So, where to start?
Well, shall we start with a story we were going to go much bigger on, but now, we're... er, not. It's like this.
Once upon a time there was a lovely lady who lived in a lovely house in Hertfordshire, and she found a pendant. In a field it was, hiding in the mud. A beautiful thing it was - bright and shiney - and made from pure gold. Well, this pendant made the lady very happy, especially when a wise old man told her it might be worth a quarter of a million pounds. This made the lady even happier. She'd sell her new treasure, she said, and give the money to the bank so that her lovely home would be hers, all hers. One day the lady took her treasure to the auction house to sell it but... oh, and it's such a 'big' but that it sort of scrubs out the happy ending altogether: the bloomin' pendant didn't even fetch its reserve price of £30,000. So she didn't sell it and she's still got a mortgage to pay. So, the moral of the story is... 'wise is as wise does'. Doesn't really work, I know, but I got a bit bored by the whole fairytale thing.
Back in the real world, let's run you through what we have got this evening.
We start with a story we've covered extensively before - the problem of dangerous dogs. More specifically the dangerous owners who breed and train dogs to fight and attack. We were out on a number of police raids early this morning - along with the Deputy Mayor for Policing, Kit Malthouse. Has the time has come to revisit the Dangerous Dogs Act as the problem doesn't appear to be going away? If anything, it's getting worse.
Two more really weighty stories for you...
Six teenagers were jailed for at least 18 years each today after they murdered another teenager - 16 year old Shaquille Smith. They were all members of 'The London Field Boys'. Shaquille's 'crime' - as far as these guys were concerned? He was talking to a lad in the park whose dog later attacked members of the gang. It is (another) truly horrid story - and you may be surprised to hear that members of Shaquille's family have been working on a play about a teenager who is stabbed to death. It was prompted by Shaquille's death and gives an insight into how his family have come to terms with their loss.
Simon Harris has been talking to the aunt of a London backpacker who's gone missing in New South Wales. To get news that someone you love has disappeared must be dreadful enough - for them to be on the other side of the world must make you feel helpless beyond belief. Well, Jamie Neale's father has flown out to Australia to help look for his son. We'll have the latest on that.
There is some 'lighter' stuff too... you've heard of 'speed-dating'. We've got 'speed-flatmate-hunting'.
You've heard of cinemas being turned into bingo-halls and the like. We've got one that hasn't - throughout its gloriously long history - and now has a lottery grant to prove it.
And the King of Pop is dead. Long live the King of Pop. The 'Thriller' musical has proved so popular at the Lyric Theatre that its producers are now planning to take it round the world. If you're not planning a round the world trip yourself, you can still get up close and personal with Michael Jackson... sort of... at Madame Tussauds. His 13th likeness - planned before the man himself went to the big arena in the sky - was unveiled today. What do the fans think?
Oh, and we're talking to Oasis too. Are they really going to split up..?
Lots to fit in - and you'll want to tune in to see Ms Hyndman's hairdo. It's bouncy.
See you at six,
Ben & Alex
