London Tonight Tonight

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-10-26T18:00:00.000+01:00

On the show tonight:

How will Londoners will fare on Bonfire night if the Fire Brigades Union stage their strike at the same time? Will the London Fire Brigade be able to cope with their stand-in services?

We continue our focus on how the Spending Review will affect the capital, today looking at how cuts to the Building Schools for Future will take away crucial funding from Little Ilford School in Newham.

We are also looking at how the M25 weill be widened between junctions 16 and 23. Will this reduce the bottlenecks those commuters are used to, and is everyone happy with it?

See you at six,

Charlene and Ben

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-10-21T17:12:00.000+01:00

Good Afternoon to you...

Before I go any further I'd like to set some people's minds at rest. It seems that my blog earlier in the week about having to buy a couple of new buckets has raised concerned for my well-being.

Let me quote a 'tweet' from a chap calling himself 'CurrentMartin'... "I like Ben Scotchbrook from London Tonight, however he's clearly lost the plot with tonight's LT blog about buckets!"

I laughed out loud.

Mr Martin (or may I call you Current?)... firstly, a genuine thank you for your kind words. However, fear not about the plot - I know exactly where it is. I've put it in one of my new buckets for safe-keeping.

Now - onto a brief summary of tonight's programme...

Two people have drowned after trying to rescue a dog from the Thames in Surrey... The cost of going over the bridge or under the tunnel at Dartford is to rise from £1.50 to £2.00 next year, before hitting £2.50 the year after... We're live at the premiere of 'The King's Speech' with Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter... Is it true that a non-league club is trying tempt a former Arsenal player to join up?.. And we'll talk to the parents of a baby who was chilled by doctors to the point of death so they could carry out a live-saving operation.

I'm going to end with a few words about Acting Corporal David Barnsdale - killed in action in Afghanistan. Just 24 years old, he was from Tring in Hertfordshire. He's the 40th soldier from London and the South East to die serving in Afghanistan. That his death takes the dreadful toll to a new 'milestone' figure doesn't make his life any more precious than others - every life lost leaves a hole that friends and family will never be able fill. But 40 people - that's 40 too many, and we pay tribute to each and every one of them.

See you at six,

Ben & Lucy

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-10-19T16:42:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon -

I've just had a flu vaccination and, not being a great fan of injections, I'm feeling a tad pleased with myself. I've never actually passed out at the sight of a needle (unlike a boy at school who, moments after his BCG jab, fell to the floor murmuring "Mummy, Mummy, get off me". The fact that I mention it today gives you an idea of how readily his school mates let that one go...). Anyway, the left arm's doing fine and I'm hoping that this year's flu strains will be taking a running jump.

Nina's had her jab too; she insisted on having hers before Robin, in case she came over all funny. She didn't. As for Robin... well, he comes over funny every evening.

Now - the programme.

Another day of misery on the tube. The Victoria line was stuffed today. What on earth is going on? We'll be asking TfL exactly that.

The coroner told one of the survivors of the 7/7 bombings today that she is "truly inspirational" - Martine Wright lost both her legs when Shehzad Tanweer detonated a bomb on a tube train at Aldgate. She's now walking, and today was talking about her experience at the inquests into the deaths of those who died.

24 hours to go until we find out just how much money is going to be stripped from national Government departments as well as local government budgets. We'll have a special programme looking at the Comprehensive Spending Review tomorrow, but today we're looking at the possible impact on the capital's housing budget as well as the future of a specific police patrol in Essex which has, in recent years, reduced the number of accidents dramatically.

The twist and turns of our international relations are a thing of wonder, aren't they? A massive restoration project on HMS Belfast has just been completed- and paid for - by the Russians. Having seen them as our arch enemy for more than 40 years, the Russians have now 'done up' one of our national monuments in recognition of its work supplying the Soviet Union during the Second World War. HRH Prince Philip was there today. And so were we.

Oh - and we'll also be talking to some bloke called Bruce. Forsyth? Willis? Springsteen? Well, let's just say he's in a new action movie with Dame Helen Mirren. We might be talking to her too. I said "might".

See you at six,

Ben & Nina

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-10-18T18:31:00.000+01:00

Monday 18th October,

Good Afternoon one and all...

I bought a bucket today. In fact, I bought two buckets - having broken two buckets at the weekend. The details are dull (as is this story so far) but the bottom line is that I ended the weekend with two fewer buckets than I started the weekend. (I would love at this point to tell you the name of the rather well known shop where I bought the two now-broken buckets so you could steer clear of the same model but I'd probably get a telling off.)

So - to restore the bucket balance at home, I wandered through the market near our offices today and bought two more buckets. (I know. This story's not getting any more interesting, is it? If I'm honest I might bail out altogether in a minute.) Here's the thing - walking back to work, I noticed people just staring at me because of the buckets. I passed one of our picture editors who asked if I'd now been asked to clean the office too. A couple of minutes later, the ITV News Head of Output asked "Why the bucket, sorry, two buckets?". As I walked into the building, the Deputy Editor of ITV News raised an eyebrow and said "windows..?" And all the while, I noticed double-taking from pedestrians, cyclists, taxi-drivers and taxi-passengers.

Quite extraordinary. They're just buckets, everyone. Lots of people have at least one. Now, if I'd been wandering about with a Faberge egg... or a month old iguana... or maybe, indeed, with one of buckets actually on my head... I could understand the interest. But just carrying buckets?

Try it yourselves - on the way to work. Perhaps it's just me. Perhaps I don't look like a 'bucket' sort of person. But what is a 'bucket' sort of person? And what do they look like?

Anyway - better get on, before I kick the bucket.

Today's programme can be summed up like this:

The Jubilee line is in a mess after a power failure this morning - trains stopped in tunnels, after people heard a big bang. Well, what would you think? Anyway, we're being told the after effects might linger well into the working week.

The Government announces details of its Comprehensive Spending Review on Wednesday - when we'll all hear which departments are going to lose how much money. It's likely to be a very black day for all of us. We'll be bringing you all the details of the impact of the cuts - and our comprehensive coverage begins today with the results of a survey carried out by Westminster council. It seems to suggest a lot of people just haven't clocked on to how serious the cuts will be. And there's a report on how the cuts could effect something as essential as a 'Meals on Wheels' service.

Another story we've been following very closely, of course, is the day-to-day testimony at the 7/7 inquests. Today we've had some very moving tributes to the 7 people who died on the Aldgate train.

Oh and, in case you're wondering 'The Only Way is Essex'*.

See you at six,

Ben & Nina

* It's a new series on ITV2 featuring a group of real people from Essex. Apparently, a few other people in Essex are really not big fans...

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-10-18T11:51:00.000+01:00

Thursday 14th October

Once again, good afternoon to you all,

Hope you are all enjoying your Thursday afternoon. Good news is the weekend is almost here. As for the bad news, well, onto tonight's show...

A month it seems dogged by the possibility - and reality - of more strikes. Today we hear from the Fire Brigades Union as they have balloted with a resounding 'Yes' to strike action in the ongoing fight against proposed changes to their shift pattern. Are these strikes going to be warmly received by the public when many are experiencing job losses? We put that question to the Union.

We've been following the July 7 Inquests every day this week - and there's more new CCTV picture that's been released today.

And something that came in last minute, but its a good one - a tale of public good over individual malice. An extraordinary tale of courageous acts from ordinary Londoners. This morning, five masked robbers approached a jewellery shop in Central London and grabbed goods worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.....but they didn't get away with it. Wait and see what happened.

At the other end of the news spectrum, Nina was lucky enough to chat to American soul singer John Legend about his upcoming album, and Sugababe Jade Ewen tells us why she's supporting World Sight Day.

See you at six,

Ben and Lucy

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-10-14T17:26:00.004+01:00

Wednesday 13th October 2010

Good Afternoon to you... It's been a while!

Isn't it dreadfully sad about Claire Rayner? She's been a feature of British life in one way or another for decades. I can remember watching her on the TV when I was but a boy and as I've got older seen her name connected with many a good cause. A Londoner born and bred, she was one who campaigned selflessly to make the work a better place - and she will be missed. We'll pay tribute to her tonight.

I'll run through the rest of our menu:

We'll report on Day Two of the 7/7 inquests. The families of those who died were at the Royal Courts of Justice to see and hear CC-TV footage of the immediate aftermath of the bombings. It must have been dreadful for them, truly dreadful.

You may remember how a young man was punched and kicked to death when he asked a passing group of thugs to return his girlfriend's hat after they took it. Well, three men have now been found guilty of murder and can look forward to a lengthy spell in prison. Over a hat.

There's also the skip that left a gaping great hole on a very upmarket road in Belgravia. What's the damage? What does it look like? Who's to blame?

We'll report on the England U21 star, Jack Wilshere, who's been hoiked out of the U21 game tonight to play for the big boys in the Euro qualifier against Montenegro. Will he swing it for us?

And then we have a the mouth-watering prospect of a report marking the 100th birthday of the London Palladium. You may know it for the international celebrities who've wowed the crowds there down the years - Dame Julie Andrews, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, etc. Or perhaps you remember Bruce Forsyth (should be Sir Bruce Forsyth) when he hosted 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium'. Or maybe you've been lucky enough to see one of the blockbuster musicals that's helped give the West End its world-wide reputation - 'Oliver'... 'The Sound of Music'... 'The King and I'. So - lots to look back on and it's Lucy Cotter's job to pick out the best bits.

Plenty to work on then - better get on.

See you at six,

Ben & Nina

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-08-31T15:50:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon one and all...

So, we've had the last bank holiday before Christmas... Not exactly a morale-booster, is it?

Don't know about you but I feel like, yet again, we've missed out on summer. Yes, we had a sunny time back in July but then August was a complete wash-out. I feel cheated.

And, what's more, Manali has just wondered in telling me about her lovely holiday in the Spanish sunshine. Sunny and hot apparently. I'm really pleased for her, obviously.

Now, the programme:

Is Boris' road-works licence actually reducing London's road-works?... What will the General Medical Council make of the doctor who admitted cutting the lip of a rugby player so he could be substituted?... Have you heard about the council worker who claimed sick pay while boasting about how he was shaving time off his 100m personal best?... How many flowers does it an Olympic meadow make?... And we speak to the girl who, having recorded a single to raise money for a cancer charity after her mother died, has now recorded an album.

Plus: if you're a fan of the staff at the fictional London police-station, Sun Hill, tune in as we say goodbye to the 'Bill' after 27 years on the box.

We'll see you at six,

Ben & Lucy
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated. This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business, we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-08-27T16:50:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon to you...

I'm not happy. I know I should be - what the bank holiday weekend looming - but that's the reason I'm not happy. All week the weather forecast for the long weekend has, at the very least, said 'sunny intervals' but looking at one website now it's saying light rain on Saturday and Sunday. I'm hoping I've picked a duff website and Robin will put us (and the website) right later on.

Not that Charlene - on duty with me this evening - will care that much, as she's heading off to sunnier climes for a two week holiday tomorrow. I know 'jealousy' is an ugly emotion. I'm feeling very ugly right now. (And before Ken the editor comes up with a funny reply, I've already gone through them. Twice.)

Now, this evening's programme;

We've got (not necessarily in this order):

A sham marriage... The man who sold the house that wasn't his... The 7/7 bomber's widow hears whether she'll get more legal aid... The fire-fighters carry on talking... The single-minded determination of a synchronised swimmer...and news about Whoopi Goldberg and her "Sister Act" in the West End.

Mr King will also be hear to talk about two of the big movies hitting London's cinemas this weekend and, as promised, Robin will talk us through the weather.

Okay - get the teas in.

See you at six,

Ben & Charlene
Please Note:

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business, we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-08-06T16:18:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon to you

Hope you're all well and looking forward to the weekend.

We're all having a cup of tea at the moment (courtesy of one of our producers, George) and for those that like them, I brought in a couple of boxes of chocolate fingers. Have to say, they've proved to be rather popular. I could barely hear what the our programme editor, Hannah, was saying in the meeting above Lucy chomping away. I have to confess that I'm quite partial too; the problem however is that one is never enough. I've had a fistful already.

Now the programme...

We've got 'A Medical miracle'... 'Justice for Gem Thieves... Hanging basket cutbacks'... 'How many fire-fighters does it take to mend a lift?'... 'The Stoics of Stevenage'... 'Marley & Marley'... and 'The Celebrities Have Landed'.

Got to go - we're getting dangerously close to the last chocolate fingers.

See you at six,

Ben & Lucy
Please Note:

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business, we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-07-30T16:44:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon to you...

So, I was on duty reading the late last night - sitting there in the studio, gathering my thoughts you know, practising reading out loud - when the music starts, I look up and.... the 'autocue' says nothing more than 'autocue' on it. It's what Sir Alex Ferguson might call 'squeaky bum time'. Anyway, I don't want to make a drama out of a crisis - we got through the first lead in, reading from the scripts and the presenter's friend was up and running after that. But I've just been told this afternoon that a new chap was operating the kit downstairs in the News at Ten studio and when News at Ten finished, he, er... just switched the whole thing off. Two things strike me ahead of this evening's programme - I must double check I've got my paper scripts with me and hope he's got the evening off.

Now, onto what we have in the programme.

The verdict on who was responsible for the Potters Bar rail crash - and the coroner's ominous warning to rail-users.

The Mayor's 'on yer bike' campaign now comes complete with thousands of bikes to rent and special places to park them.

A Romanian woman has been convicted of all sorts of charges today after getting a group of children to beg for money in London.

Lucy Cotter has been speaking to the new boy band tipped to top the singles chart this weekend. Get screaming girls, for 'The Wanted'.

And, my favourite story of the day. At a time when we're all being told that local council's will have to watch their spending very carefully, East Hertfordshire council has just stumped up almost £6,000 for an exercise park. For dogs. Think on, my friends, think on.

See you at six,

Ben & Lucy

_______

Good evening,

I have a squeaky shoe.

It's an unremarkable fact, I know, & I imagine I'm not alone. Most of the time I don't give it any thought but every now & then I find it acutely embarrassing.

I was in good time for my train this morning & having got my paper I started the walk to the far end of the platform in order to be in the front carriage for a speedy exit at Waterloo. The sky was blue (less of that over the next few days as sunny spells & scattered showers are on the menu), the birds were singing & my fellow commuters were enjoying quiet cups of coffee. And then I started my walk. The calm was soon punctuated by angry squeaking that seemed to get louder with each step I took. I tried to alter my gait to minimise the noise but people continued to look up from their papers & watch, frowning, as I half limped half minced my way down the platform, cheeks burning all the while.

This was 8 hours ago & I still get a hot flush when I think about it.

Hope to see you later. Listen out for the squeak that will herald my arrival in the studio.

Robin.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-07-16T17:12:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon to you...

We've had a young lady, Poppy, in on work-experience all this week. Now, we get quite a few people coming through looking to see how it all works, wondering whether they might want to help it work in their future career. I certainly did my fair share - quite a few years ago now - but I did my fair share. Anyway, the young people who come in tend to fall into a number of categories. There are those who frankly would rather be doing extra maths - here only because someone else thought it was a good idea. There are those who leave you wondering how they dress themselves in the morning. And there are those who get stuck in, ask lots of questions and add to the general team effort. Poppy's in a category of her own - she brought in home-made cakes today. It's a first. She can come again.

Right, with a mouthful of fluffy-wuffy fairy cake, let's look at today's stories:

Our guest tonight is the astonishingly successful producer/performer Mark Ronson. We'll ask him about his new album and working with Duran Duran on their new album.

Lucy's also been chatting with the X-factor runner-up, Olly Murs, about his first single.

We'll be reporting on the new network of cycle highways that's about to spread out across the capital, and the controversial introduction of a parking fee for motorcyclists in parts of the capital - motorcylists failed in a legal bid to scrap it today.

Marcus Powell has the latest on the £5 million fine imposed on the five companies responsible for the Buncefield explosion 5 years ago - the families who live nearby are, shall we say, less than impressed.

Ronke's job is to tell us about the punishment handed out to one of the doctors involved in the Baby P scandal.

While Sharon Thomas has been talking to the father of a marine, Matthew Harrison, who was killed in Afghanistan this week. I'm sure she won't mind me saying that the composure and generosity of spirit shown by Brian Harrison today left her in awe.

We'll hear from him - and cover the rest of the day's news - at six.

Ben & Lucy

___

It wasn't a good start to the day today. The trains were up the spout due to a power failure somewhere along the line meaning services were down to one an hour & the trains themselves were half the length they would normally be. The combination of lateness & overcrowding is not appealing & usually brings out the worst in people, but today everyone was remarkably well behaved & we all worked hard to make the best of a bad situation.
Perhaps it was just the knock-on effect of relief at escaping the brief shower (a left over from last night) that was pouring down as we whiled away the delay on the platform or maybe it was a general feeling of thank God it's Friday. Anyway I'm hopeful the train service will improve in much the same way the weather will (mainly fine & warm over the next few days) & that my journey home tonight will be punctual & uneventful.
Hope to see you later,
Robin.

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-07-09T16:24:00.001+01:00

Good evening,
A couple of days ago I bumped into a tourist who was concentrating hard on taking the perfect photo of Big Ben. As I waited for him to get the perfect shot (I have to admit here that this is unusual behaviour for me as I'm generally late & stop for no-one; I suspect that there are many shots of the local attractions featuring a harassed looking bloke in a suit heading towards the tube) I noticed his armpits.
His shirt contained a crescent shaped section of netting in each armpit which is a design idea I've never seen before. I can't pretend it wasn't hideous but I guess it's immensely practical, especially in weather like this.
In fact with a warm night ahead of us tonight & conditions staying hot over the weekend I reckon we should all be wearing as much netting as possible. I will if you will.
Hope to see you later,
Robin.

******************

And Good Evening from me, too...

Im going to be honest. I don't remember wearing any clothing with any netting in the armpits. Or any of the body's creases. You should be grateful.

Now, the programme: We have got the sentencing of a fifteen year old murderer, a 'parents v council' row over a school's design, the memories of three Battle of Britain pilots and one proposed solution to the irritating people who leave their disgusting chewing gum stuck all over London - that's on the pavements, under chairs on windows. I mean really what's wrong with these people do they really think that the rest of us should have to work round the sticky ghastliness of their selfishness? I'd better stop there. Or I'll get told off.
Please Note:

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business, we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-06-25T17:14:00.001+01:00

England are not yet good enough to go home - the theory goes like this - we always start the World Cup badly - get worse before we get better then maintain an upward trajectory until we exit in noble and brilliant failure. And so on that basis we have another round to improve before we gallantly go out - Please don't put any money on it but I think Germany the old foe will come off second best on Sunday. Here is praying!
Donal

Good evening,

We've got a new clothes line at home (yes, I lead a very tiny life). It was on special offer -better than half price, actually- & it came with an array of extras & easy to follow instructions which made it impossible to resist.

It turned out that although the financial cost of this piece of domestic kit was relatively modest, the emotional cost of installing it was huge. I am appalling at any form of DIY so a job like this is always fraut with the fear of failure but, at the same time, underpinned by the desire for an instant & successful result.

As you know the weather's been very dry for quite a while & as we're on clay the ground is like rock, making the digging part of the job exquisitely unpleasant. Watering the area only served to turn the top 2" of soil into a thick muddy soup which sat on top of the unchanging hard core.

After what felt like hours of digging, swearing & ultimately hammering the task was accomplished. Of course I hadn't used a spirit level & of course the post is at a slight angle & of course I won't pay any heed to the instructions which declare that any rotary drier not at a precise 90 degree angle to the ground should be removed & installed again correctly.

Conditions for the weekend look great. Hot, dry & sunny; perefct for a few loads of washing, in fact....

Hope to see you later,

Robin.

Please Note:

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business, we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-06-18T17:11:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon to you -

So - hands up if you're going to the cinema this evening... or going out to dinner... or off to Scottish country dancing lessons. Thought as much - not many hands up, are there?

This evening is England's chance to 'make amends'. I'm not pointing any fingers as to how and why we're not sitting on three points already (we've had enough of that) but now's the time to draw the line in the South African sand and start our bid for the World Cup all over again. (What do you reckon - stick on the Italian accent and I could be Mr Capello, couldn't I?)

Our programme's a little shorter tonight to allow for more on the build-up to the big game (suck it all up on ITV1 - programme starts at 6.30pm, with kick-off at 7.30pm) but in our 11 news-packed minutes, we'll be looking at:

Plans to revamp Brent Cross Shopping Centre... the Cops who caught up with the bad guys in a classic 27 year old car... and all the day's other headlines.

Oh, and a bit of footy. Well, we had to, didn't we?

See you at six,

Ben

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-06-11T16:39:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon to you...

And what an afternoon it is. As I sit here right now, it's half-time in the first game of the World Cup. That's 'yay' if you love football - because it's finally underway - and 'double yay' if you hate the game - because the end is in sight. It could (hopefully) be six weeks off, but it is in sight*.

So, we're obviously going to be taking a long hard look at how the World Cup is playing out in London town - there's a huge party going on right now in Trafalgar Square, actually. People are going football crazy across the capital. We'll also take a look at a junior football club which can boast some fairly successful old boys. Have you heard of Ledley King? Or John Terry?

If you were watching yesterday, you'll have seen that Jess Nangle from Chesham won the London Tonight World Cup song competition. Not bad, considering she's only 15. There's no prize to speak of, just the glory of, well, saying that she's, er, just won the London Tonight World Cup song competition. Anyway, Jess is coming in to tell us why she wrote the song.

And we're going to have another singer cast his professional eye, make that ear, over the song. Ricky Astley - he of 'Never Gonna Give You Up' fame (it was number one for 5 weeks) - is coming in to talk about his new song 'Lights Out'. He's a lovely man - so we're looking forward to that.

Before I leave you, I thought I'd share our Friday Chocolates competition (usual warning: they've all gone). We had Lonnie Donnegan Jnr on the programme yesterday to help choose our World Cup Song. His Dad, of course, wrote the very first World Cup Song, World Cup Willie. So, in honour of the great man, there were choccies on offer today for anyone who could complete the following Lonnie lyric:
"Oh, my old man's a dustmanHe wears a dustman's hatHe wears XXXXXXXAnd he lives in a council flat."
Is it:
a) a little off-the-shoulder number?
b) cor blimey trousers?
c) people down with his silly songs?

I should point out at this stage that we'll also have some serious news in the programme, some of it very serious.

See you with the full picture at six,

Ben & Lucy

*Seriously, put a chart up on the wall and count down the days. It'll help pass the time, I promise.

Good evening,

Until yesterday I'd forgotten how pervasive brick dust can be.

We're having a new window put in at home & this required cutting out a small section of wall. Despite there being very little breeze & a heavy duty dust sheet being hung in front of the opening, clouds of volcanic ash style powder were soon billowing around the room settling on every available surface.

Inevitably this warranted a hospital deep clean at the end of the day which gave the appearance of cleanliness & order, but beneath this cunning veneer the brick dust still lurked. Inside drawers, at the back of cupboards & (worst of all) in a large bucket of elderflower cordial in the making which I had left uncovered. It won't be wasted, however, I can't allow it. Anyone being offered a refreshing glass will simply be advised to let it stand before drinking in order to allow the dust to settle.

Weekend weather looks good. Dry with sunny spells & reasonable temperatures. Enjoy....

Hope to see you later,

Robin.
Please Note:

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business, we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-06-04T16:31:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon to you...

So, it's Friday. And, as it's Friday, we've had our usual quiz. I decided to make it 'sort of' news related.
It's emerged that the Olympic stadium is not going to have its wind turbine, after all. So, there were chocolates on the desk (not anymore, I'm afraid) for anyone who could complete the following well-known saying:
"It's an ill wind that....."
Is it:
a) "...blows nobody any good"
b) "...tells you to cut down on the onions"
c) "...tells you to tell Auntie Flo to cut down on the onions"
Well, would you believe that at least two younger members of the team confessed to never having heard the phrase before. Seriously, I know I'm getting on, but it's not that unusual a phrase, is it? Or is it? Have I lost my readership here? Let's move on.
Here's what we have for you:
A man who killed his wife and dumped her body in a wheelie bin... A man who moved from Romford to Thailand where his 5 month old son was abducted... The Greenwich bid to become the port of choice for the world's biggest cruise ships... Piers Morgan talking about the runners and riders in this weekend's 'Britain's Got Talent' grand final... and Robin's getting down and dirty in a pond.
Oh, and we'll have more entrants in our competition to find London Tonight's world cup footy song.
Okay, I'm going to stop now because the news has just broken that England's captain Rio Ferdinand is, er, out of the world cup. I'm going to have a lie down. And a bit of a cry.

See you at six,
Ben & Lucy
Please Note:

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business, we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-05-21T17:07:00.000+01:00

Afternoon all -

Coming up tonight...

As passengers learn their breakaway may be wrecked by the strike hitting BA on Monday... we speak to members of UNITE who want to break away from their union...

MI5 may be called to account over its performance leading up to the 7th July bombings...

What caused a plane to crash into a home in Farnborough and how lucky was its homeowner not to have died along with the passengers?

Police! Police! We're coming in to seize all the cannab...where has all the cannabis gone?

Faithless can't get no sleep, at least we hope they can't while they're talking to our reporter...

Shiver my timbers - but not too hard, until the Cutty Sark restoration is finished...

And we've a right royal treatment for two of the week's new movies.

Okay - as it's a Friday, I thought I'd share the office chocolate competition with you.

We were offering a choke (they're all gone now) to anyone who can complete the following lyric from the Mungo Jerry classic 'In the Summertime'
"In the summertime when the weather is high
You can chase right up and touch the ???????"
Is it:
a) hem of his garment?
b) truck?
c) sweaty sock?
d) sky?

Right I'd better go but before I go - one more thing with which to tempt you. Who could possibly miss the highlight of this evening's programme - 'Robin Meets A Pig'...?

See you at six,

Ben & Nina

Please Note:

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business, we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-05-14T16:15:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon

As some of you may know, it's not uncommon for us to open up a box of chocolates in our office on a Friday afternoon. And with the chocolates often comes a little poser.*

I thought I'd share today's...

Okay, yesterday, we showed a report on three evacuees and their journey back to some caves in Chislehurst in Kent - their home away from the Blitz for 18 months of WWII. The caves are about 100 ft underground. Without lighting, they're pitch black. They're cold and damp.
Which of the following musicians have performed in a concert there?
Was it...
a) Julie Andrews?
b) The Wombles?
c) Jimi Hendrix?

Once again, I have to stress, the chocolates have long gone but hey, it's something to wow your mates with down the pub.**

Now, the programme:

We're going to start with the terrible story of 21 month old Bobby Louch. He was found dead in his cot in Beckenham. A jury at the Old Bailey have been asked to consider whether his mother and her then boyfriend were responsible. We'll have the verdict.

We'll also have an interview with Gary McKinnon's mother about how much comfort they're taking from the change in Government. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had always said they don't believe the self-confessed computer hacker should be extradited to America for trial after he found his way into NASA and US military computer systems.

The Met has admitted that DNA samples taken in connection with rape and murder investigations were left and forgotten about in a freezer at Shoreditch police station... A Labour peer has proposed that all illegal dangerous dogs seized by authorities should be put down immediately... On the eve of this year's FA Cup final, we'll hear from an RAF veteran who, after he was shot down in WW2, went on to play for Charlton in the 1946 Final... and, AND... we're talking to the grandfather of alternative comedy, Alexei Sayle, about taking to the stage again after lots of years away.

Right, time now for me to think of some questions for Mr Sayle.

See you at six,

Ben & Lucy

* Piers Hopkirk and our programme editor Hannah have just told me that they never read the question in the e-mail announcing the chocolates have been opened. They simply see the word 'chocolates' and come to the desk. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
** So, you'll need the answer for that. It was Jimi Hendrix. The thing is that while the people running Chislehurst Caves know he did perform there, they have no photographs at all. So, if you were there with our Jimi, and you got your box brownie out (that's a camera for anyone sniggering) then let us know...
Please Note:

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business, we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-04-12T17:47:00.001+01:00

Oh the promise of some fine sunshine today has petered out. There is no prettier city on the planet than London in the sun. West London - this morning it was bliss and I played trampoline with the kids before getting into the office. Now that is the way to start the day. Well after when the sun comes out - with the world cup on the horizon - there are punters and landlords licking their lips at the prospect of a bumper summer.

They're keen to make up for last year's washout and the fact that England didn't make it to the last major tournament, Euro 2008 - both of which cost them dearly. But all is not as idyllic as it appears to be - tonight we bring you the story of a town in Berkshire determined to keep football fans away from its pubs for one of the crucial, first-round games for Fabio Capello's men? We will be looking for your views on this!
And Kate Nash is in town with the latest on her new album and as ever we also have the best view of politics in London. We have so much in common me and Kate - she has a pet rabbit and the Macintyre's have one too - and both are rabbits are called Fluffy - bet we are the only ones in the country who call our rabbits FLUFFY.

Well, election fever has yet to reach its highest pitch but it is escalating - and we are following all the action all the way wiith our guru Simon Harris. We have Manali with the weather tonight and I was delighted that the fine rays she promised last weekend arrived so keep up the good weather please - let's keep tabs on her forecasts this week and let's pray that morning sunshine survives well into the afternoon. Enjoy the show and catch me with the late bulletin after the News at Ten.

Donal
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-04-09T17:03:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon.

The headlines:

'Boris Blunder'... The Mayor of London puts his foot in it by questioning David Cameron's newest policy - in front of David Cameron.

'Murder Hunt'... Police investigate the murder of a Surrey man who was murdered after he moved up to Tyne and Wear.

'Friend or Foe'... Spurs players get ready to take on old Portsmouth team mates in the FA Cup semi final*.

'McLaren Remembered'... A London tribute to the man who put the Sex Pistols on the map.

'Banarama - live'... we talk to the girls about their new single.

'Movie Time'... Mr King tells us exactly what he thinks about two new movies hitting our cinema screens this weekend.

There you go. I'm off for a cup of tea.

See you at six,

Ben & Lucy

* And Chelsea take on Aston Villa. You can think of a headline for that one.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-29T16:48:00.001+01:00

Dear One, Dear All -

Hope you had a lovely weekend - and that you all remembered to put your clocks forward. (Sorry if that's had you slapping your forehead as you realise "that's why I've been an hour late to everything...")

I'm going to start today with my appendix. I haven't got it anymore - had it whipped out when I was ten. Obviously, a lot of years have slipped by since then - a lot of years - but amazingly I can remember quite a lot about it. I certainly remember that my parents were away at the time. I certainly remember, even at that age, that the gown didn't cover my bottom (sorry, I hope you're not eating). Oh, and I certainly remember coming round after the operation and being mighty surprised that I only had one scar, as I was convinced that appendix, like kidneys, come in pairs.

Anyway, young Isabelle is very unlikely to remember a thing about her appendectomy, as she's only four weeks old. That makes her a record-breaker (cue music) and we'll be hearing her story tonight. She's fine. It's a story with a happy ending.

Sadly, we've a number of stories that don't have happy endings - we'll be speaking to the family of a 17 year old who was stabbed to death at the weekend. Godwin Lawson left Hackney behind for a football traineeship in Oxford. Back visiting this weekend, we was attacked early on Saturday morning.

Derek Sauter's story also ends in tragedy. He died in hospital recently - the Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup - after a nurse on duty didn't monitor his condition closely enough. He wanted wanted water. She wouldn't get it. Neither did she check his oxygen intake properly. That nurse has now been sacked. Where does that leave Derek's desperate widow?

After after yet another dismal weekend, West Ham fans - and football fans (sorry, the programme editor is a Hammers' fan) - should tune in to hear an offer of support from one of our biggest name actors.

We'll also tell you how to clear up space-junk (very big vacuum) and, and... oh, and we've got some chap called Craig David in the studio, chatting about his new album.

You can sing-a-long if you like, at six.

Ben & Katie
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-26T17:46:00.001Z

Good Afternoon to you -

So, as I sat down at the desk this afternoon, there's a bit of a buzz about the place and amidst the murmuring I can hear the same words being said over and again... "Lewis Hamilton", "Australia" and "doughnut". We'll come back to that.

You may have noticed it's Friday. Which, for the team on duty here, means chocolates. Nina's sitting to my left today. The box of chocs are over to my right. Now, I'm too much of a gentleman to say how many she's put away but let's just say she's getting plenty of exercise...

Let's take a look at the programme rundown, in no particular order for now.

I'm going to start with the only story they'll be talking about in the village of Sipson tonight. 'Victory' (their word, not mine) after the High Court ruled that the Government had been wrong to give the go-ahead to a third runway at Heathrow. The runway would have gone pretty much exactly where Sipson is now. Now, this doesn't mean it's all off altogether but if the Government want to go ahead with it (that's if they get back in after the Election) then they've got to start the consultation process all over again. Sipson-ites - and many others - say that's great news. Lots of business people are saying it's a disaster.

We're also reporting on progress at the main Olympic stadium. Our man Mr Harris said that when you walk in to it now it feels like an Olympic venue. We'll show you the pictures - and the exclusive interview with one of West Ham's owners, David Gold. He appears to have changed his mind about whether there being a running-track at the stadium would count the Hammers out of buying the place after the Olympics are through.

That's not our only exclusive tonight actually. We've an interview with Sir Paul McCartney no less about his new 'Up & Coming Tour' which will end in Hyde Park this summer.

The most shocking of our stories tonight is the murder of a man in the midst of London's evening rush-hour. Police are questioning 20 people after a man was stabbed to death at Victoria tube station yesterday. There are reports that a gang of teenagers have been running riot there for weeks. Could this be the appalling culmination of the powers-that-be failing to act sooner? We'll hear from a man who was there at the time.

Okay - change gear - back to Lewis Hamilton. He says he's sorry. He had to, really. The police were involved, after all. I'm telling you this is the story they'll be talking about down the pub tonight.

See you at six and we'll tell you why.

Ben & Nina
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-25T17:11:00.000Z

Hello to you -

One of those afternoons that seems to have slipped by all too fast today. We had a briefing at lunchtime on the do's and don'ts of election coverage at lunchtime. The mighty machine of a British General Election in the very near future and there are some pretty strict rules on what we can and can't do. Makes sense just to remind ourselves, don't you think?

So - a very quick run through of what we have for you in the more immediate future.

A company - British HQ in High Wycombe - has had to recall a make of baby sling here in Britain following the death of three babies over in the States.

We'll have the latest on a Croydon nursery nurse accused of most appalling abuse of young babies - accusations she denies.

Remember the Afghanistan policeman - who was being trained by British soldiers - who then turned on them with a gun, shooting five dead. For the first time tonight, we'll hear the reactions of their brothers in arms.

Changing gear completely, we'll take you inside London's very own rain forest. Really.

Oh. And Westlife will be in the studio.

It may be a quick run-through, but it's a packed one.

See you at six,

Ben & Nina
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-22T16:48:00.001Z

Hello all. Good weekend I trust?

Let's start with some Olympic news. From today, would-be spectators can register online to join the race for tickets. But just how fair is the booking system to Londoners who, let's face it, are taking the brunt of the cost of the Games full in their tax-paying faces?

Eight million tickets are available for the Olympics with two million for the Paralympics. But not only do we not get any preferential booking perks, we don't yet know how much we'll have to pay, oh..and you're not guaranteed a ticket anyway!? I feel an in-depth Simon Harris report coming on.

We'll have the latest on the B.A. strikes - how glad am I that I booked a city-break to Rome at the end of this week with the flag-carrying airline? Best I coment no further, I think!

More info on the People's Millions and a frightening report that says the air quality in parts of the capital is the worst in Europe.

Finally, you may remember the story we brought you a few weeks ago - a teenager's touching musical tribute to her mum who died of cancer. 16 year old Sarah Phillips, recorded a version of Paolo Nutini's "Autumn" on her mobile phone. It became an internet sensation when it was posted online with home video footage of Sarah's mum. The family have decided to release the song as a single to raise money for a cancer charity and it'll be available to download. What do you reckon? Anyone fancy having a hand in making her number one?

See you at six.

Matt and Katie
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-19T16:59:00.001Z

Good Afternoon to you.

So, it's Friday and what better excuse is there for opening a box of chocolates? Although I won't be partaking, thank you - I've given chocolate up for Lent. I had to eat the profiteroles I had at my mother-in-law's the other night. It would have been rude not to. And I don't do rude. Well, I try not to. Too often.

Anyway, the chocolates are open but they came with a riddle: Complete the following well known lyric:

"The minute you walked in the joint, I could see you were a man of ******** "
Is it:
a) "poor health"
b) "distinction"
c) "the cloth"

I can't offer chocolates for the right answer, but you could treat yourself to a Malteser (*or any other well known item of confectionery) if you know the right answer.

Now - the programme:

BA strike looks like it's going ahead after talks break down... mystery surrounds a man found a man floating in the Shadwell Basin... a gang is found guilty of pinching an ATM... Fulham are on top of the world after biffing Juventus out of the Europa League... and a stolen pigeon has flown home from Romania. Probably.

Right - back to the chocolates. I love Fuse bars - just in case you're interested.

See you at six,

Ben & Lucy

PS. Anyone know any JLS fans out there? Tell them to watch our programme tonight...
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-17T16:00:00.001Z

Hello - again.

Spot the deliberate error..Robert Pattinson suddenly became Robin Pattinson, his less-goodlooking twin.

So, as I should have said...

Busy one again - Boris Johnson and Robert Pattinson on the same programme. I hope they wear name badges. I'm easily confused.

Boris will be the one talking Latin as he campaigns for more state schools to teach it. Currently only four per cent of state primary schools teach Latin, compared with 40 per cent of private schools. Some teachers argue that teaching Latin gives students a foundation for studying a modern languages and writing English. I don't want to sound like an educational heathen, but I'm not convinced. I can only speak as a parent on this one, really. I'm happy for my two to be given the opportunity to learn different things - life's rich tapestry and all that - but if they started learning Latin at the expense of say music or history or IT or sport, I wouldn't be overly impressed.

Now as dedicated blog readers - by definition you must all be at home with the internet....but apparently for a growing number of young Londoners spending time in front of a computer screen has ceased to become fun.
Now the Capital is to get it's first dedicated therapy programme for youngsters "addicted" to the Internet and Computer Games. Children as young as 12 are expected to be enrolled to the new residential unit to wean them off games, and the net.

But is it a real problem? Do you know any young people for whom sitting in front of a computer screen has begun to take over their lives? Maybe they suffer mood swings, sleeping problems, withdrawal symptoms, problems around eating, and social isolation?? We're looking for case studies, so get in touch if you'd like to be involved.

Also on the programme tonight - Lucy is on the red carpet with London's very own heart-throb Robin Pattinson (pause for sharp intake of breath). He's left his vampiric alter-ego, Edward, in his coffin for the time being and is starring in new film, 'Remember Me'. But forget about 'R-Pattz', we've got our very own 'R-Macz', Robin McCallum, with the weather!

See you later

Matt and Katie
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-17T15:50:00.001Z

Hello.

Busy one again - Boris Johnson and Robin Pattinson on the same programme. I hope they wear name badges. I'm easily confused.

See you later

Matt and Katie

__________

Good evening,

My walk to work takes in a number of London's most popular attractions & I'm often stopped by tourists wanting me to take photos of them. This is something I try to avoid at all costs as I am to photography what Katie Price is to the Carmelite nuns.

Regardless of the care I take my pictures are invariably very poor & in this age of digital cameras, where evidence of my ineptitude is instantly available, it is a demoralising experience. I can understand a look of disappointment tinged with pity in any language

This morning I adopted my trusty evasion tactic of talking on the phone which spares me the agony. Naturally my call, as is often the case, was a pretend one. I've yet to be caught out by my phone actually ringing when I'm mid fake chat (one of the advantages of unpopularity) but I fear my luck won't last & that one day soon my cover will be blown, providing me with a new form of humiliation to deal with.

As for the weather, it's on the turn with rain on the cards for the end of the week so perhaps an umbrella can be my new shield from future photography disaster.

Hope to see you later,

Robin.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-12T16:59:00.001Z

Good Afternoon to you...

It's got to be a quick sum-up of our run-down today as we're getting ready to interview Darth Vader. No, really.

So - we start with a Met policeman who, in a bid to fuel his cocaine habit, did undercover work - for his drug dealer. He (and his wife, in fact) would log onto to police computers and tell Mr Big exactly what detectives were up to.

The latest a strike by BA cabin crew is not good news. They've set dates and, we've just heard, that bosses have this afternoon withdrawn a new offer which was going to be put to the unions in a ballot.

We've also been filming with a family in Enfield who haven't had heating since the middle of December. We've just had the coldest winter for years and years and this family have had to make do with little heaters and blankets because those people who should have fixed the problem have not fixed the problem.

Prepare yourself for a lump in your throat when you watch the story of six year old Daisy who has a rare disease that leaves her unable to digest almost all food. The condition is so rare that more research into the condition is desperately needed.

Next - a 'once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity to see a tunnel built by Brunel under the Thames. It's been opened for 'show-and-tell' for just two days. All the tickets have been sold, I'm afraid. So, if you want a look, you'll have to watch tonight.

We can also offer Mr King's review of two big movies opening across London this weekend.

Oh, and Darth Vader... aka James Earl Jones... or Mustafa... or Big Daddy. Lots to talk about then, when he joins us in the studio.

See you at six,

Ben & Nina

______

Good evening,

Matt started something with his favourite sandwich filling project yesterday.

While we were on air I remembered that a fishfinger sandwich was a student favourite & one which I haven't had for years. It was real comfort food. Crisp, golden, freshly fried (not grilled or baked) fishfingers in thickly sliced white Mother's Pride, with mayonnaise. This of course can be varied with ketchup or brown suace or even a simple dash of vinegar, but the result is the same; happiness.

It's the perfect antidote for grey, cold weather but having said that this weekend's not looking too bad. Sunny spells, scattered showers & better temperatures. I'll still treat myself to a student sandwich, though.

Hope to see you later,

Robin.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-11T17:08:00.001Z

There are days, I've got to be honest, when I'm not entirely sure what to blog about. I'm happy to tell you about the stories on London Tonight later, that's the whole point of the blog, to promote the show. But sometimes a subject, completely unrelated to the programme comes up that cannot be ignored.

Hannah, the assistant progamme editor, was happily munching away on a sarnie earlier and, in the ever more complicated bread-based culinary world of rocket, cranberry, brie and crayfish, I was surprised to discover she'd gone for a good ol' cheese and pickle on white. No fuss, no frills. Classic. So, my question is this: What is the best sandwich filling? A quick straw poll required so I've emailed 'all staff', which may be deemed a frivolous use of the internet and a disciplinary offense? Never mind...it's worth it.

Some of the responses read as follows...

'Bacon', short and to the point, says Tom

Clare reckons 'pastrami and pickles with mustard and mayo' is underrated. Not sure it is, actually, Clare?

Robin McCallum, in beautifully prosaic terms, suggests a 'salty mature cheddar with a hint of sweet chutney and a touch of lettuce on a 'butch' granary'. Cheese and pickle then?!

Faye (who's the boss, so I guess it can't be a disciplinary offense after all) wants to throw 'tuna mayo' into the mix, because 'it's 'not messy'? Surely that depends on its construction and the amount of mayo used?

Smoked salmon and cream cheese with avocado has been offered up by Geoff while Paul simply says roast beef.

Katie Derham hovered over cheese and pickle briefly too, before settling on hot pork and apple sauce. Can a sandwich be hot? 'Spose it can. Feels a bit cheaty though. Anyway, she's disqualified for coming back with a salad at lunchtime.

Oh, and a late change from Robin who's throwing plain tomato out there, providing the tomatoes are as tasty as the one's grown in Grandad's greenhouse (not sure how he knows my grandad?!) on crusty white bread. Like it, but I'd need a sprinkling of salt on mine.

For what it's worth I'm going to go with Hannah and cheese and pickle on crusty white, but I might add some ham if I'm feeling lavish!

The point to these ramblings? None whatsoever, but I'm off for some carbs!

Back in time for six. Matt and Katie

PS: Plans for a high speed rail link between London and the Midlands, stamps with animals on and Jennifer Aniston on the programme later, who no doubt would want the pickle on the side of her cheese sandwich, being American, which is just plain wrong.

________

Good Evening,

I was extremely grateful for grey skies & a cold NE wind this morning. Not because I'm a fan of dull weather but because it meant the end of my train journey into Waterloo which had not been a pleasant experience, with an unfortunate series of events conspiring to make it very stressful.

Although my train departed punctually it had 8 rather than 12 carriages, bad enough in itself but the cancellation of an earlier train made the overcrowding truly appalling. There then turned out to be signalling problems between Clapham Junction & Waterloo which resulted in the journey becoming slower & slower, ultimately providing the guard with 19 extra minutes in which to offer repeated -& therefore increasingly irritating- apologies for the lateness & overcrowding. She also regularly reminded us of her whereabouts on the train should any passengers have needed assistance, although bearing in mind that any movement would only have been possible with the aid of KY Jelly & a cattle prod I'm fairly certain she was left in peace.

I pray the journey won't be so miserable tomorrow because the weather will be; rain's on the way....

Hope to see you later,

Robin.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-10T16:00:00.000Z

Afternoon.

Very quick blog today...lost track of time a bit.

A heady mix of the top stories coming out of the capital today, but let's talk Wombles! I defy anyone of a certain age not to be able to hum the theme tune to this classic 70's childrens' tv show. The man behind it is called Mike Batt who also went on to have several hits performing as 'The Wombles' in the 70's. I'm not sure he'd thank us for listing 'Remember You're a Womble' among his greatest musical achievements because Mike Batt also has an amazing talent for spotting future stars - Katie Melua among them. So, if Mike Batt says Florence Rawlings has been one to watch since he first auditioned her as a 13 year old eight years ago, who are we to argue? You can judge for yourself later.

Anyway, back to the Wombles. How revolutionary were they? Going round Wimbledon Common, 'making good use of the things that we find.' They were recycling visionaries! We've just had our daily programme meeting and producer Ken asked us to name them all. Charlene - who'll be helping me steer you through the show later - says she's too young to remember them. I could easily have taken offence at that, particulalry as it came just after I'd reeled off the named of five or six of them, but I'll let her off...this time. So, how many can you name? (Answer at the bottom of the page).

Oh - also tonight, details of how you can nominate your community projects for this year's 'People's Millions' so have a pen and paper to hand...

We'll be Wombling free at six!

Matt and Charlene

Answer: Orinoco, Tobermory, Great Uncle Bulgaria, Wellington, Bungo, Madame Cholet and my favourite, Tomsk! More were added in subsequent series, but let's stick to the originals. Bonus points for singing along with me to the theme song. I'll start you off...
"Underground, overground, wombling free.The Wombles of Wimbledon Common are we.Making good use of the things that we find.Things that the everyday folks leave behind.
(Bridge - not really sure of the tune to this bit?!)
Uncle Bulgaria...He can remember the days when he wasn't behind the times,with his map of the world...Pick up the papers and take 'em to Tobermory.
(Bet you don't know the second verse though, do you?)
Wombles are organised, work as a team, Wombles are tidy and Wombles are clean, Underground, overground, wombling free, The Wombles of Wimbledon Common are we.
(I feel better for that, thank you!)

__________

Good evening,

It's very easy to complain about the current weather. In fairness an unchanging weatherscape of cloud would demoralise even the jolliest of souls, especailly when temperatures are so disappointing.

In Spain, however, they've really been getting it in the neck. A friend of mine was there last weekend & returned saying it had been cold, wet & windy & since then conditions have deteriorated even further, with some parts of Spain experiencing the worst snow since 1985. Schools are closed, roads are impassable & people are trapped in their homes. Granted that was exactly the situation here back in December & January, but it's probably worth remembering that by comparison today's weather really is nothing to complain about.

That said, it's horrible out there; cold & overcast with not much sign of change....

Hope to see you later,

Robin.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-09T16:08:00.000Z

Good afternoon.

Busy show tonight: We'll have the latest on the hunt for a killer who's escaped from a hospital and an in-depth report on new Government proposals to combat dangerous dogs.

Also, after the death of another cyclist on our roads this morning, we'll have news of a new advertising campaign about cycle safety. All very worthy, of course, but at a cost of £200,000 to the taxpayers and using the analogy of a bank robbery gone wrong to make the point, could a better way of highlighting the problem have been found?

A bit of a show theme tonight too as Ben Scotchbrook takes us behind the scenes of the premiere of the follow up to 'Phantom of the Opera'. The sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical mammoth is 'Love Never Dies' and is on at the Adelphi, which is where Ben is waiting in the wings.

Finally, we'll also have more on the story of the evil super-plant taking over the capital's gardens and the super-insect being shipped in from Asia to fight it off. Talking of super heroes, I'll be sporting some rather natty Superman cuff links on the programme tonight. They were a birthday present from my children and I promised I'd wear them. I've been telling them I'm Superman for ages. My 8 year old is is skeptical at best, but my 4 year old is fairly convinced (sorry, I know you shouldn't tell fibs). He's worried that the cuff links might give the game away, but I said no one will be able to see them unless they look really closely. So, if you see me scratch my ear, or fiddle with my cuffs, I'll be trying show the kids I'm wearing them without giving away my secret identity!

See you at six. Matt and Katie.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-03T16:25:00.000Z

Good afternoon, all. Tonight, the bad, the good and the downright weird...

First up, the frightening ordeal suffered by Linda Buchanan after she asked a man to stop smoking on a railway platform in Kent. He responded by shoving her onto the tracks, dangerously close to a live line. Liz Wickham has more for us.

Elsewhere, a London doctor is organising an airlift of medical supplies to Afghanistan, where she's setting up a clinic in a women's prison. Karen Woo quit her job to work in the war-torn country and her efforts are making a real difference.

Also tonight, we're live at Wembley ahead of England's friendly against Egypt. The question everyone's asking, isn't how England's World Cup preparations are going, it's about what sort of reception John Terry will get from the fans. I don't mean from the opposition fans...from his own supporters. I've never quite understood the logic of booing your own players, to be honest. I guess if they're playing really badly or not giving their all, then letting them know what you think of the effort-to-wage ratio is perhaps fair enough. But for non-footballing reasons? I think John Terry will be given a rough ride by the fans over his alleged indiscretions later, just as other players have been in the past. There was a time when all you had to do to get booed by England fans was to play for Manchester United, but that fad seems to have passed, thankfully. Maybe I'm doing the fans a disservice? Jonathan - who sorts out all the travel at ITN Towers - has been to every England game, home and away, since June 2002 and he says he couldn't care less what a player does off the pitch as long as he performs on it. I have to say, as a sports fan, I agree with him.

One sport I don't know much about is Polo. I'm guessing I'm not alone in that? It's being introduced to a group of youngsters from inner city London thanks to an initiative by Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Lewis Vaughan Jones - who I don't think would look out of place playing Polo, but apparently we have footage to the contrary - will tell all later.

We'll 'throw-in' (that's a polo term...I looked it up!) at six.

Matt and Katie

Oh - did I mention the killer chickens? Tune in later, seriously...you don't want to miss this one!
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-03-01T17:38:00.000Z

Good Afternoon -

Do you ever feel like you didn't really have a weekend - that Saturday and Sunday flew passed so terribly quickly, packed with this and that which had to get done... So that's how I'm feeling today. That's not necessarily a bad thing, obviously, as it means we're back in the swing of things with lots of workdays straight ahead - he said quickly, in case anyone further up the pay-scale read the weekend comment in a negative light.

And to start the week: well, it's the sort of story that to those affected is hugely, hugely, important. Today is 'National Offers Day'. Blank looks from some of you... It's the day which sees thousands of parents sent news of which school their sons and daughters will be going to. Will it be there first choice? Will it be their second choice? Will they want to appeal? How do they appeal?

We'll be speaking to the Advisory Centre for Education for the latest on what parents should be doing.

We'll also be speaking to a couple from King's Cross whose house is falling down. They claim the chap next door was doing some building work which undermined their home, which is now splitting apart. He says it's nothing to do with him.

Problems with neighbours features in another of our stories - a chap whose front garden in a beautiful Surrey village is not so beautiful really as it's full of stuff that most of us would throw away. His neighbours aren't happy about it but the European Court of Human Rights is on his side.

There's also a doctor who used to work for BUPA who chucked in her presumably well-paid job to help a hospital at a women's prison Afghanistan where health insurance isn't really an issue.

We'll meet a teenager from Eltham who has just won the top Prince's Trust award. His life story will make you realise how very lucky most of us are.

And with all that, you'd forgive us all for going a bit Gaga - which is exactly what we'll do. The Lady herself is in town and she's been telling how happy she is to be here. Oh yes.

As are we, obviously.

See you at six -

Ben & Katie

Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-02-25T16:45:00.000Z

Hi there...another day, another blog...

First on the programme, exactly a decade on from her death, a memorial service has been held to remember Victoria Climbie. The eight year old died of malnutrition and hypothermia after sustained abuse at the hands of her aunt and her boyfriend. She'd been beaten with belts and sticks and doctors found 128 separate injuries on her body. At the time, the "blinding incompetence" of London's authorities in not spotting the abuse she was suffering was highlighted. Today, the foundation that bears Victoria's name and who organised the memorial, is still fighting to improve child protection services. So, in the decade that has passed, how far have we come? Katie has been speaking with Lord Laming, who chaired the inquiry into Victoria's death to find out. In a chilling irony, the full story has emerged today about the death of another child, Khyra Ishaq, in Birmingham. Khyra starved to death while in the 'care' of her mentally-ill mother and boyfriend in May 2008. Both admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and an inquiry is ongoing into whether more could be done to protect the seven year old.

Elsewhere, whatever your religious beliefs, or lack of them, one of those terribly sad stories that you just can't fathom a reason for: the one year old baby boy we told you about on Tuesday who was crushed by a falling lamppost in Chiswick has died in hospital. Emma Waldon reports for us on what is being decribed as a 'tragic accident'.

Also on the programme tonight, civil rights activist and minister, Jesse Jackson, talks to our political correspondent, Simon Harris, while Lucy Cotter has a date on the red carpet with Johnny Depp, no less.

Sports-wise, what a fantastic game of football last night! Chelsea have it all to do after coming home from the San Siro having lost 2-1, but with the all-important away goal against Inter Milan. Jose Mourinho was even cooler than usual, barely celebrating Inter's goals. Was it out of respect for his former club or a recognition that the job is only half done? A bit of both, I suspect. Great to get back to talking about football with regard to Chelsea, although having said that, their former defender, Wayne Bridge has announced he's unavailable to play for England because of the shenanigans surrounding his ex-girfriend's alleged affair with would-be international team mate, John Terry. Bridge has fallen on his sword describing his position in the side as 'untenable and potentially divisive'. It causes England boss Fabio Capello somewhat of a headache though, with first choice Chelsea left back, Ashley Cole, currently nursing a broken ankle as well as a broken marriage. The Chelsea soap opera continues...

...our daily soap opera continues with Katie and me at six. See you then.

Matt

Good evening,

Down at the Met Office today's buzzword when describing the weather is 'changeable'. True enough no two days are the same at present; sometimes it's a case of showers, sometimes relentless rain, sometimes it's dry but cloudy & sometimes it's dry & sunny.

If the weather was a human being it would be suffering from a multiple personality disorder which would make a fascinating case study. Back in the real world it means we have to live with the risk of constantly being caught out by the weather which is more than a little frustrating, but if we choose to we could view the situation more positively & recognise the current instability as a sign of the gradual transition from Winter to Spring. That's not to say the transition will be smooth (or even logical) over the next few weeks, but I'm happy to believe it's underway supported by lighter mornings & later sunsets.

Bring on the daffs & the crocuses, after the winter we've had they're the very least we deserve....

Hope to see you later,

Robin.

Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-02-24T17:48:00.000Z

Right...

A couple of stories that could be straight out of a Hollywood film tonight. Firstly, Marcus Powell reports on the trial at London's Blackfriars Crown Court of a mechanic accused of taking part in the biggest cocaine case ever seen in Ireland. The gang, including a retired MET police detective tried to smuggle more than £200m worth of cocaine into Ireland from the Caribbean, but failed spectacularly when the boat carrying the drugs capsized off the Irish coast. They were trying to land an incredible 62 bails of cocaine and simply sank under the weight of it all. Some of the gang swam to shore, one was picked up by rescuers and the retired MET man went on the run for months. They were all eventually brought to justice. Meanwhile, John Edney from Sutton-at-Hone in Kent, who was accused of supplying the cars used in the plot, was found not guilty of conspiring to supply class A drugs. It's not just me is it...that has to be made into a Harrison Ford movie?!

Also tonight - some big match build-up laced with yet more tinseltown tension as Chelsea face Inter Milan in the Champions League in a match with more sub-plots that an episode of 24. Andy Townsend will talk us through the drama, but basically it goes like this: It's the first time the idolised former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho has faced his former side since leaving on less-than-best terms in 2007. The current Chelsea boss, Carlo Ancelotti used to play for and manage Inter's arch rival's in the Italian League, AC Milan. The two managers don't get on with the enigmatic Mourinho convinced of some sort of Italian football establishment vendetta against him, of which he thinks Ancelotti is a part (Ancelotti has claimed every Italian non-Inter fan will be supporting the Londoners tonight). What with all that and the comments Mourinho's made about Chelsea being essentially made up of 'his players' and we've got a game on our hands! Another good movie plot, but who do we cast? Well, Andy Townsend can play himself. I reckon James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) as Carlo Ancelotti and how about Harrison Ford again as 'The Special One'?

Well, maybe we'll find out if he'll do it later because Harrison Ford's on the show too! He's been talking to Lucy about his new film, 'Extraordinary Measures', in which he plays a brilliant scientist trying to save the lives of two children, based on a true story. So, how was he? I always imagine Harrison Ford to be a bit surly, don't know why? Anyway, who cares, it's Harrison Ford! So, in homage to one of my favorite actors, here are my top five H.F. movie quotes in reverse order...

5) Han Solo, 'Star Wars: A New Hope' - "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."
4) Indiana Jones, 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' - "Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?"
3) President James Marshall, 'Air Force One' - "Get off my plane!"
2) Dr. Richard Kimble, 'The Fugitive' - "I didn't kill my wife!"
1) Indiana Jones, 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' - Marion: "You're not the man I knew ten years ago." Indy: "It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage."

Legend. And he was a perfectly nice man, apparently.

OK, that's it - we're all clear. Now let's blow this programme and go home! (Han Solo - 'Star Wars'...sort of!)

Matt and Lucy.

_________

Good evening,

I've never paid much attention tom warnings of surface spray, but this morning I drove to the station through walls of water created by oncoming lorries & was then drenched by a passing bus as I waited to cross the road at Waterloo.

Be warned, there's a lot of standing water about at the moment (even on some pavements) & the chances of it being turned into flumes by fast moving vehicles -even bicycles- are high.

Sadly there's more rain to come (from time to time it will be pretty heavy) so the saturated ground will get worse before it gets better & driving conditions will occasionally be hazardous. Personally I plan to invest in a pair of waterproof gaiters so that in future I don't end up doing my bulletins soaked from the knees down, as I did this morning....

Hope to see you later,

Robin.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-02-19T16:21:00.000Z

Hello all. Welcome to Friday. Is it me, or has it been a really long week? Must be me, either way, I'm very much looking forward to the weekend.

On the programme tonight we have the fascinating story of David Barry who was attacked by a gang wielding hammers. He suffered horrific injuries with one doctor describing them as the worst he'd ever seen on a victim who had survived. But, just six weeks later, his appearance has been transformed thanks to the astonishing skills of surgeons at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. The task, put simply, was to rebuild his head and there are astonishing 3-D X-rays of exactly how bad David's injuries were.

Also tonight, we'll mark the start of London Fashion week. But, the most breathtaking story of the day for me, is this one...

A spate of thefts in Middlesex have cost one man £200,000. So, what was stolen? His diamond collection? Rare art? His fleet of Ferraris? No...some pigeons. Elite racing pigeons, I'll grant you, but pigeons nonetheless. It's big business apparently with the most expensive bought in Britain costing £106,000. A hundred and six thousand pounds???!!!!! More later.

James King's in to talk movies and there are two Oscar nominees in action this week with Stanley Tucci nominated for his role in 'The Lovely Bones' and Jeff Bridges for his part in 'Crazy Heart'. Bridges plays a washed up country singer who finds love late in life while Tucci plays the creepy next door neighbor in Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's best selling book. James will tell us if they're nominations are deserved.

And, staying with the movie theme, actor James Purefoy joins us in the studio later. You might know him for his role as Edward, the Black Prince in 'A Knight's Tale' with Heath Ledger or, more recently, as Mark Antony in the beeb series, 'Rome'. Now he's playing the lead role in the new action movie, 'Soloman Kane' - a sword swinging, pact-with-the-devil-making, justice metering, medieval-type marauding his way around the...er...West Country? Apparently James thinks it's about time we had a West Country action hero which gives me hope, I must say. My accent's West Country-ish. Not sure it's going to catch on though. Do you remember David Prowse? He was the guy inside the Darth Vader suit in 'Star Wars' - he was from the West Country. Can you imagine what it would have been like if George Lucas hadn't dubbed his voice with the sinister growlings of James Earl Jones? I'm not sure Vader would have become one of the most infamous badies in cinema history if he'd have uttered the immortal words, "Luke, I aaam your faaaaaaatherrrr" in his glorious Gloucestershire twang?

Anyway - people in glass houses and all that...

See you between six and haaaaalf paaaaast. Matt and Nina
-----------
Good evening,

Wednesday was glorious. The sun shone all day (there was even a little warmth in it) & there were very few clouds. The winds were light & there was almost a feeling of Spring in the air. This, of course, was wishful thinking because it all went belly up yesterday & we were reminded that we are still in the depths of Winter. I think that's why I find this part of the year so challenging; I want a day of tepid sun & no rain to be followed by another & then another, getting warmer all the while....

It's fair to say that we've had quite a harsh winter so far, in fact I read somewhere that it's been the coldest February for 25 years & looking at the charts there's no sign of an improvement in temperatures over the next few days, so the onset of Spring remains elusive. Frustrating, but there's nothing we can do other than accept it & make sure that when conditions do finally improve we make the most of it....

Hope to see you later,

Robin.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-02-17T16:51:00.000Z

Hello there.

What a coup by Lucy Cotter last night to get Robbie Williams live on the BRIT's red carpet! I've just caught up with her for all the gossip and despite her usual air of complete calm on telly, apparently it was a nightmare down there. These things can be a bit of a bun fight as the world's press scrap it out for interviews with the celebs. Lucy will have been running round for hours persuading the right PR person to deliver the stars she wanted to talk to at the precise moment she needed to talk to them. If they bring them over to her too soon, there's a danger they'll be dragged away by some unscrupulous, (non-London Tonight) reporter just as we're about to go live. If the guest turns up just a minute too late...well...they miss it. Very stressful!

Lucy was promised a chat with JLS - who went on to scoop two awards for London last night - and she knew there was an outside chance of getting the man of the moment, Robbie. But fifteen seconds before the director was due to cue Lucy to start speaking, she was on her own. Luckily, just as she started to speak - no doubt with her mind racing with various versions of the sentence, 'what the heck do I do now?!?!' - the JLS boys mobbed her and gave a great interview.

The next problem though, when you're broadcasting live to the capital with the hottest band of the moment, is how do you then grab the attention of this country's most successful male recording artist to also come over for a chat? Answer? You expertly wrap up JLS and throw to a pre-recorded clip of interviews with other stars to give yourself precisely 1 minute 34 seconds of breathing space during which Lucy turned on the charm. When she came back into vision, there was Lucy alongside the man absolutely everyone was desperate to speak to. Genius. Lucy...I mean...but Robbie's was pretty good too!

So - how do we follow that tonight? With the day's top stories, a belly-dancing 90 year old and a chat with Andy Townsend ahead of Arsenal's Champions League match against Porto. What's not to love?

See you at six,

Matt and Katie.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-02-16T17:00:00.000Z

Hello. So, Pancake Day. How do you like yours? Personally, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of brown sugar will do nicely. That, or a drowning of golden syrup. I'm not into savoury pancakes. I'd rather have an omelette and be done with it. Are you giving anything up for Lent? A quick ask around the office sees Producer Ken going all out to give chocolate, crisps and ice cream a wide berth - good luck with that one - while Nina says she's going to give up stress? Can't imagine Nina getting stressed, to be honest? I always say I'll lay off the beer, but my birthday falls between now and Easter, as does the rest of the Six Nations, so it's tricky. Are you allowed a day off? Rather defeats the object, I suppose.

A quick look at Shrove Tuesday's programme then...

We start with more on the case of five men accused of attempting to murder a British holidaymaker in Crete who were today ordered back to Greece to face justice. They're accused of stabbing footballer Robert Hughes with a broken bottle before stamping on his head. Robert, who played for Sutton United, suffered brain damage and was left in a coma for two months after three operations to save his life. Today a judge said there was no reason why the five suspects, all from Surrey and West Sussex, should not be extradited.

We also have the sad story of a teenager from Kent who was killed by an avalanche on a mountain in Scotland yesterday. 18 year old Stephen Young, a keen scout from Borough Green near Sevenoaks, was leading a walking trip when he was hit by sliding rocks. Ronke Phillips will have more for us.

We'll have the latest on the Olympic legacy with no news on who'll take over the running of the stadium after the Games and fresh concerns that local people could lose out. One company set up to provide barges to ferry materials to and from the 2012 site say they've been left high and dry.

Also tonight, reports that the world famous Abbey Road recording studios have been put up for sale. And, we look ahead to the 30th anniversary BRIT Awards on ITV1 at 8 O'clock. It promises to be a great show with a celebratory trawl through three decades of classic performances as well as a cracking line-up of live acts. Jay-Z, Lady Ga-ga and Robbie Williams are all doing turns, but what of the London contingent? Well, where do we start? Pixie Lott, Florence and the Machine, Lily Allen, Leona Lewis, Dizzee Rascal, Mika, JLS, La Roux, Tynchy Stryder, N-Dubz, Alesha Dixon and Alexandra Burke are all up in various categories, so the capital could be boasting several awards by tomorrow morning? Lucy Cotter (who else) is will be live at Earl's Court for us later on her continuing quest to bring you the cream of the showbiz crop.

The must-see footage tonight, though, is of a weatherman in America. Talk about o.t.t.?! He screams his way through the Baltimore bulletin to a backdrop of dramatic classical music. It really is quite odd. So, will Chrissy be following suit? I doubt it somehow...thankfully!

See you at six. Matt and Nina.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-02-12T16:19:00.001Z

A very good Friday afternoon to you -

Wow. Friday already. I know I've said this before but the weeks go by faster and faster. Have they taken a day out? Did I miss some sort of Act of Parliament saying "It's official: We can't afford Wednesday anymore so let's skip it. The budget will go a bit further?" Anyway, the 'up' side is that the weekend is here.

And if you're a sucker for soppy love then fill your boots up, my friends. It's Valentine's Weekend. Yes, the schmaltz-fest is normally restricted to just the 24 hours. I suspect it's going to stretch across the full 2 days this year. Good news for florists, restaurants and jewellers. Bad news for people who think Valentine's is a load of phooey. You pays your money - and takes your choice. Or not.

Of course, our Friday programme comes complete with a look at a couple of the big movies out this weekend. (So you can always go and cry in the darkness of your local picture house if the Valentine's bit doesn't work out. And if it does, you can still take advantage of the darkness...) So, there's one film about a young lad called Percy and his Olympian chums. Have to say the trailer looks right up my street. And then there's Valentine's Day. This one - to me, at least - looks like a poor man's 'Love Actually'. Don't take my word for it though - Mr King will be here with his expert opinion.

Adding weight to the weekend theme is a sofa chat with, well, he's an old friend of the programme now. Pop sensation, Lemar, will be here. Lovely voice. Lovely man. He's got a new single to tell us about.

On the news front, we've got the latest on the blasting Eurostar suffered today, with a report on the way it handled the appalling weather we had before Christmas. Trains stuck in tunnels. Passengers left in ignorance.

There's a report on a little girl who was sent to hospital suffering from terrible burns. But that hospital was in Haiti - when the earthquake struck. Well, she's at Great Ormond Street now where her future is looking somewhat brighter.

Plus we've the latest on a woman's fight to be treated fairly (she says) when it comes to wearing a cross to work for British Airways. There're the school children who couldn't believe their lucky when Michelle Obama turned up for Assembly last year and now they really can't believe their luck - they're going to meet her again. At the White House. I think the most exciting school trip we had was to the local woods where there used to be Bronze Age settlement. I can remember the teacher now "Why are you yawning, Scotchbrook?"

One more story to tempt you with - Status Quo, receiving their honours at the Palace today. That's Status Quo B E. (Blame that one on Brendan, our news editor. It's been a long week).

Got to go. Got to go to make-up. I know. A grown man too.

See you at six.

Ben & Nina

Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-02-10T17:13:00.000Z

Ok - REALLY short blog today, sorry. I was late in, no point trying to hide it, I had a quick hospital appointment. Nothing exciting, just a check up on my bad back...which turns out is still bad. I could have told them that and saved myself two hours. On a brighter note: This morning I had an unexpected letter from my bank. Usually that sort of thing never ends well - the last one said that the annual review of my overdraft facility has now been conducted and that the bank were 'delighted' to inform me that the service will remain in place and unchanged. The cost for the review was £25 which duly put me over my limit costing me...another £25. Genius! Anyway, today's letter was different: apparently, the year long savings account I've been paying into, but had completely forgotten about has matured and there's a whopping £500 with my name on it! Great news...I might book that weekend break. Then I picked my car up from it's annual service and MOT. An oil change here, two new tires there and a bill for £498.43. So, any ideas as to what to do with my sudden £1.57 windfall?

Anyway, tonight's programme - all the news from the capital, of course, plus a fascinating piece from Marcus Powell about how The Prince of Wales does a bit of Tai Chi. He's been seeing how non-traditional remedies are being used to help former members of our Armed Forces. Tai Chi and acupuncture are just two of the methods employed by a charity based in Fulham to that claims to aid recovery from physical and mental trauma.

Also, Daisy Gray reports on at least one London council that, staggeringly, isn't prepared to cope with yet more freezing weather, should it materialise, despite the chaos of last month. You'd have thought the lessons had been learnt...but they're still awaiting delivery of salt ordered in December. And, as the temperature plummets again, we'll attempt to warm the cockles of your hearts with an exclusive chat with the gorgeous star of Hollywood and the West End, Anna Friel. She ended a five-month run in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' last night, but rather than jetting off to a beach somewhere to relax, she made time for Glen Goodman. Well, who wouldn't?!

See you at six

Matt and Katie

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-02-09T17:00:00.000Z

Hi there...

Quick blog then with an Olympic theme...

Simon Harris has been on the Olympic trail again with news of another raid on the seemingly bottomless contingency fund.
This time up to 160-million pounds could be needed partly to balance the books between the time of the completion of the Olympic stadium to when whoever takes over the running of it after the Games. Overall though, the latest figures show the building work is actually on budget. Not sure how does that works, which is probably why I'm not allowed anywhere near the household finances. I'm confident Simon will have a his head round the figures, although he was last seen with his shoes and socks off in the corner.

Also tonight, dramatic audio from the air traffic control recording of the "Mayday" call from the cockpit of the BA jet that crash-landed at Heathrow two years ago. You'll remember it barely cleared a fence before belly-flopping onto the grass. A report today confirmed that the crash was caused by a build-up of ice on the fuel lines.

And we'll have more news on the foreign embassies in the capital who've run up a 40 million pound congestion charge bill. Blimey, I thought I was bad...

We'll also have news of a scheme to inspire inner city school children to become Olympic rowers (as in boats, not as in professional arguers). Finally, we're joined on the programme by a Bond and a Bond girl. The Bond is Pierce Brosnan who's starring as a Greek god in new film, 'Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief'. We spoke to the former 007 about the new movie, 'the newby', Daniel Craig and how he feels about wearing tights?!?

The Bond girl? Lucy Cotter, of course. She interviewed Mr. Brosnan and joins me on the sofa tonight. Does that make me the next Bond? As good as, surely? It's about time we had a 5'9" slightly graying Bond with a dodgy back, don't you think?

Shee you at shix...Matt and Looshy!
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-02-08T16:08:00.000Z

Afternoon all. Hope you had a good weekend? Personally, it was very satisfying. We have quite a Welsh contingent here on London Tonight; including today's producer, Hannah, Lewis Vaughan Jones and Lucy Cotter. They were all chippy as you like on Friday ahead of England's clash with the old enemy at Twickenham as this year's Six Nations got underway, but are all strangely quiet today? Hannah's pretending she's really busy working on tonight's programme, while Lucy's been headphones on, pretending to edit something showbizzy for the last hour. I haven't seen Lewis yet. It wasn't exactly vintage from England, but we'll take a win to get the campaign underway.

Elsewhere sporty over the weekend, John Terry. More revelations about his private life in the Sundays, but you can't knock his performances on the pitch. 'Me against the world', I guess. I even saw some Arsenal fans lauding his abilities on London Tonight yesterday. A great win for Chelsea that, by the way.

Ok - briefly, tonight's programme is comprised as follows...

First, the resolution of a case we've been following from the beginning - that of police Commander Ali Dizaei, found guilty today of threatening and falsely arresting another man in a row over money. In July 2008 Dizaei attacked Al Baghdadi and had him arrested for no reason. Dizaei even stabbed himself in the stomach and blamed it on Mr. Baghdadi to make his story seem more plausible. Marcus Powell reports on an unbelievable betrayal of public trust.

Also, more on another heartbreaking story out of Haiti that we featured on yesterday's London Tonight. Three month old Landina was left orphaned after last months earthquake. Her arm had to be amputated and she has severe head injuries. She's being looked after by a surgeon from the Chelsea and Westminster hospital, David Nott, who says she needs to be flown for life-saving treatment here in the capital as soon as possible. The authorities won't allow it because she has no official papers, but her situation is getting more critical by the day. We've spoken to some of Mr. Nott's work mates at the Chelsea at Westmister hospital about what treatment Landina would receive were she to be flown here, as well as what they think about their colleague's humanitarian efforts in Haiti.

And we report on the rise of Mephedrone, better known as 'meow meow': a plant food that's being used as a drug. Legal and cheap it's becoming more and more popular with London teenagers, but its effects could be deadly. Most worryingly, if you ask medical experts what the consequences of long term use are, they'll tell you they don't know, there's been very little research. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence on the internet, with various forums citing nosebleeds, chest pains, breathing problems and panic attacks among the side effects. So, how easy is it to get hold of Mephedrone? Worryingly, as Sally Rourke found out.

Also tonight...after a star-studdied week last week, Lucy Cotter's keen to reach the same dizzy showbiz heights this week with actors like Sacha Baron Cohen, James Mcavoy and Oscar hopeful Carey Mulligan all expected at tonight's Evening Standard film awards. I reckon she's just trying to keep out of my way, though. Sure we bet a coffee on the rugby result?!

See you at six

Matt and Katie
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-02-01T17:07:00.000Z

Hello all.

A very quick blog today - a busy afternoon and a packed programme. We'll be looking at great depth into the issue of out of hours doctors and the care they provide after shocking figures illustrate just how few there are. We hear from a man whose wife died of a heart attack hours after being seen by a doctor and told that she had a shoulder strain. So how is it in your area? Tune in to find out.

Also tonight, as the man who murdered a north Londoner and cut up his body is given a life sentence, his truly grizzly criminal past comes to light - and it's shocking stuff.

And we'll have more on the story dominating the papers over the weekend - the allegations about England and Chelsea captain, John Terry's off-field activities with the ex-partner of an England team mate. Debate rages as to whether he should be stripped of the England captaincy by boss Fabio Capello. After reading the pages upon pages of comment and conjecture over the last few days the key questions are whether we expect too much of our sports stars? Probably. But, do most of them seem happy enough to be put on a pedestal if it means the accumulation of vast wealth and fame through sponsorship and merchandising? Almost certainly, I would argue.

Showbiz-wise - Lucy's been busy, as ever: Colin Firth joins her on the red carpet at the premiere of his new movie - while Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon chat with her about their new film, 'Invictus' on tomorrow night's programme....but more of that later.

See you at six

Matt and Katie
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-01-29T17:15:00.000Z

Good Afternoon to you...

As I write this, there is an open box of chocolates sitting next to me. I've had three already. I know, I know, but it is Friday and it's the first chocolate I've had all week... a desperate attempt to shrug off the excess pounds that came with Christmas.

One of our producers, who's in training for the London Marathon (I would, honest, but I've got a dodgy knee), has been on rather a strict diet and has managed to lose the best part of a stone before Christmas. Cut out all sorts of fattening food - and booze. That's commitment for you. And frankly, rather dull.

So, moving on to the programme. It's Friday so we'll be looking at a couple of the big movies coming out this weekend. One's for children. One's for their parents. I'm looking forward to seeing both actually.

And sticking with the entertainment world, Ms Cotter has been to Canvey Island to find out how it changed the history of rock music. I know what you're thinking. I thought the same when I read the prospects for today's programme. We'll find out more together on the programme.

There's also a lot of 'weighty' stuff in the run-down.

You'll have done well to miss the fact that former Prime Minister Tony Blair is being grilled by the Chilcott Inquiry about what he said, thought and did in the build-up to and during the war in Iraq. Well, no one will be following what he says today more closely than Roger Bacon, whose son Major Matthew Bacon was killed in action in September 2005. He's never forgiven Mr Blair for the war and how it was conducted, even calling for him to be prosecuted. Roger has gone down to the QEII centre in Westminster to hear Mr Blair's testimony - in person - and we'll speak to him afterwards for his conclusions.

We'll also have the latest in the trial of two people accused of killing a kitchen salesman, chopping up his body and then spreading the parts round Leicestershire and Hertfordshire. And the latest is fairly dramatic. One of the defendants who had previously admitted chopping up the body but denied murder... has now pleaded guilty to the murder as well.

The story we'd like you to share your opinions on this evening is the commitment made by Community Police Officers in Bexley. They have promised to visit every home before the year. Good idea? Waste of money? Frightening prospect? Watch Lewis' report and then let us know.

And the other reports I have to tell you about is a special report from Emma Walden who is in France today. You may remember the discovery of a mass war grave in Fromelles two years ago where the bodies of thousands of 1st World War soldiers had lain unmarked for 90 years. Through painstaking research, some of those men have now been identified and Emma has been on an emotional journey with a family from a village called The Lee in Buckinghamshire. A grandson paying his respects to his grandfather who died for his country.

So - a very full, very varied programme.

See you at six,

Ben & Nina... hey, wait... don't go yet. Read on - because Mr McCallum is up next:

Good evening,
At the station this morning I was asked by a fellow commuter if I'd be able to gave a talk on meteorology at his son's school. My gut instinct is always to fight shy of such requests, not because I resent being asked (after all it's very flattering) but because I feel a bit of a fraud. I'm not a forecaster as such (that requires a meteorology degree & an aptitude for science which I lack) but merely a presenter who trained in Broadcast Meteorology in order to qualify for my current job. However as we chatted it became clear that the talk required is less about meteorology & more about weather presenting as a career & therefore I probably could cobble together a handful of useful pointers.
In addition to general advice on television presenting there are a couple of specific skills which weather presenters need to master; top of the list should be having a pithy rejoinder always to hand for remarks like "I suppose we've got you to thank for this" & "Got it wrong again didn't you?" & "Can't you do something about the weather then?" followed closely by knowing what to leave out of the forecasts as too much detail is guaranteed to lose you your audience. Ultimately what we really want to know is whether we need coat, umbrella or suncream....
With that in mind it's coat for the next couple of days. It's going to be nippy.
Hope to see you later,
Robin.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-28T16:29:00.000Z

Hello all.

First up tonight, we'll have more on the General Medical Council's ruling today that the doctor who first published evidence linking the MMR jab and autism acted 'dishonestly and irresponsibly' while carrying out his research. Dr Andrew Wakefield's 1998 study, that has since been discredited, caused vaccination rates to plummet and cases of measles to rise, but some parents still support his research as they look to prove a link they're convinced does exist. Whether or not to get your child vaccinated is a subject that really divides opinion, not least in the afternoon meeting we've just had about tonight's show. It's certainly not our place to pass comment on that, but you can have your say via the e-mails later.

Now, anyone caught up in the unpredictability of First Capital Connect's train services over the last few months will want to tune in later as we hear from the company for the first time. We've being chasing them to come on for ages. First, to comment on the situation last year when drivers refused to work their voluntary weekend shifts, causing severe disruption. And, more recently, to speak about the snow-induced commuter chaos to their services. Disgruntled members of the public get their chance to grill company bosses later, too. There's nothing like a good rant to make you feel better!

Also tonight, beer and comedy - a classic combination! First, we meet the East End pensioners, turned brewers, whose first batch of ale was so popular in the trendy bars that stocked it, reserves have run completely dry. They grew their own hops on a patch of ground at their community housing project in Tower Hamlets, evoking memories of when they used to go hop-picking in Kent. 'Old Hopper Brew' was the result and it's proved very popular indeed. I grew up in rural Herefordshire, a 'hop-bed' of beer and cider production, where I still organise a charity food festival each summer partly so that I can sample the latest brews on offer. Phil Bayles managed a taste test of 'Old Hopper' and said it was quite 'zesty'. None left to bring back for the rest of us, apparently, although I'm sure I just heard Phil clanking his way to his locker...?

On the comedy front, Andrew Maxwell joins us on the sofa. Not only an upstanding member of the stand-up community, but a regular on panel shows like 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' and 'Have I got News for You'. He also organises the regular comedy show, 'The Fullmooners' which is timed to co-incide with...the full moon. The next one is this Friday, so we'll get Andrew to tell us what newcomers can expect.

Beer and comedy. Now, if someone could just rustle me up a curry - the weekend can start early!

See you at six

Matt and Nina
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-27T16:34:00.001Z

Hello all.

Mayor Boris Johnson is has announced he's standing down from his role as head of the Metropolitan Police Authority despite pledging in his election campaign that he would personally take charge of the fight against crime in the capital. It represents quite a turnaround but one that some will welcome. He's been heavily criticised for overly politicising the police authority by combining his role as Mayor with that of head of the MPA. But you have to question whether standing down now suggests the doubters were right all along? No comment from Boris, but we do have an interview with former mayor Ken Livingstone over which Simon Harris will cast a politically impartial eye.

Some really bad news for drivers looking to cross Waterloo Bridge any time soon because three lanes will be shut for the rest of the year. Workers are carrying out structural work to the bridge that was built during the Second World War and survived the bombings. Lewis Vaughan Jones (or Ronaldo as we've been calling him since last nights 'keepy-uppy's), had the job of canvassing motorists....can't imagine what they said about it?! Your thoughts welcome later.

And following the desperately sad news that little Imogin Appiah has lost her battle with leukaemia, Glen Goodman's been speaking to her mum about how the fight to recruit more potential bone marrow donors will continue in her memory.

In sport, we'll have more on the problems at Crystal Palace following yesterday's news that the administrators have been called and in showbiz, we're joined by the woman once voted among the top ten 'hottest' on the planet. It's an image lads-mag legend Abi Titmuss is working hard to shed and she's in promoting her new play, 'Stage Fright'. It'll be interesting to hear how her new career as an actor is going - she got good reviews for playing Lady Macbeth recently and now she's turning her hand to comedy.

'And Finally'...Ben Scotchbrook is on Oxford Street with a load of anamatronic dinosaurs...which hopefully haven't been anywhere near Waterloo Bridge, or we could have a new lead story!

See you at six.

Matt and Lucy
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-22T16:44:00.001Z

Hello. Welcome to the weekend.

A mixed bag in store for you tonight. The award for the oddest story of the day goes to an investment group, supported by Boris Johnson, to get the Bloomsbury, Holborn and St Giles areas of London collectively renamed. 'Midtown' is what they've got in mind...yes, that's what I thought, too! The idea is to get local businesses to put into a purse to improve the area, which seems reasonable enough. But why the ridiculous re-branding? Do they not know that Holborn has been called for over a thousand years?! And if you have to change the name - 'Midtown'? I mean, there are obviously numerous similarities bewteen Midtown New York and Bloomsbury, Holborn and St Giles: For NYC - Times Square, The Empire State Building, Broadway, Grand Central Station? The London areas, well, don't they don't have those, let's be honest. Your thoughts welcome on the email and perhaps your suggestions too. What do you think would be an appropriate new name? Keep them suitable for tea-time viewing please!

In more serious news, Nick Thatcher looks into reports that British Airways are training up baggage handlers to act as cabin crew to combat possible strikes and we'll have more on the impending misery for Jubilee Line users as maintenance crews prepare to stage a series of walkouts over pay...during Monday rush hours/.

There's another exciting F.A. Cup weekend in the offing and Lewis Vaughan Jones previews the fourth round clash between Crystal Palace and Wolves and looks at whether the magic of the F.A. Cup still exists. It's 20 years since Palace got to the final at Wembley. They drew 3-3 with Manchester United and lost the replay. It was United's first major trophy under Alex Fergusson and the closest Palace have ever come to major silverware. My prediction for the Wolves game? A hard fought match...I'm not falling for that one!

James King's in to talk all things movies and we have some budding young journalists in the studio for a chat too. They've been part of a national competition to find the next generation of talented reporters. Who's silly idea was that, by the way? Better not mess it up tonight, then - what with ready-made replacements literally waiting in the wings!

See you at Six.

Matt and Nina

PS Palace to win 1-0 - I must be swept up in the magic of the Cup!

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-21T18:48:00.000Z

Afternoon all. Short blog today, sorry.

Now, what price an apology? 'Sorry seems to be the hardest word', according to Elton John. It's certainly a hard word to say and really mean, but it's not a hard word to say. Most of us say it numerous times a day and don't really mean it. Am I sorry it's a short blog today? Not really, to be honest - sorry...I meant it that time! So, how hard was it for two teenagers who threatened, harassed and assaulted staff at shops in East Ham to say sorry to their victims? It depends if they meant it and only they can answer that, but they've written letters of apology as part of their punishment. We'll find out later what their victims made of the letters. And feel free to contribute your two-penneth in the usual fashion.

Talking of apologies, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said sorry for William Gallas' horror tackle in last night's 4-2 win over Bolton. That's massive news. I mean, it was an absolute shocker of a challenge that saw Mark Davies stretchered off and how Gallas wasn't shown a red card, I'll never know. I've got a lot of respect for Arsene Wenger, and well done Arsenal for going top of the table, but he does have a history of selective eyesight when it comes to this sort of thing. So, fair play to him - apology accepted Arsene. But then, I don't suppose it was directed at me, really?

Also tonight, Lucy catches up with Sir Ian McKellen and Matthew Kelly who are starring in Samuel Beckett's groundbreaker, 'Waiting for Godot' at The Theatre Royal, Haymarket.

Matt and Katie

PS - I've just watched the interview Arsene Wenger gave on Match of the Day last night and it goes as follows...

Question: "Owen Coyle (the Bolton manager) feels that William Gallas 'assaulted' his player. What do you make of that?"

Arsene Wenger: "I don't think so. If it was like that, I regret it and I'm sorry but it didn't look like that during the game."

Hmmmm. Sing it again, Elton. Not sure the message has quite got through, yet!

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-20T16:41:00.000Z

Hello all.

Plenty to get through tonight and it's all pretty serious stuff.

We start with the backlash against the Met following an Independent Police Complaints Comission report into their handling of the Warboys case. Black cab driver, John Worboys, was convicted of one rape and 11 sex assaults in March last year and jailed indefinitely. But the IPCC report has highlighted a catalogue of errors that could have prevented the attacks on dozens of women, one of whom says her initial complaint was met with derision by officers who laughed at her. 'Lessons have been learned', say the Met and five officers have been received written warnings and 'advice', which hardly seems punishment enough. The most worrying aspect though, is the 'mind-set' within the Met talked about in the report. Another investigation into how the unidentified 21 year old woman's complaint was handled has now been ordered and there are plenty of questions for us to ask Commander Simon Foy, who's head of the Met's homicide and serious crime investigations unit, when he joins us live later.

Next, the mother who killed her brain-damaged son by injecting him with heroin has been found guilty of murder and sentened to a minimum of nine years in prison. Tom Inglis suffered severe head injuries when he fell out of a moving ambulance and his mother Francis, told the jury she had "no choice" other than to end his suffering.

We'll have more on the murder of teenager Asha Muneer, whose body was discovered by a riverside footpath in Reading on Monday night. Tributes have been paid to the teenager who was stabbed to death as she walked home. A 19-year-old man is being questioned on suspicion of murder. And we'll have more on how the tragedy in Haiti is still affecting people from London.

Finally tonight, a spot of light relief as we examine the connection between the best athletes in the world and a group of quilt-making ladies from Hertfordshire??? All will be revealed, not least to me?

See you at six. Matt and Katie.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-19T16:20:00.000Z

Hello all.

Firstly, apologies for the rather abrubt end to last night's programme. One minute we were hearing from Lucy Cotter at the O2 about the BRIT nominations, the next we were off air without so much as a 'goodbye from us'! No, we weren't all off down the bookies to place bets on Lucy's BRITs tips, but there was a minor drama with a fire alarm. Katie and I were, of course, prepared to keep broadcasting until the bitter end, but we were told to join the orderly queue marching to the assembly point outside. So, apologies for that, but I understand you were left in the capable hands of Fred Dineage and the 'Meridian Tonight' team? I also understand that Fred signed off by thanking viewers in London and urging you to stay with them as theirs is 'a much better programme anyway'. He's a real card, Fred...no really, hilarious! ;-)

So. Tonight then...

We'll have details on the murder of a woman in Reading. The 19-year-old was found on a footpath next to the river Kennet at about quarter past nine last night. Forensic teams spent this morning searching the scene and police are asking for anyone who saw anything to get in touch. Murray Dron will have the very latest for us.

The takeover at West Ham by former Birmingham City owners, David Gold and David Sullivan features heavily this evening. They've got some task on their hands with the previous Icelandic owners leaving things in a pretty sorry state at Upton Park. There was the usual press conference rhetoric earlier which ranged from Premiere League survival in the short term to world domination in the long, but they're well aware of the task ahead. Sullivan estimates the club has debts in excess of a hundred million pounds and has inheritted a squad in need of serious bolstering. On the bright side for West Ham fans, what you have got in David Sullivan is a man committed to the cause. I interviewed him several times up in the Midlands while he was at Birmingham City and he was never shy of telling anyone of his aspirations to one day own West Ham. He's been waiting over twenty years. They aren't the sort of owners who sack managers either - two in sixteen years at Birmingham - and in Karen Brady, West Ham's new Vice Chairman, the club has one of the shrewdest operators in the business. What is interesting, is Mr. Sullivan's desire to move the club into the Olympic stadium...although without the athletics track. Quite what that does to the all-important legacy that was key to London's bid, only time will tell.

We'll have the Surrey family who are twenty six million pounds richer after winning the lottery...maybe we'll put them in touch with West Ham? Also, Lucy has the lowdown on new play, 'Six Degrees of Separation' - openning at the Old Vic tonight. And Robin will be going round in circles to bring us the weather as he marks the tenth anniversary of the London Eye. He'll be broadcasting live from one of the pods...a podcast then, surely?

See you at Six

Matt and Katie. And Robin...and Robin again...oh look, there's Robin...!

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-19T14:34:00.000Z

Hello all. Plenty on the show tonight...

Boris Johnson joins us live on the show tonight as he announces plans to completely eradicate London's dependence on landfill sites to dump our rubbish by 2025. With over four hundred million tonnes generated a year at a cost of over £600m to process, London has the worst recycling ratio in the country, something Bozza says we have to change. At the moment though, there's a massive discrepancy between the performances of different London Boroughs when it comes to recycling rubbish, so how's Boris going to do it? We'll ask him.

Also tonight, the passing of one of the capital's most colourful characters has been marked with what was much more a celebration of his life than a mourning of his death. For more than thirty years Peter Moore was the London's town crier, adorning events with his eye-catching garb and ear-splitting announcements. Mr. Moore died five days before Christmas, at the age of seventy and today, family, friends and fans gathered for his funeral.

And, the remarkable story of Nicholas McCarthy from Surrey who's chasing his dream to become a concert pianist. Admirable, but not that remarkable, you might think? But Nicholas only has one arm. Now, I had piano lessons as a youngster, so I know a bit about just how good you have to be to get to that level ('Easy to Play Christmas Carols' can be pretty taxing too, though, let me tell you) and I just can' t see how that's possible? Luckily, for me, Carolyn Sim can...

Also on the show tonight, Lucy's at the O2 for the announcement of this year's BRIT Award nominations which are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. The tv ceremony was always a must-see in our house and for some classic BRITs nostalgia, check out 'The BRITs Hits 30' on ITV1on Saturday night. It'll showcase some of the best performances from the past three decades. I don't know if Sam Fox and Mick Fleetwood's cringeworthy attempts to host the show or Jarvis Cocker's infamous bum-wiggling stage invasion during Michael Jackson's performance make the list...but they should do! In terms of this year's nominations, what of London's chances? Well, La Roux, Dizzy Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and JLS have all got to be in with a shout (according to Lucy...I really have no clue). Bromley's Pixie Lott performs at the launch party tonight too, so plenty for us to shout about. Nominations are annouced while we're on air, so prepare for another classic tv moment as Lucy's left with nothing to announce if things are running late...good luck!

See you at six. Matt and Katie.

LONDON TONIGHT

2010-01-15T16:58:00.001Z

Good Afternoon everyone,

Hope you're all well - looking forward to the weekend, devoid of snow and ice, we hope.

Got to be a quick round-up for this evening's programme - so here goes.

We've been speaking to the cousin of a UN worker who was on duty in Haiti. She hasn't been heard of since the quake that has killed thousands. No one can imagine the anguish her family is going through.

A family in anguish is also at the heart of another story tonight - the cousin of Sukhwinder Singh is appealing for help in catching his killers. You may remember the young father died in Barking last Friday after he gave chase to muggers who'd just made off with a lady's handbag. He caught up with them. They stabbed him.

There's also the battle between some homeowners who haven't had their rubbish collected. For 7 weeks. It stinks. How fair is that? We've been speaking to the council involved. Harrow, for your information.

Speaking of what's fair and what isn't fair... West Ham have today been fined £115,000 for the violent clashes between their fans and Millwall fans at Upton Park last year. Lots of debate in the office on how much impact that will actually have on the club.

And James King will be in talking about two new movies you might want to catch this weekend.

Robin McCallum will be out talking about what he can do with a block of ice and a chisel.

And Marcus Powell will be 'under' the water...

Find out why - at six.

Ben & Nina

Good evening,

There's been much talk of the thaw over the last couple of days. In Central London there's little, if any, evidence of the recent snow & ice but you don't have to travel too far out of town to find icy pavements & untreated minor roads still deep in snow.

Ironically fresh snow (I have discovered) is much easier to drive & walk on than the mushy grey sorbet that's still about, lying stubbornly on top of a frozen crust. In my neck of the woods driving anywhere other than on A roads remains quite a challenge - the thick slush makes it almost impossible to anything other than move very slowly forwards in a straight line. Turning a corner is alarming because the moment you leave the tracks left by the other cars it becomes the vehicular equivalent of Round 1 of Dancing on Ice.

We've got wind & rain on the way, though, (HURRAH) so with any luck the temperatures will improve & the snow might be washed away. Let's just hope it doesn't lead to flooding....

Hope to see you later,

Robin.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-13T17:13:00.000Z

Hello again.

Not sure about you, but I'm getting a bit sick of snow, ice, slush and freezing cold train platforms. Maybe it's a sign of getting old, because my children are desperate for more of the white stuff. Apparently, the snowteddy in the playground could do with a bit of a facelift?! For the grown ups though, it only makes the working week all the harder. Snow has settled in central London for the first time this winter, some roads are impassable and some rail networks are suffering severe disruption. And, with all of our airports affected, those trying to escape to warmer climes have been scuppered today too. We're taking your emails on this tonight, so get in touch with your stories of how you've spent the day battling the weather. Maybe you've glimpsed some rarely seen community spirit that's kept you moving or perhaps you've got a view on why there's more snow chaos just days after the last lot?
...the full story later.

Plus, of course, we'll bring you bang up to date with what's happening now and how the gritters are balancing trying to keep us moving with the Government's directive to conserve salt and grit rations. Our reporters and camera crews have been going against all that is sensible and battling the conditions to bring you the latest picture from right around the region.

If you are on the move this evening, Ben Scotchbrook will have the full travel picture and Chrisie will have the latest weather forecast. But, if you want my advice - lock yourselves in for the night, get a nice hot chocolate on the go (marshmallows preferable, but not essential) and let us bring you up to speed with the latest movie turned West End musical to hit the stage in the capital...

'Legally Blonde' follows the trail blazed by the likes of 'Sister Act', 'Billy Elliott' and 'Grease' and tonight it opens at the Savoy Theatre in The Strand. Sheridan Smith plays the ditsy lead role made famous by Reese Witherspoon in the film. You might know Sheridan from her telly roles in 'Benidorm' and the brilliant 'Gavin and Stacey' in which she played Smithy's' sister, Rudi - also known as...er...Smithy?! Duncan James, once of boyband, 'Blue' fame, also stars. So, 'All Rise' for Lucy Cotter who's been down to rehearsals to find out 'what's occurin'?!

See you at six

Matt and Katie.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-12T16:20:00.001Z

Hello all.

Some real talking points on the programme tonight. The one I suspect will spark the biggest response on the emails is the call by 'Peta' (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for the use of real bear skin on the ceremonial helmets worn by soldiers on guard at Buckingham Palace to be banned. Campaigners say the use of real fur, a tradition that goes back to the battle of Waterloo, directly contributes to the declining numbers of Canadian black bears in the wild. The MoD says a suitable synthetic alternative isn't available. But what's causing the most controversy is 'Peta's' current ad campaign which shows a grizzly mock-up of a soldier wearing a bear head with blood trickling down his face. Is that an appropriate image to put on the side of London busses when troops continue to die in Afghanistan? We'll discuss later.

Next, we've reported a lot on the power of the Met police to 'stop and search' anyone anywhere, without suspicion, under anti-terrorism laws. Well, that power has now been ruled illegal by the European courts. They were looking into the case brought by a photo-journalist and a student, who were stopped near an arms fair in Docklands in September 2003 and ruled that their human rights had been violated. So, with more than a quarter of a million people stopped and searched under the power in 2008, but with Home Office figures showing that only 0.6 per cent of stops led to an arrest, is this ruling a victory for freedom and democracy or a weakening of the police's power to combat terrorism?

Also tonight - as the ice melts, the pipes burst. Thames Water, which covers London and parts of the Thames Valley, has a backlog of 400 leaks to deal with - twice the normal number for this time of year. Somewhat of a 'thaw' point, I imagine?

And Lucy Cotter has today's BAFTA nominations for the 'Rising Star' award. From our patch: Nicolas Hoult from Wokingham who played Marcus in 'About a (Berkshire?) Boy' with Hugh Grant. He also plays Tony in 'Skins'. Out of interest, previous winners include Shia LaBeouf (the slightly manic bloke out of 'Transformers') and James McAvoy (who's done some really great work...but will always be Mr. Tumnus to me!)

Plenty more later.

See you at six,

Matt and Katie

london tonight tonight

2010-01-08T17:05:00.001Z

Hello all. Welcome to what is set to be another cold and icey weekend. The weather dominates once again tonight as we concentrate on the region's schools. It must be a tough call for head teachers to decide whether to close their doors or not in the bad weather. If they do, they risk creating a knock-on childcare nightmare for parents and get accused of being too soft. If they do soldier on and keep their doors open despite the snow, they risk the health and safety of staff and pupils. As ever, a common sense balance needs to be struck, but is it being? Murray Dron has spent the day looking at how many schools in our area have closed and how the Heads make the decision. What does seem strange is why some schools are shut while those just down the road stay open? Murray will have more and as ever, your thoughts welcome on the email.

We'll also take an in-depth look at how the bad weather can affect the elderly. Last winter in London more than three and a half thousand people over the age of 65 died because of cold weather. But it's not just their health that can suffer - many feel isolated and alone. Ronke Philips investigates.

The last of what's been an emotive series of features from Phil Bayles about our ASBO city tonight and Hollywood actor Colin Salmon (who's been in several Bond movies playing 'M's' sidekick) is coming in, weather permitting! He'll fill us in on his 'thrilling' new film, 'Exam'.

And then - I make an idiot of myself ice skating. There's more to the story as I meet nine-time British speed skating champion, European silver medalist and soon-to-be three-time Olympian, Sarah Lindsay. But, 'I make a prat of myself ice skating' pretty much sums things up.

See you six

Matt and Nina
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2010-01-05T14:31:00.001Z

Hello there. A belated happy New Year to you all. I hope you had an enjoyable and stress free Christmas. Personally, apart from the obligatory lack of batteries on Christmas morning and only realising that I'd forgot to put the vegetarian option in the oven as I was serving up the Christmas dinner, it all went off pretty well. Food wise, it was a case of five weeks to plan and five minutes to demolish, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, there were no major dramas and it was great to spend time with family and friends. We were hosting, so I've started the New Year thoroughly exhausted, but Katie takes the award for the busiest festive period - I'm amazed she's still standing!

Favourite present? 'The Bumper Book of Cricket Trivia'. Most random gift received? Comedy musical instruments tie which, I'm sorry mum, will never make it into the studio!

So, after what seems like a month of over-indulging and under-sleeping, welcome to the first week of January. I'm not a big fan of resolutions, I never seem to stick to them, but if I was to make any they would be the usual kind of stuff: go to the gym more often (or at all), lay off the vino (I might just start with week nights) and get a grip of the finances (there's a real danger that a S.W.A.T team may be waiting for me the next time I try to use my debit card). A quick straw poll in the office sees programme editor Ken and entertainment guru Lucy both needing to go down the fitness route as the London Marathon looms large. Katie is also committed to taking more exercise, but is yet to assemble the new bike she had for Christmas which doesn't bode well. She also wants to join a choir and do some metal detecting, which could make for an interesting weekend?! Alastair Stewart, the busiest man in telly, hopes to make a bit more time for himself in 2010 - which is never going to happen in an election year!

Collectively, (corporate alert) the London Tonight team will continue to bring you the latest news from the world's best city along with in-depth features, special reports and all that's hot in the world of movies, music, entertainment and the arts in our own unique way. We've started the new term with renewed vigour and enthusiasm (I got the memo) and another belter of a programme tonight, so don't forget to tune in at six.

The weather dominates proceedings later with the Met Office warning that the severe snow that has already disrupted much of the north of England is heading our way. Remember the disruption in the capital last February when the snow fell? Everything seemed to grind to a complete halt. I got snowed in at work...which was no fun at all. So, are we any better prepared this time round? We'll ask Boris, but suffice to say, I've brought my toothbrush just in case!

Matt and Katie
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2009-12-23T17:46:00.001Z

Good Afternoon and a very 'Happy Christmas Eve-Eve' to one and all.

Can't believe it. All the shopping's done. All the food's in. Just got a bit of wrapping to do now which I'll knock off when I get in later tonight. (And it is later tonight - the late bulletin's on at twenty five past eleven.) And all for one day. Seriously, why do we do it? Because it's fun, that's why. Whether you're with your family, round at your mate's or having a nice quiet one with the best of the year's TV... I hope you have a wonderful time.

That's all to come. There's the small matter of this evening's news programme to negotiate first.

And it starts tonight with pilots attempting to negotiate their way down onto the runway at Heathrow, in the face of the craziest of crazes that has only got worse this year. Increasingly often, pilots have been coming into land only to have a complete idiot firing a laser pen up into the cockpit from the ground. Even the low-powered laser-pens could completely disorientate the pilot, while the more powerful models could damage their eyes permanently. We've been up with the police in their helicopter, taking a look at their clever kit which can spot up exactly where the pens are being shone from.

Now, spare a thought for all those people who had plans to be elsewhere this Christmas. By elsewhere I mean somewhere significantly different to where they are now. Well, you know, people who were going to travel somewhere before the big day (don't know why I didn't say that in the first place) and can't because of the weally wintery weather we've been having. I'm still struggling to believe this but I'm told that earlier in the day the queue at St Pancras station (think Eurostar) stretched for over 2 miles. That's a big queue. Even longer if you're in it with small children.

And then the story of Eileen and Tom Allen from Hampshire whose son Martin disappeared 30 years ago. He was just 15 at the time. They were living in Kensington when he just disappeared. There was a huge police operation at the time, following a possible sighting of Martin with a man on the tube. But after all these years, they still don't know what happened to him. And they want to know. They really want to know.

We'll cover that and we'll also have a report on the crisis centres that are set up every Christmas for the capital's homeless people. We're told 8 thousand volunteers are giving their time and expertise to help people less fortunate than themselves this year. Very laudable - and we all take our hats off to them.

China figures in one of our reports tonight - the story of a man from Kentish Town, Akmal Shaikh who was caught carrying a substantial amount heroin through a Chinese airport. His punishment? The death penalty. In six days' time. The Prime Minister has joined the chorus of people appealing for clemency from the Chinese government, in light of the fact that Mr Sheikh has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder - an extreme form of depression which leaves him suffering from delusions.

We'll also have the final part of our special series looking at Londoners serving on the front line in Afghanistan.

And to play out tonight - something Christmassy...

See you at six,

Ben & Nina

Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2009-12-21T17:18:00.001Z

Good Afternoon to you.

And if it is a good afternoon where you are, spare a thought for those who are fighting on the front line in Afghanistan, looking after those on the front line, keeping them fed and watered too. It is a massive operation and it will carry on regardless of Christmas. Well, this week, as we most of thoughts turn to decorations, fancy food and exciting presents, we're going to be shining the spotlight on all those who won't be enjoying the fruits of the festive period with their friends and family. Our reporter Ronke Phillips and one of our cameramen, Mike Field, are in Camp Bastion tonight where they're reporting on some members of the Territorial Army who normally live and work in our part of the world but this Christmas are on duty in a much more hostile part of the world. Keep your fingers crossed as we're then hoping to link one of them up with her colleagues at Brixton Prison.

We'll then have the latest on the woman who was questioned at Southwark police station last week. She organised for someone to come and look after her baby. But the police officers there then gave the little girl to, er, someone else. Someone not known to the family. A stranger in fact. Who then left the police station with her. The good news, the excellent news, is that the baby has been found and she's both safe and well. The bad news is that this happened. The Met are, unsurprisingly, looking into it.

Christmas - and the prospect of a less than jolly one - underpins another of our stories. A number of homeowners over Barnet way have lost their gas supply because of a flood. That's no central heating, not hot water, no cooker. How does a flood cut off your gas? We're trying to find out. The thing is - a lot of these people were given a little electric heater to combat the worst of the cold - but that then shorted their electricity supply too. And Christmas is just four days away now...

Someone who probably personifies the true message of Christmas is The Reverend Simon Boxall. His adopted daughter, Hosie, died when she jumped out of a window in Blackheath after two girls bullied her into it. It was a dreadful story and the two culprits were convicted of manslaughter last month. Most of us in the Reverend's position would struggle to say anything less than scathing about the pair of them but he has publicly forgiven them, because he said, someone has to break the cycle of bitterness. And he and his wife feel it should be them.

We've another story which suggests the spirit of Christmas isn't only something you read about in Dickens' novels.

You may remember we told you about some burglars who broke into a house in Islington recently and stole a TV, computer games and Christmas presents - right in front of a nine year old boy. Bailey Preston has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair, so was powerless to intervene. Well, when we broadcast the story we had a lot of people getting in touch, telling us how appalled they were. And a lot of them did more than that.

Oh, and we've also got some sewer workers singing a Christmas song. In the sewers. Now that's what I call Christmas.

See you at six,

Ben & Nina

Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

London Tonight Tonight

2009-12-17T16:54:00.001Z

Hi there.

We've dedicated a large chunk of tonight's programme to the resolution of the court case into the murder of Tulay Goren, the fifteen year old girl from east London who disappeared in 1999. It's a case we've been keeping a close eye on for some months and today her father, Mehmet Goren, was found guilty of her murder at the Old Bailey. His brothers, Cuma and Ali Goren - Tulay's uncles - were found not guilty of murdering her. Tulay was the victim of an 'honour killing' after she had a relationship with a man her father disapproved of. Tonight, as well as a report from Lewis Vaughan Jones who's been following the court case closely, Phil Bayles has an exclusive report from the remote area of Turkey from where the Goren family originally hail. He's been looking at the background of Mehmet Goren and speaking to his family about the traditions, culture and attitudes that may have influenced a father into murdering his teenage daughter in the name of so-called 'honour'. Tulay's body has never been found.

Our second special report comes from Ronke Philips who's been investigating a new unit at Scotland Yard, set up to look into the increasing number of 'honour killings' in the capital. It's already achieved successes, not least in challenging the attitudes of police officers.

Also tonight, the heartbreaking story of yet another family's loss as another soldier dies in Afghanistan. Rifleman James Brown, from Orpington in Kent, was just 18 when he and a comrade died trying to stop bombs going off in a packed marketplace. Rifleman Brown, who had only been in Afghanistan for a matter of days before he was killed, becomes the 30th serviceman from London and the south-east to die in the conflict.

Off the back of that story...will someone explain to me why a petition to give some of our soldiers the freedom of the borough of Epsom has been snubbed by the local council? More on that later.

Matt and Katie.

Weather blog

2009-12-17T15:09:00.000Z

Good evening,

When it comes to the weather I think that for most people in the UK our instinct is to complain & we'll be given plenty of opportunity to do that over the next few days. Topics obviously change with the seasons (a sunless summer/autumn storms/the recent wet weather) & the main theme on the train in to London this morning was the ice in the roads in our neck of the woods.

Apparently the roads were pretty treacherous yesterday afternoon & near lethal this morning. I'm guessing that this applies to the more minor roads, because all the local councils have had ample warning of the current cold snap & the gritters should certainly have been out in force. They'll be out again now because the most significant snow of the winter so far will be hitting the south-east later tonight. It may well look like a winter wonderland when we all climb out of our beds tomorrow, but if we're not to have a collective sense of humour loss (something I'm never guilty of....) the roads will need to be passable.

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-12-16T16:56:00.001Z

So, it's been snowing.

Not the sort of snow that brought London to a rather embarrassing standstill on 2nd February, giving lots of children (big and small) an excuse to dodge school and work and go snowballing and sledging instead. Alas, anyone hoping to get home this evening and rush straight out for snowballing is going to be sorely disappointed. Still, Mr McCallum tells me there may well be more to come tomorrow. As I speak, Robin is gathering his coat and scarf, ready to head off to Leyton to bring us the weather and a word or two on the gritters ready to hit the roads tonight.

So, that's Robin's duties laid out.

Our top story tonight (Murray Dron on duty) is Peter Tobin's conviction - found guilty today of murdering Dinah McNichol, from Tillingham in Essex. He was already in prison for murdering two other women, one of whom was found buried beside Dinah at his former house in Margate. Police are now relaunching 'Operation Anagram' which was investigating whether Tobin has many more victims to his name.

Piers Hopkirk has been working on the story of the RAF Nimrod that crashed in Afghanistan in 2006. The Government apologised for "failings" today to the families of 14 people who died. How would you feel if an official report into such a catastrophe ruled that it was an "avoidable accident"?

Sharon Thomas will bring us the background to an extraordinary statistic. It's been reported that one in five London drivers have been involved in an accident where some idiot has dropped something from a bridge onto a car passing below. She's been speaking to the partner of a lorry driver who died after it happened to him on the M3.

There was a crash in Battersea today - involving a lorry and a bus, a double-decker bus, that is - which ended up on its side. More than 20 people were injured so we sent Lewis Vaughan Jones down to get the full story.

Marcus Powell's brief is to bring us the low-down on one of those stories which turn your stomach. A grandmother who's going blind and who was fleeced by a conman of her life savings. About a million pounds' worth. Police reckon the man who took it all is somewhere in the south of France.

Carolyn Sim has been to Gatwick today to see someone sing - and she's just assured me that the Dagenham Diva (aka Stacey Solomon) can sing really rather well. She was promoting an internet competition to see who's the best at karaoke. From the X-factor to Karaoke in less than two weeks. There's fame for you. I'm kidding. She's getting paid to do it. I'd love to get paid to sing. I wouldn't bet on it.

And from the X-Factor to the 'aaah-factor'. Liz Wickham has been meeting three triplets who were born three months prematurely. All are now thriving thanks to the wonder team at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. And their parents have said thank you. By raising a quarter of a million pounds for the baby unit. There won't be a dry eye in the house. Or is that hospital.

See you at six,

Ben & Lucy

PS: By the way, our job is to keep things together. And interview the man who made "I don't believe it" a national catchphrase.

Weather blog

2009-12-16T16:13:00.001Z

Good evening,

Snow's great. Especially at this point in December. As those of us who are perenially disorganised begin the panic of present buying, filled with self hatred at not having learnt from previous experience & resenting the fact that there are other people on the pavements too, it provides a welcome glimpse into how Christmas should look according to the cards & the movies. The practical horrors of last minute shopping are anaesthetised by soft white flakes falling from the sky & the frosted landscape demands that we take a moment to appreciate the magical transformation.

Then, of course, reality kicks in & the practicalities of getting to & from work/school/etc. overshadow everything else & the magic becomes tarnished at roughly the same pace as the snow turns grey & slushy. But then each time there is a fresh fall, our spirits are raised again & the cycle cranks into action one more time.

This will be the pattern over the next few days as the cold cuts, the frost bites & the snow flurries. Enjoy.

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-12-15T16:47:00.001Z

Good afternoon all.

First, tonight: police who say they broke up an Al-Qaida terrorism cell after catching a man filming on the Underground have released footage he took on his mobile phone. It follows a story Marcus covered for us last week about complaints police are using anti-terrorism laws to stop people taking photographs in London. So, with the police saying they may have averted a major atrocity - where do you stand now on just how far the police should be able to go? Marcus has the story for us.

Next, a man found guilty of a violent attack on a gay couple in their home in south east London back in March is facing life in jail tonight. Gerald Edwards was killed while his partner, Chris Bevan, only survived after having his heart massaged as he lay on the blood-covered floor of his flat. He was left with "catastrophic injuries" and police have commended his bravery in giving evidence by video-link to help bring 46 year old David Kilcullen to justice. Chris talks to us about the attack and the devastation of losing his partner of 18 years.

Also, as the World's leaders meet in Copenhagen to discuss climate change, Boris Johnson told delegates at the summit of his plans to make London the greenest city in Europe. And, as Boris rubbed shoulders with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 'Johnsonator' also claimed that Londoners would soon all live within a mile of a charging point for an electric car...More power to him...

Elsewhere...the head teacher who suspended 300 children when he took charge of a failing Dagenham school has been knighted after turning it around and speculation about the future ownership of West Ham United continues following a bid by former Birmingham City owners, Davids Sullivan and Gold.

And, Lucy's been to meet former 'Sex Pistols' frontman, John Lydon, as he prepares to tour with the reformed 'Public Image Limited'. One of those interviews you might be a bit nervous about beforehand, but Lucy says he was totally charming, or utterly butterly wouldn't melt, perhaps? Sorry about the jokes, I can't believe they're not better...!

See you at Six

Matt and Lucy

Weather blog

2009-12-15T14:36:00.001Z

Good evening,

Our local golf club is under new management. It's recently had a multi-million pound makeover to include an upgrade of all the sporting facilities, a rebrand & a new chef.

Of course there are, despite all these improvements, rumblings of discontent from the old guard who have a rather more traditional approach to the golf club concept. Interestingly, they are not unhappy about the inclusion of pilates classes or the new juice bar, it's the fact that there is now an army of high chairs in the dining room heralding a move away from the old gentleman's club atmosphere towards 'family dining'.

I do understand this resisitance to change, after all none of us adjusts easily, but in their shoes I would be much more troubled by the bold new sign at the entrance gates which proudly declares 'Sunday lunches; now being served every Sunday.'

There's a good chance play will be interrupted over the next few days because snow is on the way. Any time from tomorrow lunchtime onwards. Perhaps the dining room -despite the high chairs- will provide the ideal refuge.

See you later,

Robin

LONDON TONIGHT

2009-12-11T16:41:00.000Z

Afternoon all.

Not sure about you, but I'm starting to feel increasingly Christmassy. I spent last night cooking some stuff to put in the freezer ready for a family do on Boxing Day and stirred away happily, humming along to some classic Christmas tunes. What's your favourite? A bit of Chris Rea, 'Driving Home for Christmas'? 'Stop the Cavalry' by Jona Lewie? What about the Pogues and Kirsty Maccoll, 'A Fairty Tale of New York'? Classics! Actually, I think I'm the only person I know who'll even admit to liking 'Mistletoe and Wine'. At least Cliff was actually singing about Christmas.

Not for you? How about something more recent? What about last year's Christmas number one by Alexandra Burke? Or the year before when Leon Jackson was at the top of the charts? 2006? Leona Lewis. 2005 - Shane Ward. You get the idea. The Christmas chart is now almost certain to be topped by wheover wins the X-Factor and it's a source of severe irritation to many. When I was growing up, waiting to hear who had the Christmas number one was as much a part of the festive traditions as paper crowns, forgetting the batteries and numerous failed attempts to light the Christmas pudding (tip - light a ladle full of brandy before pouring over the pud, thus minimising the chances of setting fire to the table cloth.)

Now, every few days recently, my feelings of festiveness have been enhanced by my walk past a new ice sculpture at St. Pancras station on the way home. So far, I've taken snaps on my phone to show the kids of a massive Christmas tree and a glistening Big Ben. Really impressive. But, what do you think the latest offering is? A huge present? Carol singers? Father Christmas? The Nativity scene? No...it's a life size sculpture of the X-Factor judges - adding further fuel to speculation that Simon Cowell won't rest until he's given a live television address every Christmas afternoon and children write to him with their wish-lists instead of Father Christmas.

Actually, that's a bit unfair. A quick look at the Christmas number ones over the past 60 years show everything from Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in 1975, to Pink Floyd's, 'Another Brick in The Wall' in 1979 and 'Return to Sender' by Elvis Presley in 1962, which, unless it was written by a disgruntled child about his present from Santa, isn't a Christmas record either? The X-Factor might be stopping other songs getting to number one at Christmas, but it isn't stopping anyone else releasing them. There's no shame in making the top ten!

So...while a sculpture of the judges is a little random, I'll grant you, I'm going to go with it. Partly because I love the show and can't wait for this weekend's final (how often do you get a programme you can sit with your seven year-old daughter and both enjoy watching?), partly because it's really impressive, and partly because we've sent Chrissie down to take a closer look and possibly try her hand a doing a sculpture of her own. Goodness knows what will greet me on the way home tonight!

See you later

Matt and Nina.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT

2009-12-09T17:23:00.000Z

Hi there,

Really busy afternoon so today's blog will be delivered in the style of the famous Andre Previn (or rather, 'Andrew Preview') sketch from the classic 1971 Morecambe and Wise Christmas special. If you havn't seen it, YouTube it, it's a classic.

On the programme tonight...

1. Rupert Everett and Colin Firth join Lucy on the red carpet at the premiere of 'St Trinian's 2'.
2. Robin has the weather.
3. Warnings that 144 ticket offices on the Tube network could be shut, costing 12 hundred jobs.
4. A man from East London found guilty of conspiracy to murder after he plotted to blow up planes mid air.
5. Police using anti-terrorism laws to stop innocent photographers from taking pictures in the capital.
6. And a new West End show to celebrate the life of the one and only Eric Morecambe.

There you go...all the right stories, not necessarily in the right order. "More tea Ern? Ho Ho!"

See you at Six

Matt and Nina
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

London Tonight Tonight

2009-12-08T16:22:00.001Z

Good afternoon,

What do a cat, some squirrels and Elton John's trousers have in common? They all feature on tonight's programme, of course (I could feel the company lawyers hovering over the panic button as they read that sentence). Before all that though, on the show tonight: the debate over a third runway at Heathrow rumbles on with campaigners challenging a report by environmentalists that says it wouldn't necessarily compromise long term UK emissions targets. Also, a London woman convicted of drugs smuggling in Laos has begun her appeal. And the independent review into the death of Baby P has found that the clinic where he was seen just two days before he died was understaffed at the time.

Also...after the immortal phrase on last night's programme, 'Tests show the Mr. Squiggles Go-Go Hamster may have toxic fur.' Tonight we have a story about a woman whose house has been over-run by squirrels...real ones. Actually, it really isn't a laughing matter for Sandra Munoz from Clapham, who's had to redecorate from top to bottom.

We're heavy on the entertainment tonight too. First up, Yusuf Islam -- previously known as Cat Stevens -- is playing the Royal Albert Hall later as part of his first tour for over 30 years. In the early 70s, Cat Stevens was an international superstar following hits like 'Wild World', 'Moon Shadow' and 'Father and Son' (It wasn't a Boyzone original!). In 1977, at the height of his fame, he converted to Islam after nearly drowning and later auctioned off all his guitars for charity. Now, Yusuf Islam is back on stage here in his home town, performing new material as well as some old classics.

Pop Trivia fact number 1 for you: In 1965, Cat Stevens wrote, 'The First Cut is the Deepest', but sold it to P.P. Arnold for £30 who went on to have a massive hit with it in 1967. Since then it's been covered by everyone from Rod Stewart to Leona Lewis.

Pop Trivia fact number 2: Cat Stevens was due to make his stage re-appearance at Live Aid in 1985 but was bumped from the line-up at the last minute because the concert was over-running (Elton John's fault, apparently?)

Talking of Elton, he's on the show tonight too. Well some of his trousers are, a few shirts, no doubt, some platform shoes and the odd pair of huge specs. A load of classic clothes from the largest wardrobe in music goes under the hammer for charity in what's surely the most flamboyant jumble sale in pop history. We sent Glen down to have a good old rummage through. Well, he's roughly the right size and if the cap fits...!

See you at Six.

Matt and Katie

Weather blog

2009-12-08T15:59:00.001Z

Good evening,

I have a new 7 - day travel card (I've loaned the ITN limo that's usually assigned to me to Katie who says it's halved her journey time from the Pound Shop where she's sourcing all her Christmas gifts to the newsroom) but it doesn't work. Despite having a full 6 days still to run it won't open any automated barriers. As such I'm dependent on the kindness of strangers to operate the barriers manually. Some are delightful, some not. Some make me wait while they finish a conversation, some swing into action at once.

Inevitably it's all a test of my patience, not helped by the fact that I'm frequently made to feel as if I'm attempting to travel illegally, so I've decided to embrace the challenge. From now on I will approach my journeys as research into how helpful staff are at stations & once the results are analysed & collated I will pass on my findings to you. They'll probably bring you more joy than the weather, although having said that from Thursday onwards things are starting to settle down quite nicely. It'll be drier & brighter, but colder.

Hope to see you later,

Robin.

London Tonight Tonight

2009-12-07T17:10:00.001Z

Nightmare start to the week. Someone drove into a railway bridge somewhere near Luton and travel chaos ensued. I got into the office about an hour and a half later than usual so brevity is the key to today's blog. Luckily, all the bosses were in a planning meeting when I skulked in, so I think I got away with it by sitting down and starting to type purposfully... until confessing all on the blog, of course.

Most of you will recognise the desperation of a nightmare train journey and if you use the Jubilee Line regularly, you might want to sit down before you read the next bit: We've reported many times on the delays to improvement work as well as the millions of pounds in overspend. But now, Tube Lines - the company responsible for the work - says it needs more time to finish the job. And apparently that means the line could be shut for a further jaw-dropping 28 weekends?! Boris Johnson's not happy and there's a bit of water to un-muddy about whose fault it is. All, we hope, will become clear later.

In our top story tonight, Marcus Powell speaks to the family of murdered student Meredith Kercher. Marcus was in Perugia as the trial reached its conclusion at the weekend. Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty of murder but Meredith's family, now back home in Coulsdon in Surrey, have been talking about the life sentences they were served with when Meredith was taken from them two years ago.
We'll also hear from the family of 16 year old Ben Hitchcock who was stabbed to death in south London. It's still an unsolved murder and his family are renewing calls for help to catch his killer.

Also tonight...chess. It's coming back into fashion apparently. Remember the good old days when international chess was an east meets west Cold War affair? I remember watching chess live on telly in the 80's - how dull must that have been? This story sparked a bit of a discussion in the afternoon meeting as to how many movies have featured chess scenes. 'From Russia With Love' is the obvious one. They play a kind of chess game with holographic monsters in 'Star Wars', not sure if that counts? The best piece of instant recall though came from Paul, the boss, who remembered that 'The Grim Reaper' plays chess with a knight in 'Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey'. That's the level of our afternoon meetings, just so that you know...

See you at Six.

Matt and Katie

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2009-12-04T17:21:00.001Z

So everyone - it's Friday.

How on earth did that happen? Seriously, it doesn't seem five minutes that I was desperately trying to get to sleep last Sunday night because the Monday morning alarm clock was set to go off at 4.30am... in time for me to see a rather large Christmas tree roll into Trafalgar Square.

If you watched last night, you'll have seen 540 little bulbs go on - lighting up 68 feet of Norwegian Spruce in all its glory. If you didn't, get yourself down there for a look. It's splendid. Be quick though - if time keeps racing past like it has this week, we'll be taking it down before you can say "But I don't like brussel sprouts".

Now, today's programme's Christmas offering comes in the form of two rap stars who are performing at the Jingle Bell Ball at the 02 this weekend. Tynchey Stryder and Chipmunk. I've yet to find out if we'll call him Mr Munk, or if he'll let us call him Chip. They are both giants in the world of rap music and we're looking forward to having a chat.

The other slice of showbiz - while we're on the subject - is served up in the form of a report on a young girl called 'Stacey'... Cue uncontrollable screaming and applause for one of the four acts still standing in this year's X-Factor songfest. This weekend, four go down to three. Stacey's a Dagenham girl and we've been back to her roots.

Two parents from Walton on Thames drove up to Heathrow today to meet their son, flying back from a rather unexpected trip to Iran. Ollie Smith was the skipper on the boat which drifted into Iranian waters, landing all 5 of the crew members in an Iranian prison. They're all out now - much to their relief of their families who went to meet them at Heathrow.

What else? What else?

Well, we'll have a look round the Thamesmead estate in East London was hailed as THE place to live back in the 60s and 70s. A number of documentaries have been made about the place, charting life on the estate over the years and a doco is about to released. We've been talking to the man behind it and to one of the residents who featured in the very first film made all those decades ago.

A bit topsy-turvy this - but our programme begins in Perugia, where the jury has gone out to decide if Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito murdered Surrey student Meredith Kercher. It's been a long trial and there's a lot of evidence to consider.

And the story we'd like you to share your opinions this evening on is Islington Council's decision to reduce the speed limit on nearly all its residential roads to 20 mph. Good idea? Watch our report and then let us know what you think.

So - lots of us to work on, so I'd better do my bit.

See you at six,

Ben & Nina

Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

London Tonight Tonight

2009-12-03T16:20:00.001Z

Hiya,

First up tonight, three of our councils have been named, shamed and ordered to improve their care homes. Southwark, Bromley and Surrey are among the lowest-ranking councils in England according to the Care Quality Commission. Elsewhere in London, the picture is much better, but one council criticised has hit back at what it calls a 'seriously flawed' report. Emma Walden will try to get to the bottom of it for us.

Also tonight: News of a worrying trend in burglaries and hope for the family of a man left with severe brain damage after an attack in Crete, as they fight for justice. And a stark warning from a fire safety expert that home improvements could be putting us at risk.

Now, when is the right time to put up the Christmas tree? Too early and it's drooping by mid-December, too late and you fail to maximise the festive feeling. I'm not in tomorrow and the afternoon is set aside for buying and decorating the tree. Do you go for real or artificial? If you do go fake, do you buy green, silver, red or even black? There are some weird and wonderful trees out there. I saw an upside down one in a shop the other day, with the pointy end at the bottom. What on earth is that all about? Supposed to be artistic, no doubt? One colleague, who shall remain nameless, has bought a white tree with no needles on it? Surely that's just a painted stick? What is wrong with good, old-fashioned tradition?

The tree at Trafalgar Square, which we showed you hoisted into position (the right way up) earlier in the week, is now fully decorated and ready to be switched on. Ben Scotchbrook has been to Norway to follow the tree's journey to the capital. This is the 63rd year that Norway has gifted a tree to London as a thank you for our support during World War II. There you go - proper Christmas tradition. I'll be doing the same tomorrow - a real tree, even if it is bereft of all needles by Christmas Eve. If it is, I might have to paint it white, turn it upside down and call it 'modern'.

See you at Six

Matt and Katie

Weather blog

2009-12-03T16:18:00.001Z

Good evening,

The lights are being illuminated this evening on the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree & I'll be there later on. Day by day London is looking increasingly Yuletastic.

The child in me would love the weather to do what it does in the movies at Christmas time & for there to be a light covering of washing powder white snow & stars twinkling in a winter sky.

Sadly we'll have to put up with cloud & spells of rain & perversely before too long it'll also be turning milder. Luckily December nights provide long hours of darkness which do a reasonably good job of masking disappointing & unseasonal weather, so as the lights go on tonight I'll be ignoring the cloud & the damp & imagining "earth as hard as iron, water like a stone" & the snow lying "round about, deep & crisp & even".

Sometimes it's good to be shallow.

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-12-02T15:47:00.001Z

Good afternoon.

As well as reporting on the release of the five British yachtsmen detained in Iran, including one who hails from Surrey, we'll bring you the shocking statistics from housing charity Shelter. They name Barnet as the worst place in the country if you're waiting for a council house saying it could take an astonishing 33 years for waiting lists to be cleared. Redbridge and Brent fare almost as badly. Lewis Vaughan Jones will have more for us.

Also, we'll report on a vigil held in Norway overnight calling for action over the murder of Martine Vik Magnussen in London last year. The prime suspect has fled to Yemen, which has no extradition agreement with Britain. We'll also have the curious case of the West Hampstead shop owner taking on the might of European football over the name of his business...sounds like a load of old Golden Balls to me.

Now, there was a time when folk music was thought to be the preserve of pipe smoking, sweater wearing types in organic sandals. Not any more. A new wave of talented folk influenced singer-songwriters are playing to sell-out crowds of young, cool people. Now, I've never been cool. You can tell that by the three uses of the word 'cool' in the last two sentences. If further evidence is required, look no further than my choice of magazine at the station this morning: Rolling Stone, NME, GQ, Empire? No, I went for 'The Good Food Chrismas Special'. Not very rock and roll, but the honey-glazed parsnips chould nail the Christmas lunch for me this year. On the folk front, Lucy's been to meet the next big thing, 'Mumford & Sons'.

And if all that isn't enough to make you watch - how about Glen Goodman's report on auditions for a new burlesque show in the West End? I've just seen him and he looked a little flustered. That must be worth tuning in for?!

See you at Six

Matt and Katie.

Weather blog

2009-12-02T14:27:00.001Z

Good evening,

Katie mentioned Gonks on last night's programme. She had them on her desk for luck when sitting exams.

Matt claimed not to have subscribed to such nonsense (I don't buy it & will conduct a search of his briefcase when his back is turned) but he did -reassuringly- share the same panicky reaction to Maths as the rest of us.

I have to confess to not just one but an entire family of Gonks when I was at school (I was young & far from home) & I am convinced that they were entirely responsible for any small exam success I may have had; especially in Maths & Sciences which have always defeated me.

In fact I'm feeling a little defeated by the weather at the moment. The South East of the country has just endured its wettest November since 1940 & after a brief but cold respite yesterday it's turning wet all over again. So insp i red by last night's chat I now plan to mount a search for lucky Gonks in the hope that they might improve my weather bulletins in the way they did my exam results.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

See you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-12-01T15:44:00.000Z

Hello all.

The Christmas spirit I found yesterday lasted approximately four hours. As usual, I had half an hour to kill at St Pancras on my way home last night and in one shop, they've just started a new 3 for 2 promotion. Great, except that I'd bought a load of presents at full price there last week. How irritating is that?! Talk about penalising the organised (or those who spend too much time waiting for trains). I brought it up with the manageress and showed her my receipt, but she said there wasn't really a lot she could do about it. Humbug!

No wonder London's commuters have been revealed as a ruthless bunch of eyes-down-headphone-wearing travel mercenaries who have to psyche themselves up, just to board the Tube - they must have made the same mistake as me. We'll have more on the London Assembly report that says overcrowding brings out a 'survival of the fittest' mentality among commuters, later.

Also tonight, hundreds of mourners gathered in central London for the funeral of Darren Chant, from Walthamstow, who was one of five British soldiers shot dead by a rogue Afghan policeman last month. The Regimental Sergeant Major with the Grenadier Guards leaves behind three children and a pregnant widow.

And we'll be talking in a somewhat eclectic mix of musical talent as Spandau Ballet join us to talk about their recent revival as they prepare to take their tour global. The interview has actually been pre-recorded, so I can tell you that they were really nice guys. Hard to believe that wranglings over royalties meant they spent years not talking to each other, let alone performing together. I did cynically wonder if they would arrive separately, turn it on for the cameras, and then go their separate ways, barely speaking to each other. But they seem to be having the time of their lives together.

Also on the show, a very unlikely duo with The Quo's Rick Parfitt teaming up with Rolf Harris on a Christmas collaboration. Maybe that will get me back in the mood???

By the way, I have a plan re: the shopping - You get the cheapest item free, so I'm going to take everything back for a full refund. Then, I'm going to buy back the three most expensive items thus getting the cheapest - which was £18 - for nothing. Then, I'm going to buy back the other two items, but only after adding a third to the basket, getting that free too. Neurotic? Maybe, but it's the principle!

See you at six

Matt and Katie

Weather blog

2009-11-30T16:55:00.001Z

Good evening,

The journey to work was something of a struggle this morning.

As the weather had been relentlessly bad over the weekend with rain continuing to fall on already saturated ground & further filling swollen rivers & waterways, I decided that in order to avoid missing my train (Iateness is top of my list for Room 101) I should allow extra time for my drive to the station.

There was a lot of traffic around & although the roads weren't flooded, there were parts where standing water caused all vehicles to slow to the pace of a brisk walk, so I felt my decision to leave neurotically early was a sensible one.

No sooner had this thought crossed my mind than I spotted ahead of me a long stream of tail lights whose blinking redness hinted at delay.

The impotent rage of being trapped & stationary kicked in quickly & was worsened by the looming departure time of my train (of course today would be the one day of the week it leaves on time) & given a further edge of exasperated bafflement by the knowledge that the roads on this part of the journey are usually faster & clearer.

It turned out to be road works. Perhaps not the most accurate term as the road wasn't actually being worked on but had been cordoned off in anticipation. Temporary lights were demonically restricting the traffic flow with the net result that I arrived at the station in time to watch my train heading slowly but punctually in the direction of Waterloo.

The platform was cold, wet & windy but I can console myself with the prospect that, should I be late again tomorrow (beta blockers on standby), it will still be chilly but at least the sun will be shining....

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-30T16:51:00.001Z

Hello all. Good weekend, I hope?

Think I'm starting to feel a bit Christmassy. Not hugely, it's still November, but a spot of present buying on the weekend and a festive film last night and I'm definitely getting there. We had a discussion about when it was appropriate to start working our way through the Christmas DVD classics and we decided that we could just about get away with one last night. We haven't gone straight to the big hitters, obviously: 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Miracle on 34th Street' will be saved until much nearer the big day, but we did enjoy a quick blast of 'Santa Claus: the Movie'. Although it did provoke a few too many probing questions from my seven year old about the logistics of the big fella's chimney-scaling antics. So, with the first advent candle lit and the first presents bought and indeed returned (early duplication disaster), Christmas spirit has officially decended. Now all I have to do is maintain it for the next month...which may not be so easy.

Right, lots to get through tonight: We'll have details of more expected traffic problems in south east London tonight following the closure of the northbound Blackwall tunnel river crossing after a car fire yesterday. It's expected to stay shut until Wednesday.

Also, police are urging women not to make themselves easy targets for sex attackers as the party season gets underway. A woman who was raped outside the O2 Arena has spoken of her ordeal in a bid to stop other women suffering the same fate.

We'll look at the rising number of cases of people being ripped off over the price of secondhand gold - you could say they're at risk of being golden fleeced? Plus, we'll reveal the most complained about bus service in the capital. And, quite simply, one of the most successful British recording artists in history - Sir Cliff Richard is on the show - with The Shadows. What more could you ask for?!

See you at Six.

Matt and Katie.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2009-11-27T17:01:00.000Z

Hello,

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the annual Bobby Moore Sports Quiz in Central London. The great and the good of sport and sports broadcasting turned out to raise money for bowel cancer research in the name of one of London and England's greatest sporting ambassadors. On hand to help - everyone from West Ham and England star, Matthew Upson to Fulham manager, Roy Hodgson. Loads of fun and loads of cash raised, but for me the night was noteworthy for two main reasons.

As a former sports presenter at both ITV and Setanta, the pressure was on for me to contribute to the team from Ladbrokes I was in. I wasn't called upon to answer very often, the bookies being pretty encyclopedic on their sport. During dinner, someone asked me which football team I support. "Hereford United, my hometown club", I replied proudly. They nodded their respectful approval.

Then came the next quiz question: "Who scored the first goal in the first leg of Hereford United's famous 1972 FA Cup clash with Newcastle United at St. James's Park?

A) Malcolm Macdonald
B) Brian Owen
C) Ronnie Radford
D) Ricky George

For anyone who doesn't know their football, Hereford's clash with Newcastle is the stuff of legend. Non-League Hereford drawn against the might of top-flight Newcastle United in the third round of the FA Cup. I knew the story well - my dad tells it at least twice a year: Hereford drew 2-2 at Newcastle, which was an astonishing result in itself. Before the replay at Edgar Street, Newcastle star, Malcolm 'Supermac' Macdonald had claimed he would put ten past Hereford and break the all time record. He scored first, but with eight minutes of the game left and with Hereford on the verge of crashing out, part-time carpenter Ronnie Radford booked his place in football folklore with a stunning thirty yarder (which gets further out every time my dad tells the story). Ricky George got Hereford's winner in extra time and the Edgar Street pitch was swamped with most of the county's inhabitants, including my dad and uncles, whose lamb chop sideburns are clearly visible on the 'Match of The Day' coverage, which was John Motson's first commentary, incidentally.

So, "Who scored the first goal in the first leg of Hereford United's famous 1972 FA Cup clash with Newcastle United at St. James's Park?

They stared at me hopefully...and I had absolutely no idea. I should have listened more intently to my dad.

It was B) Brian Owen...after 17 seconds.

And the second noteworthy part of the evening? Me gesturing to a waiter and accidentally bidding £1,300 on a signed picture of the 2009 Ashes winning squad!!!! Thankfully, someone else bid more!

Tonight - news, movies and Bill Bailey in the studio. Should be good.

Matt and Nina

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-26T16:51:00.001Z

Hi there,

First tonight, more than three hundred people were forced to flee their homes after a huge fire broke out on a housing estate in Peckham this morning. One eye-witness told us the area looked "like a war zone". At its peak, nearly two hundred fire fighters were tackling multiple fires, but the estate has been left almost completely destroyed. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but today's events have not only left hundreds sleeping in temporary accommodation, but were also a stark reminder of the tragedy at Lakanal House in nearby Camberwell in July. Then, six people died after a fire ripped through a block of flats and serious questions were asked then about the design of high-rise buildings. Southwark Council were ordered to improve fire safety standards in three other blocks of flats by London Fire Brigade and now, more questions are being asked about fire safety in the borough. We'll put those concerns to Kim Humphreys, the deputy leader of Southwark Council later.

Also tonight, London's Olympic Stadium has been included in London's bid to host 2018 World Cup football matches if England's seemingly faltering bid is successful. Despite initial plans to reduce its capacity and turn it into an athletics venue post 2012, the Olympic Stadium joins Arsenal's Emirates, Spurs' proposed new ground and Wembley as London's preferred choices. If approved - and that's far from a certainty, even if England win the bid - it'll mean something of a legacy revamp for the Olympic centrepiece. Who shouted 'white elephant'? Come on...own up!

More People's Millions as well as Glen Goodman struggles with yet another giant cheque before highlighting two more hopefuls.

See you at six.

Matt and Nina.

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-25T17:11:00.001Z

Good afternoon

Nurses at an east London hospital say staff shortages are putting their lives at risk after one staff member was strangled by a patient. Senior nurses at the City and Hackney Centre for Mental Health have staged a protest saying they've been warning about the developing crisis for months. Staffing levels, a shortfall in beds and security fears are just some of the problems facing the East London NHS Foundation Trust and tonight we'll be asking Baroness Molly Meacher - the Trust's chair - what they're doing about it.

Now, news that will surprise few, perhaps - London has officially been labelled as the parking fine capital of Britain. In fact, the country's ten highest-charging councils are all in the capital. Now, I've picked up one or two parking fines in my time - some legitimately for going over or parking where I shouldn't, others infuriatingly and officiously harsh (in my opinion)! But the amount of money councils are coining in is staggering. According to the 'TaxPayers Alliance' - who've carried out the survey - £328m was collected in parking fines in the UK last year with Westminster raking in the most at £35m and Kensington and Chelsea creaming the most per head (of daytime population) at around £85 each. In the interests of balance, the overall figure is actually 16% down on last year, but still - £328m quid?!

Anyway, with all that talk of money flying out of our wallets, let's cheer some people up by handing some cash over. More People's Millions tonight as we reveal the result of last night's vote. Producer Neil has spent the last ten minutes nervously writing out the massive cheque to the lucky winner. The pressure of the spelling mistake when you only have one blank giant cheque! How do you pay one of those in, by the way? You'd never get it under the window at the bank, would you?

See you later.

Matt and Katie

Weather blog

2009-11-25T15:49:00.001Z

Good evening,

It seems that the language of the comedy photo is a universal one.

My walk to work takes me past the London Eye & Big Ben & these landmarks are, inevitably, must sees for the tourists. Recently the strong winds & driving rain have curtailed photo opportunities with only the hardiest visitors grinning gamely at the camera from under the hoods of their Kagools while everything behind them has been reduced to a grey blur. Today's brighter conditions, however, have seen the photographers & their subjects out in force once again & almost all of them appear to be wearing the Eye as a halo or holding it in the palms of their hands or leaning nonchalantly against Big Ben or holding it delicately between thumb & forefinger.

And the photo oppportunities will continue for the rest of the week as things are looking reasonably fine, if a little chilly. Maybe we'll be treated to the Houses of Parliament draped in a cashmere scarf....

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-24T17:19:00.001Z

Hi there,

On the programme tonight: as we go to press, as they say, the convicted murderer Jane Andrews is still on the run, we speak to the brother of her victim, the man she was hoping to marry.

Plus the shocking story of a four year old boy stabbed to death in south London. His body was found at his family's home in Southwark last night. His 17-month-old sister was thankfully left unhurt, but the boy's parents were also found to have suffered stab wounds. Murray Dron is at the scene for us later.

Also coming up: warnings from our friends across the channel that a city-wide bike hire scheme in London could attract thieves and vandals. Police in Paris say eight thousand bikes have been stolen while an astonishing 18 thousand have been trashed by vandals.

Bit of history for you tonight too: If you saw Sunday's evening programme, we had the author of a fascinating book of photographs of London through the ages, some of which showed the destruction caused during the Blitz. It was mostly the East End which came to symbolise the capital's defiance, but another part of London suffered at the hands of the Luftwaffe. Now, the hundreds of civilians who died in Willesden have finally been given a permanent memorial. Lewis Vaughan Jones has been to find out more.

Most excitingly, though - our first grand People's Millions reveal! Lottery grants of tens of thousands of pounds are on offer and yesterday Glen Goodman showcased two very worthy contenders: Romford's Drum and Trumpet Corps and the Pedro Music Project in Clapton. The phone votes have been counted and Glen is no doubt spending the afternoon hiding behind a bin somewhere waiting to jump out and share the good news with one of the contenders! He'll also be showing us two more hopefuls, as well.

Also, a treat for Queen fans as Feltham remembers Freddie.

See you later,

Matt and Nina

FW: weather blog

2009-11-24T16:20:00.001Z

Good evening,

We've got a stormy night ahead of us.

More rain. "Squally" is how the Met Office is describing it, which for some reason puts me in mind of crossing the Atlantic in a rowing boat. The winds will be very strong -gusts of 50mph inland- which does at least mean that the rain will be fast moving. Small comfort perhaps if we wake up to find branches down or (worse) roof tiles missing.

Tomorrow morning will look altogether different; dry, bright & sunny but it'll be feeling colder. The temperature is comparative because values will be hovering around the seasonal average, but given that it's been mild recently we are certainly going to notice the change. Mind you it'll be good to see a slice of blue sky & despite the showers over the next few days there will be bright spells too. Hurrah.

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-23T17:19:00.001Z

Hi there. Good weekend, I hope? We start the week with another packed show.

Last week, we brought you the shocking story of a murdered mother of two left mutilated in the street in Greenford. Tonight, the understandably emotional family of Geeta Aulakh have spoken of their 'living nightmare' since the 28-year-old was attacked on her way to picking up her two young sons from the child minder.

Also tonight, we report on the extension to the Oyster card scheme and the confusion that even Boris Johnson seems to have over where and when exactly it can be used? And the end of an era at Heathrow as Terminal 2 shuts before a one-billion-pound redevelopment project. Quick stat for you - 316 million check-ins over 54 years at T2! It's seen lots of history too - it's where those iconic shots of the Beatles being mobbed were taken back in the 60's and it's also seen the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly pass through it over the years. Plus, of course, Lewis Vaughan Jones.

Also, 'The People's MIllions' make a welcome return tonight, with the chance for community projects here in the capital to benefit from grants of up to fifty thousand pounds. We'll highlight four very deserving projects this week and then you can help us decide who benefits. Glen Goodman will be employing utter impartiality!

And, live in the studio tonight - an international rock star who's sold millions of records worldwide and has been shocking audiences for over forty years. None other than Vincent Furnier will be on the programme. You know, Vincent Furnier? Massive golf fan, son of a pastor? No? Ok - try his stage name: Alice Cooper - how's that?

Not quite sure what to expect from Mr Cooper, to be honest. I've read the back-in-the-day hell raising stories and I like the classic hits, 'School's Out' and 'Poison'? But you've got to be a tad nervous when someone who's been theatrically killed on stage more than 60,000 times comes on a live 6 O'clock news programme to promote a tour entitled, 'Theatre of Death'? I mean, what could possibly go wrong?! Still, I also hear that in recent years, his love of golf and a quiet cuppa have replaced his rock n' roll ways. So, will the real Vincent Furnier please stand up? Or, better still, sit down and tell us all about it.

See you at Six

Matt and Lucy

By the way, can someone tell Lucy to stop singing Christmas songs, it's November?!?!?! Although, someone's just broken out the Quality Street...ho, ho, ho!

Weather blog

2009-11-23T14:03:00.001Z

Good evening,

We had something of a Railway Children moment at the weekend.

It didn't involve making flags out of our underwear or stealing coal from the local station, but we did witness a (very minor) landslide. We were driving along a lane, luckily very slowly owing to the stormy weather, when about 10 metres ahead of us the bank gave way & a large old oak fell directly across our path.

My immediate reaction was that we were incredibly fortunate not to have been a couple of moments earlier which would have meant that the car & its occupants would have been flattened.

It all happened in a matter of seconds but it seemed, like the Railway Children landslide moment, to unfold in slow motion. Although we were involved we felt more like observers & it was only after we'd turned around to retreat home that the shock & relief of our near miss kicked in.

Given the recent rainfall & the strong winds our experience is probably not uncommon but it will, hopefully, become more of a rarity over the next few days as conditions turn a little brighter albeit a touch colder.

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-19T16:17:00.000Z

Good evening,

We've got a densely packed show tonight so I'll press on.

Simon Harris will be in Barking where a BNP meeting will be taking place later this evening. Ahead of that he will be getting the latest from Messrs Griffin & Barnbrook as they visit the area where they hope to win their first Parliamentary seat .

As a nation of dog lovers many of us will be disturbed by the story of a guide dog being attacked at Cricklewood tube station. What would you do if your dog (God forbid) was the aggressor? It won't be easy viewing but maybe lessons can be learned.

Emma Walden will be in Paddington where a schoolgirl from Slough received treatment for swine flu. This story does not have a happy ending as the girl, tragically, has died.

And the theme of violence on the streets continues with traffic wardens (always easy targets) being subjected to both physical & verbal attacks not only by motorists but also passers by. Phil Bayles will fill us in.

The poor souls who lost their homes in Friday's fire in Bockingham Green may have been given temporary accommodation but, as Murray Dron will explain, they are feeling somewhat abandoned.

Liz Wickham has been in Croydon where Dawn Morgan, who was diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago but who has since, thankfully, been given the all clear has become a poster girl for Cancer Research UK.

The future of beleaguered Southend Pier looks shaky. Despite plans being drawn up for a revamp it looks as though the funding to make the proposals a reality are not forthcoming as Damien Steward will explain.

We'll be tackling Christmas from 2 very different perspectives this evening. Sally Rourke will have the latest on the threat of tube & bus strikes which would inevitably bring chaos and misery once again. And Lucy Cotter will be doing a round-up of the panto offerings around the region over the next few weeks. Joy.

So there you are. A veritable feast which I hope you'll enjoy at 6 tonight.

See you then,

Robin & Katie.

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-18T16:01:00.001Z

Afternoon all,

First tonight, you are being watched. We all know we live in a CCTV society, but you might not be aware to what extent. Ours is one of the most watched societies in the world with an estimated 4.2 million CCTV cameras in the UK, that's roughly one for every 14 people. It's also estimated each one of us makes up to three hundred appearance on CCTV cameras each day as we go about our daily business. They're on our streets, in our shops, at cashpoints, on buses, on tubes, pretty much everywhere -- and now they're being installed in some homes in an effort to combat anti-social behaviour. Croydon council are trialling the scheme in unidentified houses in an area where they say residents' lives are being made a misery. But privacy campaigners say it's an infringement of human rights. Where do you stand? You might as well tell us, because you're probably being filmed as you stand there, anyway!

Among our other stories tonight: services at private 'out-of-hospital' centres across the whole of north London have been suspended while an inquiry is carried out into whether negligence by a private contractor led to the death of an elderly patient. And a PE teacher at an East London school is annoyed that fifty of her pupils who were taken on a trip to watch a gymnastics competition had to pay for their own travel. Transport for London say the pupils didn't qualify for a free travel scheme because sports events were not deemed to be 'educational'?

One man who won't have to worry about how he pays for his travel for a while is Stuart Tinner. He was plucked out of the crowd at Saracens game against South Africa last night to take part in a half-time competition and ended up £250,000 richer. The 24 year old Job Centre worker had to kick a ball onto the crossbar of the uprights - a virtually impossible task for anyone other than Johnny Wilkinson. But not only did Stuart manage it, he managed it in his socks! He says he's going to blow part of his new fortune on a house and a new car...as well as a Saracens season ticket - the least he can do for relieving the club of a quarter of a million pounds!

And continuing the Rock Gods theme of this week, Status Quo are on the programme as they kick off yet another tour. They're in Croydon tonight so we've sent a camera down there and Lucy will have a chat with the boys for us. They never seem to take themselves too seriously, Status Quo. I mean, their latest album is called 'In Search of the Fourth Chord'. More randomly though, Quo have a triple-cd Christmas album out soon featuring 60 festive classics as well as a new single featuring Rick Parfitt and...er...Rolf Harris!
See you at Six

Matt and Katie

Weather blog

2009-11-18T15:39:00.001Z

Good evening,

I'm not sure I understand wind chimes.

Occasionally I have come across them making a soft tubular sound in a gentle breeze. It's not unpleasant but I still don't see the point. For me the unadorned sounds of the outdoors are enough on their own.

As usual I was out with the dogs just before sunrise this morning. The overcast skies ensured that there was little evidence of dawn breaking & the wind, as predicted, was howling. Admittedly it wasn't the sort of weather one would necessarily choose but it had a wildness to it I like.

In fact, I'd take cloud, wind & even rain any time over the breakdown-inducing noise from one garden I walked past where several sets of wind chimes, blowing horizontally in the wind, were competing to outdo each other. The sound is difficult to describe. Although still intrinsically delicate, the gusts of wind gave the chimes an angry intensity that came in bursts & which could be heard well beyond the confines of the host garden.

I'm glad I'm not a neighbour because unless the offending chimes are mothballed within the next 24 hours, with conditions turning increasingly stormy by the end of the week, the dawn chorus in that neck of the woods will be enough to drive people to drink.

On the plus side, it will be staying mild.

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-17T16:18:00.001Z

Hello...

Bit tired today. I was up until 2am with Genesis, who were on the programme yesterday. Technically, I wasn't actually with the band - just in case you had visions of me, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford in some Soho club 'til the early hours. But after the thrill of meeting them yesterday, I went home and started to work my way through their back catalogue. Ok, so it wasn't actually 2am either, it was more like quarter to eleven...not a great story that, sorry! On to tonight's programme then, no classic prog rockers unfortunately, but plenty of other stuff:

On the news front: as a 16-year-old boy fights for his life, the latest victim of knife crime in the capital, the number of primary school children stopped and searched by police has almost doubled in the last year. According to new Met figures, officers detained more than 750 ten year olds in the twelve months to April. Some say police are in danger of adding to the problem by alienating young people, others argue that anything that reduces the number of knives on our streets has got to be worth doing. We want your thoughts later.

Elsewhere, we'll have more on the political row brewing in Romford after a Labour politician described The Queen as "vermin" and a "parasite". They were made on the Facebook page of local Tory MP Andrew Rosindell, by Labour's Peter White, who's due to stand for election to Havering Council next year. Mr White has been told to explain the comments by Party officials and faces the sack.

Also on the programme: two of the worst train stations in the country are right here in London. We sent Murray Dron to investigate, but he hasn't come back yet; the Beatlemaniac who's unearthed some photographic gems in his loft; and two become one when a couple were inspired to become half the people they used to be after they broke their bed. Oh, and Robin delivers the weather forecast whilst skating. Dancing on isobars, you could say?!

See you at Six

Matt and Katie

FW: weather blog

2009-11-17T15:23:00.001Z

Good evening,

It's mid November so London is already well into the Yuletide countdown. Window displays & street lights are signalling the imminent arrival of Christmas, tinsel & baubles are everywhere & now the seasonal open air ice rinks are declaring themselves open for business.

Today it's the turn of Somerset House & the plan is for me to bring you the weather from this stunning location. It has been suggested that I don skates which could make for interesting viewing because, despite having had to learn to skate for a film role years ago (my on screen skating partner was Eva Gabor would you believe....), I have never really mastered it. In truth I think I would be better at diving for pearls in the Pacific, but if the boss wants me to do it who am I to refuse?

Ironically the weather is mild at the moment (wet & windy soon too) so although I'll be surrounded by ice & Somerset House will be a winter wonderland I won't be feeling cold. Instead I'll be channelling my energy into keeping fear at bay & dignity intact.

Hope to see you later.

I think.

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-16T15:58:00.000Z

Right. Only one topic for the blog today: our studio guests. None other than rock Gods 'Genesis'. Well, two of them, anyway.

Sorry, didn't you hear me? Genesis are on the show?

Why is no-one else as excited as I am?

Older viewers might know keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist Mike Rutherford best from the band's 1970's prog-rock early days when Tony would do endless keyboard solos and then frontman Peter Gabriel would confuse audiences with a variety of outlandish costumes. Others might be more familiar with the later Phil Collins-led era where the success of singles like 'Invisible Touch', 'Land of Confusion', 'I Can't Dance' and 'No Son of Mine' made them global chart-toppers. Others...well, let's just say Genesis tend to divide musical opinion and are seen by many as firmly driving down the middle of the rock and roll highway...slowly.

For me though, their 1986 'Invisible Touch' album was the first I ever bought. We were in Newquay on a family holiday and mum and dad gave my brother and I a few quid to spend. I bought a black ghetto-blaster (with high-speed dubbing) and a copy of 'Invisible Touch' on tape. I played it constantly and gradually started to explore their massive back catalogue. They were never seen as particularly cool by my friends and I've never really advertised my love of them. But hey, I'm in my mid-30's and am officially the uncoolest person I know (see use of word, 'uncool'), so who cares? I'm therefore proud to say that I love Genesis - like millions of other people - and they're on the show later to talk about a new collection of live performances out on CD and DVD. We'd ask them to play something for us, but Tony might get started on one of his keyboard solos and we only have half an hour.

Oh...and all the day's news too!

See you at six.

Matt and Katie

Weather blog

2009-11-16T13:59:00.001Z

Good evening,

There are many seemingly futile domestic chores, but we all do them despite this knowledge in a bid to keep standards high, make life pleasant & impose order on chaos.

Over the last few days I think I have discovered the most pointless of all these activities & one which provides only the most fleeting sensation of a job well done before the process needs to be started once again from scratch.

Raking leaves.

Our garden is surrounded by mature deciduous trees which are currently doing what you'd expect. On Thursday not one blade of grass was visible under the carpet of golden brown leaves, so I grabbed the rake & spent the morning clearing the decks. It was mindless & repetitive but at least I was outside & getting some exercise & by lunchtime things were looking good. However a sandwich & a cup of coffee later it was as if the garden hadn't been touched, the only evidence of my endeavours being assorted sacks of leaves waiting to be taken to the tip.

Thoroughly demoralising & yet I find myself wanting to get back out there & do it all over again. Perhaps before embarking on such folly I should take heed of my own forecast which is promising only a brief respite from the recent stormy conditions with a dry & bright day tomorrow, before a return to rain & strong (leaf stripping) winds later in the week.

Hope to see you later,

Robin

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2009-11-13T17:24:00.000Z

Welcome to the weekend. I hope you are managing to safely negotiate Friday the 13th.

Tonight, we highlight the best and worst of human nature: Our top story demonstrates callousness in the extreme with shocking CCTV footage of a woman stealing a poppy collection box - with the help of a child that appears to be no more than six years old. It happened at a florists in west London and shows the boy edging the box along the shop counter to a woman who then stuffs it in her bag before making off with it. Dinos and Aphrodite Georgiou who run the shop in Queen's Park were left sickened by the cynical act and have been talking to Marcus Powell.

Elsewhere, Frances Lawrence, the widow of murdered head teacher Philip Lawrence, has received an MBE from the Queen for her tireless charity work. Mr. Lawrence, you'll remember, was killed when he stepped in to break up a fight outside his school 14 years ago. Since his death, Francis Lawrence has championed the achievements of young people through the Philip Lawrence Awards. Speaking after receiving the tremendous honour, Francis Lawrence was even able to spare a thought for her husband's killer, Learco Chindamo, saying she, "hoped for the best" when he is released. Chindamo, who was fifteen at the time, has now served a minimum 12 year sentence.

Also tonight we report on a fire that swept through a block of flats in Basildon. Thankfully no one was badly injured, but Piers Hopkirk reports for us on the material loss that has left families facing the night in an emergency shelter.

Guest-wise. Actress, author, presenter, wine expert, Helen Lederer joins is in the studio to talk about the latest re-birth of 'Calendar Girls' in the West End. Her back catelogue reads like a who's who of British tv comedy from Ab Fab, Bottom and Naked Video to The New Statesman, Harry Enfied - the list really does go on an on. We'll ask her if it was tricky slotting in to a show that had already been such a big hit as well as the strategically placed iced buns!

Finally, James King's in later to talk us through the latest movie releases. I took him at his word on last week's 'A Christmas Carol' recommendation and thoroughly enjoyed it - thanks, James! I was worried that early November was simply too soon for something quite so festive but it was just what was needed to get the pre-Christmas spirit flowing. Well, that and the fact that we'd done a bit of Christmas shopping beforehand so I sat through the film with a giant Christmas cracker between my legs?! You can get crackers big enough for eight people to share, did you know that? Massive it is. Anyway, a word of warning on the film. It might be an animated adaptation starring the vocal talents of Jim Carrey, but it's quite dark in places. it is a ghost story, after all, but I don't think it's suitable for smaller children, despite its PG rating. Muppets Christmas Carol, it isn't!

So, let's see what James can offer up today. My weekend may well depend on it. See you at Six.

Matt and Nina.
Please Note:

Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of Independent Television News Limited unless specifically stated.
This email and any files attached are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to which they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error, please notify postmaster@itn.co.uk

Please note that to ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our clients and business,
we may monitor and read messages sent to and from our systems.

Thank You.

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-12T16:24:00.001Z

Hi there,

I've been a bit preoccupied today. My four year old boy has had a bout of sickness. Nothing serious, just a bug or something he's picked up but the little man spent most of yesterday throwing up and it's left him really drained and somewhat forlorn today. As a parent, all you can do in that situation is to get them the right medication, make sure they're comfortable and try to keep their spirits up. But imagine what it must be like to have a seriously ill child and be told that to give them the best chance of getting better, you not only need to raise over £300,000 for overseas treatment, but you need to do it by January. That's the dilemma facing the parents of seven year old Robyn Higgins from Frimley in Surrey. In May of this year, she was diagnosed with a very rare form of children's cancer called "neuroblastoma". In September, Robyn underwent a nine hour operation to remove a tumour and has also had nine debilitating bouts of chemotherapy. She's spent pretty much the last six months in hospital. At this point, things look ok, but her parents say she still needs further treatment in a specialist New York hospital -- and they need 300 thousand pounds to make that happen. Sally Rourke's been to meet Robyn and her family.

Some of the other stories we're covering tonight include a man who may have abused up to 400 children at a London care home who has apparently committed suicide on the eve of his trial; more commuter misery as First Capital Connect cancelled almost half of its trains after drivers refused to work overtime in a dispute over pay; and police in Australia say they're chasing up new leads in the hunt for the killer of London-born art curator, Nick Waterlow.

Also this evening, Armistice Day may be over for another year but the memorials go on and tonight Damien Steward reports on a very special service held at an Islington primary school. This is probably the right moment for me to correct something I wrote in yesterday's blog. I said that the recent deaths of three World War One veterans meant that 'The Great War' had passed from living memory into history. This is not the case. There are no surviving British WW1 veterans now living in the UK, but there is one living in Australia. Former Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer Claude Choules is 108 years old and lives in Perth. Nicknamed 'Chuckles' and born in Worcerstershire, he is the only surviving veteran in the world to have served in both World Wars. Mr Choules has just completed his autobiography entitled, 'Last Man Standing' and I think I ought to buy a copy to try and make amends. Sorry, Claude!

On the lighter side of life, Liz Wickham's been sent up probably the most famous clock tower in the world as Big Ben goes decimal. And Lucy Cotter's been to meet 'Strictly Come Dancing' judge and popstress, Alesha Dixon. What more could you want?

See you at Six

Matt and Katie

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-11T16:56:00.001Z

Good afternoon. On the programme tonight, we'll show you how the capital paid its respects on Armistice Day. It's 91 years since the end of the First World War but the death of the last surviving veterans over the course of the past twelve months means that this year marks the passing of 'The Great War' from living memory into history. Today, those who have lost their lives fighting for their country, including the continuing sacrifices made by our troops in Afghanistan, were remembered across the city.

And while our fallen heroes were remembered in the traditional way today, one World War Two soldier has been remembered in a very unusual one. London Indie rock band 'Athlete' have written a special song about the lead singer's grandad, who was seriously wounded in action. All the proceeds are going to the Royal British Legion and Liz Wickham has just promised me a very emotional piece.

Also tonight, Lucy will bring us up to speed on the latest film in the 'Twilight' saga, called 'New Moon'. For the uninitiated, 'Twilight' is something of a phenomenon with the films adapted from the books by Stephanie Meyer. The plot? Well, it's sort of an angst-ridden teenage vampire love story. Sorry, I'm not James King?! Think 'Lost Boys' for teenage girls and women trying to recapture their youth. And if you sense a little green-eyed, mid-thirties angst on my part it's because my other half is obsessed with the books, the films and particularly the smouldering young fop who plays the lead role, London's own Robert Pattinson. I've just asked Katie for her opinion on the one dubbed 'pasty-boy' in my house and she is supportively unimpressed. Katie says - and I quote - 'he's a little bit weedy' and 'not very swoonsome'. Unfortunately, it would appear the vast majority of women disagree and guiltily, I actually quite liked the first film. I thought I'd be dragged to this second instalment immediately upon its release, but when I suggested going to see it in what I thought a hugely magnanimous gesture, I was told that a girls' night has been planned and my presence isn't required! Charming! I'm with Katie. He's a little bit weedy...

See you at Six.

Matt and Katie

Weather blog

2009-11-11T15:29:00.001Z

Good evening,

Having been driving for many years I've encountered a wide variety of motoring conditions. Standing water, ice, blizzard, flood, heatwave, gales & even fire, but this morning I had my first brush with the threat that fallen leaves can pose.

Like many people I'm guilty of an impatient & sceptical sigh at the mention of disruption to rail services due to leaves on the track, but (& I'm reluctant to admit this) I can see the sense of it after my near miss this morning.

My journey to work begins with a drive to the station & the leaves which have been steadily falling over recent weeks have now -thanks to a spell of damp weather- become a slimey pulp along some roads. So shortly after breakfast today I had to take evasive action as I rounded a corner to be greeted by a large, shiney 4x4 heading straight towards me. I wasn't moving very quickly but I needed to slow down before pulling into the verge & no sooner had I touched the brakes than I was sliding around with little control over my trajectory. It felt very like the time I aquaplaned my just-bought-with-my-first-pay-cheque car into the side of a milk lorry. Luckily on this occasion disaster was avoided but while the leaves & rain continue to fall I will proceed with extreme caution & urge you (although I suspect you don't need my advice) to do the same.

There'll be a bit of everything weatherwise over the next few days, but at least it'll be getting a little milder.

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-10T17:42:00.001Z

A very big HELLO to you on this pretty chilly November afternoon.

Now - being left out in the cold has a certain exclusive ring to it. Unless, of course, being left out there is down to you. You know, when you've lost the keys or locked yourself out. So you can't get inside to your wife, who's giving birth in the bathroom. That's one of our stories tonight.

Another is that of an old soldier who won the Victoria Cross in the 1st World War. That was tribute 1 for his bravery. Tribute 2 is a statue being unveiled in his home town of Barking today.

We're leading on shoplifting tonight. Incidents in London have shot up recently - not so much by who you might consider the 'usual suspects' but middle class, middle-aged, women who are struggling to come to terms with the impact the recession is having on their lives.

Next up: Sharon Shoesmith is back in court - as is her claim for wrongful dismissal. You'll remember she was given the sack from her job as Head of Children's Services at Haringey Council. Well, in the big legal battle that has ensued it seems Ofsted didn't offer up all the papers they should have.

We're also reporting on the repatriation of Darren Chant - the Regimental Sergeant Major from Walthamstow who was killed by an Afghanistani policeman last week.

And we're talking to another old soldier. I recently saw Sir Michael Caine speaking very clearly about the horrors of the Korean War in which he served. He has a new film out which depicts a pretty grim lifestyle around Elephant and Castle. That's where he's from. That's what it's like, he says. Not so, say others.

So - lots for us to bring you tonight.

We will see you at six.

Ben & Katie

FW: weather blog

2009-11-10T16:33:00.001Z

Good evening,

We have a prolific apple tree in the garden. Year after year the branches are laden with fruit from late summer to late autumn. It looks wonderful; the green of the apples, hinting at a certain sweet tartness, contrasting with the yellow & gold of the leaves.

Sadly, however, the apples are not good. In fact they are awful. They are thick skinned with a dry, woody flesh that is not improved by cooking- if anything they become more indigestible, turning leathery & flovourless after a few moments' stewing.

Not even a generous helping of blackberries saves the situation & this year we've finally conceded defeat. We must accept that the apple tree is ornamental, its fruit to be enjoyed by the wildlife before we are required to do the mind numbing job of clearing the windfalls which always seems to happen in a cold, steady drizzle.

Although there's more wet stuff tomorrow, things do look better for Thursday when it'll be milder too so perhaps that's the day for me to get out in the garden....

Hope to see you later,

Robin

London Tonight Tonight

2009-11-09T17:30:00.000Z

Hi there. Hope you had a great and safe bonfire weekend. Not a big fan of fireworks, personally - certainly not the sort you get for the garden, anyway. For some reason, I don't think the mixture of small children and explosives is a good one, but, after much pestering I relented and my two children and their cousins were treated to half a dozen fairly limp offerings from a local supermarket.

I had much higher hopes of explosives between Bermondsey boxer David Haye and seven foot Russian man-mountain, Nikolay Valuev as they squared up for their heavyweight title fight in Germany on Saturday night. As a fight, it was less than sparkling, but Haye did a fantastic job of dodging the Russian's lumbering bombs and landed one or two stealth missiles of his own on his way to a fantastic points victory and a world title belt. He told us when he came into the studio last week that he was going to do it, but after several years as a sports reporter I've learnt to take most pronoucements with a pinch of salt. Katie was less sceptical and was convinced after speaking to him that he would make good on his prediction. "I can see it in his eyes", she said. She was right! We'll congratulate David later.

Talking of fireworks, we'll be talking to Boris Johnson live on the programme tonight as a 24-hour bus strike over pay continues in the capital. Seven hundred and fifty buses from the East London Bus Company are off the roads causing disruption to tens of thousands of people. With crisis meetings also taking place to try to avert further Tube strikes, we'll be asking the London Mayor whether he's lost his grip on the city's transport network. We'll also report on one council's plan to tackle crime by signing up two thousand local people to become 'neighbourhood champions', (or official snoopers, depending on your point of view). Plus the depressing news that pubs in the capital are closing faster than anywhere else in the country - at a rate of six per week.

Finally, the sad news of the death of a much-loved member of one local community, callously mown down by a hit-and-run driver. His passing is being mourned through poetry, shrines and internet tributes as Dorking pays its respects to... Albi the albino squirrel??? What can I say, except that Glen Goodman's on the case so it's bound to be worth a watch. I just hope the shop where he got his full size pumpkin mask last week doesn't do squirrel outfits with angel wings attached. Seriously, I bet he's put the call in!

See you at six,

Matt and Nina

Weather blog

2009-11-09T15:26:00.001Z

Good evening,

I've got a very elderly car which I use to drive to the station. It's like an old friend; totally reliable but not above playing the odd trick.

The most recent practical joke was to do with the lights. It happened yesterday evening (6-ish; properly dark) as I was driving along a country lane & hit a pothole. The resulting jolt caused all the lights -interior & exterior- to fail. There was something very eerie about it being as pitch black inside the car as it was out. Obviously I pulled off the road (no indicators or hazards) & got out in order to be able to assess the situation.

I am to mechanics what John & Edward are to opera, so after staring cluelessly at the bonnet & a spot of light swearing I climbed back into my jalopy & did the only sensible thing I could think of which was to start it up again. Miraculously it purred effortlessly & comprehensively back into life & I was able to continue my journey through the light drizzle (more of that to come tomorrow by the way) without further incident.

Obviously I was delighted the car was fully operational once more, but I'm left feeling nervous; it's happened once & it could happen again & lights are only ever going to fail when you really need them.

Perhaps it's time it went on ebay. The perfect vehicle for anyone planning a motoring holiday next summer to the land of the midnight sun....

Hope to see you later,

Robin