London Tonight Tonight

Good afternoon. What's the definition of a pessimist? Someone who looks both ways crossing a one-way street. Not very funny, sorry, and possibly no longer true either. Boris Johnson's on the show tonight answering questions about a new cycle scheme that allows people to ride the wrong way down one-way streets?? The crazy-sounding idea's being tested in Kensington and Chelsea and could eventually be rolled out across London. Apparently, the theory is to make journeys quicker and easier, thus encouraging more people to ditch the car. Safety for cyclists must obviously be paramount. But there are cyclists, of course, who are only too happy to ignore the traffic laws already, but apparently, nervous newbies are reluctant to flout the rules and so decide to leave the bike in the garage instead. But how safe is the idea, not just for cyclists but for drivers? And what about the optimists among us who only look one way when crossing a one-way street? We'll ask Boris.

Now, what do Boris Johnson and Lenny Henry have in common? Well, you could argue that both are men SOME people struggle to take seriously. (Not all - ed!) And they're both on the show tonight. Lenny is playing the lead in Othello which starts previewing tomorrow at Trafalgar Studios in London. It's quite a departure from The Delbert Wilkins Show or Comic Relief. It's certainly quite a departure from Tiswas, which I remember cracking up at while watching Lenny ply his early trade. I went to one of the recordings once, my brother won a competition to be on the show. I remember it being a big family day out in Birmingham! They asked me if I wanted to be on the show too, but as a painfully shy 4 or 5 year old, I refused. Good job too, my brother ended up being pulled up from under the desk by his ears by Alvin Stardust?! Anyway, Lenny's come a long way since then and has been winning rave reviews for his first attempt at Shakespeare. We'll chat to him later.

Matt and Katie

Weather blog

Good evening,

 

We were recently sent a free air freshener disc by our car insurance company. In truth this is not something we would normally consider using so it was put on a shelf & forgotten about. Until this morning, that is.

 

Like many households ours is pretty busy first thing with breakfasts & packed lunches being organised & preparations for the day being made, so it was a while before I noticed smoke coming out of the toaster. I noticed a weird smell -   a mixture of burning & what I thought was cheap talc - but it wasn't until I was rescuing what I imagined would be a piece of carbonised bread that everything became clear. The toast wasn't burnt but the air freshener disc, which had fallen off the shelf & into the toaster & was now welded onto the inside of it, was. Even with the power off it continued to smoulder polluting the entire house with 'Alpine Breeze'.

 

In fact an Alpine breeze would have been very welcome (can you see where I'm going with this?) but the current settled conditions & light winds mean that despite open doors & windows the house remained strongly scented, and not with a fragrance we have chosen. The toaster's ruined as well. Evidently there's no such thing as a free air freshener....

 

Hope to see you later,

 

Robin

 

London Tonight Tonight

Hello again.

I'm doing the blog today because Katie has been deeply engrossed in top secret meetings about the ITV Feelgood Factor award. Our nominee will be announced on Friday -- and the overall winner will be announced at next month's Pride of Britain ceremony. Katie reckons we could have the overall winner in our midst!

So far this week, we've profiled two of London Tonight's shortlisted nominees, another one on the show tonight. All, of course, would be thoroughly deserving of the gong but we can only put one forward so the panel have a tough decision to make. Just so that you know, I've been trying to get the inside track on who might get the nod. I've made the tea and am currently considering a trip to the vending machine to get Katie a Mars Bar (she has somewhat of a weakness for them) but so far she remains tight-lipped. Actually, I don't think a final decision has yet been made. I reckon she's just holding out for free confectionery!

Right, to business: First tonight we have more on the E.coli outbreak at a Surrey Farm Park and an admission from senior health officials that they may have got it wrong. The head of the Health Protection Agency has admitted that Godstone Farm may have stayed open for longer than was safe. He's now apologised to the parents of the children infected, but that will be of little consolation to mums like Tracy Mock, whose twins Aaron and Todd are still seriously ill in hospital. Phil Bayles has our top story.

We've also got the news that Chelsea Football Club are parting company with chief executive Peter Kenyon. On the face of it, it sounds like a bit of a 'so what' story, but Peter Kenyon was not only one of the most influential men at one of the world's richest clubs, he was one of the most high profile figures in world football. He was at the top table of Chelsea (and previously Manchester United) at a time when football went through massive change - not all of it for the good, some would argue. Details about why he's leaving are sketchy, but he's seen the club through a number of recent controversies. Ben Scotchbrook has the task of trying to get more information. And as a former sports reporter, I know that won't be easy!

Finally, I want to bring your attention to Lucy Cotter's latest exciting showbiz expose! It's been a couple of years since Mika burst onto the scene with a host of smash-hit singles and a dazzling stage swagger. Well, the flamboyant king of camp is now back with his second album....I have to confess, the boss wrote that last sentence. I'm sure it's true, but I can't lie, I'm not entirely familiar with his work. I know the singles - you probably would too if you heard them - irritatingly catchy. But I don't own the first album. Lucy says he's great though and she knows about these things so I'll take her word for it!

See you at six.

Matt and Katie.

London Tonight Tonight

Afternoon all. A packed programme today, so onwards and upwards:

If you watched yesterday's programme, you'll have seen the disturbing pictures taken outside a bar in Brentwood of a man being sprayed repeatedly in the face by police with CS gas despite already being handcuffed with his ankles bound together. His face was covered with blood. Rules on the use of CS spray state that it shouldn't be adminsistered from close quarters and should only be used when there is the threat of harm to officers; i.e. not when a suspect has already been detained. The man has been charged with assaulting a paramedic and being drunk and dissorderly, but the question of whether the police were heavy handed remains. Today, we hear from the 28 year old - Alan Lethbridge - who says he will be making an official complaint. Essex Police are already investigating.

Also on the programme, the remarkable efforts to help the families of soldiers killed in action by the bereaved mothers of three servicemen from our region. Rifleman Daniel Simpson from Croydon, Rifleman Daniel Hume from Slough and Private John Brackpool from Crawley died in Afghanistan and their mums have formed a charity to help other families whose loved ones don't return from combat. These incredible women have been telling Ronke Phillips how something really worthwhile has come out of their despair.

Now, Simon Harris has spent the past few days in New York with Boris Johnson who's been working to foster greater business and tourism links with the Big Apple. Today, the glad-handing comes to an end, but what has actually been achieved? - Not by Simon, by Boris.... Simon always achieves loads! So was the trip a vital next step in our recovery from recession, or a completely pointless jolly?! Simon will assess and report live for us.

And while the Mayor's been running up the Air Miles on his trip to promote London in New York, comedian Eddie Izzard's been running up the miles around Britain in aid of Sport Relief - eleven hundred of them to be exact. 43 marathons in 51 days is an astounding achievment for anyone, let alone a man who we're more used to seeing in high heels than trainers! He's just finished his epic journey and joins us live from Trafalgar Square, where I hope we've at least done him the courtesy of providing a chair!

More at six...oh, and you may remember yesterday I was telling you about my forgotten train ticket disaster? I remembered the ticket today, only to find that the train was cancelled. Joy!

Matt and Katie

London Tonight Tonight

Good evening

Nearly didn't make it in today - a nightmare start to the week. In brief, I managed to complete my routine twenty-minute walk to the station minus my ticket. I ran home, found ticket, drove back to the station and made the train by approximately 4 seconds. I was sat feeling annoyed and relieved in equal measure when I realised that I hadn't paid for the parking fee, at which point I had to get my other half to duck out of work to go and sort it for me (she was very impressed as you can imagine). All sorted now, as long as I don't forget to pick up the car when I get back to the station tonight! Totally pointless story, but thought I'd share...

Right, our top tale tonight is that of alleged police heavy handedness in Essex. I've just looked at the shots and they aren't pretty. They show an officer from Essex police using CS spray on a man after he'd been arrested and handcuffed for common assault and being drunk and disorderly outside a bar. Rules on the use of CS state that it should only be used in the process of detention, not after a suspect has been detained, which clearly seems to be the case here. A police investigation is underway. Reaction to the footage is likely to be mixed between those who say the police went way over the top and those that think they acted as necessary at the time. We've all seen enough tv shows filmed around our city centres at chucking out time to know what the police sometimes have to put up with and you probably have a pretty good idea already of what the pictures show, but take a look and decide for yourself. I think you'll be surprised.

Next, more on the story that you've probably seen over the weekend about an outbreak of E.coli at a Surrey farm park. Parents, schools and nurseries are on alert after it emerged that Godstone Farm stayed open for two weeks after the virus initially struck. There are 36 confirmed cases of the infection including 12 children. The farm finally closed on Saturday, but we speak to a woman whose two-year-old twin sons have suffered kidney failure and says it should have been shut a fortnight ago. Glen Goodman has the details.

Also tonight, the three London men found guilty of planning to blow up transatlantic planes with liquid bombs have been have been jailed for a combined total of 108 years. They will serve at least 40, 36 and 32 years behind bars for their parts in the plot. The judge paid tribute to the police and security services and warned that had the terrorists' sick plot been successful, the loss of life would have exceeded that of the September the 11th attacks.

A much needed uplifting story now and we meet someone who could be in line for a major honour. We're going to be profiling four extraordinary people this week who all have a chance of becoming London Tonight's official nomination for the ITV Feelgood Factor Award. You've nominated countless unsung heroes -- people who go out of their way to keep others fit and healthy. The final four are now short-listed for that prize, which will be presented at the Pride of Britain Awards next month. Our first candidate is David Hogg, a fitness instructor who devotes his time to helping elderly people stay active. He makes a difference to countless lives -- not least, the teenager who nominated him. Sally Rourke has his story.

Programme departs our studio at 6pm. Let's hope I make it with more time to spare!

Plenty more at six!

Matt & Katie

Weather blog

Good evening,

 

The North Downs is a really beautiful part of the country. If I'm not in London wearing a suit & talking to a camera, I'm on the North Downs; wellies on my feet, cap on my head & dogs at my side.

 

It's a fantastic vantage point for observing the weather & the seasons & provides a perfect escape from the more stressful elements of day to day life.

 

I have a favourite spot where I can see right across the Weald to the South Downs & the sea beyond. The vista is constantly changing  -   never more so than at this time of year   - & it's always a pleasure to be there, regardless of what the weather's doing.

 

It turned chilly yesterday afternoon so we wrapped up warm & made the most of it, dodging the weekend cross country cyclists who travel in packs, talking loudly whilst narrowly missing mowing everyone down in their path (I'll nip that rant in the bud or perhaps save it for a later date) & it was glorious.

 

We've now got a 48 - hour dose of cloud, wind & rain to contend with but then calm should be restored....

 

Hope to see you later,

 

Robin 

 

london tonioght tonight

One of those days where I've clearly not left enough time to beautifully craft a blog so apologies for the brevity of today's contribution!

We start with the story of age discrimination. John Wooster had spent his whole working career with Tower Hamlets council in London's East End. But in 2006, after 34 years service, he was made redundant. His dismissal came just months before his 50th birthday, meaning he would have had to wait until he was 65 to claim his pension. Had he been in his job until after his birthday, Mr Wooster could have claimed the pension almost immediately. It sounds like a huge injustice, a view supported by the courts as he has won his legal battle against his redundancy. There now remains the matter of compensation - yet to be - decided, but it could be over a million pounds. Emma Walden tells all.

Also tonight, the Michael Jackson saga continues: Originally earmarked to perform a staggering number of comeback gigs at O2, fans were left devastated by his untimely death. Rumours about how his life would be marked have been circulating for weeks and after an announcement (in London) that a tribute concert would take place in Austria, comes today's news that it will now happen...in London...but not at O2, possibly Wembley. Confused? Even in death, Jacko keeps is guessing. We'll have the latest.

Now, the poignancy of today's date will have passed none of you by. Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news about the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York on September the 11th 2001. I was in the office at television studios Nottingham where I was working at the time, putting together a documentary series about football. I remember everyone in the office, even the most hardened journalists, frozen by the events unfolding on our television screens. The attacks claimed almost three thousand lives and ultimately drew Britain into a war in Afghanistan. Among the dead were 16 people from the London region. And today the capital remembered them and the other British victims of 9/11. We report in full.

The legacy of that day still resonates with 27 of the 213 British troops killed so far in Afghanistan in the last 8 years, coming from the capital. Whether you agree with the war or not, few would argue that our servicemen and women are the bravest of the brave. And none more so than Benjamin Kelly, who risked his life recovering the body of his fallen comrade. He's now going to receive the Military Cross for his 'exceptional bravery'. Share his story, and plenty more besides, with us at 6.

Matt and Katie

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LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

Good evening,

I was 60 feet above the ground yesterday evening interviewing the head of the arboretum at Kew Gardens on the treetop walkway.

Amongst other things we discussed the onset of autumn & the thorny issue of whether it's early this year. There's no doubt that the leaves are already starting to turn & this was very evident as I made my way around the truly spectacular walkway (all wood & metal, no maintenance & guaranteed for 200 years apparently!). It even has an open air classroom & if you have or know of any children who get the chance to go, make sure they seize it with both hands as it's an experience they'll never forget. Anyway Tony (the tree man) said that the reason autumn is already underway is because it's been a very dry summer (!) meaning the trees are more than ready to go into winter mode & begin the annual leaf drop. It turns out that the best conditions for a really good display of autumn colour are moist ground & widely contrasting daytime & nighttime temperatures.

The nights are getting chillier & it's currently reasonably mild (although not exceptionally so) by day, but with the ground being rather parched it doesn't look as though we'll be treated to an extravagant palette of leaves this year. Mind you I have been known to be wrong so watch this space....

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

Hello!

Loads to come on the programme tonight, but in a break from tradition, let's fast forward half way down today's running order to the subject on most people's lips today: England's performance last night. Woeful wasn't it? Out-played in all departments. I'm talking about the cricket, of course. England soundly beaten again by Australia in the one-day series and looking a shadow of the confident side that lifted the Ashes just weeks ago. England's footballers, meanwhile were awesome against Croatia at Wembley last night, beating them 5-1 to secure safe passage to next summer's World Cup in South Africa.

Tonight our attention turns to England's women who take on the might of Germany in the final of the European Championships in Finland. They're massive underdogs against a team they've never beaten, but where there's life there's Hope...Hope Powell to be specific. She's England's Lewisham-born coach who stands on the brink of greatness with an England team packed with London talent. Lewis Vaughan Jones is in Finland for us ahead of the game. Here's a question, though: How much do you think the players who make up the first England team to reach a major final since we won the World Cup in 1966 earn? Can't be bad money, can it, they're representing their country? Well, £16,000 a year is the answer. That's less than Rooney, Gerrard and co earn just by turning up for training each morning. I know the women's game is nowhere near as popular as the men's, but seriously....£16,000 a year? Can that be right? Maybe you think that's more than enough for kicking a ball around? Something to think about.

Spooling back up to the top of the show now and London is to have the world's largest trauma system. The city's to become home to four dedicated "trauma centres" -- each promising faster, more efficient treatment for the 1600 or so major trauma cases seen every year in the capital. It's hoped the centres will save hundreds of lives a year, but not everyone is happy about how they will be run. Campaign groups are worried services are becoming too centralised, spelling the end for some casualty units. Emma Walden has our top story.

Next, a really infuriating story for anyone who's ever had anything delayed or lost in the post. There are claims that up to 20 million undelivered items of mail are stranded in the capital's sorting offices because of the ongoing strike. Royal Mail refute the union's claims, saying there are between only four and five million items waiting to be delivered...well that's ok then, eh?! We have footage taken on a mobile phone that seems to illustrate the chaos. Simon Harris investigates.

Also tonight, Ben Scotchbrook's been cooking up a storm at the Park Lane Hotel. A group of military chefs have stormed the kitchen and have been attempting to prepare five-star dishes using only army rations. It's all in aid of charity, of course, with the 'Chefs for Heroes' hoping to raise over £300,000 for wounded servicemen and women. Ben has been lending his culinary skills!

Oh, and Robin's been let out of the studio and he's a man in search of answers! Tuesday was a scorcher, yesterday wasn't bad either. Indian summer or something more sinister? Robin's down at Kew finding out if the seasons, they are a-changin'.

See you at 6.

Matt and Lucy.

London Tonight Tonight

Hello hello ..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Katie and Matt

Weather blog

 

Good evening,

 

Bagpipes.

 

They divide people in a Marmite kind of way.

 

For me they are serious Room 101 material. Although I'm half Scottish they strike a chill into my heart which prevents me from seeing anything positive in them. I can be in a sublimely good mood but one note from that heinous wind instrument can send my spirits plunging into the abyss. I don't hear music I hear noise & it's a noise I want to stop. Obviously this is a deeply personal view with which many will disagree & it has little to do with the weather. It is, in fact, a totally irrelevant topic except that as I walked to work through Westminster this morning observing the weather & assessing the accuracy of yesterday's forecasts I was distracted by a bagpipe player.The same thing happened a matter of hours later when I emerged from the tube in Holborn on my way to the newsroom with the net result that I now think of today's weather in exclusively negative terms, owing to its hateful & seemingly inescapable soundtrack.

 

This isn't fair, of course. The weather's really not too bad. Settled, largely dry, not too cold & sometimes quite bright. I just need to get a grip, find some other music as an antidote & all will be well.

 

Hope to see you later,

 

Robin

 

London Tonight Tonight

Another packed programme in the offing tonight. Here's a brief synopsis of what's to come:

Ronke Phillips has our top story - that of a London woman jailed for six years for drugging her toddler son to death. 20 month old Renzo was fed crushed anti-depressant pills by his mother Laura-Jane Vestuto for weeks before he developed breathing problems and died. The judge at the Old Bailey said that Vestuto had shown little emotion when Renzo died. Ronke speaks to Renzo's father who says the sentence is far too lenient.

Elsewhere, police have named a man from London as the killer of a nine-year-old boy who was raped and strangled 24 years ago. The murder of Imraan Vohra in Preston in 1985 sent shockwaves through the Lancashire town and now, nearly a quarter of a century later, Robert Morley (who died twelve years ago) has been identified through DNA as the murderer. The push to find Imraan's killer was funded by Operation Stealth - a national operation that gives funding to police forces with unsolved homicides. Liz Wickham explains all.

Now if, like me, you open your monthly credit card bill with a sense of impending doom, imagine if you were to see the figure of £1b in the debit column. Well that's the amount Bozza and Tfl have secured in a loan from the European Investment Bank to help fund the Crossrail project. The scheme that will span from Berkshire to Essex has a date set of 2017 for completion. We'll tell you what today's news means for the project that is expected to cost a massive £16b in total. They still need to find over a billion pounds. I wonder if they've tried looking down the back of the sofa?

From the evolution of our transport network to, well...evolution. The Natural History Museum has been celebrating the work of Charles Darwin for more than a century but now the museum's been through a bit of a transformation of its own. Next week, the revamped Darwin Centre will open to scientists and the public alike -- an 8-storey cocoon safeguarding 20 million specimens of insects and plants. Damien Steward has had a sneak preview.

We end the show with a celebration of London's music scene. The capital plays host to the coveted Mercury Prize ceremony tonight with nine of the hopefuls coming from our patch. But the prize for the best job of the day has to go to Glen Goodman who spent the morning on board pop starlet Pixie Lott's private jet ahead of her new album launch in Berlin. Glen catches up with the gorgeous Ms Lott whose career has really taken off over the past 12 months.

Enjoy. Matt and Katie.

FW: weather blog

 

Good evening,

 

After a period of coat & hat weather recently, now it's a case of shorts & flip flops.

 

Being the southeasterly outpost of the British Isles we occasionally get a sample of weather conditions from near Europe & that's precisely what's happened today. A brief dose of French weather - fortunately warm - has been today's offering for which we should say a loud "Merci beaucoup". From tomorrow onwards we'll have high pressure in charge, meaning that once any early spots of rain have cleared it'll be settled, dry & reasonably bright. A Scandinavian breeze (for which "Tack" would be appropriate if I've correctly remembered 'Thank you for the Music' sung in the original at a talent evening in Zagreb; don't ask....) will make things feel a little fresher, but otherwise we'll have little to complain about.

 

All in all perfect weather for picking blackberries & scrumping apples. Time for crumble, I think.

 

Hope to see you later,

 

Robin 

 

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

Afternoon all. Loads to pack in to tonight's programme. Here's a quick overview:

If, like me, you were once again left frustrated at a UK airport this summer as you tried to get to grips with how much 2-in-1 shampoo you can legally get past security these days, our top story offers a chilling reminder of why the rules remain so tightly in place:

Three men have been found guilty of plotting to kill thousands by blowing up planes with home-made liquid bombs disguised as drinks. It was the arrest of the men in 2006 that led to new airport restrictions and it's estimated that, had their plot been successful, they would have caused more devastation that the 9/11 attacks. We have the full story of their east London bomb factory and ask, how safe are we now?

Next, an exciting and no doubt nervous morning for thousands of children across the capital today as they return to school. But why do so many London schools have more pupils than places and why are so many having to use temporary classrooms to fill the void? We investigate.

Also on the programme, how would you like to be paid for your rubbish?
Sounds too good to be true? Well, not if you live in one Berkshire borough which is doing just that. The council's carrot-rather-than-stick approach to recycling sounds sensible enough, but is it that simple? Ronke Phillips has the details.

Now, I seem to spend half my life on trains, but never have I encountered what some lucky commuters have come face to face with unfortunately. Busking is one thing, but it's an impromptu fashion show that's been delighting (and somewhat baffling) tube-users on their way to work. Sangeeta Kandola hopped off the platform and onto the catwalk.

Finally, singer songwriter David Gray's on the show (he of the annoyingly catchy 'Babylon'). He's back with a new album as is Alex Hyndman...not with a new album I don't think (although she is very talented) but she is back. She went to meet him and ended up swapping jam recipes? Rock n' Roll!

Matt and Katie
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Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent
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Thank You.

LONDON TONIGHT TONIGHT

Good afternoon.
This is my last blog as a London Tonight presenter and, unlike a hand-written letter, you won't be able to detect the smudge of a tear on your screen.
It has been an extraordinary 16 years and I am grateful for the opportunity to have done it and to have been honoured by your company.
From Monday, Katie will be joined by Matt Teale, who you have already met. I first met him in a studio discussion at Setanta about the ultimate fight championships so I know he is more than capable of a few good moves and the occassional killer blow. Be kind to him and enjoy his company.
Katie, who I treasure as a co-worker and very dear friend, has been a total and undiluted joy to work with. The good news is that she and I will continue to share the ITV Lunchtime News, though not at the same time. But I will miss the pleasure, fun, emotion, focus, gravitas, flexibility and sheer professionalism she has always brought to our joint efforts to inform and entertain you. She is just a wonderful and very beautiful person. Seriously beautiful.....

Tonight we will be trying to make sense of a gang murder; a politician, charged with fraud; an anti-cancer treatment, promoted by a pop-star-actor; an elderly Londoner who gave his all to help others; another, who nearly sailed 'round the world and is having another go; some movies you might or might not enjoy this weekend; a weather forecast from the splendid surrealist Robin McCallum; and a leading barrister, who is also doing a one man show.
It is a classic London Tonight. All life and all emotion is there. Our brilliant camermen and -women, our terrific reporters and producers and the best technical team in the country will all combine to make the half-hour, between six and six-thirty, worthy of your hard-pressed attentions. Hope you are persuaded.

I will bid you farewell at 6.30, confident of the future, secure in the knowledge that those who remain will be just as good, if not better, without me.
But I will always treeausre it - from Stephen Lawrence's murder to the glory of the London Eye; from the euphoria of Singapore to the shock and awe of 7/7; from Rowan Atkinson, Liza Minnelli and Frank Sinatra Junior to Camilla Batmangheligh, Neville Lawrence and all the other souls who make this great city an even better place; from Ken to Bozza; from our glorious parks to our still-in-need-of-attention housing; and all of you, whatever age, sex, race and beliefs: the most wonderful population to have attempted to serve.
Thanks for having me.

And we both hope we can see you at 6.
Alastair 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

Good afternoon.
You need to sit down and take a glass of cold water. I have just emerged from our meeting in a state of shock.
Tonight we have a tale that makes Hannibal Lecture real, though without the chianti, to the best of my knowledge. No Clarisse either, nor her perfume to lighten the burden and waft sweet odours down the corridor of a high-security mental institution. And no pursuit of a copy-cat or Bill character emulating the brute; but, other than that, too much in common for comfort.
Convicted of a Kings Road murder, incarcerated, only to be released to do it all again whilst residing at a hostel. Reincarcerated only to do it again, inside. How? Why? What if again? We will tell you the sorry tale and ask these and other questions via the sound judgement of Emma who will make it tolerable at tea-time.
Bob Dylan wrote "Money doesn't talk, it swears". Many have said as much about some of the Russian oligarchs. But Roman Abramovich surely just wanted to buy an armada of super-yachts and the best football club in the UK, Europe and the world. With a cheque book the size of his yacht Ecstasea and bank vaults as deep at the seas she plies, Roman could do it, niet problema. So why has he got into hot water over a player few have heard of who was formerly with a club that doesn't trip off the tongue like AC Milan or Juventus? The plot is deep and dark as Lewis, a life-long Pontypridd supporter where succession rather than wealth determines the line-up, will reveal.
Gordon Brown took the Cabinet to the 2012 Aquadrome today. Did they sink or swim? Is David Miliband more of a Butterfly man than a Crawler? Can Tessa Jowell do synchronised swimming? And can anyone compete with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the back-stroke? Phil donned the office speedoes and reveals.... no, tells, all.
The G20 protestors claimed no-one was in charge of the Met. "We are" said the Home Office. "We are, now", claims Kit Malthouse, referring to himself and Bozza to whom he is number two. Cuffs and batons to the fore, a bit of a dust-up is underway in the Met's manor. Ronke says "Evening all".
I liked Alan Cumming as Boris in "Golden-eye". It is a James Bond film and his character was a computer boffin not a Mayor of London though he kept saying "I am invincible" so I may be wrong about the Mayoral connection. Anyway Lucy has been talking to him. He was also very good in "Rob Roy" as a fey, n'ere do well who Liam Neeson gave a sound thrashing to in the name of Scots nationalism. I digress.
As have the native stock of lizards. Well, the sandy type, at least. Sally brings them back. Hope she wore rubber gloves and knows enough about evolution to grasp the dinosaur connection.
We finish with camel racing. Because we can.
This is the last time you will see me with Alex - the Oz, "Oswald"... Ms Hyndman. I hope you can glean from my previous ramblings and our performances together just how much I love, admire and cherish her. She is a star but a time comes in the affairs of men... and Australians, so we move on. I will miss her more than she knows but you might tell her when you see her at 6.
You'll see it in my eyes.
Alastair and Alex

London Tonight Tonight

Good afternoon.
There is a time and place for everything but being in the wrong place at the wrong time can prove gravely troubling.
Had Chris Taylor not stepped out of a family charity event to have a row with his girlfriend he might still be alive.
Had an apparently 'good' Samaritan not been passing by, he most certainly would. It is a bizarre tale of good leading to evil, couched in mystery. Glen is our Alfred Hitchcock tonight.
Had Yvonne Fletcher not been on duty outside the Libyan People's Bureau more than a decade ago, she'd still be here. Had tensions between 'us' and 'them' not reached such an appalling low, she almost certainly would. You will remember her but you won't know her killer - none of us do; and you may or may not know the Libyans think we tried to kill their leader Colonel Gaddafi. How these oddities are linked together is in the hands of knot-master Jon Gilbert.
Had millions of children not lived in London and other intensely populated conurbations when Hitler invaded Poland, they might never have seen the country-side. Or at least, they might have seen it but of their own free will rather than at the diktat of Neville Chamberlain. And had Goerring nor ordered the Luftwaffe to bomb London, the capitol's Auxiliary Fire Brigade would not have lost so many souls nor created so many heroes. Ben wraps it up on this 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War.
If Beverley Knight decides she is not going to risk being in the studio at 6 , we have a problem. But she won't, so she'll be there telling us where she's been these last two years, to the echoes of her new album.
"Man swims down river to promote movie about swimming up two other rivers". Not a cross-word clue but an explanation as to why Lucy will be shivering not with the red carpet but with a cozy towel.
And if the No73 bus is not where it ought to be when it ought to be, we have the boy who can spot it in the instant of a "ping-ping". Room upstairs for a bit more explanation, all in the capable hands of Sangeeta "the clippie" Kandola.
Robin says it is the Big A today. I am only five feet seven so it can't be me. He was muttering about solstices and equinoxes so I am hooked. Hope you will be, too.
The Oz is looking at pictures of a small soiree I held at the weekend. They are funny in the sense that the children were supposed to be on the bouncy castle and not the adults. And the adults were supposed to be making intelligent conversation and not the children. Irony, I suppose; or maybe just happy revelry among chums. I can't recall and I don't even drink.
We'll both be there at 6 because we should and because we want to. Hope you exercise your freedoms in our favour.
Alastair and Alex.

Weather blog

 

Good evening,

 

As a weather presenter it's great when the weather does exactly what it's been forecast to do. It minimises the risk of dark looks, wagging fingers & whispered insults.

 

It's great unless you're at an air show as I was on Sunday. As predicted it stayed dry but after a minimally bright start the cloud thickened & lowered. Hours spent standing in a field with not a glimmer of sunshine chills a person to the marrow - regardless of how many flasks of tea & slices of fruit cake are consumed.

 

Although it didn't rain, the cloud base was very low & as a result a number of aircraft (don't ask me which ones) were unable to appear. Those that did, however, kept the crowds happy with endless 'fly-bys' occasionally opening & closing their bomb bays like mischievous toddlers flashing their knickers & the display was rounded off by the Red Arrows whose cavalier disregard for the cloud was truly impressive.

 

It was ultimately a successful event & the spectators seemed happy enough as they headed homewards, but there was no denying that it didn't feel like a summer's day. Now that September's underway & we have a period of blustery weather ahead of us, it won't be long before the A word is being bandied about with alarming regularity. I will try not to let it pass my lips any more than is absolutely necessary....

 

See you later,

 

Robin 

 

London Tonight Tonight

Afternoon all. The bank holiday weekend starts here!!! There's something about knowing that the weekend is followed by Monday off as well that adds a spring to the step. My tip? Avoid motorways, DIY and any attempts to be persuaded to 'nip to the shops' at all costs and you'll be fine. Bank holidays are for doing as little as possible in my opinion (other than watching or playing copious amounts of sport).

Before all that though, best get Friday out of the way first! It's Notting Hill carnival this weekend with over a million revellers expected to descend on West London for the event's 50th anniversary. Marcus Powell reports on how the police are preparing for Europe's biggest street party.

Now, Remember the row over over the US Embassy's unpaid congestion fines? Well now the Americans want to move their embassy from Grosvenor Square to Battersea to increase security. If they do, they'll be landed with a 50 million pound tax bill that they insist they shouldn't have to pay....discuss. We will!

A massive football match in the offing this weekend with Arsenal travelling to Old Trafford to take on Premier League Champions, Manchester United. We catch up with Gunners legend, Charlie George (he of 1971 FA Cup Final goal glory) about how his beloved Arsenal will do against the Red Devils and indeed, this season as a whole.

To finish the week, we turn our attention to entertainment. Lucy Cotter's getting 'loaded in the park'. Don't panic, that's the name of one of London's coolest dance music festival's (like I know?). She's chatting to 'Orbital' (who even I've heard of!). Get your glow-sticks and whistles at the ready!

Finally, James King's in the studio to talk us through the latest movie releases. As an aside...movie going is allowed on Bank Holiday weekend's (just), but remember what I said about DIY and shopping!

Matt and Alex

(Alex here - DIY for me this weekend - will have to give Matt my shopping list! Enjoy)

LONDN TONIGHT TONIGHT

Afternoon all. Matt Teale here with my first London Tonight blog. A quick thanks to everyone in the office for making me feel so welcome and showing me the ropes, as well as where the kettle is. I can't promise I'll be brewing up every day though!

Our top story tonight is that of a Muslim man who claims he was abducted at knifepoint from his home and threatened in Epping Forest, all over a place of worship. Glen Goodman investigates.

Now, what were you doing aged 17? Personally, I was neglecting my studies and trying to get served in pubs. Not so record-breaking Mike Perham, from Potters Bar, who's just sailed 30,000 miles around the world!! Piers Hopkirk went to welcome home the hero from Hertfordshire who battled 50ft waves and gale force winds.

Now, this is astonishing: With the Lib Dems complaining that the Government are demonising young people, our reporter Phil Bayles has discovered a teenage girl whose punishment for drawing on her travel card is breaking rocks?!?! Surely not? Over to Phil.

Next we have stories of teenage success with GCSE pass rates up in the capital and Lucy Cotter's on hand to explain how a dentist from Dorking got caught up in a shootout between police and a french gangster?!

If all that wasn't enough, we have not one, but two sporting greats on the programme as well: Muhammad Ali and Henry Cooper's 1963 heavyweight clash at Wembley remains a sporting classic. Sir 'Enry reflects on their iconic clash for us.

See you at Six.

Matt and Alex
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