0:00:16 > 0:00:21No trumpets today, what a shame.A disappointing day, never mind.
0:00:21 > 0:00:27Welcome to the first temporary one show with matchmaker... -- Matt
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Baker...And Alex Jones. We'll be finding out what connects Bill Gates
0:00:30 > 0:00:37with one of these, all will become clear later on. It's not even funny,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41it's amazing and I'm very excited about it.First we are joined by a
0:00:41 > 0:00:45dame who we think could easily be classed as the kindest woman on
0:00:45 > 0:00:49British television.Yes, this lovely lady turned Downton Abbey into a
0:00:49 > 0:00:53home for injured soldiers.She dispatched an army to giant country
0:00:53 > 0:00:58to help the BFG takeout man eating giants.She then very kindly made
0:00:58 > 0:01:02the ultimate sacrifice to save the world by being exterminated by
0:01:02 > 0:01:10Daleks.We know who you are!You know nothing of any human, and that
0:01:10 > 0:01:16will be your downfall.Exterminate!
0:01:19 > 0:01:24But the question is, how nice is she really?Let's find out, and welcome
0:01:24 > 0:01:30Penelope Wilton! APPLAUSE Penelope, Dame Penelope Wilton as
0:01:30 > 0:01:35well. Welcome, welcome. I can't believe it is your first time on the
0:01:35 > 0:01:41one is.They did a lot of research. We found this wonderful story that
0:01:41 > 0:01:44you were so kind on your first television job you actually gave the
0:01:44 > 0:01:51job away to somebody with better legs for the role.Yes.You need to
0:01:51 > 0:01:54explain this. You look absolutely gorgeous. We can't imagine anybody
0:01:54 > 0:02:00with better legs. It was a specific kind of leg they were looking for.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Yes, you see when you started work when you left drama school in my
0:02:05 > 0:02:09day, you had to join the union Equity. You can join a union unless
0:02:09 > 0:02:13you had a job. It was a sort of chicken and egg situation. I had to
0:02:13 > 0:02:21get a job and my sister, Rose, was working for man alive. She worked as
0:02:21 > 0:02:26the BBC. She found out there was a drama going on and they needed a
0:02:26 > 0:02:30lady with very bad varicose veins. LAUGHTER
0:02:30 > 0:02:35She said, would you go along? You won't be seen, it'll be just your
0:02:35 > 0:02:39legs. It was a sort of hospital drama. I said yes, that would be
0:02:39 > 0:02:44fine, as long as... I would get my card you see, I get the job, have a
0:02:44 > 0:02:50contract, I could join equity, which meant, you know, launched, as it
0:02:50 > 0:02:55were.Did you have varicose veins? No, I didn't have any varicose
0:02:55 > 0:02:58veins. I went along and in those days they put a lot of spaghetti
0:02:58 > 0:03:02down the back of my leg and then they sort of painted it. And then
0:03:02 > 0:03:06they sort of looked at it and asked me to go on camera. I looked at my
0:03:06 > 0:03:13legs and they weren't... There was silence and people walked away. Then
0:03:13 > 0:03:18during the tea break, I saw another lady walking down a corridor...
0:03:18 > 0:03:22LAUGHTER She did have real ones.Real, not
0:03:22 > 0:03:28spaghetti.Really quite bad varicose veins. I said to the director who I
0:03:28 > 0:03:33didn't even know who he was, I said which one is the director? I was so
0:03:33 > 0:03:37green. I said excuse me, he said yes, what is it? I said, I know
0:03:37 > 0:03:41you're having trouble with these varicose veins but I've seen someone
0:03:41 > 0:03:47with real ones, they might work. I think she worked, either working in
0:03:47 > 0:03:52the canteen... Anyhow, next thing I knew, sure enough, there she was in
0:03:52 > 0:03:56the make-up room having her legs done. I was asked to go. But I got
0:03:56 > 0:04:05my card, you see!There you go. Right, we go. Slight of topic.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Hospitals all around the country are still dealing with high levels of
0:04:09 > 0:04:13admissions and ambulance delay is due to the severe pressures they
0:04:13 > 0:04:16face to this winter.A situation that has been going on for weeks.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21Serious concerns have come to life about how one ambulance trust has
0:04:21 > 0:04:27been operating. Here is Joe 9am at the headquarters for NHS East of
0:04:27 > 0:04:31England and top health officials have been summoned to an emergency
0:04:31 > 0:04:33risk summit to discuss a series of potentially serious incidents
0:04:33 > 0:04:39involving severe ambulance delays over the Christmas and New Year
0:04:39 > 0:04:43period.Risk summit are only held when there are serious quality
0:04:43 > 0:04:48failings and they need to act rapidly to protect patients. All
0:04:48 > 0:04:51this has come about because a whistle-blower raised the alarm. One
0:04:51 > 0:04:55of those attending is Andrey Yacoub of HealthWatch Suffolk which takes
0:04:55 > 0:05:01up public concerns with NHS England. It has raised an issue that would
0:05:01 > 0:05:03otherwise probably have been looked at historically two or three months
0:05:03 > 0:05:08down the line. I just hope we come away with some defined actions
0:05:08 > 0:05:14because of it's just talking shop, it won't have achieved anything.The
0:05:14 > 0:05:18whistle-blower has leaked a list claiming there were 40 potentially
0:05:18 > 0:05:21serious incidents where ambulances were delayed over the 17 day holiday
0:05:21 > 0:05:27period including a delay of nearly 17 hours and 19 deaths. I was
0:05:27 > 0:05:31shocked reading it, the amount of times some people are waiting who
0:05:31 > 0:05:35had a stroke, heart attack, where you shop?Yes I was, that's why it's
0:05:35 > 0:05:44being done so urgently.Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk Norman
0:05:44 > 0:05:49Lamb met last January.The assertion was made there were periods when the
0:05:49 > 0:05:56trust wasn't safe. It's a deeply troubling situation.Whether or not
0:05:56 > 0:06:01it was unsafe is one thing they'll be considering at the risk summit.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05However The East of England Ambulance Service Trust declared its
0:06:05 > 0:06:09highest state of emergency on New Year's Eve. When this happened a
0:06:09 > 0:06:13trust can request help from neighbouring Ambulance Services.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17When the Ambulance Service moved to its highest operation level on New
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Year's Eve, did it ask for help?My understanding is that it didn't.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26They should always ask. They should always be taking all steps available
0:06:26 > 0:06:31to them.The trust says there was a significant increase in resources
0:06:31 > 0:06:35over the festive period. The whistle-blower questioned the
0:06:35 > 0:06:38decision to allow CEO Robert Morton to have annual leave at the busiest
0:06:38 > 0:06:44time of year.Senior directors appeared to be on leave out of the
0:06:44 > 0:06:48region at the busiest time of year. I don't know whether it's true but
0:06:48 > 0:06:53it needs to be investigated. I think it would be extraordinary, a
0:06:53 > 0:06:59headteacher isn't away in the middle of exam time. Someone running an
0:06:59 > 0:07:01emergency service, I wouldn't have thought, should be away for an
0:07:01 > 0:07:08extended period of leave.According to the trust senior managers were on
0:07:08 > 0:07:11duty 20 47 in this period and two Gold commanders were available at
0:07:11 > 0:07:17all times. What is your response to this overall, how do you feel about
0:07:17 > 0:07:21the situation?The biggest concern is can the people of the East of
0:07:21 > 0:07:26England beat reassured there is an emergency service there to meet
0:07:26 > 0:07:31their needs in their hour of need. Problems with ambulance delays
0:07:31 > 0:07:35aren't just a recent issue, according to the website since April
0:07:35 > 0:07:38last year the East of England trust failed to read six out of seven
0:07:38 > 0:07:44national targets set for ambulance response times. One evening in
0:07:44 > 0:07:48August Kim called for an ambulance when her son broke his leg in two
0:07:48 > 0:07:53places playing football in their back garden.We called 999, the
0:07:53 > 0:07:58controller was really honest and said there would be a delay.I
0:07:58 > 0:08:00expected it would be quite snappy because they are called the
0:08:00 > 0:08:05emergency services. It was absolutely mind blowing how long it
0:08:05 > 0:08:10took.It kept dragging on and on. You kept thinking, this is my son
0:08:10 > 0:08:14he's 11. He was crying and screaming, it was getting colder,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18getting darker, you keep looking for the flashing lights and they weren't
0:08:18 > 0:08:24coming.It was an horrific experience.The family made four
0:08:24 > 0:08:28calls to 999 and had to wait over three hours before an ambulance was
0:08:28 > 0:08:32finally able to take RV to hospital for emergency surgery. The trust
0:08:32 > 0:08:35since admitted the response time was dreadful and apologise to the
0:08:35 > 0:08:42family. At NHS East of England HQ at the summit is over and a statement
0:08:42 > 0:08:46issued. The details of which I raised with MP Norman Lamb. NHS
0:08:46 > 0:08:50England put up a statement, there will be a series of actions. Is it
0:08:50 > 0:08:56good enough?It's not, they've been left with a pretty bland statement
0:08:56 > 0:09:00that gives no indication about the scale of their concern. I don't
0:09:00 > 0:09:02think it's acceptable and I think there is a responsibility to
0:09:02 > 0:09:07completely open now about the issues they are dealing with, preliminary
0:09:07 > 0:09:13findings, and what they are doing about it.Joe is with us now. Can
0:09:13 > 0:09:21you sum up the potential issues the whistle-blower was raising?This was
0:09:21 > 0:09:24all about severe ambulance delays in the East of England over the festive
0:09:24 > 0:09:28period involving serious calls from life-threatening emergency calls,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32for example one case we know of was a heart attack patient who died
0:09:32 > 0:09:36after waiting seven hours, over seven hours for an ambulance. A
0:09:36 > 0:09:42stroke patient waiting over 16 hours. There was extreme pressure on
0:09:42 > 0:09:45the Ambulance Service. Given there are questions being asked about
0:09:45 > 0:09:51whether it was appropriate for the senior executives to be on holiday
0:09:51 > 0:09:55at the time, whether they moved to the highest operational level soon
0:09:55 > 0:09:58enough, whether they should have asked for help from other ambulance
0:09:58 > 0:10:04trusts. We saw Norman Lamb, he has a question about how the ambulance
0:10:04 > 0:10:06trust has conducted itself since, he thinks they might have misled the
0:10:06 > 0:10:10public because they say the whistle-blower didn't raise his
0:10:10 > 0:10:13issues internally first when they were raised with the chair of the
0:10:13 > 0:10:18trust. There are issues there as well.What have East of England
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Ambulance Service trust said in response?On that point they say
0:10:21 > 0:10:24they're honest and open and if the whistle-blower raised anything they
0:10:24 > 0:10:29didn't go through correct channels. On the serious matters, they say
0:10:29 > 0:10:32they are investigating 40 potentially serious incidents to see
0:10:32 > 0:10:38if harm was caused. On the matter of leadership, they say, they don't go
0:10:38 > 0:10:42into specifics about who was on holiday when, but they say senior
0:10:42 > 0:10:50managers were on duty 20 47. -- 24-7. This was a level of demand
0:10:50 > 0:10:55unprecedented. At its peak they were receiving calls involving
0:10:55 > 0:10:58life-threatening situations every 20 seconds, that is absolutely extreme.
0:10:58 > 0:11:04They constantly assess their operational level and moved to the
0:11:04 > 0:11:08highest operational level when they needed to do so, mainly because of
0:11:08 > 0:11:13hospital delays.The paramedics will have been flat out trying their best
0:11:13 > 0:11:20to do the best they could, but there is a bigger picture.It's not just
0:11:20 > 0:11:25about the Ambulance Service, this is about our emergency care system, it
0:11:25 > 0:11:28has been creaking under pressure over the festive period and one
0:11:28 > 0:11:32particular issue for the Ambulance Services handovers, when they get to
0:11:32 > 0:11:36a hospital are these ambulance is just stuck in a queue? How quickly
0:11:36 > 0:11:43can they hand patients? The East of England, on New Year's Eve there
0:11:43 > 0:11:46were over 1000 ambulance handovers that took over 60 minutes, 60
0:11:46 > 0:11:51minutes or more to get a patient into hospital, an ambulance but
0:11:51 > 0:11:55can't get back out on the road. Clearly it's a big issue for the
0:11:55 > 0:11:59whole system not just the Ambulance Service.We want to learn
0:11:59 > 0:12:03year-on-year, what happens going forward?There has been a risk
0:12:03 > 0:12:08summit, they say there will be an action plan published soon. I'm sure
0:12:08 > 0:12:12actions had been agreed and there will be a meeting to assess progress
0:12:12 > 0:12:15against those actions. We'll hear more tomorrow because Norman Lamb
0:12:15 > 0:12:23will be speaking about it in Parliament.
0:12:23 > 0:12:29Parliament.This piece of music might take you back...Penelope.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34Penelope's big television break was playing the long-suffering wife of
0:12:34 > 0:12:37obsessive neighbour Martin, played by Richard Briers, in Ever
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Decreasing Circles. Thankfully not all neighbours are so problematic.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Here is some of the best.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48John and I have been living next door to each other for about 12
0:12:48 > 0:12:54years or so. It's been a fantastic 12 years.I've always been lucky and
0:12:54 > 0:12:59had good neighbours. Jim, the best, couldn't wish for anyone better.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03John and Cath used to come and see me after I had my bypass, it ended
0:13:03 > 0:13:09up being in a chest brace for six months.He was in a bad state, like,
0:13:09 > 0:13:14he asked me if I would, for half an hour in the morning, half an hour of
0:13:14 > 0:13:20an afternoon, which I did. I think this is how we got more close.John
0:13:20 > 0:13:27came to see me all the while. It was fantastic, the neighbourly thing.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31How are you doing, John?Now John's wife has passed away and I'm pretty
0:13:31 > 0:13:35much doing what they did for me.My wife died about four and a half
0:13:35 > 0:13:41years ago. I was depressed, on the bottom. Jones picked us up by taking
0:13:41 > 0:13:50us out.When we go out on the fells, John's troubles about this and his
0:13:50 > 0:13:54wife they tend to leave him and he feels better. To me he's like an
0:13:54 > 0:13:57extension of my own family, it's just like your grandad living next
0:13:57 > 0:14:04door.I'd hate to see them move, let's put it that way.Cheers, mate.
0:14:04 > 0:14:10There was a group of us, we got a taxi home. We got here opened the
0:14:10 > 0:14:15door and I fell, I'd broken my femur. I was in agony, couldn't
0:14:15 > 0:14:20move. Very kindly, some of the guys came out of the mosque to help me,
0:14:20 > 0:14:25offered me a blanket to keep warm. They were so lovely and generous. A
0:14:25 > 0:14:29few weeks later I thought I'd write a letter to the mosque.It was a
0:14:29 > 0:14:33very beautiful sentimental letter, it made me feel I want to go over
0:14:33 > 0:14:38and see Sharon straightaway. She brought flowers, chocolates, we had
0:14:38 > 0:14:42a really fantastic conversation. It's been a most wonderful
0:14:42 > 0:14:45experience meeting Sharon. I hope Sharon is going to encourage other
0:14:45 > 0:14:47people from the neighbourhood to build stronger positive
0:14:47 > 0:14:52relationships.Although it came about in sort of like a not very
0:14:52 > 0:14:57nice way, it has increased our bond with each other as part of the
0:14:57 > 0:15:01community. Go and knock on your neighbour's door and say hello, my
0:15:01 > 0:15:04name is...I think Sharon has got to know a lot of people from the
0:15:04 > 0:15:08neighbourhood since she's been coming here.It's really great to
0:15:08 > 0:15:12have made a friend who is wonderful and lovely.
0:15:17 > 0:15:24I never thought about it.It's my fault.It's a case of knocking wood
0:15:24 > 0:15:27together. We worked in the rain, even the snow, we've even had the
0:15:27 > 0:15:34grandkids in here, knocking in a few nails.This first side cost us no
0:15:34 > 0:15:38more than £80. Everything was reclaimed, taken from skips, people
0:15:38 > 0:15:41donated, car-boot sales, charity shops, then we put our own stamp on
0:15:41 > 0:15:50it.Coming out of our front door, to comment Kelvin's, out of his back
0:15:50 > 0:15:59door, turn left, to go into the pub, so the name stuck. -- to come into
0:15:59 > 0:16:10Kelvin's.My wife and his wife come in, have a drink, chat, and that's
0:16:10 > 0:16:16it. We just carry on drinking then. Because we love the place. It's just
0:16:16 > 0:16:22a project. It's grown.If we did move I think we would have half
0:16:22 > 0:16:31each.That's a great idea, isn't it? I love that. I was shovelling gravel
0:16:31 > 0:16:35with my neighbour last week. That is such a Matt Baker thing to
0:16:35 > 0:16:38do. It is a sad thing that more than
0:16:38 > 0:16:40half of Britain apparently do not know their neighbours.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46What? Sort it out, go next door.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48And shovel some gravel! LAUGHTER
0:16:48 > 0:16:55On that point of Ever Decreasing Circles, what was it like working
0:16:55 > 0:17:00with Richard Briers?It was wonderful. I learnt about comic
0:17:00 > 0:17:07timing from him. You cannot learn about it. You either have it or you
0:17:07 > 0:17:12don't. But watching him, I learnt so much. He was the most adorable man
0:17:12 > 0:17:18to work with. A brilliant actor. And a wonderful colleague. Peter Egan,
0:17:18 > 0:17:23as well, of course.There must have been so much niceness onset.You say
0:17:23 > 0:17:27that, we are not nice all the time. LAUGHTER
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Right! Some people say that about us. That
0:17:31 > 0:17:35was a big break for you. But your career started well before that,
0:17:35 > 0:17:43back in 1969 in the theatre. And you are back at the old Vic. You are
0:17:43 > 0:17:48rehearsing an adaptation of a famous film. How close to the film is this
0:17:48 > 0:18:01production?Not that close. It's the story of
0:18:02 > 0:18:10Fanny, a little girl, and it is about a theatrical family. I play
0:18:10 > 0:18:14the matriarch who was an actress, but gave it up when she had
0:18:14 > 0:18:19children. Then she goes back into the theatre. And it's about a lot of
0:18:19 > 0:18:22things, the play, it's about life, it's about growing up, it's about
0:18:22 > 0:18:32the fear of death... It's also a very witty script by Stephen
0:18:32 > 0:18:39Beresford who is a wonderful writer. And we have an enormous cast, there
0:18:39 > 0:18:44is about 16 or 18 of us.We saw the rehearsal picture. We were surprised
0:18:44 > 0:18:48at how many there were.It is a sort of wonderful story about a family.
0:18:48 > 0:18:56Is it set in Switzerland?Sweden. Sorry, Sweden.Yes, it is set in
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Sweden, and at one point we sing in Swedish. It's quite difficult to
0:19:00 > 0:19:09learn.We are practising. Git.
0:19:09 > 0:19:20-- we are practising. Good.I would like to say a tiny bit more about
0:19:20 > 0:19:33Fanny and Alexander. It is the centenary of... It is the
0:19:33 > 0:19:42bicentenary of the Old Vic. It is a new script.If it isn't like the
0:19:42 > 0:19:47film, how does it differ?They advised Stephen not do it like the
0:19:47 > 0:19:53film. You don't want to pale by comparison. It has all of the
0:19:53 > 0:20:00elements of the film. E-mail Bergman was in love with the theatre. It's
0:20:00 > 0:20:07about the theatre. And he worked at the Old Vic. He had a connection
0:20:07 > 0:20:10with it. It is wonderful we are doing it there.We must talk about
0:20:10 > 0:20:15your recent co-star, the elephant. Yes, this is a film, actually, we
0:20:15 > 0:20:23showed here. Give us an idea of what the film is about.The elephant film
0:20:23 > 0:20:30is about the zoo in Belfast, the beginning of the war, that took in a
0:20:30 > 0:20:36little elephant that had been badly treated elsewhere. The head
0:20:36 > 0:20:41zookeeper was called up. By way of making his son, who was about 13,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43feel better, he said, you better keep an eye on that elephant. The
0:20:43 > 0:20:50little boy was rather bullied at school.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55school. Then the shipyards were bombed because they were building
0:20:55 > 0:20:59destroyers for the Allies. They started to shoot all of the animals
0:20:59 > 0:21:03in the zoo because if a stray bomb got into the zoo they would have
0:21:03 > 0:21:09wild animals. This little lad and his friends decide to save this
0:21:09 > 0:21:15elephant. This is a true story. They go to this woman, who they know as
0:21:15 > 0:21:20the witch, and that is me. CHUCKLES
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Who takes animals that have been injured off the road, and things
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Comanche has a sort of menagerie. First of all she is furious with
0:21:27 > 0:21:34them.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37them. -- and things, and she has a sort of menagerie.I cannot wait for
0:21:37 > 0:21:40it. That is going to be out in the
0:21:40 > 0:21:48spring.Yes.But before that Fanny and Alexander will be at the Old
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Vic. It was recently reported that
0:21:51 > 0:21:53billionaire Bill Gates was investing millions into a research study to
0:21:53 > 0:21:58create a super cow. It is all to do with increasing food production in
0:21:58 > 0:22:03developing countries. Surely we will be finding out more
0:22:03 > 0:22:05from Professor Eileen Wall, one of the scientist working on the
0:22:05 > 0:22:14programme, but before that Jennie has been to find out if calling a
0:22:14 > 0:22:20Carol Marge -- cow Marge will make a difference.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23There is a big divide in the farming community between those who named
0:22:23 > 0:22:27their cows and those who don't. Recently a major study by Newcastle
0:22:27 > 0:22:31University has been trying to find out if it makes a difference. Not to
0:22:31 > 0:22:35be left out, we thought we would do a bit of research of our own. Mark
0:22:35 > 0:22:41Logan is the farm manager of this farm outside Belfast. He names his
0:22:41 > 0:22:46animals. He believes it is part of the reason for his higher than
0:22:46 > 0:22:51normal milk yield.We keep about 100 cows, 70 jerseys, we have a nosy one
0:22:51 > 0:22:58behind us.Do you know them as individuals?Absolutely. Every one
0:22:58 > 0:23:05is an individual.New go.They each have their own personalities. They
0:23:05 > 0:23:11have their own. -- on you go.What are the benefits of Neveu them
0:23:11 > 0:23:16individually?You would be much quicker to pick up the problem. If
0:23:16 > 0:23:22an animal is not her normal self.A happy cow gives normal milk?I think
0:23:22 > 0:23:27that's true.Chris Wilson, nearby, has a herd of 250 dairy cows, but
0:23:27 > 0:23:33none of them are named. What does he make of the idea?We look after our
0:23:33 > 0:23:37cows very well. To name 250 cows, I don't know about you, I would never
0:23:37 > 0:23:44remember that amount. A lot of us would know their tag number. But
0:23:44 > 0:23:48naming them I don't think will make much of a difference.Well, Chris
0:23:48 > 0:23:59doesn't seem udderly convinced. But he has decided to pick one and give
0:23:59 > 0:24:03her a name. We have asked social media followers to help with
0:24:03 > 0:24:15suggestions.Mavis...Intrude... Marge. Go with that one. I like that
0:24:15 > 0:24:27one.Without it was time to get on with name-calling. Could Chris
0:24:28 > 0:24:31with name-calling. Could Chris churn over a new leaf? Those are the ones
0:24:31 > 0:24:38must have felt like they were out in the cold.How are you getting on,
0:24:38 > 0:24:47Marge?Eventually they were inseparable.We are getting a few
0:24:47 > 0:24:54more litres of milk out of her since we named her.Experiment is over,
0:24:54 > 0:25:03how has her milk yield been since she was named? Time to check.Marge
0:25:03 > 0:25:07It is doing well. As you can see, we recorded her on quite a few days.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12The weather has had an impact. Rainfall, weather conditions,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16anything to that effect, that affects the grass grows.I am dying
0:25:16 > 0:25:24to know, was it up or down?I thought you might ask.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28thought you might ask. Marginally up.Fantastic.That is about it over
0:25:28 > 0:25:35the month.Not exactly bursting the banks. And let's face it, one cow
0:25:35 > 0:25:40isn't exactly a fair assessment. So back to the Newcastle University
0:25:40 > 0:25:43study. What have they discovered? Doctor Catherine Douglas should have
0:25:43 > 0:25:51one of the answers.We did a big survey. That is where one of the big
0:25:51 > 0:25:55findings came from. If you give your cows names you also got more milk.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59So perhaps if you see them as individuals, perhaps that would be
0:25:59 > 0:26:04an indicator of advanced stockman ship.What kind of increase are we
0:26:04 > 0:26:08talking about?When we looked at the different groups, those who did have
0:26:08 > 0:26:12names for their cows had a 50 litre increase in milk yield. Those who
0:26:12 > 0:26:17had identified additional positive interactions had an extra 500
0:26:17 > 0:26:24litres. Looking at the 250 on average milk price on an average UK
0:26:24 > 0:26:29herd of 150 cows, that could be about £10,500 per year from naming
0:26:29 > 0:26:34your cows.That's amazing. There you have it. Naming your cows could
0:26:34 > 0:26:41cause it to produce more milk. Kind of. Let's call it the milk of human
0:26:41 > 0:26:51kindness. Chin Chin. There we are. We do not name our
0:26:51 > 0:26:55sheep. Some of them we do. But you have told me you have
0:26:55 > 0:26:57favourites. On lots of farms there are
0:26:57 > 0:27:01characters who get named. And the donkeys.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05Yes, but once you get over 100 of the same animal it's difficult. I
0:27:05 > 0:27:10totally appreciate that. We are joined by Professor Eileen Wall who
0:27:10 > 0:27:14will be working on this incredible project that Bill Gates has been
0:27:14 > 0:27:19helping to fund. It is billed as creating a super cow. To be fair
0:27:19 > 0:27:23this is more about the farming system that is going into the
0:27:23 > 0:27:27developing world, and trying to come up with something that will really
0:27:27 > 0:27:32work and breeding animals that can thrive in conditions like this.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35That's a fair assessment. Super cow grabs headlines. We are trying to
0:27:35 > 0:27:38take some of the technologies and techniques we've been using in the
0:27:38 > 0:27:43UK to increase our yield very successfully over the past 50, 60
0:27:43 > 0:27:48years. And help African dairy farmers to identify the best cows
0:27:48 > 0:27:55for their systems and the best bulls to increase their milk yields.There
0:27:55 > 0:28:00are lots of other animals involved. Where are you with the cows?At the
0:28:00 > 0:28:04moment, in the UK, use or there, that farmer was recording milk yield
0:28:04 > 0:28:08all the time. In Africa that infrastructure isn't there. We have
0:28:08 > 0:28:13been going out with our partners, Bill Gates and others, measuring
0:28:13 > 0:28:18milk yield, looking at disease burdens. In practice. In those
0:28:18 > 0:28:22remote areas cut off from technology. But using digital
0:28:22 > 0:28:26technology to get the data. And picking that up with the genetic
0:28:26 > 0:28:30information to see what other genes in those cars that help them thrive,
0:28:30 > 0:28:37survive, and interact with systems in Africa. -- those cows.This is a
0:28:37 > 0:28:43big project. What are the aspirations? What are Bill Gates'
0:28:43 > 0:28:50aspirations?He brings a businessman's approach. We are going
0:28:50 > 0:28:54out there. Bringing research students over to train them, help
0:28:54 > 0:28:57disseminate the next generation of technology improvements alt there.
0:28:57 > 0:29:06He wants to seek it making a difference. Not just science, he's
0:29:06 > 0:29:12wanting us to double milk yield in ten years, chickens, poultry, really
0:29:12 > 0:29:17just change farming households that only use animal products to feed the
0:29:17 > 0:29:20household to sell eggs, milk, and make income. Particularly in the
0:29:20 > 0:29:26case of eggs where it is important for women.Absolutely. And as soon
0:29:26 > 0:29:31as you have an infrastructure like that somewhere, the remote parts of
0:29:31 > 0:29:39the world, roads get re-routed.It's an explosion. Not just in
0:29:39 > 0:29:41disseminating technology, but also bringing it back to central
0:29:41 > 0:29:47locations and making it safe.Good luck with all of it.Thanks.We
0:29:47 > 0:29:50shall keep a close eye on that.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53That's it for tonight - thanks to Penelope for joining us.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Fanny & Alexander opens at The Old Vic on the 1st of March.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Dan Walker will be here with me tomorrow when we'll be
0:29:59 > 0:30:02chatting to Mel Giedroyc.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05And we will be talking David Bowie with Jon Culshaw.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Good night.