Good Afternoon to you.
Normally, when ahead of the Friday show, I'm feeling upbeat... jolly.... looking forward to the weekend - as is the rest of the team.
This Friday, though, is different.
Yesterday a 16 year old boy was left on the ground in Thornton Heath, bleeding to death and crying out for his mother - the sixth person to be knifed in London in just one week. Shakilus Townsend died in hospital early this morning.
Later in the day, the Kinsella family made the short journey from their home to Highbury Magistrates Court to see three teenagers stand accused of murdering Ben. Now, of course, the trio are innocent until proven otherwise, but - unusually for such a hearing - the defendants' addresses were not read out in court, in case someone took it upon themselves to exact what they'd see as revenge. An attempt, perhaps, to stop the violence spiralling off in a different direction.
How did we get here though? Such a waste of lives, such sadness for those left behind. What's changed? What is going so dreadfully wrong in London's society? When did life become so cheap for those wielding the
knives?
At the top of tonight's programme then, we'll bring you the details on Shakilus' murder and try to sum up this bloody week here in the capital. Before we ask for your thoughts and feelings.
There's other stuff too, of course, that's not so bleak... the launch of the Mayor's competition to design a new Routemaster bus for tomorrow's London... the last in our series of reports celebrating 60 years of the
NHS... a look at some local talent going for gold in Beijing (that's the first of a new Friday series).
And then there's the entertainment bit when we'll report on the Silver Clef awards that were doled out earlier before reporting on the Wireless festival which will be going on while we're on air. Stay tuned 'Guillemots' fans.
And stay tuned too, anyone who likes cartoon bears who do martial arts.
See you at SIX.
Ben & Salma
