16/12/2016

:00:08. > :00:11.I'm Joanna Gosling, welcome to the programme.

:00:12. > :00:13.Thousands more people are evacuated from Aleppo

:00:14. > :00:19.The operation to rescue civilians is continuing round the clock -

:00:20. > :00:22.one of those who's leaving is Zouhir Alshimale, whose story

:00:23. > :00:40.I can't move anywhere else. Nowhere is safe in the whole East.

:00:41. > :00:43.It is heartbreaking, sending the last message from me from my

:00:44. > :00:46.neighbourhood where I used to live, and work from.

:00:47. > :00:47.Former Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman,

:00:48. > :00:50.who was convicted of the murder of an injured Taliban

:00:51. > :00:52.fighter in Afghanistan, could be granted bail today ahead

:00:53. > :00:57.And I've been speaking to Judy Murray about the incredible

:00:58. > :01:02.We also talked about her hopes for her granddaughter,

:01:03. > :01:05.the weather in Scotland and why she works so tirelessly to get

:01:06. > :01:19.I realise how much harder you have to work to make things happen in the

:01:20. > :01:23.women's side of any sport, compared to the men's, and also very aware

:01:24. > :01:24.that the majority of the decision-makers, certainly within

:01:25. > :01:31.tennis, they are all guys. Hello, welcome to our last

:01:32. > :01:34.live show of the year, We'll be looking ahead

:01:35. > :01:39.to tomorrow's final with fans We're down to the final four -

:01:40. > :01:45.let us know who you're supporting. We'll also look at

:01:46. > :01:47.the runners and riders This is our last programme before

:01:48. > :01:52.we break for Christmas. Do get in touch on all the stories

:01:53. > :01:58.we're talking about this morning - If you text, you will be charged

:01:59. > :02:02.at the standard network rate. Our top story today -

:02:03. > :02:04.an evacuation of civilians and fighters from the Syrian city

:02:05. > :02:06.of Aleppo is continuing round the clock, as a ceasefire

:02:07. > :02:11.held firm overnight. Some 3000 people, including hundreds

:02:12. > :02:14.of children and the injured, were transported out of the city

:02:15. > :02:18.in the first convoys yesterday. The United Nations estimates that up

:02:19. > :02:21.to 50,000 people may still be in the eastern districts of the city

:02:22. > :02:24.that the rebels had These were the first convoys

:02:25. > :02:35.to leave Aleppo yesterday. A fleet of ambulances brought out

:02:36. > :02:38.some of the sick and injured. Next, a long line of green buses

:02:39. > :02:41.carrying hundreds of civilians and rebel fighters weave

:02:42. > :02:44.through the streets, ravaged by years of bombing

:02:45. > :02:49.and a month-long siege. During the day, around 3,000 people,

:02:50. > :02:52.among them the very youngest, were taken to neighbouring Idlib

:02:53. > :02:55.province, which is mainly Many to already

:02:56. > :03:03.overstretched refugee camps. Over the coming days,

:03:04. > :03:05.around 50,000 more people are expected to be moved

:03:06. > :03:10.out of Aleppo. For those who remain,

:03:11. > :03:13.there's a desperate need for food Turkey, which helped

:03:14. > :03:17.broker the evacuation, is preparing to take in some

:03:18. > :03:22.of the most vulnerable people and last night the UK pledged money

:03:23. > :03:27.to help those affected. The UK is going to provide an extra

:03:28. > :03:30.?20 million of practical support The mayor of East Aleppo said

:03:31. > :03:38.to us we can't bring back those who are lost,

:03:39. > :03:41.but we can save those who remain, But now there are deep concerns

:03:42. > :03:49.that the war in Syria will move from the streets of eastern Aleppo

:03:50. > :03:53.to other parts of the country and that the suffering

:03:54. > :03:58.for so many is far from over. Our correspondent Lina Sinjab

:03:59. > :04:20.is in Beirut for us now, Well, another round of buses loaded

:04:21. > :04:24.with people from Aleppo is being uploaded now, another round of

:04:25. > :04:29.evacuation is taking place today. The Syrian Observatory said -- the

:04:30. > :04:35.Syrian Observatory for human rights said that over the past 24 hours

:04:36. > :04:39.around 8500 people have been evacuated, including 3000 civilians.

:04:40. > :04:43.The Ministry of Defence, the Russian Ministry of Defence, says the

:04:44. > :04:47.numbers were around more than 6000. The UN, as you said earlier,

:04:48. > :04:51.believes that at least 50,000 people are still trapped in eastern Aleppo

:04:52. > :04:57.and need to be evacuated, this will not happen overnight, this will take

:04:58. > :05:03.a few days of the evacuation process with tens of buses loaded with

:05:04. > :05:08.people taken mainly to the northern province of a blip, which is still

:05:09. > :05:14.under rebel control. Thank you. -- the northern province of Idlib.

:05:15. > :05:16.Annita McVeigh has the rest of the news.

:05:17. > :05:18.President Barack Obama has said the US will take action

:05:19. > :05:21.against Russia for what he calls interfering in the US election.

:05:22. > :05:24.Russia has been accused of hacking the emails of the Democratic Party

:05:25. > :05:29.The Kremlin says the claims are nonsense.

:05:30. > :05:32.Laura Bicker has the latest from Washington.

:05:33. > :05:45.Thank you to the incredible people of Pennsylvania, thank you!

:05:46. > :05:49.As he tours the country to thank voters, he's dismissing claims that

:05:50. > :05:51.Vladimir Putin helped put him in the White House.

:05:52. > :05:53.But the Obama administration made Russian hacking claims

:05:54. > :05:58.Now they say the Russian president was directly involved

:05:59. > :06:00.in the operation which targeted the e-mails of Hillary

:06:01. > :06:07.Mr Obama gave this response to NPR Radio.

:06:08. > :06:18.that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our

:06:19. > :06:21.elections that we need to take action, and we will at a time

:06:22. > :06:24.Earlier the White House Press Secretary pointed

:06:25. > :06:33.Based on my personal reading, and not based on any knowledge that

:06:34. > :06:37.I have that may be classified or otherwise, it's pretty obvious!

:06:38. > :06:42.That they were referring to the senior most government

:06:43. > :06:46.Vladimir Putin has always denied the accusations and said

:06:47. > :06:52.they were laughable nonsense, no proof has ever been made public.

:06:53. > :06:55.The dispute over Russia's role in the election is overshadowing

:06:56. > :06:59.The President-elect and the president do not agree over

:07:00. > :07:12.A Royal Marine found guilty of murdering an injured Afghan

:07:13. > :07:15.fighter is today asking senior judges to grant him bail.

:07:16. > :07:18.Sergeant Alexander Blackman - known as Marine A -

:07:19. > :07:20.was jailed in 2013 and sentenced to life imprisonment

:07:21. > :07:26.He has been granted the right to appeal his conviction.

:07:27. > :07:29.And we'll be speaking to Sergeant Blackman's wife Claire

:07:30. > :07:34.Theresa May has told EU leaders that she wants an early agreement

:07:35. > :07:36.on the status of British people living on the continent,

:07:37. > :07:42.She was talking ahead of the latest Brexit talks in Brussels.

:07:43. > :07:44.The leaders of the other 27 member states agreed

:07:45. > :07:47.that the European Parliament would have a formal role

:07:48. > :07:54.Thousands of Southern rail commuters are facing more disruption

:07:55. > :07:57.after talks aimed at resolving the dispute ended without agreement.

:07:58. > :08:01.Drivers on the network began a 24-hour stoppage at midnight.

:08:02. > :08:20.Andy Moore sent this update from Victoria Station in London.

:08:21. > :08:25.All 2000 services on Southern have been cancelled, 300,000 people have

:08:26. > :08:31.been told to make alternative travel arrangements. Talks at ACAS ended

:08:32. > :08:35.yesterday, the parent company of Southern said they put forward a

:08:36. > :08:40.practical offer to the union, the union said it was basically a

:08:41. > :08:45.non-offer, there was nothing new in it at all. Both sides say they have

:08:46. > :08:49.an open door to new talks but no date has been set. There was a

:08:50. > :08:54.protest last night, people gathered on the concourse with banners and

:08:55. > :08:56.placards and then marched to the Department for Transport nearby and

:08:57. > :09:01.presented the Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, with an early

:09:02. > :09:05.Christmas present of a toy train set. Many commuters blame him for

:09:06. > :09:11.not stepping in to resolve this dispute. He says the dispute is all

:09:12. > :09:16.down to union militancy. This strike lasts until midnight and nights,

:09:17. > :09:19.there will be another strike involving conductors from the RMT

:09:20. > :09:26.union on Monday and Tuesday next week. Some but not all services will

:09:27. > :09:29.be cancelled. There is more disruption over the New Year and

:09:30. > :09:33.there is another big strike planned on Monday January the 9th, which is

:09:34. > :09:35.last for six days. Murray reporting.

:09:36. > :09:37.Regulators say banks should not have to reimburse customers

:09:38. > :09:39.who are tricked into transferring money into the accounts

:09:40. > :09:42.The Payment Systems Regulator was responding to a complaint

:09:43. > :09:45.It said banks needed to better protect victims

:09:46. > :09:50.Hospitals in England will be so full this winter that infection

:09:51. > :09:53.rates are bound to rise, according to a new report.

:09:54. > :09:56.NHS England said plans to maximise the number of beds available

:09:57. > :10:01.But the independent healthcare research charity the Nuffield Trust

:10:02. > :10:06.says accident and emergency targets will also be missed.

:10:07. > :10:09.A sugar tax on soft drinks could reduce the numbers of adults

:10:10. > :10:12.and children in the UK who become obese by tens of thousands,

:10:13. > :10:18.A study in the medical journal The Lancet says a proposed sugar

:10:19. > :10:22.levy is likely to have a significant impact on health.

:10:23. > :10:24.But the British soft drinks association says there is no

:10:25. > :10:38.It was one small snack for man, one giant treat for mankind.

:10:39. > :10:42.Three, two, one! CHEERING

:10:43. > :10:45.Scientists have sent a meat and potato pie into space to see

:10:46. > :10:48.if travelling to a height of nearly 20 miles would affect

:10:49. > :10:51.It was attached to a weather balloon and launched from Wigan,

:10:52. > :10:55.It reached the stratosphere then came back to earth,

:10:56. > :11:01.landing around 50 miles away in North Yorkshire.

:11:02. > :11:05.Boldly going where no pie has gone before!

:11:06. > :11:08.That's a summary of the latest BBC News - more at 9:30am.

:11:09. > :11:18.What on earth is that about?! And updates on Aleppo, we're getting

:11:19. > :11:23.reports that that operation to take people out of the city has been

:11:24. > :11:27.suspended. AFP say the operation to evacuate civilians and fighters from

:11:28. > :11:35.the last rebel held parts of Aleppo has been suspended, are quoting a

:11:36. > :11:39.security and -- Syrian security force, the opposition forces are

:11:40. > :11:43.accusing the opposition of violating the deal, there is an accusation

:11:44. > :11:50.that the militants fail to respect the agreement. AFP have been told

:11:51. > :11:54.that, reportedly, and Reuters says that the Syrian official overseeing

:11:55. > :11:58.the evacuation says it has been suspended because of obstructions.

:11:59. > :12:03.Those reports coming through that the evacuation of eastern Aleppo has

:12:04. > :12:04.been suspended, we will check out those reports and keep you updated.

:12:05. > :12:07.Do get in touch with us throughout the morning -

:12:08. > :12:11.If you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate.

:12:12. > :12:13.This is our last programme before we break for Christmas.

:12:14. > :12:29.I love your Christmas jumper! I think it is great, it has bells on

:12:30. > :12:34.it. It makes a noise, can you hear that? The best part is, wait for

:12:35. > :12:42.this... Not only does it have bells, can you see is lighting up? That is

:12:43. > :12:45.quality, brilliant. Only nine days until Christmas, but I'm here to

:12:46. > :12:53.talk about sports, not my Christmas jumper. The cricketers have just

:12:54. > :12:57.come back after tea where England are hoping for a win in the fifth

:12:58. > :13:01.and final test in July against India. They have already lost the

:13:02. > :13:06.series, Captain Alastair Cook won the toss, decided to bat and did not

:13:07. > :13:12.start very well, England were 21-2 after Cook and opening partner

:13:13. > :13:17.Keaton Jennings were dismissed. Joe Root Moeen Ali fared better, taking

:13:18. > :13:21.the run tally to an hundred and 67 before Root was controversially

:13:22. > :13:25.given out on 88, he was not happy at all, walked off the pitch shaking

:13:26. > :13:32.his head. He had been judged to have got an edge on the board. Ali is on

:13:33. > :13:35.63 and has been joined at the crease by Jonny Bairstow, England on 187-3

:13:36. > :13:38.in the final session of the day. There's news of a potential

:13:39. > :13:45.replacement for Nico His name is Valtteri Bottas, he

:13:46. > :13:49.drives for Williams but they say they will be prepared to let him

:13:50. > :13:55.leave his contract if they can find a credible alternative, as they put

:13:56. > :13:59.it, to replace him. Nico Rosberg won the world title and shocked everyone

:14:00. > :14:03.in the sport by retiring five days later. Valtteri Bottas could be

:14:04. > :14:08.Lewis Hamilton's new Mercedes team-mate. It is a brilliant

:14:09. > :14:13.opportunity for him, the 27 air Finn has had nine podium finishes but is

:14:14. > :14:20.yet to win a race, his best position in the drivers championship is

:14:21. > :14:23.fourth so it is interesting to see how he would develop with a leading

:14:24. > :14:26.team like Mercedes. Mercedes say they will not announce anything

:14:27. > :14:28.official about the new Jallow -- new driver until January the 3rd at the

:14:29. > :14:30.earliest. And Ronnie O'Sullivan is going well

:14:31. > :14:37.at the Scottish Open snooker? Through to the quarterfinals in

:14:38. > :14:42.Glasgow and will play a very informed John Higgins, who won two

:14:43. > :14:49.yaks -- won two matches yesterday without losing a single frame.

:14:50. > :14:54.Sullivan beat Mark Allen by four frames to two, scoring two century

:14:55. > :14:57.breaks to seal his place in the last eight. The last time O'Sullivan and

:14:58. > :15:04.Higgins played each other last month, Higgins won 10-7, so The Rock

:15:05. > :15:10.At might be out for revenge as he looks to add to the Masters and

:15:11. > :15:13.Welsh open title that he has already won.

:15:14. > :15:14.Thank you, Jessica, I am sorry I did not wear my Christmas jumper, but

:15:15. > :15:21.yours is better than my next Sergeant Alexander Blackman

:15:22. > :15:24.will today find out if he will be granted bail as he awaits an appeal

:15:25. > :15:38.against his conviction for murdering His legal team and many high-profile

:15:39. > :15:38.supporters say he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder at

:15:39. > :15:41.the time. In a moment we'll be speaking

:15:42. > :15:44.to Sergeant Blackman's wife Claire. But first our correspondent

:15:45. > :15:45.Robert Hall explains A helmet camera, worn by a member

:15:46. > :15:54.of Marine Sergeant Al Blackman's squad, captures the moment they find

:15:55. > :15:59.a wounded insurgent, one of two men who'd

:16:00. > :16:01.attacked their base. At his court-martial,

:16:02. > :16:16.Sergeant Blackman was told he'd disgraced the name of

:16:17. > :16:18.the British Armed Forces. He spent the past three years

:16:19. > :16:22.at Erlestoke prison in Wiltshire as family and supporters argue that

:16:23. > :16:28.Sergeant Blackman's mental state and weaknesses in the prosecution

:16:29. > :16:30.case mean the murder Had he been charged with

:16:31. > :16:37.manslaughter, on the technicality of making a bad mistake,

:16:38. > :16:42.but nevertheless a mistake, he would probably have

:16:43. > :16:44.got three or so years. Halve it for good behaviour,

:16:45. > :16:47.he'd be out already. But others believe that even

:16:48. > :16:51.in the brutal combat of Afghanistan, the laws of warfare

:16:52. > :16:53.must be adhered to. The fact remains, what he did

:16:54. > :16:56.was break the Geneva Convention by shooting a wounded prisoner

:16:57. > :16:58.and that is absolutely wrong in all circumstances,

:16:59. > :17:01.unless you can show that An appeal against conviction is many

:17:02. > :17:08.months away but Sergeant Blackman's family say release

:17:09. > :17:13.on bail should be considered for a hugely experienced soldier

:17:14. > :17:15.who is not a criminal Let's talk now to his

:17:16. > :17:34.wife Claire Blackman. Thank you for joining us. How are

:17:35. > :17:38.you feeling ahead of the bail hearing today? A bit nervous, if I'm

:17:39. > :17:42.honest. It's a big day but we will find out this afternoon. Have you

:17:43. > :17:48.been able to speak to him to see how he's feeling today? Yes, I spoke to

:17:49. > :17:53.him last night. He was on good form. He is also trying to manage his

:17:54. > :17:58.expectations. He's hopeful but not getting carried away. It would be

:17:59. > :18:05.unusual for a person convicted of murder to be allowed out on bail

:18:06. > :18:11.pending a hearing. Why do you think he should be allowed out on bail? We

:18:12. > :18:15.have quite a strong case, we think, for bail. The legal team have worked

:18:16. > :18:19.hard to put together a strong application. We just need to be able

:18:20. > :18:22.to convince the judges this afternoon. How often do you manage

:18:23. > :18:29.to speak to him? Pretty much every evening. And how is he? He is good,

:18:30. > :18:33.he is incredible, I don't know how he does it but he keeps his spirits

:18:34. > :18:38.up and keeps busy. Tell us more about how this has impacted on you

:18:39. > :18:43.and your family? Obviously it has been really hard, I suppose in a way

:18:44. > :18:48.being the wife of a Royal Marines who has served on as many tours as

:18:49. > :18:52.he has we are used to the time apart. This is obviously exceptional

:18:53. > :18:56.and it would be really nice to think that this afternoon we could have

:18:57. > :18:58.him home and have some time back together.

:18:59. > :19:04.You and your husband do have a lot of support in this but equally there

:19:05. > :19:10.will be people who say, well, what about the family of the man he

:19:11. > :19:14.killed? He killed a man. What do you say? You know, it's difficult,

:19:15. > :19:19.everybody's entitled to their opinion and I don't for one minute

:19:20. > :19:23.wish to diminish the impact on anybody's family, where somebody has

:19:24. > :19:29.lost. But this was war, it was exceptional circumstances. You and I

:19:30. > :19:32.will fortunately never experience that. I don't think we can,

:19:33. > :19:42.therefore, really understand what happened. The judge said he killed

:19:43. > :19:47.in cold blood. It was a difficult trial and there were many things

:19:48. > :19:51.that were said and the CCRC's decision now to go back and look

:19:52. > :19:54.over that trial and look at the many things that didn't happen and should

:19:55. > :19:58.have happened is what gives us the most hope that actually we can move

:19:59. > :20:03.this case forward now. It is focusing on his state of mind

:20:04. > :20:07.at the time? That is one of the main arguments,

:20:08. > :20:14.as we understand it. Tell us more about him. I asked how

:20:15. > :20:22.it has impacted on you and the family. What about him?

:20:23. > :20:26.Well, I think, to be honest, the training that Royal Marines receive

:20:27. > :20:30.has set him up well to cope with the environment that he's in. He's happy

:20:31. > :20:33.with the regime, he is happy with discipline, he's making the best of

:20:34. > :20:38.his time, he is working, he's studying, he's doing a degree and

:20:39. > :20:41.he's going to the gym as much as he can. He's doing everything he can to

:20:42. > :20:45.keep positive and pass the time. What happens after today? Obviously

:20:46. > :20:50.today it's possible he will be released on bail and will be home

:20:51. > :20:58.with you just prior to your wedding anniversary. Yes. Equally he may not

:20:59. > :21:02.be. Yes, and I suppose the best way for us to look at it is that bail

:21:03. > :21:07.would be the icing on the cake. The biggest, most important decision we

:21:08. > :21:10.have had is the referral back to the Appeal Courts, that's the important

:21:11. > :21:13.thing we need to focus on. Bail would be wonderful, absolutely, but

:21:14. > :21:18.getting back to the Appeal Courts and getting the conviction and the

:21:19. > :21:22.sentence potentially overturned is our main focus.

:21:23. > :21:27.We have talked about the level of support that you have had. Four

:21:28. > :21:31.people have come forward to stump up ?50,000 each in bail money. That's

:21:32. > :21:36.obviously a sort of financial offer, an offer of financial assistance,

:21:37. > :21:40.how much has that support and other support you have received actually

:21:41. > :21:44.meant to you? It's incredible. I find it really

:21:45. > :21:47.hard to put into words what a difference that support makes, to

:21:48. > :21:51.feel like the whole country is behind us, just gives as energy and

:21:52. > :21:57.motivation to keep going. What's your life like on a daily

:21:58. > :22:00.basis? Do you just kind of carry on as you were before?

:22:01. > :22:04.I have settled into a routine. It's obviously not the routine I would

:22:05. > :22:08.choose but it's fine. I have fantastic support from family and

:22:09. > :22:12.friends and I have plenty to do with the campaign. It keeps me busy.

:22:13. > :22:17.Thank you very much indeed for coming in to talk to us, Claire

:22:18. > :22:20.Blackman. Thank you. We will cover what happens at that hearing today

:22:21. > :22:24.and let you know the outcome on BBC News.

:22:25. > :22:30.Five years ago Rupert Ross was jailed for life for murder along

:22:31. > :22:33.with another man. The victim was Darcy Austin Bruce Forsyth he was

:22:34. > :22:38.shot five times at close range outside Wandsworth prison in south

:22:39. > :22:41.London but Rupert Ross's mother thought her son had been wrongfully

:22:42. > :22:45.convicted and set about trying to prove it. She wanted to find out the

:22:46. > :22:48.identity of a woman who gave evidence anonymously against Ross at

:22:49. > :22:53.his trial which meant obtaining confidential details of the witness

:22:54. > :23:00.from a police database. Two civilian police staff who accessed the

:23:01. > :23:04.computer were found guilty. His girlfriend and her will be sentenced

:23:05. > :23:08.next month. But Diana was cleared off the two juries failed to reach

:23:09. > :23:10.verdicts on her. In her first interview she has been speaking to

:23:11. > :23:14.our home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw.

:23:15. > :23:25.Why did you take the risk of going to prison? I started looking into,

:23:26. > :23:32.after Rupert and Leon's conviction, I sat down and I started reading the

:23:33. > :23:36.papers, the legal papers and Rupert and Leon had always said to me that

:23:37. > :23:43.they did not do the murder. And you believe them?

:23:44. > :23:52.100%, 100%. There had been cracks in the trial, stuff that was not

:23:53. > :23:55.disclosed, and stuff that Rupert and Leon had always said this doesn't

:23:56. > :24:02.seem right, this doesn't seem right. So I started investigating and

:24:03. > :24:07.looking into certain things to see if what they said was not correct,

:24:08. > :24:13.well, not correct, but wasn't accurate. You had doubts about the

:24:14. > :24:17.convictions, serious doubts. Yes. But most people who have a loved one

:24:18. > :24:22.who think they have been wrongly convicted don't go to the lengths

:24:23. > :24:27.that you went to and don't risk wrecking the law and being sent to

:24:28. > :24:30.jail for it. Why did you do that? A copy of an image was shown at

:24:31. > :24:39.Rupert's trial that wasn't clear so I wanted the original image from the

:24:40. > :24:50.camera. And I got nowhere. I hired private detectives, I had face

:24:51. > :24:53.recognition experts, I went to other experts to enhance the CCTV. I went

:24:54. > :24:59.from door to door knocking on people's doors asking if the police

:25:00. > :25:06.had ever asked for their CCTV. I felt that the investigation that the

:25:07. > :25:12.police had done at the time was inadequate. It didn't seem like they

:25:13. > :25:17.had fully investigated every avenue. So at what point, after you had

:25:18. > :25:24.taken all of the steps, did it occur to you that actually you might have

:25:25. > :25:28.to do something completely underhand here and find out the details of an

:25:29. > :25:34.anonymous witness at Rupert Ross's trial?

:25:35. > :25:40.At the trial there had been an independent anonymous witness who

:25:41. > :25:48.had gone in as an independent witness, and it was only when we had

:25:49. > :25:57.changed the legal team for the appeal that I've actually met with a

:25:58. > :26:03.QC who been at the trial who said the anonymous witness is more key

:26:04. > :26:08.than what you're doing. So you have to find more details about the

:26:09. > :26:12.anonymous witness? He said you need to discredit the anonymous witness.

:26:13. > :26:19.How can you do that if they are anonymous? I started off by asking

:26:20. > :26:27.on the street. Fulham is a huge hub of people and I asked around, and I

:26:28. > :26:39.had actually been given names of certain people. And then Leon who

:26:40. > :26:48.had gone out with Lydia Lauro, had given me some names to give to her

:26:49. > :26:53.to look up the names. You must have realised at that point that what

:26:54. > :26:58.that entailed was against the law, was against police rules and against

:26:59. > :27:05.the law? I don't think I realised the enormity of the seriousness of

:27:06. > :27:13.it. But you did it nonetheless? Yes. Yes. But you felt justified in doing

:27:14. > :27:19.it at that time? 100%. Curse you had tried all other avenues? Absolutely.

:27:20. > :27:22.-- because you have tried all other avenues. Some people might say that

:27:23. > :27:26.is all very well but that witness was anonymous for a reason. When we

:27:27. > :27:32.actually found out that it wasn't an independent witness, but she did

:27:33. > :27:39.have connections with people close to the murder, I think that's quite

:27:40. > :27:42.shocking that the police had held all of this back. But you discovered

:27:43. > :27:50.that information after you found out the name illicitly. Yes. And two

:27:51. > :27:56.innocent people had gone to prison. But some people would say that

:27:57. > :27:59.balancing your right to investigate miscarriages of justice with the

:28:00. > :28:03.right of the criminal justice system to keep some witnesses who come

:28:04. > :28:07.forward anonymous to safeguard their identity because they are scared or

:28:08. > :28:09.vulnerable and that happens in other cases as well. I don't think

:28:10. > :28:17.anonymous witnesses are used that often. In my trial, the trial was

:28:18. > :28:24.opened up that it was rare to use the anonymous witness. I imagine it

:28:25. > :28:29.is quite a dangerous thing to do to use anonymous witnesses. Now you've

:28:30. > :28:32.got the information about that witness's identity and some

:28:33. > :28:37.background details, where does that leave your son's case? The legal

:28:38. > :28:42.people are now going to take the information that we have received

:28:43. > :28:48.through my two trials to the CCRC. Criminal Cases Review Commission?

:28:49. > :28:54.That's correct. You hope to get a fresh appeal? Yes. The judgment was

:28:55. > :28:58.very decisive against them. Yes, because they haven't been given all

:28:59. > :29:01.of it, they had only been given a percentage of the information. IU

:29:02. > :29:07.hopeful that the conviction will be quashed? Yes. It is a shame that

:29:08. > :29:12.this has to happen. To find out the truth. I think it's really sad. --

:29:13. > :29:18.are you hopeful. We will be live until 11am as usual

:29:19. > :29:21.and also we will have the latest from Eastern Aleppo live. There is a

:29:22. > :29:24.report that the evacuation of citizens has been suspended after

:29:25. > :29:30.four blasts were heard at a location from where buses had been departing.

:29:31. > :29:33.Plus, an extra special Christmas for two and a half -year-old Ben Cooper.

:29:34. > :29:39.Around this time last year he was undergoing emergency surgery on his

:29:40. > :29:43.brain after being critically ill with meningitis. We will be joined

:29:44. > :29:48.by Ben, his mum and his brother and the surgeon who saved Ben's life.

:29:49. > :29:59.Let's catch up with all the news within Eton. -- Annita McVeigh. It

:30:00. > :30:03.has been reported in the last half-hour that the evacuation of

:30:04. > :30:06.civilians and fighters from the Syrian city of Aleppo has halted.

:30:07. > :30:08.Around three thousand people, including hundreds of children,

:30:09. > :30:10.were transported out of the city yesterday.

:30:11. > :30:12.It's thought there are 50,000 people still waiting to leave.

:30:13. > :30:15.President Barack Obama has said the US will take action

:30:16. > :30:17.against Russia for what he calls "interfering in the US election".

:30:18. > :30:19.The White House has said the Russian President,

:30:20. > :30:21.Vladimir Putin, knew about the hacking of

:30:22. > :30:23.Democratic Party email accounts during the campaign.

:30:24. > :30:25.The Kremlin says the claims are nonsense.

:30:26. > :30:28.A Royal Marine found guilty of murdering an injured Afghan

:30:29. > :30:32.fighter is today asking senior judges to grant him bail.

:30:33. > :30:35.Sergeant Alexander Blackman - known as Marine A -

:30:36. > :30:37.was jailed in 2013 and sentenced to life imprisonment

:30:38. > :30:45.He has been granted the right to appeal his conviction.

:30:46. > :30:48.Theresa May has told EU leaders that she wants an early agreement

:30:49. > :30:51.on the status of British people living on the continent,

:30:52. > :30:57.She was talking ahead of the latest Brexit talks in Brussels.

:30:58. > :31:05.The leaders of the other 27 member states agreed

:31:06. > :31:10.There has been concern in other countries about the status of their

:31:11. > :31:11.National 's in the country when it leaves the EU.

:31:12. > :31:13.The leaders of the other 27 member states agreed

:31:14. > :31:16.that the European Parliament would have a formal role

:31:17. > :31:19.Thousands of Southern rail commuters are facing more disruption

:31:20. > :31:21.after talks aimed at resolving the dispute ended without agreement.

:31:22. > :31:24.Drivers on the network began a 24-hour stoppage at midnight.

:31:25. > :31:26.Passengers have already endured two days of disruption this week

:31:27. > :31:28.and last night fed up commuters held protests outside the

:31:29. > :31:39.That's a summary of the latest BBC News - more at 10am.

:31:40. > :31:49.See you later. Let's catch up with the latest sports with Jess.

:31:50. > :31:56.England's cricketers are playing for pride in the fifth and final test in

:31:57. > :31:59.India. Moeen Ali and true roots steadied the ship, Root was

:32:00. > :32:01.controversially given out and 88. The visitors are currently 208-3.

:32:02. > :32:04.Valtteri Bottas is being lined up to replace retired world champion

:32:05. > :32:07.Williams say they are prepared to release the 27-year-old

:32:08. > :32:11.is an experienced, credible alternative is available.

:32:12. > :32:15.Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to the quarter-finals

:32:16. > :32:17.of the Scottish Open snooker in Glasgow.

:32:18. > :32:21.He'll now play a very in-form John Higgins who won two matches

:32:22. > :32:36.I will be back with a bit more sport at around 10am. And the twinkly

:32:37. > :32:37.jumper is still in action! Thank you.

:32:38. > :32:40.This morning an exclusive interview with the mother of two-and-a-half

:32:41. > :32:42.year old Ben Cooper, who had a life-saving operation

:32:43. > :32:43.in Great Ormond Street Hospital last Christmas.

:32:44. > :32:46.Ben had just started to take his first steps

:32:47. > :32:47.when he became critically ill with meningitis.

:32:48. > :32:49.While most people were spending Christmas day opening presents

:32:50. > :32:51.with their loved ones, Ben had emergency

:32:52. > :32:56.After three months in hospital, Ben is now back at home

:32:57. > :32:58.and Christmas will be an extra special celebration

:32:59. > :33:07.Ben's here today with his mum Viki and his twin brother James.

:33:08. > :33:09.And we're reuniting them with Mr Owase Jeelani -

:33:10. > :33:12.the neurosurgeon who saved Ben's life on Christmas Day -

:33:13. > :33:17.who's at Great Ormond Street hospital working this morning.

:33:18. > :33:26.We will talk to him as well. Thank you so much for coming in, it is

:33:27. > :33:30.great to see your wall. Hello, boys. Tell us, Fed, you had obviously an

:33:31. > :33:35.absolutely dreadful time last Christmas because both of the boys

:33:36. > :33:41.had been poorly, but it was really Ben who took a turn for the worse?

:33:42. > :33:46.We just assume that we had a cop/ cold going on with everybody,

:33:47. > :33:50.unfortunately in a couple of days Ben deteriorated, it is clear he was

:33:51. > :33:55.not his usual self, he became quite subdued and we sought additional

:33:56. > :33:59.help. Unfortunately, they thought it was a virus, it was a few days

:34:00. > :34:05.before we realise the extent of how seriously are all he was. It was

:34:06. > :34:09.meningitis. None of the classic symptoms? No, it was that viral

:34:10. > :34:14.meningitis and there was no rash or anything you would expect to see, he

:34:15. > :34:17.became more and more unwell until he was unresponsive, we could not get

:34:18. > :34:31.him to wake up, talk or respond in any way, so we called an ambulance.

:34:32. > :34:33.You ended up in Great Ormond Street? Within 24 hours, yes. At the local

:34:34. > :34:35.hospital they were doing everything they could to understand, but when

:34:36. > :34:38.they said Great Ormond Street are coming to collect Ben, that is when

:34:39. > :34:41.I knew it was quite serious. They don't have many children in their

:34:42. > :34:46.intensive care unit, if my child is one of the sickest in the country,

:34:47. > :34:51.it is serious. Horrendous, how did you feel? Terrified, we thought we

:34:52. > :34:55.would lose him. It was Christmas Eve when he really took a turn for the

:34:56. > :34:59.worse and had swelling on the brain? At that stage he had come out of the

:35:00. > :35:02.induced coma and it looked as though things were recovering OK, on

:35:03. > :35:07.Christmas Eve, things were going well for the first part of the

:35:08. > :35:13.evening, I stayed over, the tension is spent part of Christmas with Ben

:35:14. > :35:17.and part with James, it was difficult to juggle. But the nurse

:35:18. > :35:20.woke me up and said, he has gone downhill, I have called the doctor,

:35:21. > :35:27.I think we might have the problem. That was the start of a very, very

:35:28. > :35:31.difficult 204I was. What were you told before his surgery? That there

:35:32. > :35:35.was fluid building on the brain, they needed to relieve the pressure

:35:36. > :35:39.and the easiest way was to do surgery straightaway. Obviously they

:35:40. > :35:46.did not have plans for surgery on Christmas Day, they do not intended,

:35:47. > :35:53.so it was calling people from home to help Ben, which was very scary.

:35:54. > :35:59.Owase, you wouldn't know it -- the neurosurgeon who performed that

:36:00. > :36:02.surgery. When you arrived at hospital, what were your thoughts on

:36:03. > :36:08.how serious the situation was for Ben?

:36:09. > :36:15.It is good to have Ben again. Ben was in a critical condition when he

:36:16. > :36:20.came to us. The meningitis was clearly full-blown at that time. He

:36:21. > :36:24.needed a lot of supportive management to stabilise him. A lot

:36:25. > :36:27.of the complications that can occur with meningitis is raised pressure

:36:28. > :36:33.in the head, which can be life-threatening if untreated. We

:36:34. > :36:36.have seen this scenario with the children, when we were told about

:36:37. > :36:41.Ben and had been monitoring him it was clear that he needed urgent

:36:42. > :36:45.intervention to treat the pressure. Failure to do that could potentially

:36:46. > :36:49.be catastrophic. It is never an easy time to be at

:36:50. > :36:53.Great Ormond Street for children of families, these are often very sick

:36:54. > :36:58.children, particularly at Christmas time when we are meant to be at home

:36:59. > :37:06.with the families, loved ones. That has an extra layer of, I suppose,

:37:07. > :37:10.complexity of emotions. Great Ormond Street runs 24/7, the nature of the

:37:11. > :37:15.workers that there are specialist teams, allied health care

:37:16. > :37:28.professionals available 24/7, Christmas is no exception. Kids like

:37:29. > :37:30.Ben fall ill at Christmas and need help and care. From the standpoint

:37:31. > :37:33.of you, everybody is in a Christmas mood and it is that extra feeling

:37:34. > :37:36.that we are trying to give and do our best for the families and

:37:37. > :37:39.children under our care on Christmas Day, it is part of the Christmas

:37:40. > :37:43.spirit. Viki, I don't think you have spoken to Owase since the surgery? I

:37:44. > :37:48.don't think so. It is good to bring you back together, what would you

:37:49. > :37:52.like to say? I can't thank him and the team enough, they have given us

:37:53. > :37:55.Ben back, there was a stage where we did not think that would happen.

:37:56. > :38:01.They are wonderful at the hospital, they really are. It is an absolute

:38:02. > :38:09.pleasure to be able to help in any way that we can add to see Ben doing

:38:10. > :38:15.so well is an absolute pleasure. It must be nice to see what happens

:38:16. > :38:18.sometime after the surgery, you are performing life-saving surgery all

:38:19. > :38:23.the time and impacting on lives in ways that it is sometimes difficult

:38:24. > :38:28.to keep track of, I guess? It is precisely this that keeps us

:38:29. > :38:32.going, it is very challenging work, working with young children, very

:38:33. > :38:37.sick children, seeing kids recover like Ben has and carry on and lead

:38:38. > :38:45.fulfilling lives, it gives is the energy to keep going, dealing with

:38:46. > :38:48.such cases. Hell is Ben? Doing very well, he has recently started

:38:49. > :38:52.school, which is quite young at two and a half, but he is in a special

:38:53. > :38:57.school with a very supportive environment and lots of therapy. A

:38:58. > :39:02.little bit of his hearing has come back, he has got a cochlear device

:39:03. > :39:07.fitted, he is using his hands in a way he has not before Anders

:39:08. > :39:09.vocalising and trying to communicate, positive things

:39:10. > :39:15.happening, we have a long way to go but he is doing very, very well. He

:39:16. > :39:20.has a bright future ahead. He is a happy boy, all I can hope is that he

:39:21. > :39:25.enjoyed life coming he clearly is. How has James been about it? His

:39:26. > :39:29.twin? Because they were so young when it happened, he does not

:39:30. > :39:33.remember life before. From James' point of view, this is how things

:39:34. > :39:38.are with Ben. His first thought when he comes from preschool or the

:39:39. > :39:43.childminder is Ben, he rushes to him and is keen to see him. Thank you

:39:44. > :39:49.darling, that is very helpful. Come and sit me.

:39:50. > :39:53.Ben has had a lot of surgery since the life-saving surgery, will that

:39:54. > :39:56.up to continue? Hopefully not too much, he has had several pieces of

:39:57. > :40:01.surgery on his brain but we hope there will not be too much more,

:40:02. > :40:04.there is also surgery, he has a tube for feeding and medication due to be

:40:05. > :40:10.put into his stomach eventually. He might have to have hip surgery, the

:40:11. > :40:16.cerebral palsy means his hips are not in position, that will worsen as

:40:17. > :40:19.he gets older. He was only working for one month -- walking for one

:40:20. > :40:22.month so his hips had not really formed, we are not sure whether he

:40:23. > :40:26.will be able to get back upright. He can't sit or hold his head about the

:40:27. > :40:31.moment but we are working on that with physio and he is showing signs

:40:32. > :40:35.of supporting his own head, who knows where he will end up? He has

:40:36. > :40:41.little seizures which distract from everything he is trying to do at the

:40:42. > :40:45.time. Some of his site is coming back, it is evolving? He is still

:40:46. > :40:49.recovering from meningitis, I have heard that the damage to the brain

:40:50. > :40:53.from the meningitis and the recovery period can take up to two McCready

:40:54. > :40:57.is, he is only two and a heart so his brain is just about thing

:40:58. > :41:01.anyway. The two things are in parallel so I think it will be a few

:41:02. > :41:05.years before we know what he can do and where he will end up, in terms

:41:06. > :41:10.of ability. Surgery is not scheduled on

:41:11. > :41:17.Christmas Day, but life happens. How often are you called in on Christmas

:41:18. > :41:20.Day? It's interesting, quite often.

:41:21. > :41:26.Within the neurosurgery department there would always be 18, 20 four

:41:27. > :41:29.sevenths, present at the hospital, and the consultants would always

:41:30. > :41:33.come in every day of the year to do rounds and see the patient. If

:41:34. > :41:38.emergency surgery needs to take place, there was always a consultant

:41:39. > :41:41.available. It is the nature of the work and the critical nature of the

:41:42. > :41:48.children that we need to provide that work. As I mentioned, it is

:41:49. > :41:53.really seeing kids recover which really just gives us all the energy

:41:54. > :41:58.to carry on year-on-year, on Christmas Day, the other days, it is

:41:59. > :42:02.an absolute pleasure to see how well Ben is doing.

:42:03. > :42:05.Viki, very different Christmas for you? We are really looking forward

:42:06. > :42:09.to it, not least because the boys are starting to understand. Someone

:42:10. > :42:13.is very excited and talks about it all the time, it will be lovely to

:42:14. > :42:18.have him at home and not do the juggling act and wondering what will

:42:19. > :42:22.happen every day at the hospital, I am looking forward rather than

:42:23. > :42:26.worrying about the day-to-day stuff. James, are you excited about

:42:27. > :42:33.Christmas? Are you looking forward to seeing Father Christmas? Yes. Had

:42:34. > :42:39.you asked for lots of presents? I don't think he understands the

:42:40. > :42:43.concept. He will when he gets them! It is great to talk to you all. Have

:42:44. > :42:46.a lovely Christmas. Thank you. Coming up, I've been speaking

:42:47. > :42:48.to Judy Murray about the incredible We also talked about her hopes

:42:49. > :42:52.for her granddaughter, the weather in Scotland and why

:42:53. > :42:55.she works so tirelessly to get Let's bring you up to date with

:42:56. > :43:10.Aleppo. There are reports an operation

:43:11. > :43:13.to evacuate civilians and rebel fighters from the eastern parts

:43:14. > :43:15.of the Syrian city of Aleppo Syrian officials have accused

:43:16. > :43:18.the rebel side of breaching According to the Russian defence

:43:19. > :43:22.ministry, more than six thousand people have left Aleppo

:43:23. > :43:24.since the operation We caught up with Zouhir Al Shimale

:43:25. > :43:31.earlier this week, who's a freelance He's posted this update

:43:32. > :43:35.on social media as he waited This is the last message I'm

:43:36. > :43:46.going to send from here. As you can see in the background,

:43:47. > :43:55.cars are heading to the area It's heartbreaking sending

:43:56. > :44:00.the last message for me, from my neighbourhood where I used

:44:01. > :44:02.to live and report A group of doctors is taking medical

:44:03. > :44:25.equipment to help build a hospital. It is hoped the hospital will help

:44:26. > :44:40.treat thousands of children Also travelling with her is British

:44:41. > :44:49.journalist Paul Conroy, he was injured in an attack in the Syrian

:44:50. > :44:52.city of Jess in 2012. -- city of Homs.

:44:53. > :44:55.We can also speak to two aid workers currently looking after Syrian

:44:56. > :44:58.refugees in the middle east - Dr Renee Bou raad in Beirut

:44:59. > :45:04.This was your idea, three weeks ago you had the idea that you wanted to

:45:05. > :45:08.get a crowdfunding campaign together to build a hospital? What made you

:45:09. > :45:12.think of doing that? It was approximately three weeks ago when

:45:13. > :45:16.the last remaining five hospitals in eastern Aleppo were bombed, I felt

:45:17. > :45:20.so incredibly devastated, I felt like I had lost a family member.

:45:21. > :45:23.I've been working on the humanitarian response in Syria in

:45:24. > :45:34.the last five years, this is the sixth hospital I am involved in

:45:35. > :45:37.building in Syria, I was so devastated at the tragedy of these

:45:38. > :45:40.war crimes, bombing a hospital is a war crime. We have documented over

:45:41. > :45:41.380 of them. I knew that so many people were feeling the

:45:42. > :45:44.powerlessness and devastation of wanting to do something for Syria

:45:45. > :45:49.but there was nothing to get behind, I wanted a bold, positive action,

:45:50. > :45:53.that is where the idea came from that I wanted to bring to life the

:45:54. > :45:58.issue of bombing of hospitals, so by building a new hospital, the last

:45:59. > :46:02.Children's Hospital in Aleppo was bombed, that's why a children's

:46:03. > :46:05.hospital was needed, and I thought that the governments were really

:46:06. > :46:08.failing. People want to and can act, this is our way of doing it. It was

:46:09. > :46:19.incredible. What are the logistics, how will you

:46:20. > :46:24.do it? Amazingly we raised over ?92,000 in eight days. So that will

:46:25. > :46:26.go to build a whole new hospital in the Aleppo countryside. We are

:46:27. > :46:33.taking on Saturday all of the equipment that will go to the

:46:34. > :46:35.hospital, ventilators, incubators, cots, stethoscopes, everything you

:46:36. > :46:40.need for a hospital and we will travel across Europe with it as a

:46:41. > :46:44.show of solidarity and support to the phenomenal and courageous Syrian

:46:45. > :46:48.doctors and humanitarians and we will hand over the equipment to the

:46:49. > :46:52.Syrian NGO independent doctors Association and they were set up the

:46:53. > :46:57.hospital so they will then take the equipment over the border from

:46:58. > :47:00.Turkey into Syria and setting of the hospital. As we speak we have been

:47:01. > :47:05.getting reports that the ceasefire in Aleppo, which has enabled people

:47:06. > :47:11.to be taken out of Eastern Aleppo in convoys has ended. The United

:47:12. > :47:16.Nations is now confirming that the operation to evacuate people from

:47:17. > :47:19.eastern Aleppo has ended. Elizabeth Hough, the UN representative in

:47:20. > :47:24.Syria, has just spoken at a news conference in Geneva a short while

:47:25. > :47:29.ago. Let's hear what she said. A few minutes ago the operation was

:47:30. > :47:34.aborted and the ICSC and WHO were informed to leave the area with

:47:35. > :47:40.ambulances and buses. No reason has been explained for

:47:41. > :47:50.this information. I would like to inform you that so far 147 patients

:47:51. > :47:59.have been received at the transit .2-macro. That's the confirmation

:48:00. > :48:05.that the ceasefire is over. Rola it underlines how changing the

:48:06. > :48:10.situation is, how volatile the situation is. You are obviously

:48:11. > :48:14.going to be going into this environment, this was on. You have

:48:15. > :48:21.been there before. Do you have concerns for your own safety? We

:48:22. > :48:25.will go to the Turkey- Syria border and colleagues will carry out the

:48:26. > :48:28.setting up of the hospital. Of course, being a doctor or a

:48:29. > :48:32.humanitarian has become one of the most dangerous jobs in the world,

:48:33. > :48:35.and certainly in Syria alongside being a journalist, and it just

:48:36. > :48:39.shows you the brutality and war crimes and scale of it that is

:48:40. > :48:44.happening. I am often getting asked that, aren't you worried that the

:48:45. > :48:53.hospital will get bombed, and the answer is absolutely, of course,

:48:54. > :48:55.that's ridiculous to say, hospital shouldn't be bombed, it is enshrined

:48:56. > :48:58.in humanitarian laws and that's why we need the United Nations and

:48:59. > :49:00.international community to put aside politics and ideologies and all of

:49:01. > :49:04.these things and say, there are international legal, moral and

:49:05. > :49:07.ethical standards that we need to uphold and these war crimes can't

:49:08. > :49:11.continue with impunity and it is only them provide the situation

:49:12. > :49:16.otherwise I fear for the lives of my colleagues every single day. Paul

:49:17. > :49:22.Conroy is a British journalist who will travel with the convoy. You

:49:23. > :49:27.were injured in Homs in Syria in 2012 in the same incident that

:49:28. > :49:33.killed Marie Colvin. You haven't been back. How are you feeling about

:49:34. > :49:40.going back? I'm feeling good about going back. I've spent five years

:49:41. > :49:46.from various hospital beds in England is doing what I can on the

:49:47. > :49:55.political side, on any side really, to keep the Syrian story on the news

:49:56. > :50:01.agenda. And when Roller called me to say do you want to take this convoy

:50:02. > :50:06.in I was delighted and instantly answered yes. With regards to the

:50:07. > :50:11.question you have just asked about the failed ceasefires and failed

:50:12. > :50:18.policies, don't forget we are sitting down and listening to people

:50:19. > :50:25.who are presidents, who in fact should be sitting behind jails and

:50:26. > :50:29.bars in the Hague and that is how close we are to finishing this

:50:30. > :50:33.conflict. We are no closer now than we were five years ago, and this

:50:34. > :50:41.government backed by Russia, backed by Iran, have no other policy other

:50:42. > :50:54.than to regain the whole of Syria no matter what cost. That cost is human

:50:55. > :50:58.life. You said that obviously you believe the hospital may well be

:50:59. > :51:00.targeted. What do you think you can achieve, if you go in and set

:51:01. > :51:06.something up and it's wiped out again? So, I think our job as medics

:51:07. > :51:10.and humanitarians is to save lives and we will not be stopped by war

:51:11. > :51:14.criminals from doing the life-saving work we need to do. I think that's

:51:15. > :51:20.the oath that we have taken as doctors and humanitarians to do

:51:21. > :51:25.that. Now we are calling upon everyone else, especially

:51:26. > :51:28.politicians, to do their job. It is our job to save lives and build

:51:29. > :51:32.hospitals but it is theirs to make sure hospitals don't get bombed. The

:51:33. > :51:37.fault is absolutely with the perpetrator and those who watch it

:51:38. > :51:42.and do nothing. I hold them responsible for the safety of my

:51:43. > :51:45.colleagues and of patients in the hospitals. I don't know if you have

:51:46. > :51:48.seen the images of hospitals being bombed while children are being

:51:49. > :51:53.treated by chemical attacks and chlorine gas attacks. It is a war

:51:54. > :51:57.crime laid upon a war crime and we are watching it all in real-time on

:51:58. > :52:07.our TV screens like a horror show and allowing it to continue. Renee

:52:08. > :52:16.Bou Raad, you work for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Aleppo. When people

:52:17. > :52:19.get to you after having gone through what they have enjoyed in Aleppo

:52:20. > :52:26.what sort of state are there in? Well, first of all, you can imagine

:52:27. > :52:33.these refugees first of all are fleeing immediate threat and danger

:52:34. > :52:37.to their own lives. They are packing anything they can get hold of. It

:52:38. > :52:40.could be basic clothing. Sometimes they don't even have their own

:52:41. > :52:45.personal documents with them and they are fleeing across the borders,

:52:46. > :52:49.so it could be a decision they take on the spot. Most of them come

:52:50. > :52:58.seeking shelter, they are in dire social economic need, they need

:52:59. > :53:08.health care, they need shelter. So it's a real humanitarian crisis for

:53:09. > :53:12.these refugees. The resilience that they have to have to get through

:53:13. > :53:18.having lived in that city for four years, seeing so much of it reduced

:53:19. > :53:20.to rubble, hospitals attacked, reports of chemical weapons attacks.

:53:21. > :53:29.The resilience must be extraordinary. Yes, absolutely. A

:53:30. > :53:32.lot of them, when you actually talk to some of the refugees and the

:53:33. > :53:38.patients in the clinics, most of them express the hope that one day

:53:39. > :53:43.they can return back to their country. But unfortunately, to what

:53:44. > :53:47.they are not sure they would be returning to. Most of their homes

:53:48. > :53:52.have been destroyed. But most of them, basically my now with the war

:53:53. > :53:58.going on for so long, really hope just to have a stable future for

:53:59. > :54:04.themselves and for their children as well, be that in Syria or anywhere

:54:05. > :54:12.else they can find. So they remain hopeful. Omar Gharebo, you are

:54:13. > :54:15.working in a refugee camp in Byzantium in Turkey. How many people

:54:16. > :54:32.are coming to you and what are the needs you are seeing? -- Gaziantep.

:54:33. > :54:44.More than 5000 are coming from Aleppo. They are coming to the city.

:54:45. > :54:56.All of the organisations are distributing refugees to other

:54:57. > :55:07.cities or other communities. We at Human Care and another organisation

:55:08. > :55:10.work hard to provide the needs of refugees coming from Aleppo, the

:55:11. > :55:17.needs of food, shelter or other needs. Paul Conroy, how important is

:55:18. > :55:22.it to you to be involved in this and to tell the story of what is

:55:23. > :55:25.happening there? Extremely important. Just going back to the

:55:26. > :55:30.point that these crimes have been going on for five years. Marie

:55:31. > :55:38.Colvin died reporting these crimes. This isn't a revelation what is

:55:39. > :55:43.happening, it has been documented for five years and the fact the

:55:44. > :55:49.international community has sat for five whole years. Can you imagine if

:55:50. > :55:52.there was a lone gunman going around London shooting people, the reaction

:55:53. > :55:57.there would be. And we are looking here at up to 500,000 people

:55:58. > :56:05.starved, killed, most of the population be housed, utter terror

:56:06. > :56:10.and chaos. The siege in Homs was medieval. They were starving, there

:56:11. > :56:15.was no water, there was no medicine. And what will happen, and I can

:56:16. > :56:19.guarantee this, and it sickens me to be able to guarantee it, that once

:56:20. > :56:22.the siege of Aleppo is completely broken, what happens then is all of

:56:23. > :56:27.those forces that were surrounding the town of Aleppo then open up and

:56:28. > :56:31.fan out into the countryside and what we have next is the scorched

:56:32. > :56:36.earth policy. They will go through that province and they will not be a

:56:37. > :56:45.building standing. And we will sit and watch it on television. The idea

:56:46. > :56:52.of being the opportunity to go back to in many ways repair debt, lots of

:56:53. > :56:55.people died getting out of Syria, and I feel to keep this story alive

:56:56. > :57:01.and keep this News going is very, very important to me. Thank you very

:57:02. > :57:05.much. I want to read out a couple of comments.

:57:06. > :57:10.The UK must allow full resettlement of all Aleppo refugees and full NHS

:57:11. > :57:13.medical treatment. Sydney e-mailed: huge respect for the work being done

:57:14. > :57:17.to help these poor people. Shame the great and good and those with

:57:18. > :57:21.responsibilities are still letting them and their own humanity down.

:57:22. > :57:25.Thank you for joining us. And good luck with the convoy.

:57:26. > :57:29.Coming up: the charity single recorded in the memory of murdered

:57:30. > :57:33.MP Jo Cox is released today. We will speak to two members of the London

:57:34. > :57:41.hospices choir also hoping for the top spot this year, and one of last

:57:42. > :57:44.year's winners from the NHS choir. Just to remind you, this is our last

:57:45. > :57:49.live programme for the Christmas break. We will be back on Tuesday

:57:50. > :57:53.3rd of January. In a moment we will have the news and sport but first

:57:54. > :57:57.let's catch up with the weather with Sarah Keith-Lucas.

:57:58. > :58:04.It has been a gloomy start, we have missed and fog patches around but

:58:05. > :58:08.not everywhere, there was some brightness out there. Here is a

:58:09. > :58:11.scene captured by a weather watcher in North Somerset, so certainly some

:58:12. > :58:15.spells of sunshine but for most of us it is a cloudy picture, that's

:58:16. > :58:18.because the cloud has been working in from the Atlantic, this weather

:58:19. > :58:21.front draped across northern and western parts of the country, clear

:58:22. > :58:25.spells for central and eastern areas but here we have mist and fog around

:58:26. > :58:29.through the morning. As we had through today the weather front will

:58:30. > :58:32.clear away from Northern Ireland, so the rain pushing away towards the

:58:33. > :58:35.east. Much of Scotland will see a pretty damp picture through much of

:58:36. > :58:39.the day. They return to brighter skies when the front clears to the

:58:40. > :58:43.east, across Northern Ireland and the west of Scotland, and improving

:58:44. > :58:46.picture. Central and eastern Scotland, cloudy with outbreaks of

:58:47. > :58:50.rain, nothing particularly heavy but the rain is slow-moving, and a few

:58:51. > :58:54.spots of rain in the north-west of England and north-west Wales.

:58:55. > :58:58.Further south across Wales, Devon, Cornwall, quite a lot of cloud and

:58:59. > :59:02.reasonably mild, 12 degrees or so, but not as mild as recent days. Dry

:59:03. > :59:06.with a little hazy sunshine breaking through across central and eastern

:59:07. > :59:09.parts of England when the fog clears. This evening and overnight

:59:10. > :59:12.the weather front makes its way further south across the country,

:59:13. > :59:15.tending to peter out as it does so, suggest a band of cloud, drizzle and

:59:16. > :59:20.mist and fog in the South once again. By tomorrow morning you have

:59:21. > :59:23.blue colours across Northern Ireland and Scotland, and it will be a

:59:24. > :59:26.frosty morning, something we have not seen for a little while across

:59:27. > :59:29.Northern Ireland and Scotland, also chilly across parts of the North of

:59:30. > :59:35.England. Further south a different feel, still the mild and murky air

:59:36. > :59:39.with quite a lot of cloud, mist and fog. Further north in many parts of

:59:40. > :59:42.the country have a pretty decent looking day, despite temperatures of

:59:43. > :59:45.six or 7 degrees, there will be sunshine to compensate for Stuckless

:59:46. > :59:51.in the way of sunshine further south but temperatures in double figures.

:59:52. > :59:54.The is looking quite, the weather front building from the south

:59:55. > :59:57.keeping weather fronts at bay in the far north, breezy with the odd

:59:58. > :00:01.shower across the far north of Scotland but elsewhere it is a quite

:00:02. > :00:04.picture through the day on Sunday. Again, we could see mist, frost and

:00:05. > :00:08.fog first thing and then variable amounts of cloud. There will be

:00:09. > :00:12.brightness breaking through at times so a usable date if you have plans

:00:13. > :00:15.command temperatures around eight or 9 degrees. It could be mild up

:00:16. > :00:20.towards the north-east of Scotland by the time we get a Sunday. Next

:00:21. > :00:23.week after that fairly quiet spell of whether things will turn much

:00:24. > :00:27.more unsettled into the lead up to Christmas. You can find more detail

:00:28. > :00:31.on the Weather for the Week Ahead by heading to our website.

:00:32. > :00:34.I'm Joanna Gosling, welcome to the programme.

:00:35. > :00:38.An operation to evacuate civilians and rebel fighters from the eastern

:00:39. > :00:43.parts of the Syrian city of Aleppo has been suspended.

:00:44. > :00:46.It's not yet clear what triggered the suspension - one unconfirmed

:00:47. > :00:55.report spoke of blasts being heard in the area where evacuees

:00:56. > :01:03.I spoke to Judy Murray about the incredible

:01:04. > :01:07.We also talked about her hopes for her granddaughter,

:01:08. > :01:10.the weather in Scotland and why she works so tirelessly to get

:01:11. > :01:15.I realise how much harder you have to make things work in women's Bart

:01:16. > :01:18.-- had to work to make things happen in women's sport than men's, and the

:01:19. > :01:24.majority of decision-makers, certainly within tennis, our guys.

:01:25. > :01:30.Strictly reaches its crescendo tomorrow night, we will be joined by

:01:31. > :01:33.one of the professionals and the former contestant infamously shot

:01:34. > :01:35.out of a cannon, Russell Grant, to talk about who they think will win.

:01:36. > :01:38.Here's Annita in the BBC Newsroom with a summary of today's news.

:01:39. > :01:43.The evacuation of civilians and fighters from the Syrian city

:01:44. > :01:47.Reports on Syrian State Television say that rebels opened fire

:01:48. > :01:50.on a convoy at one of the crossing points of the rebel-held enclave.

:01:51. > :01:52.Around 3000 people, including hundreds of children,

:01:53. > :01:56.were transported out of the city yesterday.

:01:57. > :02:02.I World Health Organisation official has told reporters that a planned

:02:03. > :02:03.evacuation of the sick and wounded had been halted on the orders of

:02:04. > :02:05.Russian forces. It's thought there are 50,000 people

:02:06. > :02:09.still waiting to leave. President Barack Obama has said

:02:10. > :02:11.the US will take action against Russia for what he calls

:02:12. > :02:24.interfering in the US election. The White House has said Russian

:02:25. > :02:25.President Vladimir Putin knew about the hacking of Democratic Party

:02:26. > :02:27.e-mail accounts during the campaign. The Kremlin says the

:02:28. > :02:29.claims are nonsense. A Royal Marine found guilty

:02:30. > :02:31.of murdering an injured Afghan fighter is today asking senior

:02:32. > :02:33.judges to grant him bail. Sergeant Alexander Blackman -

:02:34. > :02:35.known as Marine A - was jailed in 2013 and sentenced

:02:36. > :02:38.to life imprisonment He has been granted the right

:02:39. > :02:48.to appeal his conviction. The Gambling Commission has fined

:02:49. > :02:50.the lottery operator Camelot It's after the company

:02:51. > :02:53.paid out prize money to a fraudster, without doing

:02:54. > :02:56.a thorough investigation. Most of the penalty represents

:02:57. > :02:58.the ?2.5 million that would have been given to good causes

:02:59. > :03:06.if the prize had not been paid. Camelot say they won't be appealing

:03:07. > :03:10.the decision. Theresa May has told EU leaders

:03:11. > :03:13.that she wants an early agreement on the status of British people

:03:14. > :03:15.living on the continent, She was talking ahead of the latest

:03:16. > :03:19.Brexit talks in Brussels. The leaders of the other 27

:03:20. > :03:21.member states agreed that the European Parliament

:03:22. > :03:23.would have a formal role That's a summary of the latest BBC

:03:24. > :03:32.News - more at 10.30am. Thank you very much, any two. --

:03:33. > :03:40.Anita This is our last programme before

:03:41. > :03:42.we break for Christmas. Do get in touch with us

:03:43. > :03:46.throughout the morning - If you text, you will be charged

:03:47. > :03:50.at the standard network rate. she is still sparkling, lovely!

:03:51. > :03:56.Good morning. They've just come back out after tea

:03:57. > :03:58.in Chennai where England's cricketers are playing for pride

:03:59. > :04:01.in the 5th and final Captain Alastair Cook won

:04:02. > :04:05.the toss and decided to bat. It didn't start well though -

:04:06. > :04:08.They were 21-2, after Cook and his opening partner

:04:09. > :04:10.Keaton Jennings were both dismissed. Joe Root and Moeen Ali took

:04:11. > :04:15.the run tally up to 167, before Root was controversially

:04:16. > :04:19.given out on 88. The Yorkshireman livid to have

:04:20. > :04:30.been judged to have got He kicked the boundary as he left.

:04:31. > :04:34.England have moved on to 241-3 in the final session of the day, Ali is

:04:35. > :04:35.on 87, Jonny Bairstow on 45. Valterri Bottas is in line

:04:36. > :04:38.to become Lewis Hamilton's new Mercedes team mate,

:04:39. > :04:39.to replace retired world The Williams team have said they'd

:04:40. > :04:43.be willing to release Bottas IF they can find a "credible

:04:44. > :04:47.alternative", as they put it, 27-year-old Bottas has been

:04:48. > :04:51.on the podium 9 times in his career, but is

:04:52. > :04:53.yet to win a race. And his best finish in

:04:54. > :04:55.the Drivers Championship is fourth. Mercedes say they won't be making

:04:56. > :04:59.any official announcements about their new driver,

:05:00. > :05:01.until the 3rd of January Ronnie O'Sullivan is through

:05:02. > :05:04.to the quarter-finals He'll now play a very

:05:05. > :05:09.in-form John Higgins, who won two matches yesterday

:05:10. > :05:17.without losing a frame. The five-time world champion

:05:18. > :05:18.O'Sullivan, beat fellow Englishman Mark Allen

:05:19. > :05:20.by four frames to two, O'Sullivan and Higgins last played

:05:21. > :05:26.each other last month in the Champions of Champions final

:05:27. > :05:40.where Higgins won 10-7. That's all the sport now, I will be

:05:41. > :05:43.back with the headlines and my sparkly Christmas jumper at just

:05:44. > :05:48.after half past. Thank you, see you later. We will

:05:49. > :05:52.keep you updated on Aleppo. It has been confirmed that the evacuation

:05:53. > :05:58.operation to get civilians out of eastern Aleppo has been suspended,

:05:59. > :06:04.not entirely clear why. But buses were able to take civilians and

:06:05. > :06:07.children and injured people and also rebels out of eastern Aleppo

:06:08. > :06:12.yesterday on buses, but that operation has been suspended this

:06:13. > :06:15.morning, we will keep you updated on the latest.

:06:16. > :06:20.Now, it has been quite a year for the Murrays. Andy and brother Jamie

:06:21. > :06:23.were both ranked number one, Andy in the men's singles and Jamie in the

:06:24. > :06:28.doubles. Andy became a dad for the first time at Cheney received an

:06:29. > :06:33.OBE. Two Brothers achieving this agenda senior will make for family

:06:34. > :06:37.harmony and no and no fighting this Christmas, according to them. I

:06:38. > :06:40.spoke about their remarkable achievements and why she is

:06:41. > :06:44.desperate for some long-awaited family time, and to find out more

:06:45. > :06:47.about her ongoing campaign to get more young girls into tennis. I

:06:48. > :06:57.asked her why she thinks that girls are reluctant.

:06:58. > :06:59.The programme that I set up is called Miss-Hits,

:07:00. > :07:02.and it's a fun and starter programme for girls aged five to eight.

:07:03. > :07:05.I realised when I was just started doing the Fed Cup captain job,

:07:06. > :07:08.which is basically captaining the women's team, that we have a big

:07:09. > :07:10.problem in getting girls into our sport.

:07:11. > :07:12.There's so many other things now competing for little girls'

:07:13. > :07:15.attention that our sport was, when we did the research, it was,

:07:16. > :07:17."I don't like tennis because it's too difficult",

:07:18. > :07:20."I don't like tennis because I get cold", ie it's outside,

:07:21. > :07:23."I don't like tennis because I don't like being

:07:24. > :07:26.Boys are more noisy and more physical, more

:07:27. > :07:31.So we looked at all the things that were maybe barriers or things that

:07:32. > :07:33.would put girls off, and realised that we have

:07:34. > :07:35.to make our sport more fun, more stimulating,

:07:36. > :07:40.So I set about creating a programme to try and solve that,

:07:41. > :07:43.but the other problem that it will start to solve

:07:44. > :07:46.is it is delivered by female coaches and could also be delivered

:07:47. > :07:49.by non-coaches, it could be delivered by teachers

:07:50. > :07:51.or mums or students, because we significantly have

:07:52. > :07:54.to increase our female coach workforce, in order to retain more

:07:55. > :08:01.Simply because girls are different from boys,

:08:02. > :08:05.and female teachers and coaches understand better how girls tick.

:08:06. > :08:12.Just prior to coming along to meet us you were at

:08:13. > :08:15.the Lawn Tennis Association talking about these sorts of issues.

:08:16. > :08:19.Why do you feel it incumbent on you to be pushing this stuff?

:08:20. > :08:22.Because you spend a huge amount of time doing it, don't you?

:08:23. > :08:27.I think obviously when I was doing the Fed Cup job, I stopped doing

:08:28. > :08:30.that in February this year, but I realised how much harder

:08:31. > :08:34.you have to work to make things happen on the women's side of any

:08:35. > :08:37.sport, compared to the men's, and also very aware that

:08:38. > :08:40.the majority of the decision-makers, certainly within our sport,

:08:41. > :08:48.They don't necessarily realise that dealing with girls and women

:08:49. > :08:54.We tick in completely different ways.

:08:55. > :08:59.So if I can explain that a little bit better...

:09:00. > :09:04.It's like if we don't have women in decision-making positions,

:09:05. > :09:07.then largely everything gets created to suit men and boys, and that

:09:08. > :09:18.I see such a huge opportunity for tennis to grow a lot,

:09:19. > :09:22.because of what's happened with Andy and Jamie's success,

:09:23. > :09:26.with Davis Cup success, and now with Johanna Konta breaking

:09:27. > :09:29.into the top ten there's a buzz about the women's side of the game.

:09:30. > :09:32.I just see it as a big opportunity to grow that side.

:09:33. > :09:35.I'm wondering if there is a part of you that looks back

:09:36. > :09:39.at the girl that used to play tennis professionally?

:09:40. > :09:42.You stopped after school and then went on to university and did

:09:43. > :09:46.something else completely and then got back into tennis.

:09:47. > :09:48.I wonder when you're sort of looking at the young girls

:09:49. > :09:51.now going out there, whether there is an element

:09:52. > :09:53.in you that looks that, perhaps, the fact you could have gone

:09:54. > :09:56.on to have been a successful player, had you had the sort

:09:57. > :10:00.of support you're now talking about giving girls today?

:10:01. > :10:05.I grew up playing tennis in Scotland, where we have terrible

:10:06. > :10:08.weather and we had no indoor courts when I was young, so you played

:10:09. > :10:10.tennis in the summer, and you played badminton

:10:11. > :10:13.I played for Scotland at both of those sports,

:10:14. > :10:17.which is no great shakes because tennis particularly

:10:18. > :10:20.is a minority sport, not many people played it.

:10:21. > :10:24.So I think, for me, when I left school and I wanted

:10:25. > :10:27.to try and play tennis, I had to go out on my own.

:10:28. > :10:30.My dad had his own business, my mum was looking after my two

:10:31. > :10:33.younger brothers, so I had to travel overseas on my own, no coach,

:10:34. > :10:39.This was in the days of no mobile phones, no ATM machines,

:10:40. > :10:43.the coin phone boxes, etc etc, wiring money to the post

:10:44. > :10:52.So we'll never know how good I might have been,

:10:53. > :10:54.but my point really is there were no opportunities, there

:10:55. > :10:59.You just had to go out and find it on your own.

:11:00. > :11:02.Your boys have achieved brilliant things, particularly this year has

:11:03. > :11:06.Andy number one in the men's singles, Jamie number

:11:07. > :11:11.When you look at them and you look at what you've achieved,

:11:12. > :11:14.at what they've achieved, what do you think?

:11:15. > :11:18.You know, it's amazing what they've done, it's amazing they did

:11:19. > :11:22.It's great for family harmony and no fighting at Christmas,

:11:23. > :11:34.I think when I go home and I pass our tennis club in Dunblane,

:11:35. > :11:36.it's four artificial grass courts with some floodlights, it's nearly

:11:37. > :11:41.But against that backdrop of no track record of tennis

:11:42. > :11:45.in our country, minority sport, terrible weather, very limited

:11:46. > :11:49.indoor facilities and just a number of people who were really passionate

:11:50. > :11:57.to try and create opportunities for young players to develop.

:11:58. > :12:00.They've come through that, and they've ended up at the very top

:12:01. > :12:07.It's, it really is remarkable what they've achieved.

:12:08. > :12:11.Pat Rafter is questioning whether Andy can keep his

:12:12. > :12:13.form going next year, and whether Novak Djokovic starts

:12:14. > :12:24.It's one thing getting to the top or near the top,

:12:25. > :12:28.It brings an added pressure, but it's a new situation,

:12:29. > :12:32.it's a new experience and you have to learn to deal with that.

:12:33. > :12:35.The one thing I do know about both of the boys,

:12:36. > :12:40.is that the more they gain the success, the harder they work.

:12:41. > :12:43.They know they have to, to stay up there, but it's

:12:44. > :12:46.almost like it drives them on to want to achieve even more.

:12:47. > :12:50.It would have been easy for both of them at the end of this

:12:51. > :12:52.season to have gone, that's it, we've done it now,

:12:53. > :12:55.It's almost like right, now, what's next?

:12:56. > :13:04.So are you saying potentially even bigger and better and next year?

:13:05. > :13:08.I think it would be hard to be better than this year.

:13:09. > :13:11.I think so many great things happen and this year for them,

:13:12. > :13:18.There's just so many great things that happened.

:13:19. > :13:21.But I know that they'll be as driven, if not more driven,

:13:22. > :13:29.I'm actually just quite happy to, I'd be quite happy to have a bit

:13:30. > :13:32.more time at home with them, a bit more normal family time,

:13:33. > :13:35.because that's the sort of thing that goes out of the window

:13:36. > :13:38.when your kids do a job like this and they're not

:13:39. > :13:42.Where do they get that inner strength, and than that resilience,

:13:43. > :13:44.and that mental strength that, as you say, is as important

:13:45. > :13:51.When you're doing particularly a sport that is a solitary sport,

:13:52. > :13:56.very difficult and demanding being out there on the road.

:13:57. > :13:59.I think both of them have had struggles from time to time

:14:00. > :14:04.at different stages of their career, for completely different reasons.

:14:05. > :14:07.I think the thing about staying at the top of whatever you do,

:14:08. > :14:12.whether it's a sport or a profession or an art, is that you have to be

:14:13. > :14:17.in a really good place mentally, in your life.

:14:18. > :14:21.Their wives are incredibly supportive wives, fantastic wives.

:14:22. > :14:23.They're both so, so lucky in that respect.

:14:24. > :14:27.And family, of course, the people who are around you,

:14:28. > :14:29.you're a product of your environment, so it's

:14:30. > :14:31.very, very important that you have the right

:14:32. > :14:38.I wanted to talk to you about a wider issue in sport right

:14:39. > :14:41.now, the sexual abuse allegations in football.

:14:42. > :14:43.The former tennis player Andrew Castle has said

:14:44. > :14:47.that there may have been the same sort of culture in tennis.

:14:48. > :14:55.I think probably every sport could find you examples of that

:14:56. > :15:04.You know, it's impossible to rule everyone out, but I know that,

:15:05. > :15:07.certainly within tennis in the UK, every coach who goes

:15:08. > :15:10.through a qualification has to be licensed and vetted,

:15:11. > :15:17.I can't remember what it's called now, it used to be called a CRB

:15:18. > :15:20.check, I think it's called a DBS check or something now.

:15:21. > :15:23.But, I mean, there's always going to be rogue people out there,

:15:24. > :15:29.and you have to do whatever you can to eliminate that.

:15:30. > :15:32.But you always hear, you would always hear stories,

:15:33. > :15:35.and I know of some instances where that kind of thing has

:15:36. > :15:47.You know, trying to help the kids to understand that

:15:48. > :15:53.if something isn't right, they must speak up and they must

:15:54. > :15:55.tell people and they mustn't hold it to themselves for years

:15:56. > :16:04.There's been some talk that Andy may get a knighthood.

:16:05. > :16:07.He is also the favourite in BBC's Sports Personality of the Year

:16:08. > :16:24.He's not interested in the fame and fortune -

:16:25. > :16:26.it's always been about working hard and trying to achieve

:16:27. > :16:34.So those are the things that are important to him.

:16:35. > :16:40.He got an OBE the year that he won Wimbledon in 2013.

:16:41. > :16:42.I know he's said he feels he's too young for something

:16:43. > :16:45.like a knighthood, and I certainly don't fancy calling him Sir Andy!

:16:46. > :16:50.What sort of age would you be thinking about putting a tennis

:16:51. > :16:52.racket in a child's nand, in your granddaughter's hand,

:16:53. > :16:57.I'm not sure I would be looking to do that, to be honest!

:16:58. > :16:59.I would much rather teach her to dance.

:17:00. > :17:05.I can't think of anything worse for her.

:17:06. > :17:08.Could you imagine being the child of some well-known tennis player?

:17:09. > :17:11.I mean every other kid in the block is going to want

:17:12. > :17:16.I think it would be ghastly. I hope she does something else.

:17:17. > :17:20.He's great, yeah, he's great, he's very hands-on, very

:17:21. > :17:26.When you did Strictly, do you feel that changed

:17:27. > :17:33.I was a huge Strictly fan, so it wasn't something I ever

:17:34. > :17:36.imagined I would get the chance to do.

:17:37. > :17:39.I really wanted to do it because of loving the show,

:17:40. > :17:51.I couldn't tell you the last time that I had done

:17:52. > :18:02.I think, for me, it did let a lot of people see that I was...

:18:03. > :18:05.I was going to say perfectly normal, but I'm maybe not perfectly,

:18:06. > :18:09.I'd say the vast majority of the public would only see in that

:18:10. > :18:11.incredibly stressful situation, that is the player box at Wimbledon

:18:12. > :18:14.or one of the slams, where the cameras always find you.

:18:15. > :18:17.And it goes without saying you would be so incredibly proud of your boys.

:18:18. > :18:25.I think they were quite funny when I was doing Strictly,

:18:26. > :18:28.because when I said to them, look, I've been asked to do

:18:29. > :18:35.Jamie said, oh mum, you love Strictly, go for it.

:18:36. > :18:37.Andy just went, oh my God, you'll be awful!

:18:38. > :18:41.But I think they were concerned for me, that perhaps it didn't go

:18:42. > :18:45.But as I went on through the competition, they were loving

:18:46. > :18:47.seeing me dressed up, loving the fact that

:18:48. > :18:50.I was enjoying myself, and also that people were saying

:18:51. > :18:53.Because probably for most of their careers people weren't

:18:54. > :18:55.saying particularly nice things about me.

:18:56. > :18:58.Had to put up with a lot of bad media over the years, I think,

:18:59. > :19:06.for being the competitive mum, and in many peoples lives

:19:07. > :19:09.for being the competitive mum, and in many people's eyes

:19:10. > :19:15.But this has all changed now and Strictly probably has

:19:16. > :19:19.a part to do with that, maybe the Fed Cup and maybe the fact

:19:20. > :19:21.just that the boys are successful and that people now realise

:19:22. > :19:25.what I do, in terms of trying to pay back into our own sport.

:19:26. > :19:32.Judy Murray, an amazing woman, very glad to have met her, she is working

:19:33. > :19:36.tirelessly to promote women's tennis. She is also obviously a

:19:37. > :19:38.great mum as well with those incredibly successful boys.

:19:39. > :19:42.Well, you can watch the BBC Sports Personality of the Year

:19:43. > :19:44.awards on BBC One on Sunday at 6.40pm.

:19:45. > :19:46.The full list of nominees are Andy Murray, Nicola Adams,

:19:47. > :19:48.Gareth Bale, Alistair Brownlee, Sophie Christiansen,

:19:49. > :19:51.Kadeena Cox, Mo Farah, Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny,

:19:52. > :19:54.Adam Peaty, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Nick Skelton, Dame Sarah Storey,

:19:55. > :19:56.Jamie Vardy, Max Whitlock, Danny Willett.

:19:57. > :20:10.We will talk more about Strictly later, Judy had her on the starring

:20:11. > :20:11.role on it. We will get into the Strictly groove later as we look

:20:12. > :20:13.forward to the final this weekend. Let's get more on the story

:20:14. > :20:16.that's been developing The operation to evacuate civilians

:20:17. > :20:20.and rebel fighters from the eastern parts of the Syrian city of Aleppo

:20:21. > :20:28.has been suspended. Our correspondent Lina Sinjab

:20:29. > :20:37.is in Beirut for us now, The Syrian government announced that

:20:38. > :20:44.the operation has been suspended. It says it blames the hold on rebel

:20:45. > :20:52.fighters and claiming they have opened fire on the buses of the

:20:53. > :20:56.convoy at the crossing point. The rebel fighters blamed the shooting

:20:57. > :21:00.on the government. There's a pro-government militias are the ones

:21:01. > :21:02.that opened fire on the convoy. All that we know now is that the

:21:03. > :21:08.operation has been suspended for now. It has also been confirmed by

:21:09. > :21:12.the Red Cross that there were some preparations in the morning

:21:13. > :21:16.announced by the Russian Ministry of Defence that the evacuation will

:21:17. > :21:20.resume and more will leave today but that is all on hold at the moment.

:21:21. > :21:24.All that we know is that lots of efforts have been going on behind

:21:25. > :21:28.the scene to resume these operations. Many people, some 50,000

:21:29. > :21:35.people trapped in East Aleppo, are hoping to leave the east of Aleppo

:21:36. > :21:42.including rebel fighters. But so far little details are available about

:21:43. > :21:45.what has caused this halt and what will happen next. We know that this

:21:46. > :21:51.operation is simultaneously organised with the evacuation of

:21:52. > :21:55.some two villages in Idlib that are besieged by the rebels and there are

:21:56. > :22:00.reports as well that the operation there has also been stopped. We are

:22:01. > :22:05.waiting for more details about that. Lots of efforts going on for this

:22:06. > :22:27.operation to resume and not to stop completely. Lina Sinjab reporting.

:22:28. > :22:29.Elizabeth Hoff, of the World Health Organisation

:22:30. > :22:30.representative in Syria updated the UN news conference

:22:31. > :22:35.Two minutes ago the operation was aborted and the ICSC, Sarc and WHO

:22:36. > :22:38.were informed to leave the area with the ambulances and buses.

:22:39. > :22:39.No reason has been explained for this

:22:40. > :22:43.I would like to inform you that so far 147 patients have

:22:44. > :22:48.The worrying part for us at the moment

:22:49. > :23:00.the besieged enclaves of East Aleppo, the remaining

:23:01. > :23:02.besieged enclave where the evacuation has been going on,

:23:03. > :23:04.there are still high numbers of women and infants,

:23:05. > :23:08.children under five, that need to get out.

:23:09. > :23:12.They have been collecting themselves at

:23:13. > :23:15.the points where the buses and ambulances were waiting for them.

:23:16. > :23:18.But now with the operation aborted they will have to go

:23:19. > :23:32.because we know that they are desperate.

:23:33. > :23:41.Elizabeth Hoff with the latest on the evacuation. How did we get to

:23:42. > :23:43.today's devastating situation in Aleppo? Let's look back at the

:23:44. > :23:45.events of the last few years and hear from those living in the city

:23:46. > :23:49.through this single War. The situation inside

:23:50. > :25:41.Aleppo is doomsday. I might die just now,

:25:42. > :25:45.while speaking to you. The situation now is getting

:25:46. > :25:47.horrifically intensified, No one can imagine what

:25:48. > :25:57.happened inside Aleppo, We hope that, we really hope

:25:58. > :26:02.to have a ceasefire soon, because these people now

:26:03. > :26:09.who are dying here... The situation here is

:26:10. > :26:20.a real catastrophe. It might be one of the worst,

:26:21. > :26:23.you know, humanitarian Zouhir, are you comfortable

:26:24. > :26:28.with continuing to talk to us, I can't move anywhere else,

:26:29. > :26:35.there is nowhere else safe This is a shame on the world,

:26:36. > :26:44.because it is 2016 and people are getting burned to death,

:26:45. > :26:46.suffocated to death I don't believe any more

:26:47. > :26:54.in the United Nations. Don't believe any more

:26:55. > :27:01.in the international community. Don't think that they are not

:27:02. > :27:07.satisfied with what's going on... They are satisfied that

:27:08. > :27:12.we are being killed. That we are facing one

:27:13. > :27:17.of the most difficult, or the most serious,

:27:18. > :27:24.or the most horrible massacre There is an urgent need

:27:25. > :28:04.for humanitarian teams to be deployed and given unfettered access

:28:05. > :28:07.to Aleppo, once government forces We are beginning to learn

:28:08. > :28:16.the price of not intervening. There are other solutions,

:28:17. > :28:21.such as using unmanned drones If we do nothing, if we just stand

:28:22. > :28:25.by and watch, then thousands more people in Syria will die in agony,

:28:26. > :28:29.and millions in Britain will live They would make every effort

:28:30. > :28:33.to shoot down a British plane. The tragedy in Aleppo did not

:28:34. > :28:44.come out of a vacuum, it was created by a vacuum -

:28:45. > :28:48.a vacuum of Western leadership, of American leadership,

:28:49. > :31:55.British leadership. we have an update on the journalist

:31:56. > :32:00.who you saw in that film, he has left Aleppo. He posted this update

:32:01. > :32:07.on social media as he waited early this morning to leave the city.

:32:08. > :32:15.It is nearly 6am now, I am near the office. I am waiting to go now, this

:32:16. > :32:20.is the last message. I am willing to leave now. As you can see from the

:32:21. > :32:24.background, cars are heading towards the area where people are

:32:25. > :32:29.assembling. It is heartbreaking sending the last message for me from

:32:30. > :32:37.the neighbourhood where I used to live and report from and work from.

:32:38. > :32:39.That journalist, prior to leaving eastern Aleppo this morning before

:32:40. > :32:45.the evacuation operation was suspended. We will keep you up to

:32:46. > :32:47.date with what is happening in Aleppo. Also...

:32:48. > :32:49.The National Lottery operator, Camelot has been fined ?3 million

:32:50. > :32:52.by the Gambling Commission for paying out on a fraudulent

:32:53. > :32:58.We'll get the very latest from our correspondent John Moylan.

:32:59. > :33:02.The charity single recorded in memory of the murdered MP

:33:03. > :33:06.We'll be speaking to two members of The London Hospices Choir,

:33:07. > :33:14.who are also hoping for the top spot this year.

:33:15. > :33:17.Here's Annita in the BBC Newsroom with a summary of today's news.

:33:18. > :33:21.The evacuation of civilians and fighters from the Syrian city

:33:22. > :33:26.Reports on Syrian State Television say that rebels opened fire

:33:27. > :33:32.on a convoy at one of the crossing points of the rebel-held enclave.

:33:33. > :33:34.The World Health Organisation official has told reporters that a

:33:35. > :33:37.planned evacuation of the sick and wounded has been halted

:33:38. > :33:41.Around 3000 people, including hundreds of children,

:33:42. > :33:43.were transported out of the city yesterday.

:33:44. > :33:48.It's thought there are 50,000 people still waiting to leave.

:33:49. > :33:51.President Barack Obama has said the US will take action

:33:52. > :33:55.against Russia for what he calls interfering in the US election.

:33:56. > :33:58.The White House has said Russian President Vladimir Putin knew about

:33:59. > :34:02.the hacking of Democratic Party e-mail accounts during the campaign.

:34:03. > :34:05.Russia has been accused of hacking the emails of the Democratic Party

:34:06. > :34:08.The Kremlin says the claims are nonsense.

:34:09. > :34:10.A Royal Marine found guilty of murdering an injured Afghan

:34:11. > :34:13.fighter is today asking senior judges to grant him bail.

:34:14. > :34:15.Sergeant Alexander Blackman - known as Marine A -

:34:16. > :34:17.was jailed in 2013 and sentenced to life imprisonment

:34:18. > :34:24.He has been granted the right to appeal his conviction.

:34:25. > :34:28.Theresa May has told EU leaders that she wants an early agreement

:34:29. > :34:31.EDF Energy plans to cut gas prices from January but will increase

:34:32. > :34:35.It will reduce variable gas prices by 5.2% on 6 January,

:34:36. > :34:40.then will raise electricity bills by 8.4% on 1 March.

:34:41. > :34:45.After both changes, EDF's dual fuel customers will pay 1.2% more a year,

:34:46. > :34:53.taking their energy costs to ?1,082.

:34:54. > :34:58.That's a summary of the latest news, join me for BBC

:34:59. > :35:04.England's cricketers are playing for pride in the fifth

:35:05. > :35:19.Captain Alastair Cook won the toss, opted to bat. They are currently

:35:20. > :35:24.262-4. Johnny Wickett -- Jonny Bairstow was the last wicket to fall

:35:25. > :35:25.for 49, Moeen Ali just got his century.

:35:26. > :35:28.Valtteri Bottas is being lined up to replace retired world champion

:35:29. > :35:31.Williams say they are prepared to release the 27-year-old

:35:32. > :35:33.if an experienced, credible alternative is available.

:35:34. > :35:35.And Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to the quarter-finals

:35:36. > :35:37.of the Scottish Open snooker in Glasgow.

:35:38. > :35:41.He'll now play a very in-form John Higgins who won two matches

:35:42. > :35:51.I'll have more sport on the News Channel throughout the day.

:35:52. > :35:57.That is it for sport on Victoria Derbyshire over 2016.

:35:58. > :36:00.Thank you very much, Jessica. It's the great Christmas

:36:01. > :36:02.chart debate again. Last year it was the Lewisham

:36:03. > :36:04.and Greenwich NHS Choir who dominated the charts

:36:05. > :36:07.with A Bridge Over You after fighting off fierce competition

:36:08. > :36:09.from US popstar Justin Bieber. Five years before that,

:36:10. > :36:12.it was the turn of the Military Wives and Gareth Malone's Wherever

:36:13. > :36:14.You Are, which raised money for the Royal British Legion -

:36:15. > :36:18.selling more than 556,000 copies But battling for the top spot this

:36:19. > :36:25.year are the unlikely rivals MP4 - a band made up of musicians and MPs

:36:26. > :36:28.who have come together to record a Rolling Stones Classic in tribute

:36:29. > :36:33.to the murdered MP Jo Cox - Let's take a look at

:36:34. > :36:48.the other contenders. And those two.

:36:49. > :36:55.# What will they do now? # When Christmas comes around?

:36:56. > :36:58.# We were so in love. The Rec until I missed it up.

:36:59. > :37:03.# You can't always get what you want.

:37:04. > :37:08.# No, you can't always get what you want.

:37:09. > :37:17.# You can't always get what you want.

:37:18. > :37:23.# If every day was Christmas, and there was no all year.

:37:24. > :37:37.# Fires started blazing by. # I'd be with my girl tonight.

:37:38. > :37:45.# Say it loud, say it's clear. # Don't delay. Some pretty good

:37:46. > :37:46.offerings! With me now is Lillian John -

:37:47. > :37:50.she's 94 and is a patient at St Joseph's Hospice and a member

:37:51. > :37:52.of the London Hospices Choir. Their music producer and director,

:37:53. > :37:56.James Hawkins is also here. In Westminster is the SNP's

:37:57. > :37:58.Peter Wishart - he's a member of the cross-party parliamentary

:37:59. > :38:01.band MP4 who are behind the tribute And Dr Katie Rogerson -

:38:02. > :38:06.she's a paediatrician at a hospital in London and is one of the 32

:38:07. > :38:10.members of the The NHS Choir who were last year's

:38:11. > :38:24.christmas number one. Thank you all so much for joining

:38:25. > :38:28.us. Hello, Lillian. You joined this choir in order to make this song,

:38:29. > :38:33.and how much have you enjoy doing it? Oh, and mentally. It's so

:38:34. > :38:41.different from sitting indoors looking at the paint dry, isn't it?

:38:42. > :38:46.-- oh, immensely. Why did you want to do it? Saint Joseph 's, they are

:38:47. > :38:54.so kind to me, I love it there, I owe them a lot. The words got to

:38:55. > :39:00.you? Yes. They are so true. It is The Living Years. Every day of the

:39:01. > :39:07.week you can hear somebody saying, if only I had done something. I am

:39:08. > :39:12.too late now. That is so true. I have heard it, I said it myself. I

:39:13. > :39:19.should have gone to visit people, now it is too later, they are gone.

:39:20. > :39:22.Think on the words, they are very good.

:39:23. > :39:29.They are beautiful words. What has it been like being involved with

:39:30. > :39:34.this for you? An amazing journey. Full of emotions. The song stirs it

:39:35. > :39:38.up, actually hearing the choir, the people that are singing it to you,

:39:39. > :39:44.it is really from the heart. The words really gather their meaning

:39:45. > :39:48.even more from the 300 piece choir. Let's bring in Peter Wishart, one of

:39:49. > :39:54.the MPs in the song that has been put out in memory of Jo Cox. Why has

:39:55. > :39:57.it been important for you to do that? The whole community was

:39:58. > :40:01.traumatised by the tragic death of Jo Cox. We felt we had to do

:40:02. > :40:06.something and we thought what better way to unite people other than

:40:07. > :40:10.through music? We got everybody from all political parties participating,

:40:11. > :40:15.we have had such great support from a range of superb artists like Katie

:40:16. > :40:21.to install, David Gray. We decided just to put it out. I think the

:40:22. > :40:24.music stands up, I am so grateful to everybody who got behind this that

:40:25. > :40:30.supported it. How did you pick this in particular,

:40:31. > :40:34.who decided on the song? It was back in the summer when we decided to try

:40:35. > :40:40.to do this, it has a real communal feel to it. I think it is very much

:40:41. > :40:44.in line with the this is that Jo had, you can't always get what you

:40:45. > :40:49.want, sometimes you get what you need. I think that was the message

:40:50. > :40:54.we wanted to communicate. Katie Rodgerson, you were one of the

:40:55. > :40:58.members of the NHS Choir that took number one last year, beating Justin

:40:59. > :41:03.Bieber. A real example of people power in action when it comes to the

:41:04. > :41:10.Christmas number one. It is a very changed prospect these days? It is.

:41:11. > :41:14.The great British public getting behind it are fantastic, in my

:41:15. > :41:18.opinion, both of these songs are encapsulated that and we will be

:41:19. > :41:24.rooting for all these good causes and we're looking forward to

:41:25. > :41:27.hearing. Whether you get to the number one spot or not, obviously

:41:28. > :41:35.you did, but for the others, they are still raising money for charity?

:41:36. > :41:40.Exactly. (INAUDIBLE) That is exactly what both of these

:41:41. > :41:48.(INAUDIBLE) . It is lovely we're doing such a

:41:49. > :41:52.great tribute to her. And the London Hospices Choir continues a lot of

:41:53. > :41:56.the work and encapsulated by the NHS Choir, it is all great causes and it

:41:57. > :42:01.is a tradition of just thinking about others at Christmas time.

:42:02. > :42:04.We are struggling to hear you a little bit, Katie.

:42:05. > :42:11.Lillian, what is it like being a pop star at the age of 94? Oh! Luckily I

:42:12. > :42:19.have a lot of family and they love the record. A lot of fans, too. Of

:42:20. > :42:25.course! I have enjoyed it. I really have. Come Christmas I suppose they

:42:26. > :42:28.will have forgotten me with all their presents, but, no, it has made

:42:29. > :42:36.a real difference to me. Taken me out of my usual routine of sitting

:42:37. > :42:42.and doing not a lot. I have been enjoying it, every minute. Has it

:42:43. > :42:48.given you a taste for it? I don't know about that! I get tired,

:42:49. > :42:53.remember. But singing? Wendy due last sing before joining this choir?

:42:54. > :43:02.I sometimes home when a tune comes on that I remember. -- I sometimes

:43:03. > :43:07.hum. My songs go back a bit, they all had stories to them, that is why

:43:08. > :43:14.I appreciated this one. They are not all just head-bangers, you know? It

:43:15. > :43:18.enables people to see something different with the song you are

:43:19. > :43:24.putting out, a different side to some MPs, is that important? Yeah. I

:43:25. > :43:28.think it demonstrates the way we can work together and how we respond to

:43:29. > :43:31.events like this. It is all for charity. I have just been listening

:43:32. > :43:35.to all your other interviewees, isn't it wonderful that there are

:43:36. > :43:39.all these great records and people are making a massive effort to try

:43:40. > :43:48.to raise money for a range of charities. If we are beaten by any

:43:49. > :43:51.of these we will be happy, it is one of the of year when people can look

:43:52. > :43:53.at music and see what they can do through music to raise funds for

:43:54. > :43:58.very important charities. Gym, music really brings people

:43:59. > :44:02.together? Are especially at this time of year, choirs build

:44:03. > :44:05.communities. Your message can come across a lot stronger with the

:44:06. > :44:12.strength in numbers and through singing the words. I think that is

:44:13. > :44:24.what we are all achieving. There is something particularly special about

:44:25. > :44:28.acquire cock -- a choir, that is what encapsulates? Through chief

:44:29. > :44:32.executives to clean as it is a real leveller. Good luck to you all,

:44:33. > :44:36.thank you very much. It has been wonderful to meet you, thank you

:44:37. > :44:38.very much. And happy Christmas. Thank you very much.

:44:39. > :44:40.Strictly reaches its crescendo tomorrow evening.

:44:41. > :44:43.We'll be joined by one of the professional dancers,

:44:44. > :44:45.and the former contestant - infamously shot out of a cannon -

:44:46. > :44:59.Russel Grant to see who they think will win.

:45:00. > :45:07.The National Lottery operator, Camelot, who have been running

:45:08. > :45:10.the lottery since 2004, have been fined three million pounds

:45:11. > :45:12.by UK gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission,

:45:13. > :45:17.for paying out an allegedly fraudulent prize claim in 2009.

:45:18. > :45:20.The three million pound penalty includes the two and half million

:45:21. > :45:23.which should have gone to good causes had the multi-million pound

:45:24. > :45:29.The National Lottery operator, Camelot, who have been running

:45:30. > :45:32.Let's find out more about this fine and what it means for Camelot

:45:33. > :45:38.from our business correspondent John Moylan.

:45:39. > :45:43.Details are just emerging, in truth we don't know exactly what happened

:45:44. > :45:46.but it is alleged that happened in 2009 and it would appear to be

:45:47. > :45:51.linked to a fraudulent claim based on a deliberately damaged ticket.

:45:52. > :45:55.Subsequently, millions of pounds have been paid out on the back of

:45:56. > :45:59.that. The incident didn't come to light until last year. There was a

:46:00. > :46:04.full investigation. The police have been involved, obviously. Camelot

:46:05. > :46:08.are today accepting the findings that there were weaknesses in their

:46:09. > :46:11.controls, weaknesses in how this particular issue was dealt with. So

:46:12. > :46:16.they are accepting the findings, they have paid the ?3 million, and

:46:17. > :46:20.they are saying today they believe such an incident couldn't happen

:46:21. > :46:23.again. Has anyone been prosecuted over the fraudulent claim? All we

:46:24. > :46:26.know at this stage is the police looked into it and they have decided

:46:27. > :46:28.that they will not be taking any further action. It may well be that

:46:29. > :46:42.it was just so long ago, or that the paper trail

:46:43. > :46:45.linked to one of this has disappeared in some way. So whoever

:46:46. > :46:47.got the money kept it? We don't know the details. One assumes that that

:46:48. > :46:49.is the situation. It leads to all sorts of questions about how it

:46:50. > :46:52.happened, good other frauds have happened of that nature at the same

:46:53. > :46:55.time when there were weak processes in place and could it happen again?

:46:56. > :46:58.Camelot this morning are saying that it was an alleged fraud linked to a

:46:59. > :47:03.deliberately damaged ticket. They think this is limited to a unique

:47:04. > :47:05.incident. They point out that the police did investigate it

:47:06. > :47:09.thoroughly, they are not going to take it any further. They regret

:47:10. > :47:12.there were weaknesses in their control. There was an independent

:47:13. > :47:16.review of their processes carried out last year which found no

:47:17. > :47:20.evidence of similar circumstances, and they are completely confident,

:47:21. > :47:24.they say, that this would not be possible today. Is that it then?

:47:25. > :47:29.They have had a hefty fine, haven't they? Is that the end of the matter?

:47:30. > :47:34.Is interesting this question of how hefty a fine. We are told that they

:47:35. > :47:37.had this fraud not happened ?2.5 million would have been made

:47:38. > :47:41.available for good causes. The overall penalty here is ?3 million,

:47:42. > :47:45.which in fact means the penalty to Camelot is in the region of

:47:46. > :47:50.?500,000. This is a company that makes ?100 million per year.

:47:51. > :47:54.Jonathan, thank you very much. After 13 weeks of shimmying,

:47:55. > :47:57.twirling, heel leads and reverse turns the Strictly Come Dancing

:47:58. > :48:02.final takes place on Saturday. The three finalists are BBC

:48:03. > :48:05.Sports Presenter Ore Oduba, singer and TV presenter Louise Redknapp

:48:06. > :48:09.and ex-Hollyoaks actor Danny Mac. Strictly fans will be glued

:48:10. > :48:14.to their TV screen as they tune in to find out who will be crowned

:48:15. > :48:18.the winner of this year's dancing extravaganza and take home

:48:19. > :48:23.the coveted glitter ball trophy. Let's get a flavour of the series so

:48:24. > :48:58.far. I have left tests and Claudia over

:48:59. > :49:02.there to talk to Ian Waite, one of the original Strictly come dancing

:49:03. > :49:06.professional dancers and in Berkshire we are joined by the

:49:07. > :49:09.celebrity astrologer Russell Grant, famously a contestant in 2000

:49:10. > :49:19.elevenths when he was infamously shot out of a cannon on the show.

:49:20. > :49:25.Michelle Harville, founder of the Ed Balls strictly macro Frank Leboeuf

:49:26. > :49:30.and Eleanor Chalkley who runs a dancing podcast. Thank you for

:49:31. > :49:36.joining us. Thank you for joining us. How does this year compared to

:49:37. > :49:39.previous years? It is a bit of a cliche but Strictly seems to get

:49:40. > :49:43.better and better in the way other reality shows don't seem to manage,

:49:44. > :49:46.while others like X factor are going off the boil strictly macro grows

:49:47. > :49:49.and becomes ever more joyous and glorious which is amazing. This year

:49:50. > :49:54.they have some of the best dancers and talent they have ever had. Why

:49:55. > :49:58.do you think it gets ever more glorious and joyous? Sometimes we

:49:59. > :50:02.can live in grim times and strictly macro is an antidote to that, it is

:50:03. > :50:06.so happy and so joyous and the judges and everyone feels like they

:50:07. > :50:11.are part of their lives already. The talent is so great, everything about

:50:12. > :50:17.it, what is not to love? The particularly joyous thing for you

:50:18. > :50:25.has been Ed Balls. Why? It is just because he has been so entertaining.

:50:26. > :50:31.He has shown just great sporting acumen in coming out and doing

:50:32. > :50:35.something that is just completely out of his ballpark. I think he's

:50:36. > :50:41.done amazingly. I know loads of people who have just gone, I'm

:50:42. > :50:45.really enjoying that. Eleanor, you love Doug Marrone the Keep Dancing

:50:46. > :50:55.podcast. What have you loved about the show this year? -- Keep Dancing

:50:56. > :50:59.podcast. Judge Rinder falling in love with dance and the fabulously

:51:00. > :51:06.technical heights that the contest has come to. I have just seen you in

:51:07. > :51:12.your outfit over my shoulder. Thank you, you look fabulous. I was asked

:51:13. > :51:17.to. I cannot see you by the way, so I will just look into the camera. I

:51:18. > :51:20.thought you had been to the supermarket dressed like that.

:51:21. > :51:25.Badger has been done a lot and that is where the word infamous would be

:51:26. > :51:33.right. By the way, although I danced with Joanne Clifton the cha-cha in

:51:34. > :51:36.this when we did Aladdin I never took the Magic carpet as far as

:51:37. > :51:41.Berkshire, I'm in Middlesex this morning. I love a good start so here

:51:42. > :51:47.are some I wanted to let the viewers know about, if you don't know this

:51:48. > :52:01.already. 57 litres of fake tan using every season, 1200 sets of fake

:52:02. > :52:10.eyelashes. I never used the tan, it would have gone up to 100 gallons! I

:52:11. > :52:13.just think that the make-up artists led by Lisa Armstrong, are just

:52:14. > :52:21.incredible. The styling of the hair, everything else is amazing. What

:52:22. > :52:25.made it so wonderful is my background is musical theatre, so to

:52:26. > :52:29.be able to go on to Strictly, at the age of 60, my goodness I wish I had

:52:30. > :52:34.done it at the age of 30, but it was just the most amazing and wonderful

:52:35. > :52:37.experience and one I will remember for ever. Ian, you've been involved

:52:38. > :52:43.in the seven series of the show. What has been your highlight for

:52:44. > :52:48.this one? Well, Ed has been amazing. I think like she said earlier, that

:52:49. > :52:53.we don't expect a politician to be coming out and doing those moves. It

:52:54. > :52:56.just doesn't tally up together, but he was so good. I thought his

:52:57. > :53:02.dancing was a lot better than people gave him credit for. And also, Danny

:53:03. > :53:05.Mac, every week his performances, he came out doing a different style

:53:06. > :53:10.every week and is difficult to do all those different styles and still

:53:11. > :53:15.stay on top. Week after week. He came out the first week and we all

:53:16. > :53:20.thought he is going to go down from this. But every week he came out

:53:21. > :53:25.with a better dance every single week, so it's been amazing to watch.

:53:26. > :53:28.The thing on strictly macro is people on a journey and people were

:53:29. > :53:32.worried that Danny would not have won but he is so good people can

:53:33. > :53:36.forgive him that. Exactly that, when you see somebody who has two left

:53:37. > :53:42.feet at the start getting better and better. What is the element of magic

:53:43. > :53:47.for you, Ian? Well, it is definitely a very family show and it is like a

:53:48. > :53:55.family when you work on it. Even, I'm working on it takes two, it is

:53:56. > :53:59.such a lovely family and it is nice to see the couples coming in. They

:54:00. > :54:02.support each other too. The professionals have a reputation for

:54:03. > :54:06.being competitive, which they are but it produces the best, you see

:54:07. > :54:08.the amazing shows and they are choreographing on a Sunday. There

:54:09. > :54:14.must be tantrums and hissy fits behind-the-scenes. I don't think so

:54:15. > :54:17.so much anymore. They may use to have been. Let's talk about what

:54:18. > :54:21.used to happen. We used to have quite a few divas on the show but

:54:22. > :54:29.they have all gone now. Was Russell one of them? Russell was one of

:54:30. > :54:32.them! No, no! He was one of the best. Everybody gets on so well. For

:54:33. > :54:36.a celebrity going through that experience, they don't spend that

:54:37. > :54:40.much time, even probably with their own partners, as they do with their

:54:41. > :54:46.dance partners. So you do get so involved in it that it's an

:54:47. > :54:49.experience you never forget. They are all working so hard. People

:54:50. > :54:52.still don't really understand the training they put in and the press

:54:53. > :54:57.commitments and all those things going on. It is 8-10 hours a day and

:54:58. > :54:59.the week of the final was the hardest because you do more

:55:00. > :55:03.interviews and more other things other than the practice. So than the

:55:04. > :55:07.actual practice goes out of the window for the week of the final so

:55:08. > :55:12.it's difficult. Was it hard work, Russell? Yes, but it's all about the

:55:13. > :55:18.chemistry with your partner. I was absolutely so lucky to have Claudia.

:55:19. > :55:26.You are working all the time, but it's the joy of discovering new

:55:27. > :55:30.steps and new challenges and just luxuriating in the whole thing. I

:55:31. > :55:34.don't understand if anyone has been a diva in the past because you've

:55:35. > :55:40.got too much time to spend learning things without being a diva. If your

:55:41. > :55:43.nerves are bad, that is for sure, but at the same time it is a

:55:44. > :55:52.wonderful, wonderful time. The best time of my television life. Who will

:55:53. > :56:02.you be rooting for? I danced with Joanne. I want Joanne and Ore to

:56:03. > :56:08.win, he is full of bounce and joy and enthusiasm and happiness. And

:56:09. > :56:11.she is the sweetest, most wonderful person you could hope to meet and

:56:12. > :56:16.they have a winning formula and that is where the chemistry between two

:56:17. > :56:19.people works. Michelle Conn favourite Ed Balls, is out,

:56:20. > :56:26.obviously. Who do you want -- Michelle, your favourite. I'm quite

:56:27. > :56:30.looking forward to seeing Danny Mac raise the Glitterball Trophy.

:56:31. > :56:38.He's done some amazing work and he is mesmerising. Eleanor, who would

:56:39. > :56:42.you like to see women? You could make a case for all three couples

:56:43. > :56:47.winning. You've got Kevin and Louise with their massive fan base, Ore

:56:48. > :56:51.Oduba and Joe who are so charismatic together, but in sheer dance terms I

:56:52. > :56:57.will have to go for Danny and Oti, they are beautiful together. I am

:56:58. > :57:00.team Danny as well however this is Kevin Clifton's fourth final and he

:57:01. > :57:10.is a popular pro and that could swing it. And Ian? You know, they'll

:57:11. > :57:16.have something to give, as you said. But I think I'd like Danny to win.

:57:17. > :57:22.But I think Louise will win. I've done a little tally, the hot

:57:23. > :57:25.favourite among you is Danny. Next year, you said, it gets bigger and

:57:26. > :57:30.better every year. What could take it to the next level? A lot of

:57:31. > :57:33.politicians will be thinking, can I do and Ed Balls and turn my

:57:34. > :57:36.popularity around? We could have some interesting contestants. It

:57:37. > :57:40.just needs to keep going the way it is going, keep having inspiring

:57:41. > :57:43.choreography, we will have a new judge next year because Len Goodman

:57:44. > :57:48.will not be there so that will be interesting to see how it goes down

:57:49. > :57:52.with the public. It is fair to say that everybody who goes on the sort

:57:53. > :57:58.of ends up being well loved by the audience. I can't think of anyone.

:57:59. > :58:03.It is hard to be a popular at the end, it is a good PR exercise. For

:58:04. > :58:06.most celebrities it is difficult because you have to block out three

:58:07. > :58:11.months to do it but it's amazing to do. It's an amazing skill to learn

:58:12. > :58:14.as well. Thank you so much for Sabine joy tomorrow, I trust you

:58:15. > :58:19.will be attending strict Li parties as you watch. Thank you, enjoy. --

:58:20. > :58:21.strict Li. This is our last programme

:58:22. > :58:22.before Christmas. We will be back on

:58:23. > :58:26.Tuesday 3rd January. Oh, Walt. You got to call me Walt.

:58:27. > :58:49.Mr Disney was my old man.