estate parish in Chichester, where he remained until 1993.

He then moved to West Yorkshire, as Diocesan Missioner in the Diocese of Wakefield, adopting Huddersfield Town alongside his beloved Tottenham Hotspur during his time there.

In 2001, he returned south to become Canon Pastor of Peterborough Cathedral. Three years later he was consecrated as Bishop of Reading, where he served for six years. before taking up his current role as Bishop of Chelmsford in 2010.

A prolific author, he has written more than 20 books - including children's books, and an illustrated review of paintings by artist Stanley Spencer called Christ In The Wilderness, which prompted an appearance on Russell Brand's podcast, Under The Skin, to discuss the crucifixion and resurrection.

A founding member of the Church of England's College of Evangelists, he chairs a group of bishops with an interest in the media and is one of the authors of the Church of England's Pilgrim Course, a major teaching and discipleship resource. He also chairs the Board of Church Army, based in Sheffield, an organisation committed to evangelism and social justice.

His wife, Rebecca, is a potter. The couple have three sons.

Bishop Cottrell's interests are said to include writing, reading, cooking, music - and football. And while Tottenham Hotspur will also be his first footballing love, he has been known to support the local football team wherever he lives - including Huddersfield during his time in West Yorkshire. So we can maybe expect to see him at York's new community stadium some time in the not-too-distant future, shouting 'come on you reds!'

BISHOP COTTRELL IN HIS OWN WORDS

On becoming the 98th Archbishop of York

“I am humbled and excited at the prospect. I will receive the baton from Archbishop Sentamu. These aren’t just big shoes to fill, but a big heart and a big vision. However, I am not daunted. I hope to build on the work he has pioneered.

“Although I was born and grew up in Essex, I lived and served in Huddersfield for nine years. I know and love the north of England. Two of our children were born there. I now look forward to returning and being a voice for the North."

On ethnic minorities

Bishop Cottrell admits the Church of England's record on ethnic diversity "isn't good".

In an interview in 2015, he said: "Dr John Sentamu's rise to the top has almost lulled people into a false sense of security - it's enabled us to take our eye off the ball. It's embarrassing that we are going backwards on this issue rather than forwards."

Speaking at a press conference in London yesterday, he renewed his calls for greater equality for black and minority ethnic (BAME) clergy in the upper echelons of the church. "When I do hang up my mitre I hope the church will look different, it will look more diverse," he said.

On LGBTQ issues

Speaking on diversity and equality earlier this year, he said: "(The Church of England) seeks to welcome all people, including therefore LGBTI+ people, including people in civil partnerships and same-sex marriages. I deeply regret a situation where anybody because of their sexuality feels excluded or alienated or hurt in the way that I know some people are."

On weapons of mass destruction

Speaking last year on the case for nuclear disarmament, he said: "The truth is that these weapons of mass destruction are also weapons of mass deception. They provide the illusion of security while actually making the world less secure than ever. Do we really feel safe with Donald Trump's finger upon the button?"

On the eviction of travellers from Dale Farm in Essex in 2011

"As we witness the sad and difficult eviction of the travelling community from Dale Farm, let us ...remember that this eviction does not solve the problem but moves it somewhere else. These families are going to have to sleep somewhere tonight. What is needed is a national solution to provide travelling communities with stable, permanent and, if they wish, settled sites so that their culture and community can be maintained and flourish within the law."