03/10/2011 The One Show

Welcome to The One Show. A quick summary of tonight's guest. She

banished her gay son, overdosed on sleeping pills, was set on fire by

her ex, and he is now trying to drive her insane, and cheers

heartbroken because her husband has dumped her. A normal day on the

square for Nina Wadia. Nice to see you. A lovely dress, very summery.

I after that in trip, just take a break. -- that introduction. This

evening, we have a newborn gorilla, and we need your help. Here is the

baby. It was born at Bristol Zoo. We don't know if it was a boy or a

girl. The zoo is keen to have an African name, to fit in with the

rest of the family. We would like you to send us your suggestions,

and before the end of the show, Nina will choose a name. Don't

worry, little one, you'll have a name in half-an-hour. In a speech

that would have made a Margaret Thatcher proud, David Cameron

announced that council tenants will be given bigger discounts to allow

them to buy their homes. 31 years ago, tenants were allowed to

purchase their houses for the first time, which spurred the sell-off of

millions of homes. This used to be a council estate in

Essex. Now, it is more complicated, The Margaret Thatcher brought in a

new law that gave millions of people the chance to buy their

council house. They happen to live under the jurisdiction of a council

is -- a socialist council that did not believe in the independence

that cams with ownership. -- comes The Iron Lady visited these people

to hand over the deeds to the buyers of a council house, under

the government's new Housing Act. In the 70s, 31% of all homes in

Britain were rented out by local authorities. The Act forced

councils to allow tenants to buy them. An Englishman's home is his

castle. Not really if you are a council tenant. You can make the

odd minor alteration, but really, you were hardly Lord of the manor.

The right-to-buy changed all this for millions of people. Dr Peter

King has studied the Conservatives' policy. They lost two elections in

1974, they needed something that was popular and the right to buy

seems to fit the bill. They wanted to create the property owning

democracy. By the late 70s, over half of the population were owner-

occupiers and the people who were not were working class. This was

the opportunity to give those households the chance of doing it.

The other side was that Mrs Thatcher was no fan of local

government. Council housing, was a most obvious statement of municipal

socialism. And it was a target. There is no prouder word in our

There were protests, but the policy was a big hit, with discounts of up

to 50%, it was like giving money away. You could say it is probably

one of the most successful housing policies there has ever been. 2.5

million people took up the right to buy. If the aim was to extend own

occupation and restrict council housing, it certainly achieved it.

A lot of people did well out of the right to buy. Walking down a street

like this, you can often tell which are the right to buy houses, by the

nice wall, the gate, the posh door. If I were a betting man, I would

say this place was a right to buy a house. Of course, I am cheating. I

know this is a right to buy a house because I am a thorough and

diligent researcher. It is owned by Milly Winters, who bought it with

their sister in 1981. The price sounds ridiculous now. It was

�7,000 and 10. The �10, at what that was for, I don't know. Did you

start making changes straight away? Yes, we decided we would like to

have the kitchen and bathroom extended. Where we are sitting now

was... The garden. If it hadn't have been for the right to buy, we

wouldn't have been in a position to have bought the property. There is

no doubt that many individuals benefited from the right to buy,

especially in pleasant areas like this. But you don't have to look

too far to find some negative aspects, too. As a fearless

investigative reporter, that is what I am going to do. I tracked

down Bill Jennings. He was a housing officer for Barking and

Dagenham council for more than 20 years. What happened to the

neighbourhood? Neighbours lived side-by-side for many years, never

a cross word. One of a sudden, one has bought the property and one has

an, and there would be fall-outs. Things such as removing a fence and

relocating it six inches, and those neighbours would no longer be

friends. Bill took me on a tour to see how things had changed. This

house beside us, a side extension, a garage, two small lions, just to

mark their territory. Was it a good or a bad thing? I think there are

winners and losers. The winners are the people who have bought their

houses at a massive discounted price, and there are losers. Some

people might feel it is the end of council housing as we know it.

years after the right to buy began, sales have slowed to a trickle, but

the policy has undoubtedly changed for ever the country's relationship

with owning property. After David Cameron's announcement

yesterday about England, the Welsh and Northern Ireland governments

are still to decide whether tenants will get a discount. From last year,

new council tenants in Scotland are no longer able to buy their council

houses. It is quite a complicated subject. Arthur is here to explain

it all. Don't expect me to explain it all! You said in the film that

people buying council houses are at a trickle, why is that?

discounts are not what they were. There are still 5 million people

waiting for somewhere, so it is a big problem and I don't know how

much this will solve it. Back in the 70s and 80s, Margaret Thatcher

was material for you as a comedian, so what do you make of Ed

Miliband's announcement? Maggie, Maggie, Maggie! People say, or we,

or a, or if you are in Guildford, hurrah! The Labour Party did not

disapprove of the right to buy, it was more that housing was not

replaced suitably. There are still a lot of people out there who are

really struggling. Cameron's plan is to replace... That remains to be

seen. I am not sure what Shelter will have to say about what the

result of this is. This is all very different to your kind of

experience in Mumbai. Yes. We live in a Parsee colony. There are

different types of social housing are there. Six of us grew up in a

one-bed flat. You went to Hong Kong as a 9-year-old and then came to

Britain, how did you see it very over here? I lived in flats all the

way through. To be honest, not much of a difference. There was less

fast as we grew up, less -- less of us as we grew up. It is a struggle

for a lot of people, even first- time couples, people who want to

get their foot on the property ladder, it is so difficult.

wonder, why are we always obsessed with owning our houses. They don't

do it so much in other countries. Everyone has got their views on how

to cut council budgets but we couldn't find anybody who would

want to get rid of lollipop men or women. We were surprised when we

heard of one local authority, and there are others, who wanted to do

just that. They take to the street come wind,

rain or shine, to protect asked -- our children, but now they are

mobilising for a different reason. No longer just protecting their

community, this time out to protect their jobs. Thank you, see you in

the morning. Be good. Apparently, there is a new Riddle going around

the school playground. What is yellow, goes out in all weathers

and is facing extinction? That is right, the lollipop person. One of

the many places they are in dared - - in danger is Dorset, where the

road safety budget has been cut, meaning some of the 60 posts may

have to go. We are there for everybody, to keep an eye on the

children, for the grandparents, for everybody who passes. It cheers are

they up, it cheers your day up. Parents get used to lollipop people

being there. They know they can trust their children to be crossed

safely. Recently I had a taxi nearly go into me. If I wasn't

there, that child, I don't know what might have happened. They are

obviously not happy, but what about the kids to use them every day?

should keep the lollipop ladies. If you look and you don't really think

about the lollipop lady, you just go ahead and you might get hit by a

bus or something. We don't want that.

Grandma Helena also backs the campaign to save the school

crossing wardens. What would you do if the lollipop lady wasn't there?

It would be very awkward, because a lot of the time, my daughter is not

able to take her daughters. I can help out but I can't do it every

day. Some councils will say, why don't the parents chip-in and cover

the cost of lollipop ladies? No, we already pay our taxes for most

things. Not really, I think we have already paid for it. We really do

need them. Even with the lollipop patrols, the roads around Holy

Trinity Primary School get busy, so school governor Helen Toft runs a

walking bass. A convoy of kids she supervises walking to school. Does

she think parents can take over all together? In some cases, there are

parents taking their children to school. A lot of parents simply

need to work. If their job starts at 9 o'clock, they can't be in two

places at once. They depend on safe routes to school, for children to

get there in one piece, and to know that they will be safe. School

crossing patrols began in 1937, when Mrs Betty Hunt was appointed

by Bath City Council to help children cross roads outside

Kingsmead School. Since then, they sprang up all over the country,

becoming a much-loved part of growing up for many British

schoolchildren. Surprisingly, it has never been compulsory for

councils to provide them. With local authorities facing cutbacks,

many are looking at ways of saving money. A recent survey found that

one in four local authorities contacted were either planning to

scale back, or completely scrap their lollipop teams. Could

technology provide a cheaper solution? Why don't they put in a

zebra crossing or a pelican crossing? Zebra crossings rely on

vehicles stopping, but also one children making a decision when it

is safe to cross. Sometimes they can get that wrong. Having a school

crossing patrol means that is controlled. It is a brave local

councillor who will want to be remembered for cutting lollipop men

and women. In Dorset, the local uproar seems to be hitting the mark.

How much money are you potentially going to save here, by removing the

lollipop men and ladies at risk? Roughly �1,000 per crossing patrol.

Bearing in mind we are dealing with public money and we have to make

sure we are spending money safely and wisely, every little bit counts.

The county council has to save �31 million across its budget.

Dorset, the local uproar seems to be hitting the mark. We have

learned the council is now having a rethink, and is likely to recommend

that 50 out of 60 posts remain, whilst seeking alternative funding

for the other 10. It may be that lollipop patrols are a cut too far.

You could be stuck in traffic and you would get us smiling at you,

and it would make your day a lot easier. That is my shift done. Buy.

You can't get rid of the lollipop lady. You have got two children.

That school. I have a -- that is cruel. I have a 7-year-old and a 5-

year-old, they love their lollipop lady. She has taught them traffic

rules, it is fantastic. She has guided them, it is horrible that

I agree, but there is a thing called lollipop rage.

Where some people get angry when they are held up.

Is it true? Yes. And some members of the public are

angry about secret cameras put in the lollipops like this! I can't

believe that. I wave to mine. They are lovely.

Do you use the lollipop lady to cross the road? No, but when I'm

driving I always wave. -- wave. Any way, Nina, back to EastEnders,

a massive storyline that leads up to Christmas. Can you give us an

idea of what is going on? Only if you want me to get fired before

December. It is exciting stuff. Mass ued and

her are divorced. She is isolated and by herself. The doctor makes

his move. The last time you were on The One

Show, you were looking very happy together. There you are!

perfect couple. But it's been a bad few weeks for

you? Yes, it has. This terrible, poor woman. She's been drugged,

isolated, no-one likes here. I'm sick of her voice and I'm playing

her, so! I don't blame anyone else. You've been through the mill. Let's

have a look at a clip here with your son, Sai id.

I told you I made a mistake. said it was a mistake, but how can

it be? You took one pill then another. You took one pill after

another... Until... How can that be a mistake?! I don't know.

intense! Is it really draining for you? It is. It is.

My husband is sick of me playing it and can't wait for Zeinab to bring

that home and being funny again. Now, it is home and straight to bed.

It must be hard to get rid of that, from a human side? It is. There are

certain moments, when I'm with the other economic characters, I have

lots of great friendships there. When I have the opportunity I put

the humour in, but right now she is gouing through such a tough time it

is difficult to do that. And speaking of your real life

husband, you and he are working on a film called Four, tell us about

that? We had it with us for a while, it came about, we wanted to do

something in the British film industry. So this script came

across the desk by Paul Connell. It is with a team of any people. We

felt that the script was fantastic. We got our dream cast, Sean pert

wee, and the next thing we knew we were shooting. It is incredible.

It is dark, mainly as you don't leave a warehouse, but it is funny.

We are going to see a clip. We can't show the beginning of the

clip because it is quite an adult piece it has a 15 certificate. It

starts with Sean perlt wee wheeling someone in and he says "here's

Johnny .". It's the Shining. Never heard of it.

It is famous with Jack Nicholson in it. It was crazy, the hotel, Red

Rum, Red Rum, all that. So, it's got Jack? No, it's from

the film... Your name Jack or John? APPLAUSE

Well, when you are aware of the situation they are in, it is pretty

black humour? It is a dark piece but with great performances --

performances and a loft comedy in it, and a fabulous twist.

With the heavy lines in EastEnders and producing the film it must have

taken its toll on you? It was a killer schedule. It was ice cold,

in a warehouse and it was night shoots. I was working on EastEnders,

and then I would come home and we would take over. My hubby was there

during the day and we just swapped over. Never again.

Any more? This one goes out October 21st, there is another one coming

up the ground soon. Well, Liverpool is the home of the

Beatles and the song Ferry across the Mercy.

Built in the mid-1800, the al Bert Dock was one of the biggest

construction projects of its time. For a while it made Liverpool the

epicentre for world trade. For a decade thousands of ships unloaded

and loaded their cargo here, but it was not just official produce that

came in here, there were stowaways too.

This old industrial heartland was a home to many. The only way to look

at this habitat is to get in the water and I'm not going in alone.

# I'd like to be under the sea in an October tow puss' garden in the

shade. # Here we are, ladies and gentlemen in the middle of the

Albert Dock in Liverpool. Susan Gibson has lived in Liverpool for

most of her life. She spends her days talking about the history of

the Albert Dock. That is where Richard and Judy

filmed This Morning. Although she works on top of the

water, she's always cures about what lies below, especially as

there is a piece of a Liverpool creature lurking in the depths.

There are reports of a Conga eel down there. There is a funny story

going around, everyone rearfs to it as the Dockness.

So, this is your Loch Ness monster!? Yes.

So, with special permission, in we Are you ready for this? Yes.

Feeling warm? I've been warmer. It's going to be amazing.

And it really is. Every structure under the water has become an

I can't get over this, it is corped in mussels, it is about that fat at

the bottom with all of the mussels and the sea creatures. You would

think there is space for everything, but they are all crowded.

It is not like they find a fresh space, it is more like there is one,

I'll grow on top of that here. The water here is able to provide a

hearty meal for all of the other creatures that live here.

But there is one animal that Sue has seen year on year floating

around the docks. There we go, it's a jellyfish. It

won't sting. They don't sting.

Oh! As the water's warm up during the summer months more and more

jellyfish appear here in the docks. And I didn't think we would see

anything better when we got a glimpse of Susan's dockness monitor

sts. Well, OK, these -- monsters. Well, OK, these Conga eels are only

about a metre-and-a-half long, but I never expected to see so many in

the city. Those Conga eels were beautiful. The tails twisted around

each other. Then suddenly in a minute they are off. They were

gorgeous. Really beautiful. want to touch them, they are very

silky looking. Beautiful. Normally, these eels live around

the koist, but this artificial -- coast, but this artificial reef has

attracted them here, providing great habitat food. What do you

think, then? It's amazing. I'm lost for words. I could stay and look at

it for hours. It is fantastic. I never expected to see so much

variety of life in the heart of Liverpool. Species from all around

the world co-habiting successfully in their little hideaway beneath

the waves. What a little dive that was. I

think we are all gobsmacked at that. Miranda, the docks will be full of

people now? Please, don't throw yourselves off the docks at

Liverpool tomorrow morning. You do need special permission.

The eels we saw are well traveled? They are. They migrate to the

middle of the Atlantic, they spawn once and I adults die and the

juveniles manage to find their way back to our shores. What work have

they been doing to turn it into the Great Barrier Reef? In the 80s,

there was a massive amount of dredging, all of this horrible mud.

For years they cleaned it up, opening up in 1987. The results are

on the film. Nina, now, by accident really this

has happened, but we're making a feature now every week of showing

our guests snorkelling. Last week we had Dannii Minogue. Here she is,

looking lovely. Today we have you, having a rather unusual time behind

the tea pot. That was done for the marry curaway

Cancer Research UK. It was an under water Mad Hatter's tea party. We

had to learn to broth with the equipment.

Were you eating? Yes, you had to eat. It was food made in space it

was jelly tea, I tried to put it in my mouth, I think that it went into

Charlize Theron's mouth! -- Louis Therougx's mouth.

Now, Lucy Siegle has tried to meet the new monkey addition, but she

had second thoughts. Bristol Zoo is the oldest

provincial zoo in the whole world. I'm here to meet the baby gorilla

with no name. Western lowland gorillas, Salomi gave birth on

Tuesday, but the constitute ball of fluff you see her with has neither

a name nor the sex. Why don't you know the sex of the

baby yet? The mum is keeping her close to her chest. So when she is

ready to let us have a look, then we will find out.

But the baby needs a name? It needs to be a good one. Something of

African origin, something that fits in with the rest of the group.

Something that will not sound silly when I yell at her to come and get

her breakfast in the morning. Stacey? Stacey?! You see, that

could abboy or a girl. Bobby? Charlie.

A unisex African name? I think that they should Google that one. Zola.

That's a good one. So, we need a unisex name for a baby gorilla, it

needs to be African in origin and something that the zookeeper will

not be embarrassed to shout for years to come. Good luck.

Well, we have the names coming in. Shall we keep the suspense coming

in. Shall we ask Miranda about the western lowland gorillas? How rare

are they? Fairly rare, 26 were born worldwide in captivity last year,

but the incredible thing is that they could be extinct in the wild

within ten years if the illegal logging continues. So this is our

safety net, the captive breeding programme.

So you can't enter the competition, but if you could, you would call it

Special? Yes. Let's run through some names.

Lindsey shepherd has sent in Kukenna, that means I love you.

And Kara Spencer has sent in Mahiki that means friend.

So, which one? You know that picture for me sounds and looks

like I love you, so I will go for Kukenna.

There it is. That's it.