:00:03. > :00:05.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today with Nick Owen and Suzanne Virdee.
:00:05. > :00:10.The headlines tonight: Five new routes announced at the
:00:10. > :00:15.region's biggest airport, it'll mean 200 new jobs. It really is
:00:16. > :00:18.good news for the region. It's �100 million of investment in planes
:00:18. > :00:22.plus the investment we've made, great news we should celebrate.
:00:22. > :00:24.Binmen consider going on strike for a week at the end of the month.
:00:24. > :00:29.Which of our region's MPs face the chop as the parliamentary
:00:29. > :00:32.boundaries are redrawn? And a family's pride in a Black
:00:32. > :00:42.Country soldier who was killed nearly 100 years ago, tunnelling at
:00:42. > :00:49.
:00:50. > :00:52.Good evening, welcome to Thursday's Midlands Today. Tonight, 200 jobs
:00:52. > :00:56.are being created at Birmingham Airport as five new routes are
:00:56. > :01:00.announced. From next summer, Monarch Airlines will fly to
:01:00. > :01:04.destinations in Italy, Croatia and Greece. For the first time,
:01:04. > :01:06.there'll be a direct service to Venice. The expansion comes at a
:01:06. > :01:13.time when the airport's struggling with falling passenger numbers.
:01:13. > :01:17.Queuing up to leave a grey, wet day at Birmingham Airport. Passengers
:01:17. > :01:20.flying to Alicante and Tenerife on Monarch Airlines. Soon there'll
:01:20. > :01:24.have other holiday getaways to choose from.
:01:24. > :01:28.The five new routes from Birmingham on Monarch will be to Milan, Rome,
:01:28. > :01:36.Dubrovnik, Heraklion in Crete, and Venice. The latter is being offered
:01:36. > :01:40.as a destination for the first time by Birmingham Airport. It is good
:01:40. > :01:42.news today, among all the gloom, it is a great vote of confidence for
:01:42. > :01:50.Birmingham. What's more, the expansion will
:01:50. > :01:54.create 200 new jobs. We obviously need cabin crew, engineers and for
:01:54. > :01:58.the local economy, an improving number of baggage handlers, check-
:01:58. > :02:01.in agents, other suppliers we used in the local area.
:02:01. > :02:04.At the same time, talks are under way to re-establish a direct flight
:02:04. > :02:07.from Birmingham to Chicago. A delegation from the region has just
:02:07. > :02:10.returned from a trip there to lobby United Airlines. The previous link
:02:10. > :02:19.between the two cities by American Airlines collapsed in 2002 after
:02:19. > :02:22.seven years. The Mayor of Chicago is regarded as the third most
:02:23. > :02:27.powerful politician in America and he has given me his personal
:02:27. > :02:32.promise that he will be phoning the chief executive of United Airlines
:02:32. > :02:35.asking them to resume point two point.
:02:35. > :02:37.The sense of optimism is a big turnaround in the airline industry
:02:37. > :02:40.after a turbulent time. Passenger numbers have fallen by a staggering
:02:41. > :02:43.35 million across the UK in three years, including 700,000 lost from
:02:43. > :02:45.Birmingham. And it's not just passenger numbers.
:02:45. > :02:49.Birmingham Airport has lost nine routes in the last 12 months
:02:49. > :02:52.although it's gained another seven. But the airline industry as a whole
:02:52. > :02:58.has been battered by the recession and there's real hope that this
:02:58. > :03:05.announcement will be seen as symbolic. A lot of gloom out there
:03:05. > :03:13.for the Greek euro debt crisis but there could be a turnaround in 2012
:03:13. > :03:16.and this could be the first move of So will passengers be returning?
:03:16. > :03:21.always fly from Birmingham, we usually go to Malaga but if there
:03:21. > :03:25.is Venice, I may go there. I don't know if we would ever go there.
:03:25. > :03:29.are from the Channel Islands so we are literally flying back home.
:03:29. > :03:32.this your first trip to Birmingham Airport? Yes. Would you come back?
:03:32. > :03:39.Yes, it is all right. And the new routes will take off
:03:39. > :03:42.next summer. Our transport correspondent Peter
:03:42. > :03:47.Plisner is at Birmingham Airport now. How significant is it that the
:03:47. > :03:52.airport has got this new business at a difficult time? It is very
:03:52. > :03:57.significant. The airline industry has been hit by the recession very
:03:57. > :04:02.hard. Passenger numbers and routes dropper. More confidence now about
:04:02. > :04:07.next summer and that is where all the airline effort is being put.
:04:07. > :04:10.Monarch are doing exactly that but it is still a big risk. The airport
:04:10. > :04:14.seems fairly optimistic but do you think it will help bring more
:04:14. > :04:22.airlines to the airport? And think we can expect more airlines to come
:04:22. > :04:28.here. Still rumours that Air India will based aircraft here. A lot of
:04:28. > :04:31.investment going into the airport, a new terminal facilities and air
:04:31. > :04:35.traffic control and ultimately we will get a longer runway and those
:04:35. > :04:40.things will encourage more airlines to come here. What are the chances
:04:40. > :04:43.of restarting those direct flights to Chicago again? It is a positive
:04:43. > :04:53.move, there are closer links between Chicago on Birmingham, not
:04:53. > :04:54.
:04:54. > :04:58.least because the tie up because of Chicago-based Kraft and Cadbury.
:04:58. > :05:03.The last time it was dropped it was because it was not profitable but
:05:03. > :05:13.those who want to set it up, they will want to make sure it is a
:05:13. > :05:15.
:05:15. > :05:18.profitable route for. Later in the programme...
:05:18. > :05:24.Remembering a rock and roll pioneer who turned down The Beatles because
:05:24. > :05:27.they were scruffy Liverpudlians. Children are beginning to behave
:05:27. > :05:30.like animals. That's the shocking view of nearly half the adult
:05:30. > :05:32.population in the West Midlands, according to a new poll by the
:05:32. > :05:37.children's charity, Barnardo's. 45% of those questioned agreed that
:05:38. > :05:41.youngsters were "angry violent and Nearly one in four said that
:05:41. > :05:44.children who behave badly are beyond help by the age of 10, with
:05:44. > :05:52.just one in three believing that children who get into trouble are
:05:52. > :05:55.misunderstood. Here's our special The August riots. Mainly young
:05:55. > :05:57.people running amok, chaos and crime on our streets. For years,
:05:57. > :06:01.anti-social behaviour has been depicted and deplored. Young people
:06:01. > :06:11.called feral and feckless. Today, the children's charity Barnardo's
:06:11. > :06:12.
:06:12. > :06:16.warned that those images have gone too far. If crimes have been
:06:16. > :06:21.committed, they should be called to account but what do we do, just
:06:21. > :06:24.stop and give up and say that is it? Or do we say that we need to
:06:24. > :06:27.work with them? Ben is 17 and lives near Dudley in
:06:27. > :06:30.the West Midlands. Excluded from school for misbehaving as a 14-
:06:30. > :06:32.year-old, his life was going nowhere. Today he's on a Barnardo's
:06:32. > :06:42.Wheels project in Stourbridge learning not just how to fix cars
:06:42. > :06:47.but how to put his own life back together. There's a very good
:06:47. > :06:51.chance he will go on to paid employment, apprenticeships or
:06:51. > :06:55.going for qualifications on his road to a successful career. He yes,
:06:55. > :06:58.things are good. Got a job and a girlfriend. Got a little boy.
:06:58. > :07:03.In a powerful TV ad, Barnardo's will show how lives like Ben's can
:07:03. > :07:06.change, seen here in reverse from success back to the troubled child.
:07:06. > :07:16.Their survey shows most people believe these children can't be
:07:16. > :07:21.
:07:21. > :07:25.I am scared. Over the past couple of years, Ben has raised his skill
:07:25. > :07:30.levels and will have a real chance now on the jobs market but
:07:30. > :07:33.Barnardo's is saying that unless there is investment and help,
:07:33. > :07:40.teenagers cannot do this sort of thing on their own.
:07:40. > :07:45.What do teenagers think of how they are seen by the rest of society?
:07:45. > :07:49.You will end up pregnant or on Jeremy Kyle or a waste of space but
:07:49. > :07:56.it is not like we are not trying, I check website every day and there
:07:56. > :08:00.are no jobs anywhere. Not all teenagers are like stereotypes.
:08:00. > :08:04.They are stereotyped as being thugs but we are not. General is speaking,
:08:04. > :08:07.they can be quite helpful and I know a lot of nice ones. 70 young
:08:07. > :08:17.people are currently on the Wheels project. Ben has recently passed
:08:17. > :08:21.not just mechanics exams but also Binmen in Birmingham say they could
:08:21. > :08:24.be heading out on strike for a week at the end of this month. Unions
:08:24. > :08:27.say it's part of a dispute with the city council over changes to terms
:08:27. > :08:37.and conditions. Our reporter Joanne Writtle joins us now. What's the
:08:37. > :08:37.
:08:37. > :08:42.latest? Decisions are expected tomorrow from the GMB union about
:08:42. > :08:50.potential weak on action. It was less than one year ago that a two
:08:50. > :08:54.day strike happened and leading to piles of uncollected rubbish lying
:08:54. > :09:02.on Birmingham street. Memories will still be present in Bennion
:09:03. > :09:06.householders' minds. It was made worse by Christmas disruption --
:09:06. > :09:11.Birmingham households' minds. I am joined by a member of the GMB union,
:09:11. > :09:15.would you go on strike or not? way things are looking, it is a
:09:15. > :09:21.good possibility. We will make a decision tomorrow as to whether it
:09:22. > :09:25.will be a week-long strike. The city council have not put into
:09:25. > :09:29.place what we agreed to settle the last dispute. Our members are still
:09:29. > :09:33.losing money and we have the threat of a further serious cut in pay to
:09:33. > :09:37.those individuals. How much public sympathy you will get, people do
:09:37. > :09:40.not like piles of rubbish. Yes, but the people of Birmingham will
:09:41. > :09:44.understand what they are hearing again happening to those people who
:09:44. > :09:49.provide an excellent service, another potential cut of �6,000
:09:49. > :09:52.being paid to some of those members, and acceptable. Sandwell Council
:09:52. > :09:56.tell us that potential for any industrial action is always
:09:56. > :10:02.regrettable -- Birmingham City Council tell us and they have a
:10:02. > :10:05.Plans to cut the number of MPs in the region have been on the agenda
:10:05. > :10:08.today at a public hearing in Birmingham. The Government wants to
:10:08. > :10:12.reduce the total from 650 to 600 before the next general election in
:10:12. > :10:15.2015. In this region, there are currently 63 MPs, but under
:10:15. > :10:25.proposals from the Boundary Commission, that will drop to 58.
:10:25. > :10:29.
:10:29. > :10:31.Our political reporter Susana # Super trouper... #
:10:31. > :10:34.The community choir isn't the only thing this woman's leading these
:10:34. > :10:41.days. She's also heading up her own campaign to stop the constituency
:10:41. > :10:47.she votes in from changing. I am proud of the constituency, we are
:10:47. > :10:52.very close with the four wards. Sutton Coldfield is an affluent
:10:52. > :10:58.constituency compared to Erdington and there is a real potential that
:10:58. > :11:02.the people who work and the agencies in Kingstanding will lose
:11:02. > :11:04.out on funding in the future. But does it really matter where you
:11:04. > :11:07.vote? Well, here it's a question of
:11:07. > :11:09.political colour. This side of the street, your MP is Labour's Jack
:11:09. > :11:17.Dromey, but cross over here and you're voting for Conservative
:11:17. > :11:20.Andrew Mitchell. But not for long, because this bit of Sutton
:11:20. > :11:22.Coldfield could end up over there in Erdington. And this shifting
:11:22. > :11:25.about is happening in most of the region's constituencies, because
:11:25. > :11:28.the Government wants all of them to have around 76,000 voters.
:11:28. > :11:32.The plans proposed by the Boundary Commission would see existing
:11:32. > :11:36.constituencies like Ludlow and Leominster being merged. Others
:11:36. > :11:40.like Wolverhampton South East and West Worcestershire would disappear.
:11:40. > :11:42.And there'd be new ones like Smethwick and Kidsgrove & Tunstall.
:11:42. > :11:45.Kenilworth would end up in a different constituency for the
:11:45. > :11:52.third time in three elections, and one that crosses the
:11:52. > :11:56.Warwickshire/Solihull border. would be quite wrong to have
:11:56. > :12:00.massive constituencies and tiny ones and we have to reflect the
:12:00. > :12:03.moves in population but it does seem that kennel what is the victim
:12:03. > :12:06.of this and seems to be the bit that is easier to juggle around --
:12:06. > :12:09.kennel were. Arriving for today's hearing in
:12:09. > :12:15.Birmingham were members of all parties, looking to change the
:12:15. > :12:21.dividing lines. In my own constituency, the community is
:12:21. > :12:24.split right in two. I don't think that is appropriate or right.
:12:24. > :12:29.commission has had to ticks and difficult decisions about
:12:29. > :12:31.constituencies and many exist which are too small to abide by the new
:12:31. > :12:33.rules. The public consultation goes on
:12:33. > :12:38.until 5th December, with more roadshows planned this month for
:12:38. > :12:42.Ludlow, Warwick and Stafford. Susana is here now. So some of our
:12:42. > :12:48.MPs will be out of a job under these proposals, what have they had
:12:48. > :12:51.to say? Pat McFadden who is the Wolverhampton South-East is one of
:12:51. > :12:54.those two potentially could lose his seat and he has been pretty
:12:54. > :12:58.vocal but not just because he could lose his seat, also because he
:12:58. > :13:02.thinks people in places like Bilston should not be represented
:13:02. > :13:07.by a number of different MPs, they should have won. It is that impact
:13:07. > :13:16.on communities that a lot of people are say they are quite concerned
:13:16. > :13:19.about -- should have 1. Liam Byrne's seat is one that could go
:13:19. > :13:22.under these plans and they are suggesting they could do worse than
:13:23. > :13:26.the Tories but the Government says that this is all about making
:13:26. > :13:33.politics cheaper in terms of having fewer MPs and making it fairer.
:13:33. > :13:39.can see why some might be concerned but what about the voters? Yes, not
:13:39. > :13:42.many people queuing up to get into the hotel one I was at the hearing.
:13:42. > :13:48.Tomorrow we understand they are being travelled in from various
:13:48. > :13:55.areas but if you ask people whether or not they want more or fewer MPs,
:13:55. > :14:02.they will probably save fuel. -- they will probably save fuel. They
:14:02. > :14:07.start to get a bit more concerned - - they will probably say less. They
:14:07. > :14:12.are concerned about places they live in. So does this favour any
:14:12. > :14:19.one particular party? Labour suggest it favours the Tories and
:14:19. > :14:22.if you look at the West Midlands, there is a suggestion that four
:14:22. > :14:32.Labour seats could go. But in situations where boundaries have
:14:32. > :14:34.been withdrawn before, they say the Still to come in tonight's
:14:34. > :14:37.programme, Shefali and details of some freakish weather. Yes, there
:14:37. > :14:40.have been reports of funnel clouds and flash floods in parts of the
:14:40. > :14:50.region today. But it doesn't end there, it could get worse later
:14:50. > :14:52.The remains of a First World War soldier from the Black Country
:14:52. > :14:56.could be discovered by a team of archaeologists who've started to
:14:56. > :14:59.excavate the battlefield where he died. John Lane was killed in an
:14:59. > :15:03.explosion in the Somme where he was part of a team digging tunnels
:15:03. > :15:06.under German trenches. His relatives have been paying tribute
:15:06. > :15:12.to the Royal Engineer whose bravery is still remembered nearly a
:15:12. > :15:19.John Lane, a miner from Tipton, was already in his mid-forties when he
:15:19. > :15:22.joined the Royal Engineers in 1915. His skills were put to use in the
:15:22. > :15:31.Somme, carving tunnels through the chalk to reach No Man's Land and
:15:31. > :15:34.lay traps for the enemy. The idea was to blow the Germans out of the
:15:34. > :15:40.trenches by getting underneath them. The only trouble was the Germans
:15:40. > :15:46.were doing exactly the same. months after he joined up, John
:15:46. > :15:51.Lane was dead, killed in an explosion. The Germans had then
:15:51. > :15:55.digging, blow it up and that was it. -- heard them digging.
:15:55. > :15:57.But now the family may get the opportunity to learn more about his
:15:57. > :16:00.bravery. A team of British and French archaeologists has started
:16:00. > :16:03.one of the largest investigations ever mounted on the battlefields of
:16:03. > :16:12.World War One. Four miles of tunnels, some 100 feet below the
:16:12. > :16:17.ground, are now being excavated This is the method the original
:16:17. > :16:22.tunnel has used originally to locate where the enemies were
:16:22. > :16:28.making this kind of sound. Down here, opposing troops fought.
:16:28. > :16:32.The shaft is open but not yet safe to enter.
:16:32. > :16:36.It is very peculiar knowing what the history of this one hole in the
:16:36. > :16:43.ground is. It is... It is almost difficult to talk about it because
:16:43. > :16:49.With each step, the team will be able to tell families like the
:16:49. > :16:54.Lanes far more about the tragedy that unfolded here. He may have
:16:54. > :16:59.been crushed or gassed because a lot of gas was released from these
:16:59. > :17:04.explosions so there may not be any remains but it is difficult to know.
:17:04. > :17:08.It may be 96 years since John Lane paid the ultimate sacrifice but
:17:08. > :17:13.despite the passage of time, he and millions of other brave men and
:17:13. > :17:23.women will be remembered at this month's remembrance and Armistice
:17:23. > :17:24.
:17:24. > :17:27.Isn't that fascinating? Intriguing. It's a busy night of Europa League
:17:27. > :17:35.football tonight with both Birmingham City and Stoke City in
:17:35. > :17:39.action. Dan Pallett's here to tell us more. It is approaching halfway
:17:39. > :17:45.through the Stoke City game. It has not been the best 45 minutes of
:17:45. > :17:49.football, Stoke nearly took the lead in bizarre fashion. That would
:17:49. > :17:53.have been claimed if it had sneaked in that it did not quite so it is
:17:53. > :17:57.0-0. Birmingham City kick off in just over one hour's time in the
:17:57. > :18:00.home match against Bruges. They know a win will put them on the
:18:01. > :18:04.verge of qualification. It was feared playing in Europe would see
:18:04. > :18:06.them return to the Premier League but it has not worked that way so
:18:06. > :18:10.far. 5,000 Blues fans had a party when
:18:10. > :18:13.they went to Belgium a fortnight ago and best of all, they came back
:18:13. > :18:19.with three points. But that should be no surprise because these
:18:19. > :18:27.players have made a habit of winning recently. Many pundits said
:18:27. > :18:33.it would be impossible to combine European success with a promotion
:18:33. > :18:36.challenge but statistics argue Diffin. -- differently.
:18:36. > :18:38.In fact it's been going so well that Chris Hughton has been
:18:38. > :18:44.shortlisted for Championship Manager of the Month. No wonder
:18:44. > :18:50.he's enjoying the European experience. It is a super
:18:50. > :18:52.experience and certainly the Bruges game, that was the pinnacle so far.
:18:52. > :18:55.In contrast, when Bruges arrived in Birmingham to train yesterday, they
:18:55. > :18:58.didn't have a manager. He'd been sacked after poor results. Former
:18:58. > :19:04.England boss Steve McClaren is tipped to take over but in the
:19:04. > :19:11.meantime, the caretaker knows he has a fight on his hand. If you
:19:11. > :19:14.want to play like them on physical strength, then it will be difficult
:19:14. > :19:17.because we have to keep our own system and try to play football.
:19:17. > :19:27.Mind you, Birmingham's fans expect their players to heap more misery
:19:27. > :19:33.
:19:33. > :19:40.The City tonight. 3,000 Bruges fans there.
:19:41. > :19:43.And you can follow both matches on the BBC.
:19:44. > :19:46.Athlete Kelly Sotherton says she still has a dream of winning a
:19:46. > :19:49.medal at next summer's Olympics. Sotherton has just reverted to the
:19:50. > :19:53.heptathlon and has lost her Lottery funding. But she's aiming for a top
:19:53. > :19:55.eight finish at London 2012. And says a place on the podium is
:19:55. > :19:58.improbable, but not impossible. Everything's changed, but nothing's
:19:58. > :20:07.changed. Today, Kelly Sotherton was in the daily routine. Stretching,
:20:07. > :20:16.But what's different is that she's ditched the 400 metres to go back
:20:16. > :20:21.to the heptathlon. And she's loving it. Fantastic. Rejuvenated, I'll
:20:21. > :20:24.always motivated but I am more motivated because it is what I love.
:20:24. > :20:27.Pentathlon is my passion so I am enjoying the first month of
:20:28. > :20:31.training, it is usually hard but it has been fantastic.
:20:31. > :20:33.The other big change is money, and the lack of it. She's lost her
:20:33. > :20:36.Lottery funding after a disappointing year, so for now
:20:36. > :20:40.she's paying her own way. That means no warm weather training or
:20:40. > :20:44.medical back-up. But that was the case back in 2003. Kelly was a
:20:44. > :20:48.young, aspiring athlete, juggling two careers. She caught the bus to
:20:48. > :20:55.the office, and spent 40 hours a week working at a bank and was
:20:55. > :20:59.still successful. It can be done. I am in a better position than I was
:20:59. > :21:04.then that I will not be a negative person about this, I will focus on
:21:04. > :21:08.what I can do and how I can do it. As long as I come to our training
:21:08. > :21:11.venue, try to get adequate medical support and use might coach, that
:21:11. > :21:15.is all I ask for. Kelly's recent seasons have been blighted by
:21:15. > :21:21.injury and she'll be 35 later this month. So what can she achieve in
:21:21. > :21:24.the heptathlon? If I had been a heptathletes for the past three
:21:24. > :21:29.years, I would probably be in better shape but I think there is
:21:29. > :21:32.still an opportunity, possibly for a medal. Realistically, top eight
:21:32. > :21:37.and anything could happen after that. Kelly won Olympic bronze in
:21:37. > :21:45.2004. She knows London 2012 will be her last Olympics and she's
:21:45. > :21:50.determined to make the most of it. Wouldn't it be great if she could
:21:50. > :21:54.win a medal. Who wouldn't want to be in the home country's Olympics?
:21:54. > :21:58.That is the point. It will be a long shot but she will not want
:21:58. > :22:02.regrets. She is so enthusiastic. Beset by
:22:02. > :22:06.injury as well. Her face lit up straight away and
:22:06. > :22:10.you can see she is passionate about sport. The injuries are a worry but
:22:10. > :22:16.she is paying her own way, she loves the sport, how can you knock
:22:16. > :22:19.that? Good luck to her. A one-off play is being staged to
:22:19. > :22:23.mark the life of a forgotten pioneer of British rock and roll.
:22:23. > :22:26.It's been written by the daughter of Reg Calvert, a name few remember
:22:26. > :22:29.now but back in the Swinging Sixties, he booked some of the
:22:29. > :22:32.biggest names in rock and roll to play live shows in the region and
:22:32. > :22:42.was a well-known pirate radio DJ. He also famously dismissed The
:22:42. > :22:47.
:22:47. > :22:50.Beatles as scruffy Liverpudlians. It was a childhood like no other.
:22:50. > :22:56.Susan Moore and her sister grew up in a Warwickshire mansion house,
:22:57. > :23:00.otherwise known as the School of Rock and Roll.
:23:00. > :23:06.ARCHIVE FOOTAGE: Training is available for youngsters,
:23:06. > :23:09.especially this place near Rugby. remember not being able to go to
:23:09. > :23:12.sleep at night because they would come back at night and they would
:23:13. > :23:16.play the drums, the guitars, singing all night long.
:23:16. > :23:19.At the hub of it all, Susan's dad, Reg Calvert, importer of records
:23:19. > :23:29.and music manager. He invited only the most promising talent to live
:23:29. > :23:38.
:23:38. > :23:41.with him and his family, like The One day they were rehearsing in the
:23:41. > :23:49.kitchen for one of their records and it sent shivers up and down my
:23:49. > :23:56.spine. Vote for me, screaming Lord Sutch.
:23:56. > :24:02.Another of Reg's finds, and portrayed in Susan's play. I wanted
:24:02. > :24:11.to put into words the images that I could put on the stage and tell the
:24:11. > :24:14.story. I wanted to write a book. The play is about his other passion.
:24:14. > :24:18.And that was pirate radio. Reg, seen here with Screaming Lord Sutch,
:24:18. > :24:22.set up Radio City and was shot by a rival pirate radio boss at the age
:24:22. > :24:24.of just 38. He left behind a much extended family. People like Tanya
:24:24. > :24:32.Day, photographed here with John Lennon, who together with rest of
:24:33. > :24:36.the Fab Four were famously overlooked by Reg. But he came back
:24:36. > :24:41.and said to my dad, you ought to think about managing the Beatles,
:24:42. > :24:46.they are looking for a manager. He looked at them in Germany and came
:24:46. > :24:50.back and he didn't want to manage them. I don't want to manage a
:24:50. > :24:53.scruffy Liverpudlian group, he said. And so it was that Susan was never
:24:53. > :24:56.kept awake by the sounds of Lennon and McCartney. Thanks to her
:24:56. > :25:06.father's high standards, The Beatles never came to the School of
:25:06. > :25:08.
:25:08. > :25:14.Fancy not wanting to manage the Beatles. That goes alongside the
:25:14. > :25:19.Beatles auditioning for the Decca label. And they said that there was
:25:19. > :25:24.no future for guitar bands. And that play is on for one night
:25:24. > :25:30.only at Nuneaton's Abbey Theatre tomorrow.
:25:30. > :25:33.Here's Shefali with a look at the A lot of freak weather today.
:25:33. > :25:35.Reports of flash floods in Small Heath and Bearwood and a funnel
:25:35. > :25:39.cloud in Redditch in Worcestershire which is basically a mini-tornado
:25:39. > :25:41.that hasn't touched the ground. But nevertheless, as you can see from
:25:41. > :25:44.these smashed and crumpled remains of a conservatory, it's still
:25:44. > :25:46.capable of causing plenty of damage. But there's more to come.
:25:46. > :25:49.Torrential downpours expected later tonight. We haven't had any
:25:49. > :25:52.recordings for today's rain because of the localised nature of the
:25:52. > :25:57.showers but we may have some totals by tomorrow with a more organised
:25:57. > :26:01.band feeding up from the south tonight. The showers from today are
:26:01. > :26:03.fading in the next hour or so but before midnight we start to see a
:26:03. > :26:12.fairly widespread band of rain with pockets of torrential rain
:26:13. > :26:19.spreading up from the south. Lively showers merging to form a spells of
:26:19. > :26:24.rain. We could get some torrential downpours and the emphasis is
:26:24. > :26:28.towards the east. It is a mild night with winds, temperatures
:26:28. > :26:31.topping to a minimum of 12 Celsius. The rain continues through the
:26:31. > :26:35.morning and it is only through the afternoon it starts to push away to
:26:35. > :26:39.the north-east, only to be followed by a rash of showers heading from
:26:39. > :26:48.the south later. Some of those could be quite poky especially in
:26:48. > :26:53.the east. We could get some high totals out of the rain for tomorrow.
:26:53. > :26:59.Temperatures ranging from 14 Celsius to 16 in the south. It is a
:26:59. > :27:04.fairly mild day. The winds light as well so it will feel even milder.
:27:04. > :27:08.More rain later on Saturday turning to drizzle on Sunday, the showers
:27:08. > :27:17.are still there for Friday night but it will be a cool weekend,
:27:17. > :27:20.quite breezy we thought during the But you'll find the winds will be
:27:20. > :27:22.easing through the night and it's still quite mild with lows of
:27:22. > :27:24.around 12 Celsius. The heavy downpours continue through the
:27:24. > :27:27.morning tomorrow. A look at tonight's main headlines:
:27:27. > :27:29.More confusion in the eurozone as the Greek prime minister scraps his
:27:29. > :27:32.plans for a referendum on the bail- out.