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This is the official website of London Tonight, on ITV1 in London and the South East every weeknight at 6pm.


9.9.09

London Tonight Tonight

Hello hello ..

London's had its share of notorious gangsters over the years; the Krays, mad Frankie Fraser .. and the Richardson brothers. None of them blokes you'd particularly want to take home to meet your mother. You may remember a particularly unpleasant trial back in the 60's, at which Charlie Richardson was put away for many years for torture. So you may be surprised to hear the news today that Charlie Richardson, now an elderly man, is hoping to clear his name. He says the trial was fixed. Publicity stunt or genuine grievance? Marcus Powell went to meet Charlie Richardson to find out.

It's sometimes easy for reports about serious crime to wash over us these days, we seem to hear so many of them. But tonight the son of a man killed in a race attack by a gang of boys puts the tragic loss of his family into heartbreaking perspective. Ekram Haque, who was 67, died on Monday -- a week after he was battered to the ground in front of his three-year-old granddaughter in Tooting. His son Afran has appealed for calm and talks about the profound sense of loss he feels at the death of his father who he describes as his "best friend". He spoke to Ronke Phillips.

Elsewhere, Liz Wickham reports on a baby found wrapped in a cardigan and abandoned in bushes. Nurses have named her 'Rosie' and are caring for her in High Wycombe. Liz is there with the latest for us as the authorities appeal for mum to come forward.

Now, a big night of football in the capital tonight as England's footballers take on Croatia, live on ITV One, as they try and ensure safe passage to next year's World Cup finals in South Africa. But in 24 hours' time, the England team could be bringing home a major trophy. England's men didn't even qualify for last summers Euro's, while the women have made it through to the final. That's the good news. The bad news is that they face Germany in Finland tomorrow.

The squad has a more than healthy smattering of London born or based players and the coach, Hope Powell, was born in Lewisham and came up through Millwall and Croydon's women's teams. Tonight we have Fulham and Arsenal player Rachel Yankey in the studio (who incidentally has more international caps than any of the current men's squad other than David Beckham) to talk us through England's chances.

Showbiz, and a little secret about our correspondent Lucy Cotter. I bumped into her getting a sarnie at lunchtime and she was clearly over-excited about whatever job she'd been sent to work on today. Turns out she's done a preview into next month's London film festival. She'll have no fewer than 15 world premieres to report on in the capital in October and dozens of world stars and directors to hob-nob with. So who, out of all them has got our Lucy all of a quiver? Mr George Clooney. So predictable!

Oh, and if you were watching last night you'd have seen us tease last night's Mecury Music Prize ceremony for the best British album of the year. We told you how the majority of artists up for the coveted prize were from right here in London. And the winner was? Tune in to find out.

Katie and Matt

Weather blog

 
Good evening,
 
Bagpipes.
 
They divide people in a Marmite kind of way.
 
For me they are serious Room 101 material. Although I'm half Scottish they strike a chill into my heart which prevents me from seeing anything positive in them. I can be in a sublimely good mood but one note from that heinous wind instrument can send my spirits plunging into the abyss. I don't hear music I hear noise & it's a noise I want to stop. Obviously this is a deeply personal view with which many will disagree & it has little to do with the weather. It is, in fact, a totally irrelevant topic except that as I walked to work through Westminster this morning observing the weather & assessing the accuracy of yesterday's forecasts I was distracted by a bagpipe player.The same thing happened a matter of hours later when I emerged from the tube in Holborn on my way to the newsroom with the net result that I now think of today's weather in exclusively negative terms, owing to its hateful & seemingly inescapable soundtrack.
 
This isn't fair, of course. The weather's really not too bad. Settled, largely dry, not too cold & sometimes quite bright. I just need to get a grip, find some other music as an antidote & all will be well.
 
Hope to see you later,
 
Robin