A novelist is coming to Ely Cathedral to talk about what it means to be good.

On Thursdays running from September 6 to October 4 the discussion series ‘How to be Good’ asks a group of people who are experts in their own professional fields what ‘goodness’ looks like for them.

Francis Spufford, the novelist, will engage five guests in conversation on consecutive Thursday evenings to try to tease out the shape of ‘goodness’ in a range of contexts.

For someone who writes fiction, for a journalist, an HR manager, an army lieutenant and for a research oncologist.

In the intimate surroundings of the Bishop’s drawing room, they will explore the demands, clashes and contradictions of each person’s position. They won’t ignore or evade the bits where one kind of ethic collides irreconcilably with another, and they will look at the changing face of some of these professions in our modern context.

The guests are distinguished oncologist Rebecca Fitzgerald (September 6), gothic novelist Sarah Perry, (September 13), HR manager at G’s Fresh Beverly Dixon (September 20), journalist Andrew Brown (September 27) and Edward Wingfield (October 4) who during his army career co-ordinated operations in Afghanistan.

At the end of the series, on October 11, everything will be drawn together at Ely Cathedral Business Group’s Autumn Discussion, when guest Mike Bushore, CEO of Tyler Capital, will think about the ethics of using AI robots on the trading floor in the futures market.

Although the audiences for the first five discussions will be quite small, everyone can watch the videos made of those conversations, appearing on the Monday after each event on the Cathedral YouTube channel.

• Tickets are £12.50 per session, including a glass of wine and refreshments. Box Office: 01353 660349 or online www.elycathedral.org