:00:00. > :00:00.The comedian, actress and writer Victoria Wood
:00:00. > :00:15.Her warmth and down-to-earth comedy won her several awards
:00:16. > :00:28.and earned her huge public affection.
:00:29. > :00:35.Fellow comedians, even the Prime Minister are paying
:00:36. > :00:38.We'll look back at her life and career.
:00:39. > :00:42.A possible saviour for Tata Steel workers as a company director tries
:00:43. > :00:45.The Prime Minister defends his policy to make all English
:00:46. > :00:46.state schools academies, despite increasing criticism
:00:47. > :00:53.And, on the eve of the Queen's 90th birthday, I'm at Windsor Castle
:00:54. > :00:59.where celebrations have already begun.
:01:00. > :01:02.out a number of public engagements in the town.
:01:03. > :01:05.A milestone moment marked with a new family photo,
:01:06. > :01:08.showing three future kings, as Prince William counters criticism
:01:09. > :01:16.I'm concentrating very much on my role as a father,
:01:17. > :01:19.I am a new father and I take my duties and my responsibilities
:01:20. > :01:25.And coming up in the sport on BBC News -
:01:26. > :01:28.Manager Ronny Deila will leave Celtic at the end of the season,
:01:29. > :01:31.while former boss Neil Lennon hints he'd be open to returning
:01:32. > :01:54.Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.
:01:55. > :01:57.The comedian Victoria Wood has died of cancer - she was 62.
:01:58. > :01:59.She came to fame in the 1980s with her BBC series
:02:00. > :02:04.in which she created some memorable comic characters
:02:05. > :02:07.and for which she won the first of several awards.
:02:08. > :02:10.She was also an actor and writer as well as a singer and songwriter.
:02:11. > :02:13.Fellow comedians have been quick to pay tribute to her.
:02:14. > :02:15.Even the Prime Minister has expressed his condolences
:02:16. > :02:19.and described her as a national treasure loved by millions.
:02:20. > :02:21.David Sillito looks back at her life and career,
:02:22. > :02:52.I just want the old cafe, coffee. I'll handle this, Tim. Coffee.
:02:53. > :03:00.Hello. I'm looking for my friend. Please welcome Victoria Wood! It was
:03:01. > :03:05.42 years ago that a young Victoria Wood won a talent show, New Faces.
:03:06. > :03:11.It was the beginning of an extraordinary career as a comedian,
:03:12. > :03:20.singer, writer, actor. She could do it all. She was a brilliant,
:03:21. > :03:25.brilliant woman. Her basic greatest talent was her writing, and, for me,
:03:26. > :03:31.she is nearly up there, well, she is up there with Alan Bennett is a sort
:03:32. > :03:38.of wonderful writer about England and the English and the working
:03:39. > :03:42.classes and how funny we all are. I don't know where Mr Hannigan is...
:03:43. > :03:52.She could write comedy that was funny and moving. When you want to
:03:53. > :03:58.stop, it keeps you going. # I'll be back at Social Security...
:03:59. > :04:05.Her songs first brought her to the public's attention. She had this
:04:06. > :04:13.huge creative light inside her that flipped on, and she just shone. And
:04:14. > :04:18.she continues to shine. We will always remember her. What changed
:04:19. > :04:23.everything was a sketch in 1978 with the actress Julie Walters. I wrote
:04:24. > :04:27.this sentence and it was constructed in such a way that it was funny,
:04:28. > :04:31.whereas everything I had written before was nearly funny, and there
:04:32. > :04:43.is nothing worse than that. This was properly funny. Ready to order, sir?
:04:44. > :04:51.Madam? Jane? What is the soup of the day? I'll go and find out. There was
:04:52. > :04:55.a special comic chemistry. The sketch show turned a rather shy
:04:56. > :05:01.performer who had been turned down by Manchester Polytechnic into a
:05:02. > :05:02.star. The stand-up, the sitcom Dinnerladies, a
:05:03. > :05:08.star. The stand-up, the sitcom from the silly and absurd to be
:05:09. > :05:18.moving. The Bafta goes to Victoria Wood. She was just 62 years old.
:05:19. > :05:23.Victoria, 40 years of making us laugh.
:05:24. > :05:23.# Beat me on the bottom with a woman's weekly
:05:24. > :05:33.# Let's do it tonight. Victoria Wood, who has
:05:34. > :05:37.died at the age of 62. It's the eve of the Queen's 90th
:05:38. > :05:40.birthday and the celebrations have already begun, marking another
:05:41. > :05:42.milestone in her record-breaking Sophie is at Windsor Castle
:05:43. > :05:48.for us this evening. This is where the Queen will be
:05:49. > :05:52.tomorrow on her 90th birthday. But crowds have already been
:05:53. > :05:54.gathering to catch a glimpse of Britain's oldest and longest
:05:55. > :05:57.serving monarch as she attended And the Queen's grandson
:05:58. > :06:02.Prince William has paid tribute to her in an interview with the BBC,
:06:03. > :06:05.saying she has been a "guiding example" of what a good
:06:06. > :06:08.monarch should be. Prince William also defended his own
:06:09. > :06:11.commitment to his Royal duties. More on that in a moment,
:06:12. > :06:28.but first this report from our royal Birthday celebrations over two days
:06:29. > :06:43.outside Windsor Castle, home of monarchs for
:06:44. > :06:47.outside Windsor Castle, home of was treated to a far from everyday
:06:48. > :06:53.experience, and Elvis inspired choir outside a city -- sorting office.
:06:54. > :06:56.The representative of an ancient institution visiting one with a
:06:57. > :07:01.500-year-old history, the Royal Mail. Royals have been appearing on
:07:02. > :07:07.stamps since the time of Queen Victoria. This is a first for Prince
:07:08. > :07:11.George. The photo captures a hereditary monarchy with, as things
:07:12. > :07:21.stand, a secure future, three Kings in waiting. George had to stand on
:07:22. > :07:27.blocks next to the woman he calls Gamgam. Insight the post office, not
:07:28. > :07:34.to post a letter that you are a letter. I have it on Royal authority
:07:35. > :07:41.that the postmen will be busy with Tamara's mailbag. Tomorrow, a BBC
:07:42. > :07:45.documentary featuring some of her own home you please stop William and
:07:46. > :07:53.Harry are shown watching their father when he was a toddler. George
:07:54. > :08:01.looks like him! There is a purpose to the walk. We would probably
:08:02. > :08:07.chased each other out of that got in a few times. Not take awhile.
:08:08. > :08:18.Dashing of garden. In the early days, when Gamgam was around. Is
:08:19. > :08:22.world Guiness, Prince Philip. The programme also recalls when blank
:08:23. > :08:27.shots were fired at the 1981 Trooping the Colour ceremony at the
:08:28. > :08:32.Queen passed on horseback. She is a marvellous writer, made of stronger
:08:33. > :08:38.stuff. Support for the Queen is widespread in Windsor and elsewhere,
:08:39. > :08:40.but not universal. Those silly special-purpose signal elected head
:08:41. > :08:45.of state argued that a long life doesn't give somebody a right to a
:08:46. > :08:50.long range of such views were not in evidence in the House of Commons
:08:51. > :08:55.today. She has served our nation with such dignity for 64 years on
:08:56. > :08:59.the throne. I think it is what we will have the opportunity in the
:09:00. > :09:02.house tomorrow to pay tribute to what she has done, and I know that
:09:03. > :09:09.the whole country and the whole house will want to join me in saying
:09:10. > :09:15.long may she reign over us. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you very
:09:16. > :09:26.much. I am also looking forward to wishing her a happy birthday
:09:27. > :09:31.tomorrow. Back in Windsor, the Queen at work, almost 90, the longest
:09:32. > :09:37.reigning monarch in British history has been head of state for 64 years.
:09:38. > :09:40.Peter Grant, BBC News, Windsor. Tomorrow night, the Royal Family
:09:41. > :09:43.will all be here at Windsor Castle for a private dinner hosted
:09:44. > :09:45.by Prince Charles to celebrate Among them of course will be Prince
:09:46. > :09:48.William. He has been paying tribute
:09:49. > :09:51.to his grandmother in And he also shrugged off criticism
:09:52. > :09:54.that's been levelled at him of his own commitment
:09:55. > :09:56.to Royal duties. He told our royal correspondent
:09:57. > :09:58.Nicholas Witchell that, when the Queen was ready to hand
:09:59. > :10:01.down more responsibilities, he would You've had a chance over
:10:02. > :10:09.more than 30 years now to observe our current
:10:10. > :10:11.monarch, the Queen. From the particular perspective that
:10:12. > :10:15.you have as a future King, what has I think the Queen's duty
:10:16. > :10:25.and her service, her tolerance, her commitment to others,
:10:26. > :10:29.I think that's all been It's been a real sort of guiding
:10:30. > :10:36.example of just what a good monarch can be, and it's been incredibly
:10:37. > :10:42.insightful for me growing up, watching her leadership
:10:43. > :10:46.in that role. You've referred already to her sense
:10:47. > :10:49.of duty, to the conspicuous devotion to duty that she's
:10:50. > :10:55.displayed over the decades. To what extent would you say that
:10:56. > :10:58.you share that degree I think Royal duty is
:10:59. > :11:05.extremely important. It's part of the fabric
:11:06. > :11:08.of what the Royal Family and any future monarch has,
:11:09. > :11:12.and it's something I take duty very seriously
:11:13. > :11:18.and I take my responsibilities It's about finding your own
:11:19. > :11:25.way at the right time. If you're not careful,
:11:26. > :11:28.duty can sort of weigh you down I think you've got to develop
:11:29. > :11:35.into the duty role. It's because there is an impression
:11:36. > :11:39.in some quarters that you are in some way
:11:40. > :11:43.a slightly reluctant Royal. You will have seen, or I'm sure
:11:44. > :11:46.people will have told you about some of the stories,
:11:47. > :11:48.some of the headlines in recent weeks and months -
:11:49. > :11:51.work-shy William, I think some There has also been criticism
:11:52. > :11:56.of the Duchess of a similar vein. Do you regard that criticism,
:11:57. > :12:04.that impression as being a fair one? To be honest, I'm going to get
:12:05. > :12:08.plenty of criticism over my lifetime and it's something that
:12:09. > :12:12.I don't completely ignore, but it's not something I take
:12:13. > :12:14.completely to heart. I'm concentrating very much
:12:15. > :12:18.on my role as a father. I'm a new father and I take my
:12:19. > :12:22.duties and responsibilities to my family very seriously
:12:23. > :12:26.and I want to bring my children up as good people, with the idea
:12:27. > :12:30.of service and duty But, if I can't give my time
:12:31. > :12:35.to my children as well, Plus serving the community
:12:36. > :12:40.with the air ambulance... I find the ambulance role
:12:41. > :12:45.very important to me. I'd like to explore a little,
:12:46. > :12:51.what kind of King will William V be? We've become used to the present
:12:52. > :12:55.Queen being scrupulously, pretty scrupulously
:12:56. > :13:00.detached from all issues. Your father, on the other hand,
:13:01. > :13:04.as Prince of Wales, of course, is very much involved in all sorts
:13:05. > :13:08.of issues and has indicated that he would wish to convene
:13:09. > :13:11.when he becomes King - make heartfelt interventions,
:13:12. > :13:15.I think, is the phrase in use. What is your sense of what it is
:13:16. > :13:18.acceptable for a constitutional How involved can a constitutional
:13:19. > :13:26.monarch be in current issues? It's a very good question
:13:27. > :13:29.and something that occupies a lot of my thinking space -
:13:30. > :13:32.how on earth you would develop into something modern
:13:33. > :13:36.in today's world. I am in a unique position,
:13:37. > :13:42.a very privileged position, to be able to see some of this now,
:13:43. > :13:45.which is that I've got my grandmother, who takes a very,
:13:46. > :13:50.if you like, more of a passive role in how she believes
:13:51. > :13:54.her role should be. I've got my father who minds
:13:55. > :14:01.an awful lot about many of the causes he's involved
:14:02. > :14:04.in and really digs down into his charitable areas as much
:14:05. > :14:07.as he can. But I think, in the Queen,
:14:08. > :14:09.I have an extraordinary example of someone who's done an enormous
:14:10. > :14:13.amount of good. She's probably the best
:14:14. > :14:18.role model I could have. I sense that you are saying,
:14:19. > :14:20.when the time comes, you will hope to be a rather more
:14:21. > :14:24.modern monarch and bring something I think the Royal Family has
:14:25. > :14:30.to modernise and develop as it goes along and it has to stay relevant,
:14:31. > :14:33.and that's the challenge for me. How do I make the Royal Family
:14:34. > :14:36.relevant in the next 20 years' time? It could be 40 years' time,
:14:37. > :14:39.60 years' time, I don't know I certainly don't lie awake at night
:14:40. > :14:43.waiting or hoping for it, because it sadly means
:14:44. > :14:45.that my family have moved on, But you must be confident
:14:46. > :14:49.that you can do that, that you can make and keep
:14:50. > :14:52.the monarchy relevant It's something that I think is very
:14:53. > :14:59.important and the Queen is a fantastic role model to lead
:15:00. > :15:02.that, as she has done A rare and revealing interview. I
:15:03. > :15:27.Witchell is with me now. A rare and revealing interview. I
:15:28. > :15:32.don't know if you noticed how many times he used the word is modern and
:15:33. > :15:38.modernism. We have to see him in that context. He is not a royal who
:15:39. > :15:42.wants to be on a pedestal as so many have been before him. He wants to
:15:43. > :15:47.have some kind of normal life, that is why his job as an air ambulance
:15:48. > :15:53.pilot is so important to him, that is why it is so important to be a
:15:54. > :15:56.hands-on parent. He will remain in touch with reality, insofar as we
:15:57. > :16:13.can define that. You see the influence of his late mother there.
:16:14. > :16:16.In one respect, he is a traditionalist, we discovered that
:16:17. > :16:18.when I asked him what model of monarchy will you follow as William
:16:19. > :16:20.the fifth? He plumped for the model of his noninterventionist
:16:21. > :16:25.grandmother. A lot of people will be really quite relieved that the
:16:26. > :16:33.future William the fifth regards the model of Elizabeth II as the one he
:16:34. > :16:36.would wish to follow. Thank you. That is
:16:37. > :16:37.would wish to follow. Thank you. this glorious evening. Thanks,
:16:38. > :16:39.Sophie. And still to come, the surf's up
:16:40. > :16:48.as we talk to first time voters in Northern Ireland ahead
:16:49. > :16:52.of the Stormont election next month. In Sportsday on BBC News -
:16:53. > :16:55.World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn reveals Ronnie O'Sullivan texted him
:16:56. > :17:01.after turning down a 147, saying it was good publicity
:17:02. > :17:03.for a sport Hearn thinks There could be fresh hope
:17:04. > :17:15.for Tata Steel workers in the UK today as a senior director
:17:16. > :17:18.at the company announced he is trying to launch
:17:19. > :17:19.a management buyout It's believed the deal
:17:20. > :17:25.would mean steel making continues at Port Talbot,
:17:26. > :17:28.despite its huge losses. Our Wales Correspondent
:17:29. > :17:30.Hywel Griffiths is there, it's worth emphasising
:17:31. > :17:44.this potential buyout Yes. A lot of unanswered questions.
:17:45. > :17:54.It is a deal that should appeal to the workers here and at Tata's other
:17:55. > :17:58.plants in England. But how much public and private money would have
:17:59. > :18:01.to go in to this place to keep it afloat for the coming years until
:18:02. > :18:04.conditions afloat for the coming years until
:18:05. > :18:07.fiercely competitive global steel market.
:18:08. > :18:10.Could Britain's biggest steel-maker be taken over by its grassroots?
:18:11. > :18:21.Details of the buyout plan, part funded by staff, are still being
:18:22. > :18:27.Not everybody's got money hanging around to invest in
:18:28. > :18:31.I think we need some is Europe is that the issues
:18:32. > :18:35.we've been talking about are going to be dealt with before we put money
:18:36. > :18:37.into it in the same way that other companies
:18:38. > :18:38.and Tata can't afford to
:18:39. > :18:41.invest with the way the Chinese are dumping steel and the energy
:18:42. > :18:43.costs, employees can't afford to invest in
:18:44. > :18:46.The man behind the buyout is Stuart Wilkie,
:18:47. > :18:49.the boss at Port Talbot, who failed to convince Tata's board
:18:50. > :18:56.It's understood he would keep the plant's blast furnaces
:18:57. > :18:59.making steel from scratch but would need the government to bear some of
:19:00. > :19:03.I know the management and the workers have had a plan
:19:04. > :19:05.and part of that plan is to keep the blast
:19:06. > :19:09.That's going to be very difficult, let's be honest
:19:10. > :19:12.That's really what should be at the heart of any
:19:13. > :19:18.For me, the jury is out at the moment because we need to see
:19:19. > :19:24.the detail of the financial package that is behind this buyout plan.
:19:25. > :19:26.So, we're waiting to see the detail but,
:19:27. > :19:28.in principle, it's a very positive move.
:19:29. > :19:29.Anyone who takes over the
:19:30. > :19:32.business will need to be certain of keeping its customers.
:19:33. > :19:34.Steel made here is turned into everything from
:19:35. > :19:38.car parts to tin cans, so holding onto the order book will be key.
:19:39. > :19:42.Any new company will be in direct competition with Tata.
:19:43. > :19:45.These works have a sister plant in Holland that
:19:46. > :19:48.make a lot of the same steel, separation could lead to a rather
:19:49. > :19:52.We know there's overcapacity in the world,
:19:53. > :19:58.So, some of the European steelmakers would be likely to take out
:19:59. > :20:01.capacity, so it is an issue for Tata.
:20:02. > :20:04.If Port Talbot is producing quality products of the same quality
:20:05. > :20:07.that it produces in other plants in Europe, then its competition.
:20:08. > :20:11.So far, only one other company has said
:20:12. > :20:13.it wants to buy the business, whoever takes over will have the
:20:14. > :20:24.Unemployment has risen for the first time in almost a year.
:20:25. > :20:28.Between December and February it rose by 21,000 to 1.7 million.
:20:29. > :20:31.However, the unemployment rate remained unchanged
:20:32. > :20:33.during that period at 5.1%, which is still down
:20:34. > :20:44.Another scandal has hit the car industry.
:20:45. > :20:46.This time it's the Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi
:20:47. > :20:49.which has admitted falsifying test data to show better fuel
:20:50. > :20:51.consumption for more than half a million vehicles in Japan,
:20:52. > :20:57.At a press conference in Tokyo company bosses bowed in apology,
:20:58. > :20:59.admitting employees had intentionally faked
:21:00. > :21:01.tyre pressure figures to give better mileage rates.
:21:02. > :21:04.The Prime Minister has defended plans to force every state school
:21:05. > :21:06.in England to become an academy, saying it's time
:21:07. > :21:10.But he's facing increasing opposition from his own backbenches
:21:11. > :21:15.with some questioning the wisdom of forcing all schools to make
:21:16. > :21:19.Let's talk to our political correspondent
:21:20. > :21:24.The PM defiant in the House of Commons today but are there signs
:21:25. > :21:27.the government may amend this policy a little around the edges?
:21:28. > :21:35.There certainly won't be a full-scale reversal of this policy.
:21:36. > :21:41.The cabinet believes very strongly that academies raise standards but
:21:42. > :21:45.there is growing concern. David Cameron's own Conservative
:21:46. > :21:56.councillor in Oxfordshire said that she was fed up with diktats from on
:21:57. > :21:59.high. It was also described as a heavy-handed and top-down policy.
:22:00. > :22:05.They feel that if a school is doing well, it should be left alone. The
:22:06. > :22:10.argument is, if headteachers know what is best for their school, they
:22:11. > :22:15.should be allowed to say no to this. They have said that there could be
:22:16. > :22:19.some extra money for oral schools but the government has said that
:22:20. > :22:23.there is six years for this policy to be commented and plenty of time
:22:24. > :22:27.for discussion. -- rural schools. They're called the Good
:22:28. > :22:29.Friday generation. On May 5th, people in
:22:30. > :22:32.Northern Ireland go to the polls with a whole generation
:22:33. > :22:35.born since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement
:22:36. > :22:37.voting for the first time. In the latest in our a series
:22:38. > :22:40.on the elections, we look at what this election means
:22:41. > :22:43.to those who've grown up Chris Buckler reports ahead
:22:44. > :22:46.of a special youth debate tonight. 18 years after the Good Friday
:22:47. > :22:49.agreement was signed, Northern Many believe, like these
:22:50. > :22:55.first-time voters, politics here
:22:56. > :23:01.is starting to come of age. And, after the turbulent
:23:02. > :23:04.decades of violence, there is no doubt this is a much calmer
:23:05. > :23:08.and more stable place. I actually went over
:23:09. > :23:12.to Edinburgh and was talking to all the people from
:23:13. > :23:15.Scotland and England and you tell them you're from Northern Ireland
:23:16. > :23:17.and they'll be, like, "Really?" They seem to think the Troubles
:23:18. > :23:24.are still ongoing. I just want to take them over
:23:25. > :23:29.here and just bring them to Northern Ireland so they can
:23:30. > :23:31.see how great it is. That's why I want to stay
:23:32. > :23:33.in the country but it's just, obviously,
:23:34. > :23:37.the job prospects are scary. For this generation,
:23:38. > :23:41.jobs are really important. All the politicians standing
:23:42. > :23:48.in next month's assembly elections know improving the economy
:23:49. > :23:50.is key to keeping the brightest Across the constituencies
:23:51. > :23:57.here, unionists, nationalists, and all the other
:23:58. > :23:59.parties are under pressure to improve Northern Ireland's
:24:00. > :24:01.stretched health service. I think talk is cheap,
:24:02. > :24:03.a lot of the times. Politicians say a lot
:24:04. > :24:06.about what they're going to do but they really need
:24:07. > :24:08.to put it into action. There are some nursing
:24:09. > :24:17.students here at Belfast's Queen University
:24:18. > :24:19.who wonder if their vote will really The power-sharing government
:24:20. > :24:22.requires all the big parties to work together but
:24:23. > :24:30.disagreements can prevent change. People just vote for what parties
:24:31. > :24:33.suit their religion but, I think, a lot of the parties just aim
:24:34. > :24:35.to please their followers. It's probably not
:24:36. > :24:37.the most effective way it's something that Northern Ireland
:24:38. > :24:40.needs and something that we can't Must of the heat created
:24:41. > :24:43.by old conflicts is dying away, the challenge now for both
:24:44. > :24:46.politicians and this younger generation is to create
:24:47. > :25:05.a brighter future. To speak despite this disagreement,
:25:06. > :25:07.Stormont has difficulties dealing with this generation. For young
:25:08. > :25:13.people, politicians seem to be always talking about the past and
:25:14. > :25:18.not the future for. For the first time, young people will get a chance
:25:19. > :25:20.to question those politicians, it will be live here in Northern
:25:21. > :25:38.Ireland and on the BBC News Channel. It is the warmest day of the year so
:25:39. > :25:44.far, across Northern Ireland. Temperatures were better across
:25:45. > :25:49.other parts of the UK. In Wales, for instance. Blue skies and sunshine
:25:50. > :25:54.with temperatures of 19 degrees. There is some cloud at the top and
:25:55. > :26:00.tail of the UK. This looks more threatening than it is. There is
:26:01. > :26:04.some showers blowing up into the north-west of the UK. It is going to
:26:05. > :26:11.be quite chilly tonight, not as cold as last night. But there may be a
:26:12. > :26:15.pinch of frost in northern areas. The area of sunshine is going to be
:26:16. > :26:22.shrinking tomorrow. More cloud coming across southern parts of the
:26:23. > :26:24.UK. It is still going to be a bright day for many southern areas, there
:26:25. > :26:27.might be a spot of rain in day for many southern areas, there
:26:28. > :26:31.south-west. There won't be the blue day for many southern areas, there
:26:32. > :26:36.skies we had today but it is still going to be quite warm. The highest
:26:37. > :26:43.temperatures may be in the north of England. The cloud breaking up in
:26:44. > :26:54.Scotland with some sunny spells. Colder for all of ours is -- for all
:26:55. > :27:00.of us as we head into the weekend. Some sunshine but a fuchsia hours
:27:01. > :27:03.heading into Scotland with the wind coming down from the north bringing
:27:04. > :27:14.with it the colder air. Temperatures will be several degrees lower. --
:27:15. > :27:18.few showers. Over the weekend, continuing northerly winds, some
:27:19. > :27:22.sunshine but showers with a continuing wintry flavour. That's
:27:23. > :27:23.all from