:00:00. > :00:00.Struggling to cope - a major alert in almost half
:00:00. > :00:09.of all NHS trusts in England in the first week of the year.
:00:10. > :00:14.No beds were available, routine surgery was cancelled,
:00:15. > :00:20.There have been moments in the last two weeks,
:00:21. > :00:22.like the whole country has had, where it's been quite frightening
:00:23. > :00:25.for the members of staff, for the nurses, doctors,
:00:26. > :00:29.for the ambulance crews who are bringing patients in.
:00:30. > :00:32.And six trusts issued the highest alert -
:00:33. > :00:33.meaning patient safety could be at risk.
:00:34. > :00:38.As a storm surge hits the east coast of England,
:00:39. > :00:41.thousands of people are evacuated from their homes.
:00:42. > :00:45.Twitter storm - Donald Trump blames US intelligence again,
:00:46. > :00:49.for releasing allegations linking him with Russia.
:00:50. > :00:51.The Labour MP Tristram Hunt resigns - triggering a potentially difficult
:00:52. > :00:57.And Lord Snowdon, the former husband of Princess Margaret and celebrity
:00:58. > :01:04.And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News:
:01:05. > :01:06.Diego Costa is dropped by Chelsea.
:01:07. > :01:09.The striker has been left out of the Premier League leaders' squad
:01:10. > :01:11.for their match at Leicester, amid rumours of a big
:01:12. > :01:35.There's been further confirmation of the difficulties within the NHS,
:01:36. > :01:37.as it's emerged nearly half of all hospitals in England
:01:38. > :01:40.declared a major alert in the first week of the year.
:01:41. > :01:42.That means they had no more beds available,
:01:43. > :01:44.all routine surgery was cancelled, and doctors were
:01:45. > :01:50.Four out of ten trusts were forced to raise the alarm,
:01:51. > :01:52.as hospitals and accident and emergency departments
:01:53. > :01:57.NHS England says six of the trusts overall issued the highest alert,
:01:58. > :01:59.meaning patients' safety could be at risk.
:02:00. > :02:08.It's still sore but a lot better than it was.
:02:09. > :02:13.Here a fractured wrist is dealt with.
:02:14. > :02:17.Patients waiting and NHS staff doing the best they can
:02:18. > :02:21.The story here at Northwick Park Hospital in London
:02:22. > :02:26.Things are a little quieter today, but they know bad weather
:02:27. > :02:30.could bring a surge in patients this weekend.
:02:31. > :02:33.This A consultant told me it was the busiest she'd known
:02:34. > :02:38.There have been moments in the last two weeks,
:02:39. > :02:40.like the whole country has had, where actually it's been quite
:02:41. > :02:43.frightening for members of staff, for the nurses, for the doctors,
:02:44. > :02:47.for the ambulance crews who are bringing patients in,
:02:48. > :02:51.and there have been moments where it has been very sticky.
:02:52. > :02:53.But we have managed as best as we can and everybody has
:02:54. > :02:59.Today's figures from NHS England showed that last week 43%
:03:00. > :03:01.of hospitals had declared a major alert.
:03:02. > :03:04.That means when help's required to handle patient numbers
:03:05. > :03:11.16% faced this serious pressure every day of last week.
:03:12. > :03:13.After a difficult few days, the Prime Minister was asked again
:03:14. > :03:19.We have acknowledged that the NHS is under pressure.
:03:20. > :03:22.We always see increased pressures in the NHS over winter periods.
:03:23. > :03:27.That is why in preparing for winter the period this time ?400 million
:03:28. > :03:31.was put in to ensure that winter preparedness.
:03:32. > :03:34.But the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will argue in a speech tomorrow
:03:35. > :03:37.that the government must invest more in social care to ease
:03:38. > :03:43.the pressure on what he calls a danger zone for the NHS.
:03:44. > :03:46.In Northern Ireland, nearly four in ten patients waited
:03:47. > :03:50.more than four hours in A during the Christmas period.
:03:51. > :03:53.In Wales, latest data showed nearly one in five patients were waiting
:03:54. > :03:58.Scotland was performing better than those levels and England's
:03:59. > :04:00.in the holiday week, but at this Glasgow hospital
:04:01. > :04:03.pregnant women were turned away yesterday and sent to other
:04:04. > :04:07.maternity units, because of a high level of general admissions.
:04:08. > :04:11.Management said safety was maintained at all times.
:04:12. > :04:14.Back at Northwick Park, a traffic light style
:04:15. > :04:16.screen monitors hospitals across the capital,
:04:17. > :04:21.As you can see there are some hospitals under
:04:22. > :04:25.real pressure right now, and that's indicated by the black.
:04:26. > :04:28.This is the sort of thing you will find in most
:04:29. > :04:29.hospitals each day - ambulance crews queueing
:04:30. > :04:32.in a corridor with patients, waiting to hand them over.
:04:33. > :04:36.They are in a safe situation, but there is no room in the accident
:04:37. > :04:42.and emergency unit at this stage for them to be treated or assessed.
:04:43. > :04:44.The message is they're coping for now, but they know a flu
:04:45. > :04:47.outbreak could make life even tougher on the front line.
:04:48. > :04:54.Thousands of people living on the east coast of England have
:04:55. > :04:57.been evacuated and had an anxious wait, as the emergency services
:04:58. > :05:00.prepared for severe flooding caused by a tidal surge.
:05:01. > :05:02.Preparations have been underway since yesterday,
:05:03. > :05:05.with the Army helping police forces and volunteers to bolster
:05:06. > :05:10.But tonight, as high tide has peaked along most of the coast,
:05:11. > :05:20.Sophie Long reports from Great Yarmouth.
:05:21. > :05:27.Right along the east coast of England waves battering seaside
:05:28. > :05:31.towns. Streets have been submerged in water, as the tidal surge
:05:32. > :05:36.breached the wall. Hearing Great Yarmouth people build sandbags late
:05:37. > :05:37.into the evening. Last-minute precautions to protect their
:05:38. > :05:40.properties. From early this morning people
:05:41. > :05:42.in Great Yarmouth braved the cold and snow to prepare for worse,
:05:43. > :05:44.potentially life-threatening, Emergency services knocked
:05:45. > :05:50.on thousands of doors, A little bit worried,
:05:51. > :05:55.but this happened a couple of years ago and we got evacuated
:05:56. > :05:58.and it was all OK, thankfully, because they'd
:05:59. > :05:59.built the defences up. Fingers crossed the Environment
:06:00. > :06:02.Agency have done a good job and built the defences well enough
:06:03. > :06:05.to protect us, but who knows? We live over the road and we do get
:06:06. > :06:09.flooded quite a bit. As long as we've got
:06:10. > :06:11.the sandbags for now... We've moved everything upstairs
:06:12. > :06:13.so it's a waiting game. In Essex, police activated a full
:06:14. > :06:16.evacuation plan at Jaywick, And emergency services were poised
:06:17. > :06:26.to assist anyone in need. The Environment Agency warned people
:06:27. > :06:31.not to be complacent. The issue with a storm surge is it
:06:32. > :06:35.really is about the high winds coinciding with what would be
:06:36. > :06:37.high tides anyway. And if you get that,
:06:38. > :06:39.you get really high levels, but that can be very changeable
:06:40. > :06:41.through the day. So we're forecasting as closely
:06:42. > :06:44.as we can and watching it through, but it is really important that
:06:45. > :06:47.people stay alert because some of these high tides will happen very
:06:48. > :06:54.late through tonight. Police urged people to comply with
:06:55. > :06:58.their instructions, to head to centres like this one, in the
:06:59. > :07:03.relative safety of daylight. Some needed less persuasion than others.
:07:04. > :07:07.There was no question, the moment I needed to go, I left, I left my
:07:08. > :07:12.phone behind, everything else, more or less. As long as I was safe, that
:07:13. > :07:18.was all that mattered. Earlier, waves crashed over the lighthouse
:07:19. > :07:21.here and breached the walls in Scarborough, forcing those who chose
:07:22. > :07:25.not to stay away to run for cover. And much of Whitby has been drenched
:07:26. > :07:30.in water, as communities up and down the country battle against the
:07:31. > :07:36.elements. You can see how high the water got here but that is now
:07:37. > :07:39.starting to recede. And tomorrow, people will be able to return to
:07:40. > :07:43.their homes and hopefully breathe a sigh of relief. Further down the
:07:44. > :07:47.coast, to the south of here, people are still bracing themselves. In
:07:48. > :07:52.Essex high water is not due until after midnight. People there are the
:07:53. > :07:58.worst still could be to come. Sofia Great Yarmouth, thank you.
:07:59. > :08:00.Donald Trump has accused political opponents -
:08:01. > :08:02.including members of his own Republican Party -
:08:03. > :08:04.of putting together a dossier of what he called "totally made up"
:08:05. > :08:07.In a series of tweets, the President-elect
:08:08. > :08:09.described those behind the allegations as "sleazebags".
:08:10. > :08:11.He also singled out the former British intelligence officer
:08:12. > :08:13.believed to be responsible for the dossier, calling
:08:14. > :08:18.From Washington, Nick Bryant reports.
:08:19. > :08:21.They are storylines that could easily come from a Cold War spy
:08:22. > :08:23.thriller and plot twists involving sex allegations and potential
:08:24. > :08:26.Russian blackmail that even the TV series House of Cards might baulk
:08:27. > :08:31.But this is reality, not a show, and the first episode of Trump,
:08:32. > :08:35.The Presidency, airs in just one week's time.
:08:36. > :08:38.At Trump Tower today, he was commending his nominees, many of
:08:39. > :08:46.whom have been fiercely critical this week of Russia.
:08:47. > :08:48.I could have said, do this, say that.
:08:49. > :08:55.Before dawn came a gale force Twitter storm.
:08:56. > :09:02.It turns out the phoney allegations against me were put out by my
:09:03. > :09:07.political allegations, totally made up facts by sleazebag political
:09:08. > :09:09.operatives, both Democrats and Republicans. Russia says nothing
:09:10. > :09:11.exists. Footage has come to light
:09:12. > :09:14.of Christopher Steele, the former MI6 officer who produced
:09:15. > :09:16.the dossier, at an event He is now in hiding,
:09:17. > :09:19.apparently fearing for his life. Former colleagues have
:09:20. > :09:21.defended his professionalism. It is certain that what he has
:09:22. > :09:23.reported is something He recognises that this is raw
:09:24. > :09:29.intelligence and needs validation, and it needs
:09:30. > :09:33.further explanation. On Capitol Hill today,
:09:34. > :09:36.lawmakers received a behind closed doors briefing on the unverified
:09:37. > :09:38.dossier, and Russia's alleged interference in the
:09:39. > :09:43.presidential election. And many left demanding
:09:44. > :09:45.more answers. The American people
:09:46. > :09:47.are owed the truth. And there is a great deal
:09:48. > :09:50.of evidence to say that this is an issue of high interest
:09:51. > :09:56.to the American people, the strength, the integrity
:09:57. > :10:01.of our own democracy. And there is yet more intrigue,
:10:02. > :10:03.a senior US official confirming today there were frequent contacts
:10:04. > :10:05.between Donald Trump's top national security
:10:06. > :10:09.adviser and Russia's ambassador here in Washington, and that the contacts
:10:10. > :10:13.took place on the day that President Obama expelled dozens
:10:14. > :10:19.of Russian officials in retaliation for
:10:20. > :10:20.the alleged hacking. It again raises questions
:10:21. > :10:22.about the Trump team's All this as Barack Obama
:10:23. > :10:28.performs his final acts, one of which took his deputy
:10:29. > :10:31.completely by surprise. I am pleased to award
:10:32. > :10:38.our nation's highest civilian honour, the
:10:39. > :10:40.Presidential Medal of Freedom. Joe Biden couldn't
:10:41. > :10:47.contain his emotions. It was a parting
:10:48. > :10:48.presidential gift that I can say I was part
:10:49. > :10:52.of the journey of a remarkable man who did remarkable
:10:53. > :10:55.things for this country. It has always been a city
:10:56. > :11:01.of political farewells, and this time next week, this
:11:02. > :11:17.capital, this country, will be under This time next week Donald Trump
:11:18. > :11:22.will have taken his oath of office, delivered his inaugural address, sat
:11:23. > :11:26.behind his new desk in the Oval Office. We got a clear sense tonight
:11:27. > :11:31.of how dramatically things will change. The house of Representatives
:11:32. > :11:34.voted to start the process of dismantling and destroying
:11:35. > :11:37.Obamacare. Now that was the signature domestic achievement of
:11:38. > :11:41.his presidency. What he hoped would be the centrepiece of his
:11:42. > :11:45.legislative legacy. Now arguably to be a truly transformative president,
:11:46. > :11:50.your major reforms need to stay on the books, to stand the test of
:11:51. > :11:54.time. But the Republicans set a deadline tonight for preparing the
:11:55. > :11:57.legislation to repeal Obamacare and that timetable is two weeks. Nick
:11:58. > :12:00.Bryant in Washington, thank you. Labour's former education spokesman
:12:01. > :12:03.Tristram Hunt is resigning as an MP, triggering a by-election
:12:04. > :12:05.in his Stoke constituency, an area which voted for Brexit
:12:06. > :12:07.and where Ukip came second Mr Hunt, who's leaving to become
:12:08. > :12:12.director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London,
:12:13. > :12:15.had been critical of Today, Mr Corbyn said he was looking
:12:16. > :12:19.forward to the by-election campaign. Stay with Labour, convinced
:12:20. > :12:27.they will lose, or walk away His leader doesn't like it
:12:28. > :12:35.but for this famous TV historian, when I caught up with him in Stoke
:12:36. > :12:38.today, this job offer It's a very tough decision
:12:39. > :12:42.to leave Stoke-on-Trent. But being director of the Victoria
:12:43. > :12:45.and Albert Museum, the greatest museum of art and design,
:12:46. > :12:48.was my dream job and was not You have been clear that Labour
:12:49. > :12:53.is heading for trouble You haven't changed
:12:54. > :12:55.your mind, have you? I have had differences with Jeremy
:12:56. > :12:59.in the past but I am off to be a museum director,
:13:00. > :13:01.an impartial director of a great museum, and so it is not the time
:13:02. > :13:06.to rehearse those differences now. You told Jeremy Corbyn you were
:13:07. > :13:08.stepping down earlier today. I spoke to Jeremy this morning
:13:09. > :13:15.and he was incredibly gracious, he was interested in the job,
:13:16. > :13:17.he was interested in the Victoria... And also, I imagine,
:13:18. > :13:19.rather disappointed? He was pulling his punches today
:13:20. > :13:25.but his verdict on Labour's leader We are facing an historic wipe-out
:13:26. > :13:29.of the Labour Party. Today, Jeremy Corbyn is glossing
:13:30. > :13:32.over troubles ahead. No, I do not want anyone to resign,
:13:33. > :13:36.I don't want to lose MPs but he has taken this position as director
:13:37. > :13:39.of the V Good luck to him, and we
:13:40. > :13:43.will have a by-election. Yet here in the Staffordshire
:13:44. > :13:46.potteries, Stoke is just the kind of industrial city where many
:13:47. > :13:50.working class voters feel overlooked, on the wrong side
:13:51. > :13:54.of the global economy. Most voted for Brexit
:13:55. > :13:56.here and Ukip came second by 5500 Labour has never lost
:13:57. > :14:01.here but ask anyone, this will be a hard test for Labour
:14:02. > :14:05.and its leader. Ukip, Labour, it will
:14:06. > :14:08.always be in the balance Is Labour going to have a tough
:14:09. > :14:14.time holding on here? Traditional Labour voters do not
:14:15. > :14:23.know how to vote now, Tristram Hunt has left fundamentally
:14:24. > :14:37.because he feels he has a brighter future away from Jeremy Corbyn
:14:38. > :14:40.and the Labour Party. We are confident there
:14:41. > :14:42.is a large number of voters in the Stoke Central constituency
:14:43. > :14:46.that will feel exactly the same way. For Labour, this is a difficult
:14:47. > :14:50.time for a by-election. It is in a tough place,
:14:51. > :14:53.and it is not the only one. Some Labour MPs I have spoken
:14:54. > :14:57.to have told me they are either preparing to quit politics before
:14:58. > :15:00.the next election, or resigned Labour will have to throw
:15:01. > :15:04.everything into this campaign, which, if they fail,
:15:05. > :15:07.will make losing all Just now, this fight will gauge,
:15:08. > :15:13.can Labour hold its ground, or are traditional supporters
:15:14. > :15:15.turning their backs Lord Snowdon, the former husband
:15:16. > :15:25.of Princess Margaret and celebrity The first commoner to marry a king's
:15:26. > :15:32.daughter for 450 years, the then Anthony Armstrong Jones
:15:33. > :15:34.married Princess Margaret in 1960. Theirs was the first royal
:15:35. > :15:37.marriage to be televised. But they separated after 16 years
:15:38. > :15:41.and eventually divorced. Nicholas Witchell looks
:15:42. > :15:51.back at his life. He was the society photographer
:15:52. > :15:54.who took pictures of the royal family, and who married one
:15:55. > :15:59.of its leading members. It was in 1960 at the start
:16:00. > :16:02.of a decade of considerable social change, that the then
:16:03. > :16:04.Anthony Armstrong-Jones married the Queen's younger
:16:05. > :16:10.sister, Princess Margaret. He was an untitled commoner,
:16:11. > :16:12.she was the princess who, a few years earlier,
:16:13. > :16:15.had had to renounce her love for a royal official
:16:16. > :16:19.because he was divorced. With unbounded enthusiasm, acclaimed
:16:20. > :16:24.Princess Margaret and her husband, The couple brought glamour
:16:25. > :16:28.to the British royal family. This was them on a visit
:16:29. > :16:32.to San Francisco. A-list celebrities before the term
:16:33. > :16:35.had really been invented, presenting an image of Britain more
:16:36. > :16:38.in keeping with the Although he became the Earl
:16:39. > :16:45.of Snowdon, he continued This was a portrait he took of his
:16:46. > :16:50.wife wearing a tiara in the bath. He photographed many
:16:51. > :16:53.showbiz figures. One of his proudest achievements
:16:54. > :17:02.was the aviary at London Zoo. The Queen wanted above all else her
:17:03. > :17:04.sister's happiness and her sister seemed to have found happiness
:17:05. > :17:09.with this very different young man who was extremely artistic,
:17:10. > :17:16.very talented, and I think people By the late 1960s, the couple had
:17:17. > :17:23.two children, but their marriage was in serious difficulty -
:17:24. > :17:26.both were having affairs. In 1976 Lord Snowdon announced
:17:27. > :17:28.that he and Princess Naturally, desperately
:17:29. > :17:38.sad in every way. Throughout his life he campaigned
:17:39. > :17:43.on behalf of disabled people and in latter years,
:17:44. > :17:46.despite his own increasing frailty, he retained his
:17:47. > :17:50.passion for photography. I like these ones
:17:51. > :17:52.because they are simple. He could look back on a life
:17:53. > :17:55.notable for his marriage into the royal family,
:17:56. > :17:58.but which had also produced many Memorable images, among them
:17:59. > :18:01.this one of the Queen, which ended up on Britain's postage
:18:02. > :18:05.stamps, or this relaxed 80th birthday portrait,
:18:06. > :18:09.taken at his home. As for the photographer himself,
:18:10. > :18:11.he shared the view of many I'm always relieved
:18:12. > :18:19.that they come out! Lord Snowdon, who has
:18:20. > :18:24.died at the age of 86. A brief look at some of the day's
:18:25. > :18:27.other other news stories. Turkey has ruled out withdrawing
:18:28. > :18:29.all of its troops from Cyprus as part of any reunification deal,
:18:30. > :18:32.unless all Greek troops The two sides have been
:18:33. > :18:35.holding talks aimed The island was divided
:18:36. > :18:43.between Turkey and Greece in 1974. The FTSE 100 index of leading shares
:18:44. > :18:46.has closed at yet another new high. It's finished the day
:18:47. > :18:49.up 45 points, at 7338. It's the 12th record
:18:50. > :18:52.high in as many days. The record-breaking run has been
:18:53. > :18:55.driven by the weakening pound, due to the ongoing uncertainty over
:18:56. > :19:00.Brexit. French authorities have launched
:19:01. > :19:02.an investigation into Renault, over allegations they tried to cheat
:19:03. > :19:21.emissions tests with some A newborn baby girl abducted from a
:19:22. > :19:26.hospital in Florida 18 years ago has been found safe and well. Police say
:19:27. > :19:30.DNA tests have proved her true identity. Her real family cried with
:19:31. > :19:35.joy when told she had been found in a house in South Carolina. A
:19:36. > :19:37.51-year-old woman has been charged with her kidnap.
:19:38. > :19:41.Theresa May is expected to deliver a key speech on Brexit next week,
:19:42. > :19:43.with just two months left until she's expected
:19:44. > :19:45.to trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union.
:19:46. > :19:48.One of the areas up for negotiation is freedom of movement,
:19:49. > :19:50.which allows EU citizens to live and work here, and vice versa.
:19:51. > :19:53.Many who voted Brexit oppose it, claiming it costs British jobs.
:19:54. > :19:57.It's a debate that's also being played out in the Netherlands,
:19:58. > :19:59.where the Deputy Prime Minister has told the BBC he believes
:20:00. > :20:01.the system is open to abuse and needs reforming,
:20:02. > :20:10.500 years old, a fort in Amsterdam and a reminder of a time
:20:11. > :20:12.when Europe's borders were the subject of wars, not
:20:13. > :20:18.Those borders are open now, open to workers who live
:20:19. > :20:22.in the EU to work within any other member state.
:20:23. > :20:25.But that has led to controversy over wages being undercut,
:20:26. > :20:30.I met one of the Netherlands' top politicians and asked him why
:20:31. > :20:36.You can find a Romanian or Portuguese painter doing
:20:37. > :20:38.the exact same work as a Dutch painter who is standing
:20:39. > :20:43.right next to him, who is allowed to earn 200,
:20:44. > :20:47.300, 400 euros less than the Dutch worker.
:20:48. > :20:49.But that means, of course, that the Dutch painter is out
:20:50. > :20:55.And it means that the support for the principle,
:20:56. > :20:58.which is in essence good, is eroding.
:20:59. > :21:02.Immigration is not a new issue for Europe.
:21:03. > :21:08.This hotel was built 100 years ago to house economic migrants
:21:09. > :21:12.from Eastern Europe on their way to South America to pick coffee.
:21:13. > :21:18.The search for an economic better life is as old as history.
:21:19. > :21:21.But today history is dominated by that search, a core part
:21:22. > :21:28.The free movement debate has become increasingly controversial.
:21:29. > :21:31.It is one of the four principles of the European Union.
:21:32. > :21:37.The other three are free movement of money, goods and services.
:21:38. > :21:39.Agreeing to all four principles is necessary to be
:21:40. > :21:43.a member of the economically important single market.
:21:44. > :21:46.For some sectors, like flower picking, immigrants are necessary,
:21:47. > :21:49.but union leaders say there is a problem of cheap Labour
:21:50. > :21:55.The Polish worker is hired by a Dutch employer in the Netherlands,
:21:56. > :21:58.there is full and equal treatment, according to Dutch
:21:59. > :22:02.But if this Polish worker is hired by a temporary agency based
:22:03. > :22:06.in Warsaw and then he is brought with a bus to work in
:22:07. > :22:10.the agriculture, then all of a sudden he is falling under
:22:11. > :22:16.different rules and that is really creating havoc.
:22:17. > :22:18.With leading politicians in the Netherlands at least willing
:22:19. > :22:20.to have a debate about free movement, could Theresa May
:22:21. > :22:25.find some willing allies as she launches her battle to keep
:22:26. > :22:28.open trade relationships with the EU without keeping open borders?
:22:29. > :22:30.We have always been allies and we are very important trading
:22:31. > :22:47.We should not go out there to punish the Brits.
:22:48. > :22:55.He wants Europe to reflect on why Brexit happened.
:22:56. > :22:57.He doesn't want to close borders, he doesn't want Britain
:22:58. > :23:02.But he does want to make reform of free movement a key
:23:03. > :23:06.part of the UK's exit from the European Union.
:23:07. > :23:14.It was intended as a light-hearted drama about a rumoured road trip
:23:15. > :23:16.which Michael Jackson, Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor
:23:17. > :23:23.But the choice of a white actor, Joseph Fiennes, to play Jackson,
:23:24. > :23:26.The programme prompted criticism from the late
:23:27. > :23:30.pop star's daughter, an online petition, and today,
:23:31. > :23:40.Sky decided to drop the show, as Colin Paterson reports.
:23:41. > :23:50.I sensed danger. This is all that audiences are going to see Joseph
:23:51. > :23:55.Fiennes playing Michael Jackson, two clips from a trailer for a new sky
:23:56. > :24:00.show, urban myths. Today, sky announced they will no longer be
:24:01. > :24:03.broadcasting the episode. The reason, concerns expressed by
:24:04. > :24:07.Michael Jackson's immediate family, adding that they never intended to
:24:08. > :24:12.cause any offence, and that Joseph Fiennes fully supports the decision.
:24:13. > :24:16.Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris, was asked on Twitter what she made
:24:17. > :24:20.of a white actor taking on the role of herb black father. She said she
:24:21. > :24:24.was incredibly offended and it made her want to vomit. The Scottish
:24:25. > :24:28.actor, Brian Cox, plays Marlon Brando in the show and thinks the
:24:29. > :24:32.decision for it to be dropped is ridiculous, especially when this
:24:33. > :24:36.year's hottest ticket is Hamilton, a musical where a predominantly black
:24:37. > :24:43.and Hispanic cast play America's White founding fathers. It is a
:24:44. > :24:46.celebration of a historical event from a very extraordinary
:24:47. > :24:51.perspective, so it is telling an amazing story, but doing it in a
:24:52. > :24:54.diverse way. So the idea that people get hot under the collar about
:24:55. > :25:00.Joseph Fiennes playing Michael Jackson, I think is truly, truly
:25:01. > :25:04.ridiculous. It is almost a year since Michael Jackson died but he
:25:05. > :25:08.still has legions of devoted fans, many of whom come to the National
:25:09. > :25:12.football Museum to see this statue, which used to be outside Fulham's
:25:13. > :25:16.ground. Stories about him make headlines around the world, but this
:25:17. > :25:21.is far from the first time a white performer has played him in a
:25:22. > :25:27.comedy. Lee Francis' take on Michael Jackson was a huge part of a Channel
:25:28. > :25:33.4 comedy show. While one of the biggest names in US comedy, Amy
:25:34. > :25:39.Poehler, regularly impersonated him on Saturday Night Live. It's just
:25:40. > :25:45.the flu, Liz Taylor, I'll be back on my feet soon. When probably the most
:25:46. > :25:51.famous black performer certainly ever is being cast, they still cast
:25:52. > :25:57.a middle-class white guy. I can understand why people would be
:25:58. > :26:04.annoyed by that. It's believed that the decision for Sky to drop the
:26:05. > :26:05.episode was made at the top of the organisation. They insist it is a
:26:06. > :26:08.matter of taste, not censorship. Now on BBC One, it's time
:26:09. > :26:12.for the news where you are.