0:00:06 > 0:00:08Sir Roger Bannister, the man who broke the 4
0:00:08 > 0:00:16minute mile, has died.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19He goes straight game forwards.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22His achievement in 1954 gave him a place in the record books -
0:00:22 > 0:00:24and athletics history.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25I was totally overwhelmed and delighted.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28It was a great surprise to me to be able to do it today
0:00:28 > 0:00:30and I think I was very lucky.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33We'll be hearing tributes to Sir Roger from some of those
0:00:33 > 0:00:34he inspired to compete.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Also on the programme...
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Ireland casts doubt on government plans for the Irish
0:00:38 > 0:00:41border after Brexit - saying there is still no detail
0:00:41 > 0:00:47on how to keep the border invisible.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'Where is the world' - say the people of Eastern Ghouta,
0:00:50 > 0:00:58as the Syrian government advances on the rebel-held area.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Would you stop interrupting me while I am interrupting new?
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And will it be V for Victory at the Oscars tonight?
0:01:06 > 0:01:12With Gary Oldman among the British hopes.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23Good evening.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Sir Roger Bannister - the first man to run a mile
0:01:27 > 0:01:29in under four minutes - has died at the age of 88.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32He made athletics history on a track in Oxford in 1954 -
0:01:32 > 0:01:34when he was an amateur athlete.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38It was a moment that came to symbolise sporting achievement.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40After retiring from athletics he became a distinguished
0:01:40 > 0:01:42doctor and neurologist.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Today fellow athletes paid tribute to a man who made
0:01:45 > 0:01:46"the impossible possible."
0:01:46 > 0:01:54Joe Wilson looks back at a remarkable life.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57NEWSREEL:25-year-old Roger Bannister, third from the left.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59There are some moments of sporting history which become part
0:01:59 > 0:02:00of the world's history.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02He's decided this is the right moment.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05What Roger Bannister achieved in 1954 was like a lunar landing
0:02:05 > 0:02:10for 20th century sport.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Bannister's old friend and rival Chris Chataway is in third place,
0:02:13 > 0:02:14waiting to take over as pacer.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17To run a mile and stop the clock before it reached
0:02:17 > 0:02:19four minutes in 1954, this was a magical number,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22a barrier of human achievement.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24A feat that would redefine what was humanly possible.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28And it would fall to a young medical student to achieve it.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30After two-and-a-half laps, Brasher gives way to Chataway.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Bannister, a superb tactician, has suffered some criticism in the past
0:02:32 > 0:02:34for adopting his own rather unorthodox training methods.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38But they are paying dividends now.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40At this point it becomes quite painful.
0:02:40 > 0:02:47I overtake Chris Chataway and begin the finish.
0:02:49 > 0:02:50And here he comes.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Bannister goes streaking forward with about 250 yards to the tapes.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55Every stride counted.
0:02:55 > 0:03:02The tape broke at three minutes 59.4 seconds.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03And Bannister has done it.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Though he is out on his feet, his coach and team manager tell him
0:03:06 > 0:03:08he has achieved his ambition.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11It might have felt like the world stopped when that clock stopped.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16Four minute mile was a sporting catch phrase everyone recognised.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20All I can say I'm absolutely overwhelmed and delighted.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23It was a great surprise to me to be able to do it today.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25And I think I was very lucky.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29There was certainly a feeling of it being a national event,
0:03:29 > 0:03:34and something of a landmark for the country.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Sir Roger Bannister was a hugely influential figure in sport.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41Especially for those whose athletics careers came after.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Roger was a great athlete.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47He would tease Seb and I in later years about had he been around
0:03:47 > 0:03:50in our day and had better tracks and better shoes and better training
0:03:50 > 0:03:51methods he would have beaten us.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54He was one of the cleverest people I think I've ever met,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56and he was, in equal measure, modest as well.
0:03:56 > 0:04:04He never really got what he did and it wasn't a front.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Laura Muir is the most recent athlete to continue Great Britain's
0:04:07 > 0:04:09middle distance tradition, giving everything to win a silver
0:04:09 > 0:04:15medal at the World Indoor Championships this weekend.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17She studied medicine to become a vet, and recognises
0:04:17 > 0:04:21her link to Bannister.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23I think he was very influential and very sort of inspirational
0:04:23 > 0:04:27to a lot of people, and to me, that you can combine, you know,
0:04:27 > 0:04:32academics and running.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Sir Roger Bannister was knighted in 1975.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Athletics was only a small part of his life.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39He regarded his work as a neurologist as more significant.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41When he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
0:04:41 > 0:04:43he described the gentle irony that a neurologist should find himself
0:04:43 > 0:04:51with a neurological condition.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Training for Roger Bannister in athletics had been half an hour
0:04:53 > 0:04:55a day on a cinder track.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57The world's first for minute miler was also perhaps
0:04:57 > 0:05:03sport's last great amateur.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10Sir Roger Bannister who has died at the age of 88.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12The Irish Foreign Minister has suggested that Britain's proposals
0:05:12 > 0:05:16for the Irish border after Brexit may be rejected by the EU because it
0:05:16 > 0:05:19will need to protect how the single market works.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Simon Coveney said there was little new detail on how to avoid a hard
0:05:22 > 0:05:24border in the Prime Minister's speech on Friday.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Theresa May insisted there would be no return
0:05:26 > 0:05:27to barriers and border checks.
0:05:27 > 0:05:35Here's our Political Correspondent Eleanor Garnier.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39It is more than 300 miles long.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Tens of thousands of people cross it everyday.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44And more than £1 billion is done in trade between Northern Ireland
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and the Republic every week.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49But after Brexit, these roads will be the new frontier
0:05:49 > 0:05:52between the UK and EU.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54The challenge, how to keep this border invisible,
0:05:54 > 0:06:00when Britain is outside the single market and the customs union.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02We are committed, the Irish government is committed,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04all the parties in Northern Ireland, to making sure there
0:06:04 > 0:06:05is no hard border.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08The Prime Minister's plans would mean 80% of companies
0:06:08 > 0:06:10would face no new customs checks and with new technology,
0:06:10 > 0:06:15she believes a hard border can be avoided.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18But the Irish government has its doubts.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I am not sure that the European Union will be able
0:06:21 > 0:06:24to support a situation whereby 80% of companies that trade north
0:06:24 > 0:06:26and south and south north will actually protect the integrity
0:06:26 > 0:06:32of the EU single market.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34To sort out this most trickiest of Brexit conundrums,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37multiple sides need to be won over and the Prime Minister
0:06:37 > 0:06:40has already made clear, she will not accept the fallback
0:06:40 > 0:06:44position in Brussels.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47One that would see Northern Ireland stick to the rules and
0:06:47 > 0:06:49regulations of the EU.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54Mrs May believes her latest thinking is a step forward.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56It sets out some ways, particularly on the issue
0:06:56 > 0:06:58of customs across-the-board, in which we can resolve
0:06:58 > 0:07:01that and I am pleased to say that the Taoiseach,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03when I met him recently, has agreed that the UK and Irish
0:07:03 > 0:07:06governments and the Commission can sit down and look in more
0:07:06 > 0:07:11detail at the proposals that we have put forward.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14But others elsewhere in the UK have their doubts.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17I think one of the most shameful features of the whole Brexit
0:07:17 > 0:07:20process has been the way, the negligent way in
0:07:20 > 0:07:23which the interests of Ireland have just been cast aside.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25So, when I hear her talk about technological solutions,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27I guess there is nobody who would disagree with
0:07:27 > 0:07:30the objectives she is setting, but she is talking at the moment
0:07:30 > 0:07:37about technological solutions that perhaps do not even exist.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40The Irish border is a key sticking point in the talks, but other
0:07:40 > 0:07:41problems need solving, too.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43There has been progress, but the Brexit negotiations
0:07:43 > 0:07:46still have a long way to go.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58This week we will get a better idea of how convinced Brussels is when
0:07:58 > 0:08:02the EU side publishes its draft guidelines for the next round of
0:08:02 > 0:08:05talks, but the shape of our future relationship with the European Union
0:08:05 > 0:08:09and back could give us a big clue into whether what the Prime Minister
0:08:09 > 0:08:17is asking for is achievable.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Hundreds of people have been fleeing Eastern Guta as government forces
0:08:23 > 0:08:25continued their assault. There are now said to hold a quarter of the
0:08:25 > 0:08:31province which has been in the hands of rebel groups. Jeremy Bowen
0:08:31 > 0:08:35reports from Damascus.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38These people said their village was moving because the Syrian Army had
0:08:38 > 0:08:45arrived. One man cursed the Russians and Iranians, key allies of the
0:08:45 > 0:08:49regime. Air strikes he said including band cluster bombs had not
0:08:49 > 0:08:54stopped. TRANSLATION: It has been five days,
0:08:54 > 0:09:00no fuel, no bread, no food, no water. Where is the world? Where are
0:09:00 > 0:09:07human rights? We are humans, not animals.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10animals. 400,000 people live in Eastern Guta, an area of fields and
0:09:10 > 0:09:15small towns about the size of Manchester. Most of them are
0:09:15 > 0:09:22civilians who have not been able to escape the war.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26TRANSLATION: When the plane 's shelves, I could not see anything in
0:09:26 > 0:09:35front of me.I did not wait for the ambulance, I started running.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37ambulance, I started running.The air strikes have been followed by
0:09:37 > 0:09:44ground troops who are making rapid advances. The strategy seems to be
0:09:44 > 0:09:48to cut Eastern Guta in half. Negotiations between the rebel
0:09:48 > 0:09:52groups and the Russians have been going on for quite some time. It is
0:09:52 > 0:09:56not clear if the objective is a ceasefire or are they effective
0:09:56 > 0:10:01surrender of the rebels. The biggest rebel group says it is regrouping
0:10:01 > 0:10:07after a retreat. The fighting is still going on, for the regime the
0:10:07 > 0:10:12prize is the end of the last major rebel enclave around Damascus. For
0:10:12 > 0:10:18the rebels, these are desperate moments. Jeremy Bowen, BBC News,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Damascus.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Work is continuing to clear snow from the roads after days
0:10:25 > 0:10:28of disruption as the thaw continues after this week's storms.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30There are still some problems on the railways -
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Dan Johnson is at Carlisle railway station for us this evening.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Dan.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Not exactly the Polar Express.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37The train to Carlisle but has not moved for three days.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40They have been trying to free it from a snow drift blocking
0:10:40 > 0:10:45the line from Newcastle.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47A farmer helped rescue the passengers.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49They were very pleased to see us.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Very, very pleased, because they had been there for about five hours
0:10:52 > 0:10:53before we found them.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55They were just sitting, getting colder and colder.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57We found them and we got it sorted.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59There are teams working like this across large parts
0:10:59 > 0:11:01of the railway network, but the problem is, they keep
0:11:01 > 0:11:04clearing snow from the tracks, but then high winds blow it back
0:11:04 > 0:11:10again, blocking the line.
0:11:10 > 0:11:16So that means replacement buses and increasingly weary passengers.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Hoping to get the train back on Wednesday morning and I had just
0:11:19 > 0:11:20been staying there since.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22It has taken you five days to get here?
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Five days, yeah, yeah.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Going to Weymouth and I have just been told I have got
0:11:27 > 0:11:29to get three trains, a Tube and then a bus.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32It is difficult to fathom, after this period of time.
0:11:32 > 0:11:39I am sure they are doing their best, but I am really irritated.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47And we could see more of that frustration tomorrow because even
0:11:47 > 0:11:50though Network Rail says it has cleared the West Coast Main line
0:11:50 > 0:11:55between here and Glasgow, trains are still not running north. That
0:11:55 > 0:11:58service has just arrived from London and the passages have had to get on
0:11:58 > 0:12:03coaches to continue their urge journey to Glasgow. Other lines are
0:12:03 > 0:12:07blocked and some trans-Pennine roads are still tricky and we have had
0:12:07 > 0:12:11power cuts in parts of the country, villages in Devon where teams have
0:12:11 > 0:12:16only managed to reach with a water has been cut off four days. The
0:12:16 > 0:12:23after-effects of the storm last week and all this snow are still having
0:12:23 > 0:12:27long-lasting impact. Thank you. Apologies, the line to Dan was a
0:12:27 > 0:12:29little tricky. Sorry about that.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Voters in Italy have been going to the polls today
0:12:31 > 0:12:32in a general election.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35The campaign has been dominated by the issue of immigration
0:12:35 > 0:12:37with the centre-left government facing opposition from
0:12:37 > 0:12:38a coalition of right-wing parties and the popularist
0:12:38 > 0:12:40five star movement.
0:12:40 > 0:12:47Here's Our Europe Editor Katya Adler.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Charming, but troubled Naples, unhappily encapsulates the problems
0:12:55 > 0:13:03at the heart of Italy's elections. Falling living standards,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06unemployment, and mass irregular migration from Africa. But
0:13:06 > 0:13:11uncertainty hangs in the today. Italians are voting for change. They
0:13:11 > 0:13:16are just not sure which political party to trust.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20TRANSLATION: I am so worried about Italy. I said a prayer before coming
0:13:20 > 0:13:23to vote. TRANSLATION: Italians are
0:13:23 > 0:13:31frustrated. They need to hear our voice today. Some of Naples is the
0:13:31 > 0:13:37leader of the party tipped to become Italy's largest today. His 5-star
0:13:37 > 0:13:44movement claims to be corruption free and people friendly. But the
0:13:44 > 0:13:47political system here favours coalitions and meaning this familiar
0:13:47 > 0:13:53face could be kingmaker in stead. Naples and the south of Italy will
0:13:53 > 0:13:56swing the vote today, Silvio Berlusconi did some last-minute
0:13:56 > 0:14:03campaigning here on behalf of a right-wing Coalition. So, what does
0:14:03 > 0:14:06this rather chaotic political picture mean for Italy and Europe?
0:14:06 > 0:14:15After all, this is the Eurozone's third-largest economy.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16third-largest economy. Confusion or is quintessentially Italian,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Brussels is used to it, the financial markets seem prepared for
0:14:20 > 0:14:25it, they believe that a Coalition government will water down more
0:14:25 > 0:14:28extremist populist policies on offer. How does that help Italians
0:14:28 > 0:14:34get to grips with their problems? This shop is famous for its
0:14:34 > 0:14:41handcrafted political figures. TRANSLATION: Today, all Italian
0:14:41 > 0:14:47voters will help paint the future landscape of the country.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Hollywood's finest will be celebrated at the 90th
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Academy Awards this evening.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53But the event takes place against the backdrop of allegations
0:14:53 > 0:14:54against Harvey Weinstein, and the #MeToo and
0:14:54 > 0:14:55Time's Up movements.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Unlike the Golden Globes and the BAFTAS - there will be
0:14:58 > 0:14:59no black dress code.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Our Arts Editor Will Gompertz is there.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Here on a still concealed Oscars red carpet, just
0:15:03 > 0:15:05about everybody has got an opinion about what is going
0:15:05 > 0:15:06to happen tonight.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09But what does a genuine Hollywood insider, with her ear
0:15:09 > 0:15:11to the ground think?
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Does she expect there to be a post-Weinstein reaction that might
0:15:13 > 0:15:16change how Academy members vote?
0:15:16 > 0:15:20In terms of voting on the Oscars, I don't think that there will be
0:15:20 > 0:15:22a real effect on who wins and who loses.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23My daughter, Angela was...
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I would be surprised if Three Billboards repeated
0:15:25 > 0:15:27its BAFTA success and won Best PPicture.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31That movie is quite polarising among American Academy members.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34The Shape of Water, Guillermo Del Toro's film is one
0:15:34 > 0:15:37that has won a lot of the precursor awards that lead up to the Oscars,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40so that seems to be sort of a rising contender.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41Who is going to win?
0:15:41 > 0:15:43I would put my money on Get Out.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Chris was just telling me how he felt much more
0:15:45 > 0:15:46comfortable with my being here.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47Noted.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48What about Best Actor?
0:15:48 > 0:15:50You cannot reason with a tiger!
0:15:50 > 0:15:53The front runner for Best Actor is Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55for whom this is, in many ways, possibly a lifetime
0:15:55 > 0:15:57achievement award.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59There is an outside contender, Timothee Chalamet for
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Call Me By Your Name.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05He has kind of captured, what I think of as the
0:16:05 > 0:16:06ingenue spot this year.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Surely Francis McDormand is a shoo-in as Best Actress for her
0:16:08 > 0:16:12performance in Three Billboards as a grieving, seething mother.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15If there is any movie that sort of captured the #MeToo movement
0:16:15 > 0:16:23and the idea of female rage, surely it is this one.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27And what about Greta Gerwig and her film Lady Bird?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Could she become just the second woman in the history
0:16:30 > 0:16:34of the Oscars to walk away with the Best Director prize?
0:16:34 > 0:16:36I think Greta Gerwig is a long shot.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41I think her being nominated is a milestone for a female director.
0:16:41 > 0:16:42Three, two, one.
0:16:42 > 0:16:43Ready?
0:16:43 > 0:16:44Action!
0:16:44 > 0:16:49Guillermo Del Toro is the person I would put my money on.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52This could indeed be the year, but The Shape of Water is the film
0:16:52 > 0:16:53that makes the biggest...
0:16:53 > 0:16:54Splash?
0:16:54 > 0:17:00Will Gompertz, BBC News, Hollywood.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02There's more throughout the evening on the BBC News Channel,