London Tonight Tonight

20.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

Dear One and All -

So, let's get the sports news out of the way. Hurrah and double well done to England's cricketers who have just won the Second test against the Australians - their first Lord's test victory over the men in green caps since 1934.

I'm just going to pause for a moment - so should you - so we can all savour that...

Still pausing.

Done. Not that we're gloating - that's a very unattractive past time. But it's not a bad thing to enjoy the finer things in life. And breaking a 75-year-old duck seems pretty fine to me. What's more - the opposition are no slouches, and there are still three tests to go. Let's face it, we could soon be licking our wounds.

And talking of licking wounds. Hats off and double respect to Mr Tom Watson. What a golf legend. What a shame that the impossible dream proved just that. Not least because someone sitting not too far from where I'm sitting now had a small wager on his being crowned Open Champion for the sixth time. Ah well, he can hold his head up high. As can the eventual winner, Mr Cink.

Now - onto the programme - and there's a commonly accepted understanding that if something looks to0 good to be true, it is too good to be true. Today, there are a lot of people who've been ruing the day they were tempted to invest an awful lot of money in a scheme which seemed to offer wonderful returns only to find out that it was a great big con. The victims include the rich and famous as well as just the rich. It sounds ominously like the Bernie Madoff scheme across the pond. He's now in prison - and will be for a very long time.

Our thoughts go out to the family of Henry Surtees this evening. You may have heard of his rather talented dad, John. He's the only man ever to have been crowned world motorbike champion and Formula One champion. He now lives in Surrey. Well, his son, Henry, died yesterday - striving to follow in his father's footsteps. He died after he was involved in an accident in a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch yesterday.

There's a strong family theme in another of our stories tonight - a mum claims she's been banned from school after she told another little boy to stop bullying her son. Was she right? Was she wrong?

And from one school report to another (this is going terribly well, isn't it?). It's a sort of 'animals took over the zoo' story - with the 11 year old pupils at a school in Southwark. We can imagine what could go wrong... At the time of writing, I have no idea whether it did.

Sorry to say there's more on swine flu tonight and we're looking at its impact on the international travel scene. It's summer holiday time after all - schools breaking up for the long break but lots of pupils are finding that the great getaway isn't really happening. Or if they've got away, they can't get back home again - that's what's happened to a number of London children in Beijing. They've been quarantined in a hotel over there. While other kids from Esher, a football team, have been told their dream trip to a tournament in South Korea has just been cancelled - in case they take the virus with them. It seems London isn't just the national hotspot for the virus - it's got a world-wide reputation too.

Oh, and there's a story about a rather unhappy Winston Churchill.

We'll all find out more in the programme.

See you at six,

Ben & Alex.

17.7.09

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

Good Afternoon to you...

It's Friday everyone. 'Hurray' for those who get tomorrow and Sunday off. And for those working through the weekend... well, presumably it's 24 hours closer to your days off. You do get days off, don't you? If you don't, I'd be looking closely at your contract if I were you. If you work for yourself... take a day off. You've earned it.

So what will people be doing with their days off? DIY? Playing with the kids? A spot of gardening? Eating and drinking with friends? Or - going to the cinema, perhaps? With the help of Mr King, we'll be taking a look at a couple of your newer cinematic options on the programme. If you watched yesterday, you'll already have had a taste of 'Moon'. We spoke to its director, Duncan Jones. He's a terribly nice chap with a terribly famous Dad, a certain David Bowie. And having asked Duncan on the programme, I can now say with absolute confidence - it's pronounced Bowie. Not Bowie. (You should have been watching, shouldn't you?) Anyway, the second film we'll look at is one of those rather large affairs. A juggernaut of a film really - the next instalment in the Harry Potter saga. I've got tickets booked for that (actually, Mrs S did the booking). Can't wait. Ms Hyndman says she's enjoyed the ones she's seen but isn't a devotee. She's probably got other things in her life. Like Madness. She's off to see Madness, that is. She's not mad. Officially.

We have another giant band from the 80's on the show, actually. Anyone for 'Duran Duran'? A useless 'Trivial Pursuit' tit-bit for you: their 'View to a Kill' single is the only James Bond theme song ever to make to the top of the US charts. There you go - you can drop that one into the conversation if things are going a little slowly when your friends come over for dinner. Or leave them at the table while you finally get round to that DIY.

Now - the serious stuff. And our top two stories couldn't be any more serious really. The first is the death of a London mum. That's sad enough, but it's emerged she's one of the 29 British people to have died of swine flu, and she lost her life right after giving birth to her baby. What's more the baby is said to be 'very poorly'. And, in another worrying sign of the scale of things to come, the London Ambulance service is cancelling 'extra' training for its paramedics to keep as many of them on the front line as possible.

The other extremely serious event we have to tell you about is the shooting of a young man who was simply out playing football with his mates. A guy turned up on a bike in West Wickham and just opened fire at his victim - shooting him dead, there in front of his friends - before pedalling away. It sounds like an organised hit - that's what the police think, certainly. Marcus will have the latest.
Can you imagine being faced by a gunman? There you are, doing your job, and you're confronted by someone trying to kill you. Sadly, for our police officers, the possibility is all too real. It was for four fine and upstanding members of the Met: Stephen Hayter, Barry Leban, Richard Cousins and Michael Carroll. They showed the sort of bravery you read about in books... and see on our programme tonight.
Don't know about you but I'm waiting for a fairly important letter at the moment - so I, for one, will be interested in the latest on the, er, latest postal strike that, er, 'struck' today. Sorry, it's getting late. And it's Friday.
However, one more story to give you the heads-up on is the heart-warming latest on young Harvey Parry. At just four years old, he's been a friend of the programme for some time now. He lost both his legs to meningitis and has been on a number of trips to the States to get the very best man-made legs money can buy. Well, it's time for a new pair. And he's hoping these will enable him to not to walk but run.
Good story to end on.
It's in the mix tonight.
See you at six,
Ben & Alex

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16.7.09

Good Afternoon to you...

We can't give you the world tonight, but we can give you the moon... sort of.

I don't know about you but I get goose pimples when I watch the footage of Neil Armstrong making his way down the steps of Apollo 11' Eagle landing craft and placing his foot on the moon "One small step for man... one giant leap for mankind". It's said he meant to say "One small step for a man..." but fluffed it. You can kind of forgive his nerves. He must have been as nervous as turkey at Christmas.

Anyway, I digress. They're great pictures. But the picture quality isn't what you'd call great. Well, 30 years on - some new (or should that be 'old') picture has emerged... digitally re-mastered... and it gives a much clearer picture of that historic journey. And the man responsible for getting the best out of the old tape? He's a Londoner.

So - we'll be hearing from him tonight, and we'll also be talking to Duncan Jones. You might know him, or remember him, as Zowie Bowie - son of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth'... aka 'Ziggy Stardust'... aka David Bowie. Anyway, Zowie Bowie... aka Duncan Jones (I hope you're following this) has just made a film about the moon, or rather a man working on it. Did you know that the final instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is said to have cost around £300 million to make. Well, Dunc's new flick - his first in fact - cost a measly £2 and half million. The trailer looks cracking though.

Something else that looks impressive is a Galapagos Tortoise (not much of a link, I grant you - but time's pushing on). Did you know that if you tickle their legs they go into a trance. And I know that because Liz Wickham told me. And she knows that because the good people at London Zoo told her. Hopefully, Liz will have picked up some more facts and figures from her day out. The pictures promise to be terrific.

Our big story tonight is the worrying march of swine flu. They reckon ("they" being the experts) that within weeks now, 1 in 8 workers will have the virus. London is undeniably the worst affected area in the country - and the borough with more cases than any other is Tower Hamlets. We have to be careful how we put this but one doctor has told us that "people are stretched and feeling the strain". Doctors are already cancelling holidays. They're asking part-time doctors to work full time. They're asking those on study leave to come back to 'the front line'.

Okay - time really is running out now - so you'll have to tune in to the programme for more on the above - and the David and Goliath story of when the removals men came up against the might of the international Olympic movement. Plus we speak to the guys who are making the most of an empty house on one of the most expensive roads in the country... with the owner's blessing.

See you at six,

Ben & Alex

15.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

Good afternoon.
We are on fire, as I write. Like Ed Morrow or Walter Cronkite, during the blitz, I am standing here watching and reporting the smoke rise and the debris fall on a great nation, a gutsy people, a proud race..... actually it is only an alarm but it's very exciting.
As was a man who for the life of me looks like Bob Hoskins with a beard, when he learned his son had walked into a camp-site and said his name was Jamie. Jamie had been missing for 12 days in a beautiful but dangerous mountainous region of Australia. Not an alarm and rehearsal for him - this was the real thing. His dad flew to Oz to help in the hunt only to be told, yesterday, the lad was probably done for by the dingos. Then the phone rang as he was about to board the plane back home... Liz takes up the story that echoes with laughter and relief from north London to the Blue Mountains.
Our next story is more of a challenge. On the one hand, a lovely guy and popular teacher, died in tragic circumstances and is much missed by friends and pupils alike. On the other hand, he was on a bender in Brighton and ended up... well, I'll let Lewis take up the story but believe me you will need to understand irony as much as sympathy for this one. He was a Kiwi who lived and worked in Harrow.
All I need now is a Tasmanian to make up the set. The Oz, that's our Alex rather than the continent country suddenly finding the means to speak, tells me Tasmania is part of Australia. Constitutional and legally, of course it is but I think the Hobart Straights stands between her position and mine, and, indeed, between Tasmania and the mainland.
I have scoured my notes from a particularly noisy and rushed meeting and there are no Tasmanians so I'll move on, accepting it as only a part-job done, in antipodean terms.
Our schools are full. Well, they're not - they are emptying fast as the summer holidays begin. But come September they will be full to over-flowing. The off-spring of redundant Lehman Brothers employees are, I am told, forming orderly queues with others whose mums and dads had scrimped and saved at the margin to buy a private education for their little darlings only to feel the squeeze of the recession or the grim thump of a P45 landing alongside the school fees bill. Add to that Londoners were breeding more successfully 5 years ago and you have a problem. Perhaps we couldn't have predicted the recession, whatever Jeff Randall tells you on Sky and in the Daily Telegraph, but the baby-boom of 2004 would have proved a bit obvious, wouldn't it. We'll ask the spokesman for Admissions Policy for London's Schools what, as Lenin put it, is to be done?
When a mummy deer is shot by poachers and the mummy deer has three baby deer, what is to be done? An extended re-make of "Bambi"? "Bambi -the revenge", in which three orphaned deer rampage across Norfolk and trample a poacher to death? The possibilities are limitless. We have a nicer answer which you will enjoy. Glen plays Thumper.
Was it her destiny as a child to be a Chicago moll? I don't know but we'll ask Michelle Williams.
Robin says it is too wet to go out so he'll do the forecast in the studio. It is raining and it is St Swithin's day. All that I didn't know about that particular superstition was that St. S was a chap and not a chapess. A fine school for fine girls in Winchester is named after him. Was there another side to him, beyond the meteorological thing? Not sure I want to know but I may ask Robin.
The Oz says we're wimps - the fire-alarm and all that. She may have a point but I've always thought fire safety and adhering to alarms is the better part of valour. Like taking drinks out to your last two batsmen when defeat is staring the possibility of a draw in the face. I don't think she's forgiven us... anyway, the next Test opens at Lord's tomorrow so we preview it with an open contest between the rival tribes of supporters. It is a frightening prospect made all the more terrifying when I tell you Damien is the man in the white coat and white trilby with three jumpers wrapped round his shoulders. I am heading for the long grass, via silly mid-on and probably off. That will make some of you smile as it stumps others.

See you at six, so long as we reach the boundary without touching the ground......
Alastair and Alex

FW: weather blog

Good evening,

Last night there was a perfect example of a shower, live on TV during the weather bulletin.

I was standing in a recently revamped garden in Wandsworth, instructions from the studio being beamed via the magic of a satellite truck through my earpiece, & no sooner had I received my cue to talk than a shower started.

The fact that it was a light one was both lucky & unlucky. Lucky because I didn't get drenched but unlucky because it wasn't visible on screen & I was therefore able to make no more than a passing reference to it. My walk to the station moments later (I'd declined the obligatory ITN limousine ride back from work to my front door in the interests of fitness) was not only dry but also pleasantly sunny with the net result that it felt like a completely different day. Perhaps 'unsettled' -which is what's currently on offer- is the meteorological equivalent of schizophrenic, leaving us dodging sunburn & soakings in equal measure & never feeling totally relaxed.

My challenge, on a professional level, is to find fresh ways of saying "sunshine & showers" in a bid to keep interest levels up & viewers tuned in even if the news on the weather front isn't particularly good.

See you later,

Robin

14.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

Afternoons,

We've just had a very energetic meeting - where every story on tonight's show has been shuffled around the running order. Robin's just asked if it was like that yesterday! We have a new boss in the big boss chair - Paul is keeping Faye's seat warm while she concentrates on the tiny (probably a bit poopy) seat end of the gorgeous new addition to her family.

Basically - there's a lot to tell you tonight and we're trying to work out how best to deliver it. Robin we think will be delivering his weather from a garden in Wandsworth - we're not sure if this garden is worthy of Robin's presence yet so hold onto your hats for decisions on that. Ben's being sent there whether the garden is splendid or otherwise. It's because there's a scheme in Wandsworth where you can go and garden in an older person's garden if you don't have a garden. You see. Ben will explain later if not.

From pride in the gardens to pride in our young heroes. Young being the sad but operative word here. Eight soldiers are being returned to us today after making the ultimate sacrifice - 3 of them from our region. As we pause to think about their families we'll also be meeting a living hero. He's 101 - and still has a season ticket at Millwall - my limited knowledge of football fans means I think he's probably made of pretty hard stuff to support Millwall!

LVJ's the lucky one meeting him - then Glen's meeting a very, very lucky family. They've only gone and bagged themselves squillions and billions on the lottery. Ok, they won 8 million - but surely anything over a million must feel like billions - I can but dream !!

Lucy's got a dream of a job today - the nicest, smiliest men in pop - not Take That again - we're going back a generation to visit the Bee Gees. She's out now and even though I'm not expecting to hear her come back screaming about tickets to a gig like she did with the ever so lovely Take That - I think she will love them. We'll find out later.

We'll also have all the latest info for you on swine flu - after that little girl Chloe died we've all got a lot of questions - like is it a good thing schools break up next week - or is it just going to make things more complicated? Should we all be vaccinated? Are we being told the whole truth? Well, we shall endeavour to answer with the help of Simon Harris.

Before all that Liz Wickham starts our programme on another sad and tragic note. She's been to meet the family of a little girl who died after a monitor alarm next to her hospital bed went off - her mum says the nurse ignored it and left her baby girl to die. The hospital has questions to answer and the police may even become involved.

Sorry to end on such a sad note - but that's how we start tonight - unless things all get changed round.

For now - I'm off to get my face on.

See you at 6,

Alex & Alastair.

Weather blog

Good evening,

Still smarting from the noisy waterpump a couple of weekends ago, we had another neighbour incident yesterday.

The same gentleman, whose garden is obviously his pride & joy, chose to have a bonfire in the afternoon. I'm unclear as to the intricacies of bonfire etiquette, but at around 3 o'clock our house & garden disappeared in a pall of thick smoke leaving us a little tight lipped.

I realise that by mentioning this I am fast-tracking my admission to the Club for the Terminally Smallminded, but we'd spent the entire morning blitzing the house. By lunchtime it was as clean as a new pin with all the windows open to the gentle breeze & the washing line groaning with several loads of fragrant laundry, all of which had escaped the showers & were drying perfectly in the sun.

Then came the smoke.

Inside it was a grey haze within moments with dust mites everywhere & outside the sun disappeared & the laundry was efficiently kippered. I won't pretend we didn't communicate our dismay.

For the foreseeable future it's staying unsettled. You might be able to get your washing dry & you might be able to have a bonfire; it's a game of chance. It's reasonably warm though, in direct contrast to neighbourly relations in my neck of the woods....

See you later,

Robin.

13.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

Good afternoon. Sir David Frost once, famously, invited Peter Cooke to a dinner party featuring show-bizz, political and even 'royal' gliteratti. But such was Peter's distaste for Frosty that, after a moment's pondering, he answered the invite with the collectable response, "I find I'm watching TV that night, David..." If you were watching , last week, what follows London Tonight on ITV you will know I was presenting the Evening News. This week , I am back in harness and what a day to return!
Swine 'flu, which has been building up like gathering clouds, is moving from dark skies to a torrent - after the Essex death last week, we have a little school girl, today, from West Drayton, who has tragically died. Glen is at her school and is trying to find out as much as he can about her, her family and her friends. We will also have the best and most reassuring advice we can muster. But it is a bleak day.
Tragedy, too, from Afghanistan, but lifted by the remarkable valour of the victims of that dusty, distressing conflict. Three more young men from our part of the UK died at the end of last week and died seeking to help their comrades. They died, as Gordon Brown is telling the House of Commons as I write, protecting us from terrorism. You may or may not agree with his analysis but you will, I am sure, share the heartbreak of their families and friends. Ronke pays tribute.
We have all paid tribute on many occasions to the brave men and women who fight fires in London. We have smiled, too, when they have rescued cats from trees or helped extract people from often odd situations with goodness knows what stuck gracious knows where. So, our eye-brows rose when we learned that the GLA said it was investing £9 million of your money to sub-contract "emergency cover" to a private firm which currently services the fire-engines and other appliances our brave lads and lasses in blue serge use. It seems it is to replace the Green Goddesses and the Army who sprang, or trundled, to keep us safe when the FBU went on strike. Right or wrong? Provocative or a wise precaution? We'll ask Brian Coleman who runs the GLA's Emergency Services Sub-Committee.
Harris has pictures of the first new rolling stock, apart from the tasty Javelin trains, to grace London's over-ground railway in 30 years. Have they learned nothing in three decades, some of you may be moved to query, when we tell you that among the defining characteristics of these carriages is fewer seats. The boss of TfL says it is so we can move "more freely" through the carriages in pursuit of the Holy Grail of railway travel - a seat. My experience of Tokyo and New York, let alone the Bakerloo Line, is such that this will often prove a fruitless scrum. Harris will, I know, be entirely objective but I doubt my ire will wain.
Lucy has an interesting tableau which features an imaginary meeting between Nirvana rock-star Kurt Cobain, who blew his brains out with a collectable shot-gun, and Sex Pistols rock-star Sid Vicious, who was stabbed to death by his lover in a drug-alcohol haze. Not my idea of a pleasant Saturday night party but very watchable, perhaps. Tussaud's Chamber of Horrors does good business, so why not.
The Americans thought they were buying Tower Bridge when they bought, and had delivered , London Bridge. I do not know which bridge a latter day Evil Knievil thought he was leaping over on his motor-bike but the pictures are spectacular so we will share, several times.
Chrissie clears the bench to deliver her forecast, and the front-pages may be graced with my biker friend. They would if I was the editor but I am not. I am here.
And I am sitting next to the Oz who has helped me spell Mr Knievil's name. If it's right, what a pair we make; if it's wrong, I'll transport her back to the land of the koalas and barbies.
Assuming she is right, we'll see you at 6.
Alastair and Alex.

9.7.09

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

Hello to you and welcome to your Thursday edition of 'London Tonight Tonight'...

So, where to start?

Well, shall we start with a story we were going to go much bigger on, but now, we're... er, not. It's like this.

Once upon a time there was a lovely lady who lived in a lovely house in Hertfordshire, and she found a pendant. In a field it was, hiding in the mud. A beautiful thing it was - bright and shiney - and made from pure gold. Well, this pendant made the lady very happy, especially when a wise old man told her it might be worth a quarter of a million pounds. This made the lady even happier. She'd sell her new treasure, she said, and give the money to the bank so that her lovely home would be hers, all hers. One day the lady took her treasure to the auction house to sell it but... oh, and it's such a 'big' but that it sort of scrubs out the happy ending altogether: the bloomin' pendant didn't even fetch its reserve price of £30,000. So she didn't sell it and she's still got a mortgage to pay. So, the moral of the story is... 'wise is as wise does'. Doesn't really work, I know, but I got a bit bored by the whole fairytale thing.

Back in the real world, let's run you through what we have got this evening.

We start with a story we've covered extensively before - the problem of dangerous dogs. More specifically the dangerous owners who breed and train dogs to fight and attack. We were out on a number of police raids early this morning - along with the Deputy Mayor for Policing, Kit Malthouse. Has the time has come to revisit the Dangerous Dogs Act as the problem doesn't appear to be going away? If anything, it's getting worse.

Two more really weighty stories for you...

Six teenagers were jailed for at least 18 years each today after they murdered another teenager - 16 year old Shaquille Smith. They were all members of 'The London Field Boys'. Shaquille's 'crime' - as far as these guys were concerned? He was talking to a lad in the park whose dog later attacked members of the gang. It is (another) truly horrid story - and you may be surprised to hear that members of Shaquille's family have been working on a play about a teenager who is stabbed to death. It was prompted by Shaquille's death and gives an insight into how his family have come to terms with their loss.

Simon Harris has been talking to the aunt of a London backpacker who's gone missing in New South Wales. To get news that someone you love has disappeared must be dreadful enough - for them to be on the other side of the world must make you feel helpless beyond belief. Well, Jamie Neale's father has flown out to Australia to help look for his son. We'll have the latest on that.

There is some 'lighter' stuff too... you've heard of 'speed-dating'. We've got 'speed-flatmate-hunting'.

You've heard of cinemas being turned into bingo-halls and the like. We've got one that hasn't - throughout its gloriously long history - and now has a lottery grant to prove it.

And the King of Pop is dead. Long live the King of Pop. The 'Thriller' musical has proved so popular at the Lyric Theatre that its producers are now planning to take it round the world. If you're not planning a round the world trip yourself, you can still get up close and personal with Michael Jackson... sort of... at Madame Tussauds. His 13th likeness - planned before the man himself went to the big arena in the sky - was unveiled today. What do the fans think?

Oh, and we're talking to Oasis too. Are they really going to split up..?

Lots to fit in - and you'll want to tune in to see Ms Hyndman's hairdo. It's bouncy.

See you at six,

Ben & Alex

8.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

Afternoon,

Tonight - after doing his best Michael Jackson turn - well Moonwalk but you know what I mean - Lewis will be starring as James Bond. He's getting properly suited and booted to drive a Bond car worth 100 grand - it's clearly been a tough week for our Welsh wonder - hope he's insured.

Speaking of Wales - not on the show - but on my telly - The Ashes. I am torn between supporting the Aussies as I grew up there and England - as I was born here. Is it terrible of me to just wait and see who's winning before declaring my support..? Probably yes, but it's more fun that way. It's a good way to wind up Neil - programme editor - who's off to Wales to watch tomorrow. Don't ask me why it's being held there - I don't get it either but Ricky Ponting's probably right - there'll be more support for Oz than the Poms for sure! (No chance - ed.)

On to more stars of the show and Nick Wallis - who is leaving us later this month to present the breakfast show on BBC Surrey - huge congrats to him! But, for now he is with us and has just been to meet Florence and the Machine. Which is not anything to do with machinery as such - more to do with a London lovely whose album's tipped to knock even Jacko off the top. You've probably seen the posters for her album on the underground - it's the one with the girl with lungs showing under her dress. Eye-catching indeed - and the music's apparently great too. Nick reckons she's a star so we shall all see later.

I am working my way from the bottom of the show to the top tonight just for the "down under up over" effect of the Ashes - you see. So before the first part Phil Bayles has been to meet some sisters who didn't know each other - hadn't spoken for 30 years - but found out they both worked for Waitrose and are now back in touch. Love that kind of thing. Before that Damien's at the Barbican and Sangeeta's with a very brave pensioner.

In the first part of tonight's show we'll tell you about the honey trap killers who lured a 16 year old to his death - his only crime - falling in love with the wrong girl. We've also a 20 thousand pound appeal for the killers of a man shot at random in a south London park.

We're also going round in circles - as that's what the M25 does when it's actually moving. No wait - that's what drivers do on the M25 when it's flowing freely - when's that again? Anyway - it's getting wider near the M40 so Simon's been chucked in a chopper to check on progress. We'll be after your opinions on this - is it money well spent making the car park wider?

Must go - there is chocolate cake on a nearby desk - in honour of Rachel Millichip's last day before she heads off to produce a Mini Milli - with my name on it!

See you at 6.

Alex & Ben.

7.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

Good Afternoon all -

Well, it seems incredible, doesn't it? Can it really be four years since those atrocities ripped through the lives of so many people in our capital. So many lives ended. So many more devastated beyond repair.

If you watched the programme last night, you'll have seen the extraordinary memorial that's been erected in Hyde Park. 52 stainless steel columns to represent the 52 lives that were lost. The consensus of opinion here in the office is that it's a really striking sculpture. Like most people, I've only seen it in our pictures and it certainly appears to capture the spirit of those who died and the defiant stand we must all make against terrorism. The Prince of Wales led the official unveiling ceremony today and spoke very movingly.

But for many of the families and friends of the victims, for those who lived to tell the appalling tale... a sculpture is simply not enough. The call for a full public inquiry is getting louder - a mother who lost her son 4 years ago today gives it voice on our programme this evening.

So tonight, four years on, we'll report on the remembrance and the fight for answers.

That's not the only contentious story we have for you. You'll remember the accusations that some Metropolitan Police Officers were too heavy-handed in containment of protests during the G20 summit. You'll remember the pictures, no doubt. You'll remember that one man died - although the full reasons for that are still being investigated. However, a report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary says the Met wasn't up to the job, that it hadn't planned properly. We'll have the low-down.

We'll also take a look round what there is to see of the Olympic Village. Okay, it's still 3 years until the greatest show on earth comes to town, but time's a-hurrying by. And even if you're not a sports fan, you'll want to take an interest in the invoice. The village will cost £1 billion... of tax-payers' money.

And there are also two, shall we say, 'lighter' stories to bring you. Firstly, a 'Spaceman goes to School'... and then 'The Biggest Thrill of All'. I'm going to leave those with you - just to whet your appetite. They both promise to make great viewing.

As does, can't believe it's here, the latest 'Harry Potter' film. Don't know about you but I love, love, love the books. And to those who say "but they're children's books", I say "thhthhththththhhhththhh" (that's a raspberry). Tonight "Potter 6" gets its premiere - aficionados will know it as the "Half Blood Prince". We're there in Leicester Square for all the razzmatazz.

So, as ever, a mixed programme. A full programme.

See you at six,

Ben & Alex.

Weather Blog

Good evening,

The stream at the bottom of our garden is looking a little (but only a little) healthier following the recent showers.

In the winter it's quite impressive but has lately been a shadow of its former self. This didn't, however, stop a neighbour from using it to irrigate his garden during the dry spell we've just had. It's all above board apparently. You are allowed to pump a limited amount of water per day for private use.

This is all well & good & presumably saves him money & is ecologically sound, but the key word is pump. The pump isn't silent. In fact for the bulk of the day on Sunday the garden was being generously watered, with the pump doing an admirable impression of a coffee grinder. For about 6 hours. It was the soundtrack of our lunch in the garden & was even audible indoors over the Wimbledon coverage. When the pump went off the silence was almost oppressive.

Less than a day after the watering was complete the showers arrived & the negative (& shamefully suburban) half of me is simmering with resentment that my Sunday tranquility was ruined needlessly, but the positive half of me is delighted that the weather's unsettled. It may be wet out there but at least it's peaceful.

That said things are improving in the second half of the week. At the moment the weekend looks changeable & if I'm honest I don't know whether that's good news or not.

For the rest of the day I'll work hard on regaining a sense of perspective & look forward to seeing you later with Victor Meldrew fi r mly back in his box,

Robin

6.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

Good Afternoon to you all. Welcome to the start of the week...

First things first. Did you enjoy the weekend? Were you out playing in the sunshine? Did you stay in and watch the tennis? Ms Hyndman was busy moving house. As was our programme editor. At least their sofas didn't get wet.

Now, the day's news... and the top of the programme tonight is dominated by the appalling fire at a block of flats in Camberwell. 6 people died. That's 6 people who should be alive tonight including children as young as 3 weeks old. This is a dreadfully sad story as well as an extremely worrying one. What caused the fire? What caused it to spread in the way it did? Were those trapped given the right advice? There's conflicting advice as to what the fire brigade told them to do. We'll be looking into all of it and we're talking with the Fire Service right now, fixing up an interview with one of their top officers.

We'll also be looking at the identical tower block next door to the one hit by the fire so we can all understand the situation better and perhaps draw some conclusions.

There are, in fact, a number of quite awful stories in the programme tonight. Piers Hopkirk, for instance, has been talking to a woman called Sarah who has a very sad story to tell. Her father, Roy, died of a heart attack. Sarah says the paramedic got to his house around 6 minutes after Roy dialled 999, complaining of chest pains. However, Sarah maintains, the paramedic then spent a quarter of an hour outside the house filling in 'risk assessment' forms. Roy died on the way to hospital - and his daughter believes he could - and should - have been saved.

Tomorrow, of course, marks an anniversary of a huge waste of life. '7/7' means the 'July terror bombings' to people across the country, let alone the capital. For those directly affected by the attacks, it will always be the most painful of days - people who lost parents, children, spouses, siblings, friends. And it begs the question - what's the best way to remember them? Well, a woman who lost her mother in the bombings has helped to design memorials for the victims. It's being unveiled tomorrow - but Phil Bayles has already had a look around.

It's a very different sculpture you'll find down on the famous (or should that be infamous?) fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square for the next 3 months or so. The definition of 'living art' individuals will be taking their turn to stand on top of the plinth and... well, doing what they want to. Who's going to be the first to get their kit off then? I read that one girl, who has her place booked, toyed with idea but has decided against it. One man has said he's only going to wear his pants and socks. How very British? If he sips on a cup of tea and hums the national anthem, we could have a new national icon.

Actually a national icon began his new job managing Chelsea today. Not our nation, obviously - Mr Ancelloti is an Italian icon. And Mr Powell will give us the rundown.

And I'm now going to run down and get a drink from the machine.

See you at six,

Ben & Alex

Weather blog

Good evening,

Pedantic though it may seem there's a difference between rain & showers, but in order to clarify matters further we should introduce a verb which makes that distinction too.

When I woke up this morning it was raining, except it wasn't rain it was a shower. Moments later it was dry with patches of blue sky. By the time I climbed into the car to drive to the station it was raining again, except (yes, you've guessed it) it wasn't rain etc. etc.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that as I write this I'm wearing a grubby Met Office anorak with a barometer sewn into the lining, but this is more about meaning than meteorology. Showers by their very nature are hit & miss & not long lived. Rain is more all encompassing & can hang around for a long time. This is a fairly black & white explanation for a phenomenon that has many grey areas, but I hope it is in some small way useful. Perhaps the verb we are looking for could be a fusion of shower & rain -shain for example- so that if it's shaining we can all take comfort in the knowledge that it won't last & that there's even a chance of a glimmer of brightness too.

So here goes; it'll shain tomorrow -possibly heavily- but by the second half of the week things look set to improve.

Sorted.

See you later,

Robin.

3.7.09

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

Afternoons,

Sitting here watching Wimbledon (I'm working hard if anyone asks obviously) - actually managed to miss Federer breeze through into the finals - something about slicing through it like butter was the description used in the meeting just now. High hopes for Andy Murray who's on court now. Off court..well, to be honest on court, in the umpires chair and in the commentary box was where one London Tonight reporter managed to find herself. We've got the pics to prove it and see what All England officials have to say about it. She wasn't a security threat so it's more amusing than worrying but still..see what you think.

Before that we've got the latest swine flu figures. Worryingly we have had our first death in London from the disease - but, as with the other deaths in the country - the teenager in question did have other medical problems so we're being told it's more down to that than the disease itself getting more aggressive. The figures themselves say 100,000 of us a day are going to be infected - that means around 10,000 a day here in the capital. Although the virus itself isn't life-threatening it's still concerning - as none of us want the flu - swine or otherwise. We've got advice and details tonight.

We've also got more on the double jeopardy case which has seen an ex-footballer jailed for killing his girlfriend - 7 years after being cleared of the crime, the case against a woman who lied about where she lived to get her kid into a good school and a look at what's happening down at Stratford station in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

James King's here too to talk Public Enemies and a third Ice Age flick and Lewis has been down to the Nordoff Robbins awards to catch up with the Beach Boys and Lulu - but didn't manage to get Take That on the show for the second time this week as they were a no show. Ah well.

To make up for it Al is back with me tonight - not right now..he's off planning something but will be on the sofa sans tie in his usual Friday style later.

Can't wait - see you then.

Alex & Alastair.
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2.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

Good Afternoon to you.

Let's start with one for the tennis fans. Serena Williams is in trouble. She's a game down in the third set of her semi-final. Now, bearing in mind that people have been spouting on for ever and a Wimbledon day that it's going to be a Williams v Williams final, this comes as something of a surprise. Of course, by the time you read this, it may all have changed and the bookies will be bracing themselves for a definite Williams pay out. I'll give updates.

If you're not a tennis fan... turned out nice again, hasn't it?

** It's matchpoint against Ms Williams... which she saves **

Now - the programme - and we start with a fairly familiar phrase for London news viewers... "Crossrail may not happen". It seems - according to a leaked memo - that there's a thumping great hole in the Department of Transport's budget and the odd expensive project may have to go quietly into the night... and it's thought Crossrail's name could be on the list. Which is a bit of a blow to all those businesses and homes that have already been affected by the project. We're thinking about the Astoria which has already been closed and gutted...

We've got some CCTV pictures to show you tonight - taken four years ago. They show police officers from Southend restraining a chap they'd just arrested on suspicion of assault. You might think they're being 'fairly rough'. The jury at the inquest, however, did not - and cleared the coppers of any wrongdoing. It's a tough call. We weren't there. See what you think.

** Mummy Williams is looking awfully nervous **

Alex has just walked in from taking the air. Apparently "it's hot". She's a whizz with the weather. Don't know why we bother with Robin. He, by the way, will be talking us through the weather from Wimbledon this evening - gloating over the people who've been camping out to guarantee a centre court ticket tomorrow.

** Okay, 6 games to 5 now in the third set. Ms Dementieva is in the driving seat **

We've got a couple of watery stories for you tonight. One is a pretty pretty Tales of the Riverbank affair, and how we make sure Ratty and Moleface (whatever) can live their lives in harmony while us humans use the Thames to our best advantage.

The other is not such a poetic picture - it's all about a giant sewer that's being built to cope with the, shall we say, 'outflow' from millions of Londoners. At the moment, when there's a lot of rain, the outflow ends up flowing into the Thames which isn't great for Ratty and Moleface. Well, would you like it? So, Thames Water's building an enormous tunnel to cope a little better.

** 6 games all - and I find myself feeling somewhat grateful that I'm not in the firing line of Serena's smash **

Any Sandra Bullock fans in the house? Don't go out then - we're talking to her about her new film.

We'll also be talking to the 'fastest man in the world'. That's a great brag, isn't it? Picture the scene down your local..

Mr Holt: "I've just had a promotion at work".

Mr Colt: "Yeah, I've just passed my diving instructor's exams."

Mr Bolt: "I've run faster than anyone else in history."

Mr Holt & Mr Colt: "Your round."

** NEWSFLASH: Serena's in the final. Good effort from Ms Dementieva (imagine what her nickname was at school) **

There's a little tail piece in our programme tonight - it's about the second most kissable waxwork at Madame Tussauds. Bet you can't guess who...

See you at six,

Ben & Alex

Weather Blog

Good evening,

The weather's perfect at the moment. Couldn't be better, in fact. That is if all you have to do is shuttle between the pool & the fridge with nothing more to do than stare into the middle distance, taking the occasional nap when the going gets tough.

When temperatures reach the thirties, as is the case today, & you've got to go about your daily business, meet deadlines, think clearly & generally keep going it can all get a bit much. In one of the studios where I work the noisy air conditioning has to be switched off when the camera's rolling because it would be audible in the bulletin. Normally this doesn't matter, but recently it's posed quite a challenge & earlier today I found myself starting to suffer from brain-melt meaning I was in danger of making even less sense than usual.

I'll be out in the sun again at Wimbledon later on which will be significantly hotter than the stuffy studio in question, so just in case my grey matter turns to microwaved mush & the forecast is gobbledeegook, I should tell you now that showers are on the way over the next few days & it'll be getting cooler. Hurrah.

See you later,

Robin.

FW: weather blog

Good evening,

See you later,

Robin.

1.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

Hello, Hello and Hello again.

You know the Great British public never ceases to amaze me. If it's raining, people complain. If it's too chilly, people complain. And now, after we've strung three proper days of summer together, people are complaining "it's too hot". The tube is horrid in this weather - yep. It's no fun wearing a suit in this weather - yep. It's really not great for some people on health grounds - double yep. But for most of us - it's rather nice isn't it? Isn't it? Sorry - needed to get that off my chest. And now I have, I'll move on.

Actually, we'll have more on the balmy weather and its impact on the barmy people who go out in the middle of it. Liz Wickham's on hospital watch in Tooting, to see if any Wimbledon fans take a little too much of the sun get sent to its A&E department.

While we're on the subject of a certain tennis tournament, can anyone confess to having any experience as a ballboy or ballgirl. I only ask because more than twenty Wimbledon staff members have been sent home now after showing 'flu-like' symptoms. The big worry, of course, is that they've got swine flu. **SWIFT INJECTION OF REALISM HERE: THEY'VE BEEN SENT HOME AS A PRECAUTION. I'M NOT SAYING EVERYONE'S GOT IT AND ANDY MURRAY'S CHANCE OF WINNING GLORY IS GOING TO BE OUTSMARTED BY A VIRUS** Nonetheless, the organisers could do without people staff being sent home. Phil Bayles will tell us how worried they are.

Jon Gilbert is on duty in Hendon with the latest on a flat exploded in the early hours of this morning.

Glen Goodman will have the latest on the latest pop video that's being shot here in the capital. If I started singing about Robert DeNiro waiting for Cruel Summer - apart from thinking "someone else has been spending too long in the sun", you might think Bananarama. Well, it seems "Bananarama never split". It's a line from a programme editor - and he's very proud of it. So proud, it's going to get a run out on the programme tonight. Anyone adverse to cheese should turn the sound down when we start talking about all-girl groups.

If boy bands are your thing then we have something for you too. Lucy Cotter has been granted an audience with Gary, Jason, Howard, Mark and Robbie. Just kidding, Robbie isn't expected to turn up but the other four who've taken Taken That into the stratosphere will be talking about ending their UK tour in London.

Something else that may be ending in London is National Express train lines. The company has admitted defeat today in its attempt to run the Easter Mainline franchise which takes you Kings Cross up to aunts in Newcastle, Leeds or Edinburgh. They're losing too much money apparently and so the Government's going to step in and take over. But National Express also runs two commuter lines into the capital - C2C and National Express East Anglia and there's a suggestion that the Government wants to take those franchises away too. How will it affect commuters? Simon Harris will hopefully be able to answer that.

Meanwhile - if you were a fan of the Good Life, you'll remember
1. Margo Leadbetter was played magnificently by Penelope Keith
2. Margo Leadbetter lived in Surbiton.
3. Margo Leadbetter was easily put out by things.
What she'd have made of Surbiton's dark secret uncovered by police today is anyone's guess. Lewis Vaughan Jones will have the full story.

I can't imagine why you'd want to miss it.

See you at SIX.

Ben & Alex

Weather blog

Good evening,

Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.

32C at RHS Wisley in Surrey.

These temperatures are air temperatures, in other words they are measured in the shade. Step out into the sun & it will be appreciably hotter. As much as 10 degrees hotter in fact. So we should spare a thought for Andy Murray et al who'll be playing in really punishing heat. Yesterday at Wimbledon over 200 people were treated for heat related health issues & today the Met Office has raised the Heat Health Watch Alert to level 3.

Yesterday evening I was in Trafalgar Square in the blazing sun with hundreds of opera fans for La Traviata being streamed from the Royal Opera House onto giant screens. Unlike every other member of the audience I was wearing a suit & tie & can honestly say it's the hottest I've ever been in my life in this country. My bottle of cooling water - a must in these conditions - was at blood temperature within moments but I was past caring as I drank it in 3 hasty gulps.

Today it's even hotter & I'm off to the O2. Still wearing a suit & clutching another bottle of warm water. My challenge will not be to talk sense & keep to time but rather to talk at all & keep upright! Wish me luck.

See you later,

Robin.

20.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

17.7.09

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

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15.7.09

London Tonight Tonight

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14.7.09

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LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

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7.7.09

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3.7.09

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

2.7.09

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London Tonight Tonight

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