01/07/2011 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to NorthWest Tonight with Gordon Burns here in

the studio. The Manchester International

Festival started yesterday with a Bjork bang, but it really gets

going tonight with three more world premieres. Join me in Festival

Square later. Also in the programme.

Jailed. The woman who claimed her dead mother's pension, leaving her

corpse to rot in the house. The hospital surgeons fighting to

save a heart attack patient are told to ring 999.

And serving us proud. Stockport's young tennis sensation Liam Broady

powers into the Wimbledon boys' I was not expected to make it this

Tonight we've got a little of what the doctor ordered to kick off your

Friday night! The first up, Dr John Dee, the 16th century alchemist and

adviser to Elizabeth I. Damon Albarn's new opera about him

premieres tonight and we'll be speaking to Damon himself. For

those younger at heart, we have the ultimate Dr Who experience and

guess which very senior and serious journalist practically begged to

First, tonight's top story. A Wirral woman who kept the corpse of

her 95-year-old mother at home so she could claim her pension has

been jailed for 11 months. Olive Maddock was left slumped behind a

bedroom door at her home in Wallasey for up to six months after

her death. Olive's granddaughter Jasmine, who admitted failing to

bury her grandmother, was given a suspended jail term and community

service. Gill Dummigan reports. On a pleasant residential street,

this dilapidated home where three generations of women lived. 35-

year-old Jasmine Maddock, her 61- year-old mother Hazel, and 95-year-

old grandmother Olive. No car put on the floors, it smelt really bad.

In the kitchen, she had a big square table in the middle of the

kitchen. The food was just lying on it. It was filthy. It was a miss

house that Olive died. We do not know exactly when because her body

was left decomposing in the bedroom for at least two months. Her

daughter continued to draw on her pension.

It was Pauline King who called the police after a conversation with

Hazel had left her worried about Olive. I could not believe it. How

long could she have stayed there for?

At a previous hearing at Liverpool Crown Court, Hazel Maddock, who's

worked as an extra in Hollyoaks and Brookside, admitted fraudulently

claiming �200 of pension and pension credit and unlawful

prevention of burial. Her daughter Jasmine had admitted failing to

bury her grandmother. The court heard how the relationships within

the family had become dysfunctional. How Hazel felt dominated by her

mother, and how Jasmine was unable to stand up to either. Today, as

her mother began an 11 month jail sentence, Jasmine said all of them

had suffered. We are all victims. She was given a 26 week suspended

sentence and ordered to do 250 hours community service. Gill

Dummigan, BBC North West Tonight, Liverpool

It was not for a luxurious lifestyle.

When a patient went into cardiac arrest on their operating table,

the surgeons at Rochdale Infirmary wasted no time calling for back up

from a specialist team. But they were told they would have to dial

999 instead. The hospital no longer has a cardiac arrest team because

it's been downgraded to an urgent care centre. Here's our Chief

Reporter, Dave Guest. It was last Tuesday that a patient

was undergoing an angioplasty here. It's a routine procedure. But he

suffered a cardiac arrest. The surgeons called for the crash team

and were told they'd have to ring 999. They eventually resuscitated

him themselves. But how could it be that doctors in a hospital

operating theatre were told to call 999 for back up? Well, as this

internal memo, obtained by BBC Northwest Tonight explains, the

crash team was withdrawn from Rochdale Infirmary on Monday, the

day before the emergency. Rochdale's been downgraded from a

general hospital to an urgent care centre. People who opposed that

change say their fears have been confirmed. We know that it does not

working. It will not work. The Pennine Acute Trust insist

there were Advanced Life Savers on site who can assist in an emergency.

Patients can then be transferred to other hospitals by calling 999.

is still a hospital. There is still an outpatients department. There is

still a heart unit. But we do not have any cardiac support.

Dr Farrukh Zia worked his last shift at Rochdale after 10 years

last night. He's worried about the reduced facilities on the site.

has not been properly staffed. It is not a well thought plan. There

is no back-up services to support doctors. The trust says the

hospital is properly equipped for his current role.

Liverpool Community College is being investigated by the police

after a government report found it has been taking funds for students

who shouldn't have been on courses. 18,000 students attend the college

which has been fined �80,000 by the Skills Funding Agency. Well, Jayne

Barrett is at the college in Liverpool City Centre. How did this

all come to light? This came to light after a

whistleblower contacted the college and the Skills Funding Agency with

a number of concerns. The essence of those concerns was that the

college was making money with fake students on the books and courses

which never ran. Now, only some of those allegations were held up in

this report. The first, that course funding had been duplicated. The

college had been paid for students over two years when in fact they'd

only been on a one year course. It also found that a number of

employee references, needed to guarantee funding for students, had

been faked, some of them by staff. Now, all of this relates to IT

courses. One of the most unusual complaints,

upheld here, is that the college received cash for students who were

actually staff. In one case, funding for a student who was the

tutor of the very course they were claiming funding for.

The report also criticised the college for putting students on a

summer school for a qualification which was very similar to a

qualification they'd already achieved. It was simply unnecessary.

�80,000 is the sum they've had to pay. I have spoken to the

whistleblowers again today, and they say that they are not

satisfied with this report. They say other allegations have not been

investigated. A lot of paperwork was missing from this college. That

is in this report and they have been fined from it. I put it to the

principle that this all smacks of fraud. It is not fraud. Independent

reports have appeared us of fraud and long -- have cleared us of

fraud and any wrongdoing. They have been fined �80,000. We have been

asked, we paid back fallen -- have fallen tally that money.

absolutely nobody has received any disciplinary action over this at

all. The colleges say that is because this is an administration

error, not criminality. The whistleblowers are very unhappy

about this. The report is now in the hand of Merseyside Police.

Three company directors have been charged with manslaughter after the

death of a man who fell through the roof of an industrial unit in

Greater Manchester. Steven Barry, who was 45, died in the incident in

2008. The three directors of Lion Steel Equipment Ltd, who have also

been charged with Health and Safety offences, will appear before

magistrates in August. The employment minister Chris

Grayling was in Wirral today to open a new call centre. 500 jobs

have been created at the Contact Company in Birkenhead, with the

number hoped to rise to 1,000 within 18 months. Mr Grayling says

it's crucial the private sector flourishes in the area. It is

really important for the Wirral and for the whole of Merseyside that

the EC growth in the private sector. That we see the emergence of a new

generation of entrepreneurs. This is an area that was built on the

backs of entrepreneurs. We have got to do that again.

Liverpool's Everyman Theatre closes this weekend as the old building is

knocked down to make way for a new one. The theatre's been on Hope

Street since 1964, before that it was a chapel. A grande finale

performance is taking place tomorrow night featuring Everyman

actors of past and present. It will reopen in 2013.

Last night, Bjork kicked off the Manchester International Festival.

This weekend it really gets going. Ranvir and Eno are there to tell us

all about it. It is a tough job. Last night I was at Bjork's

Biophilia performance, all about her love of life and nature. People

from 41 different countries book to come and see her last night. It

shows that the international part of the first of. It was science

meets technology meets music. There was David Attenborough's voice

booming out introducing every track. She sang about Dark Matter, DNA,

Volcanoes. She had an Icelandic girls choir and specially designed

instruments like a 2 tonne harpsichord which took 5 years to

build. She may not be everyone's cup of tea but she certainly didn't

disappoint those who were there. And we have another premiere

tonight as well. He's been described as the most

famous unfamous Englishman that ever lived and is credited by some

with the sinking of the Spanish Armada. John Dee lived in

Manchester in Elizabethan times and he is the inspiration for Damon

Albarn's new opera opening at the Manchester International Festival

tonight. So just who was Dr Dee? Suave, sophisticated and but a

licence to kill. Back in the mist 16 century, when England was at war

with Spain, Dr John Dee was the first of to use it the codename 007.

He was the ultimate Renaissance man in Elizabethan England. The

cleverest guy around. Mathematician, scientist, astrologer. Very much at

the heart of the Elizabethan and a It is a very English adventure that

is being taken on. In the sense of our experience, we are interested

in the history of our country. This is something that might be

interesting. In later life, Dr John Dee fell out of favour and was

exiled to Manchester. This grand room is now the Reading Room in the

library. Between 1594 and 1609, when Dr John Dee was a warden here,

this was his bedroom. He was a warden of the collegiate church. He

did not like it. Manchester was cold miserable, the play came and

killed his wife and children. -- plague. He might have hated it, but

he is coming back to Manchester tonight. Back in the 16 hundreds

when books were really expensive, one book could cost a year's wage,

Dr John Dee owned a 4000 books. He collected books as I collect shoes.

More on that later. And the weather forecast. Back to the studio now.

The Furness peninsular echoes with Viking sounding names, Barrow,

Yarlside, Ormsgill. But material proof that they actually lived

there has been rare and hard to come by until now. A metal

detectorist has unearthed the first significant horde of Viking

treasure in the area. And the experts are suitably excited. Peter

Marshall reports. The date from the dark Ages. Silver

coins, a bracelet, from the 9th or 10th centuries. They were dug up in

April. A find of immense significance for the Furness

peninsula. I have been waiting for something like this for a very long

time, to handle real biking coins myself. -- a Viking. Barrow has

always attracted men with ports. There has always been the

indication of a Viking presence. But when England was becoming a

unified Anglo-Saxon country, what was happening in Barrow? Nobody

really knew. These coins point to the fact that it was the Vikings

who were here and still in control. There are coins commemorating

Vikings like Eric Bloodaxe, Arabic coins suggesting trade far and wide.

For now, the exact location of the finder remains a secret. The finder

remains anonymous. But he is a lucky man. Within weeks of taking

up the hobby, he has made the discovery of a lifetime. A Viking

hoard is the jewel in the Crown. Fantastic. The Viking hoard will be

returned to the British Museum for further investigation, but will be

displayed permanently where it belongs.

Well, Wimbledon has been the big sports story of the day and the

reason why we're on late. Richard has tonight's sport and it's not

just Andy Murray who's been flying the flag, is it?

Yes, and it's one of our own who's also been thrilling packed crowds

at SW19 today. Stockport's Liam Broady has continued his amazing

run in the boys' singles and made it through to tomorrow's final

after a straight sets win over Australia's Jason Kubler. Now, it's

another Aussie, Luke Saville, who stands in the way of the 17-year-

old and a first British win in the event since 1962.

Liam Broady is through to the final!

It's a moment he'll never forget. But it's one he's already putting

to the back of his mind. Not satisfied with getting to the final,

Stockport's rising star now has his sights set on lifting the title.

was not expected to make it this far anywhere. I think the first

Brighton in the -- Britain and the finals.

The 17 year old, already a junior doubles winner, once again

displayed the nerve of a champion. And the technique that's seen him

win 11 matches in a row on grass. Including a tournament just before

Wimbledon. Feeling a little bit tired, but is nothing out of the

ordinary. I have other massage already. He shows a lot of guts for

a young child. He likes to challenge and compete. With the

home crowd now expected, the pressure will be on in the final.

But if his performances so for am the to go by, he is a no man who

pressure -- who thrives on it. The pressure is now on the 17 year

old. But if his performances so far are anything to go by, he's a young

man who thrives on it. All four of our Super League sides

are in action this evening. Leaders Warrington are at 7th placed

Castleford, Wigan host Leeds while it's Saints-Hull and Salford-

Harlequins. Keep up to date with all the games on BBC radios

Manchester and Merseyside. It might be the height of summer,

but pre-season training is already well underway at Sale Sharks. The

club has undergone huge changes in the off season, losing star names

like Charlie Hodgson, but bringing in 16 new players including Wales

number eight Andy Powell. It is like being part of a new nightclub.

Off the field as well, with his staff. Kitchen staff everything. It

is a completely different set up. Everybody is excited.

He might already have 15 stage wins, but it's a much bigger prize

Manxman Mark Cavendish will be chasing when the Tour de France

gets underway tomorrow. He'll take on the 2,000 miles aiming for the

sprint champion's green jersey. And as Sarah Mulkerrins reports, he'll

be cheered on from the Island by a host of friends and fans. Mark

Cavendish is better known for sprinting prowess. But it all

started on the Isle of Man on a mountain bike. We used to have a

junior league. I remember watching them on many occasions at the sport

centre. you could see there was something very special about this

boy. He used to give me advice. I used to not my head like that, and

he told me to keep its -- keep it still. These are the roads that

Mark cycled on as a youngster and they are providing inspiration for

a new my generation of young riders. Seeing the terrain that this rich

terrain can produce has encouraged more riders to get involved in the

sport. It gives young children at the inspiration to continue and to

carry on and perhaps one day becoming Tour de France riders.

Matthew is hoping to emulate his idle. My dad has brought a new

television to watch it. You can bet there will be plenty of televisions

tuned and as well. A bit of cricket. Revenge for

Lancashire after their defeat at the hands of Durham earlier this

Well done to them. You might think the Manchester

International Festival is all about culture for adults, but there's one

very high profile show that's aimed at children. Let's return to Ranvir

who can tell us more. Yes, believe it or not, it's

actually a theatrical production of Dr Who, created by the company

Punchdrunk. Dr Who writers have created the story, and walk-through

sets have been built at Media City in Salford. Now our Political

editor Arif Ansari normally deals with slightly more serious stuff

for us but he's also a big Dr Who fan and begged to be allowed to do

this. So sonic screwdriver at the ready, he ventured onto the set of

Maybe there's been a rip in the space time continuum or something,

but a little bit of Salford's been transformed into an alien world.

And some young companions have been drafted in to save the universe.

Will it be too scary for me to go round? Law. If you are a wimp, then

yes. I am. Then you will not be able to do it.

Even so, I decided to take my chances.

The theatre company Punchdrunk has teamed up with the BBC and created

The Crash of the Elysium. You start running and you do not stop. It is

exhilarating. Effort making television was as much fun as this,

it would be brilliant. The children will never forget it. It's like

being in Dr Who and real life. it's the TARDIS. It is amazing to

see the kids are completely lost and the moment. They are captivated

by saving the world and rescuing the doctor. Would you ever do

anything as fun as this in your career again? I doubt it. The

show's aimed at 6 to 12 year olds and there are no sofas to hide

behind. Somewhere between Salford and outer space.

Arif's not been seen since but if you want to take your chances, the

show officially opens tomorrow. And for those of you who refuse to grow

up, some special shows have been put on for adults too. She has

taken her high heels of because it I am too short to be in the same

shot. shot.

My feet are frozen! Today has been a fairly cold and cloudy day. But

it has been an improving picture. Tomorrow, I think we are likely to

see temperatures as high as 20 Celsius. It will improve as we head

into July. For the weekend, we could see 23 on Sunday, 25 on

Monday. It is all because an area of high pressure building over the

weekend. It will not be wall-to- wall sunshine, but it will be

warmer. The high pressure will keep things settled, but we have a lot

of cloud in there as well. Tonight, lots of clear skies out here at the

moment. Lots of blue sky. Because of the blue sky, it will be a

chilly night. We are likely to see temperatures dropping as low as

five Celsius. For the start of your weekend, tomorrow morning, it will

be a chilly start, but a dry and bright. As we head into the

afternoon, it will start to cloud over. Really see some bright spells

breaking him between the cloud cover. Highs of 20 Celsius for

tomorrow. As we head into Sunday, much warmer. We could see highs of

23 Celsius. Not looking bad at all. You can put your shoes back on. We

will be covering of a whole festival on Radio Manchester.

And on BBC Radio Manchester tonight, you can hear Sam Walker talking to

Crash of the Elysium and Dr Who writer Tom MacCrae. And you can

follow the festival on our online site bbc.co.uk/manchester.

The by. -- a good buy. Back in the 1970s, the Earl of

Derby had a few hundred acres of spare land on his estate near

Liverpool. A group of businessmen suggested he turn it into a new

type of zoo designed to mimic the big game reserves of East Africa.

And so was born Knowsley Safari Park. Well, this weekend, it's

exactly 40 years since it opened its gate for the first time. Our

Merseyside reporter, Andy Gill, has been to see how they're celebrating.

Feeding time at Knowsley Safari Park. The tigers weren't here in

1971. But they're a big attraction now. We are trying to replicate

some of the actions they would do in the wild. They have to wrestle

their food source and bring it down. But the general manager was here 40

years ago. David Ross spent months in Uganda helping to catch

Knowsley's first elephants. He says no-one expected the level interest

on opening day. 30 or 40,000 people got them. It was total chaos.

was based on an year way of showing animals where the people were in

cages and the animals were free. Back then there were some concerns

about putting wild animals so close to a big city. These days, Knowsley

prides itself on its breeding programmes. Rhinos and lions are

among the successes. You build up a relationship with them. They get to

know individual behaviour as they get to know our style of management