:00:08. > :00:14.Welcome to the programme. Tonight's headlines: The wait is over for
:00:14. > :00:19.Wearside. Some don't unveil Martin O'Neill as their new boss. Lower
:00:19. > :00:24.tuition fees for some Teesside students, but some may not notice.
:00:24. > :00:31.Training for war. We are with the part-time soldiers who are training
:00:31. > :00:41.for Afghanistan. Barking dogs. These beasts helping to move
:00:41. > :00:51.Christmas trees. I have met Martin O'Neill. Just down the A 19,
:00:51. > :00:54.
:00:54. > :00:59.Hartlepool United are looking for a They have finally got their man.
:00:59. > :01:05.Today, Martin O'Neill spoke movingly of his boyhood passion for
:01:05. > :01:11.Sunderland, as he was unveiled as the new boss. He said it was hard
:01:11. > :01:16.to describe how he felt. He recalled how his love of the club
:01:16. > :01:21.was ignited by legends such as Brian Clough and Charlie Hurley. He
:01:21. > :01:29.said he hoped he could revive the club's sagging fortunes. Let's go
:01:29. > :01:36.to the Stadium of Light now. It is a case of if you don't succeed for
:01:36. > :01:42.Martin O'Neill. They tried to get Martin O'Neill in 2006. Play
:01:42. > :01:47.finally got him today. What was also obvious was his passion for
:01:47. > :01:52.this club, dating back to his childhood in Northern Ireland. He
:01:52. > :02:01.talked of Charlie Hurley and Brian Clough. Back then, he chose
:02:01. > :02:06.Sunderland. Today, Sunderland chose him. Boxing Day 1962 was the day
:02:07. > :02:14.that Prime Clough injured himself. I remembered shedding a few tears
:02:14. > :02:19.when Brian Clough got injured. I had a little while with him
:02:19. > :02:24.afterwards, and I shed a few more to his! Body was not over it his
:02:24. > :02:31.injury, let me put it that way! There is an end to -- energy about
:02:32. > :02:38.this football club. That is something that those things, with a
:02:38. > :02:48.bit of determination, I hope that that will give us a lift. He said
:02:48. > :02:52.
:02:52. > :03:02.he was so energised by being as I think we had got as far as we had
:03:02. > :03:03.
:03:03. > :03:08.got under Bruce. He is a good manager. Or have had -- I have had
:03:08. > :03:15.a few rumours that he is already working hard at the training ground.
:03:15. > :03:20.That is not the only Martin O'Neill we have been speaking to. There is
:03:20. > :03:28.another one that owns a sweetshop in Sunderland. We are all very
:03:28. > :03:33.excited. I am also a Celtic fan, and I have followed his career all
:03:33. > :03:43.the way from Nottingham Forest. I'm looking forward to the chant of
:03:43. > :03:45.
:03:45. > :03:55.there is only to Martin O'Neill's, which would be great! It is up to
:03:55. > :03:56.
:03:56. > :04:06.Martin O'Neill to make the Mackems His first game is against Blackburn
:04:06. > :04:12.
:04:12. > :04:21.Managers of Northern Rock have decided to close the north and --
:04:22. > :04:27.bad bank part of Northern Rock. The unions say it is a devotee --
:04:27. > :04:33.devastating loss to the work force. The staff work for what is known as
:04:33. > :04:37.the bad bank. It remains under government ownership. The move was
:04:37. > :04:42.welcomed and celebrated. Teesside University began the first in the
:04:42. > :04:52.north-east to say it is lowering its tuition fees. A closer look
:04:52. > :04:57.
:04:57. > :05:06.showed that its more expensive courses' prices have fallen from
:05:06. > :05:12.�8,500 to �8,450. A reduction of Teesside promises and education
:05:12. > :05:17.that is accessible and affordable to all. Inspiration is the
:05:17. > :05:23.lifeblood of a great university. But will its lower tuition fees
:05:23. > :05:31.make any difference? Some courses have been just reduced by �50. Not
:05:31. > :05:41.a big saving on �1,500 fees. �50, that is just noise. But it is
:05:41. > :05:44.
:05:44. > :05:51.important six say that... It is included in our average fee. We
:05:51. > :05:56.want a higher achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds. We
:05:56. > :06:03.hope the new strategy will up and do that. The average cost of a
:06:03. > :06:07.degree is just over �7,000. It is also giving grants and scholarship
:06:07. > :06:12.of �1,500. I think it is a welcome introduction to Teesside. It is
:06:12. > :06:21.going to help us recruit more students from disadvantaged
:06:21. > :06:26.backgrounds from the area, and from the rest of the country. I buy it -
:06:26. > :06:35.- by reducing its fees, it will be able to apply for 20,000 extra
:06:35. > :06:42.A seafood company that employs more than 500 people across the north-
:06:42. > :06:50.east in Cumbria says its future is secured despite going into
:06:50. > :07:00.administration. It has been bought by a capital company. Budget
:07:00. > :07:03.
:07:03. > :07:08.airline Jet to is launching flight to Rome in Italy and locations in
:07:08. > :07:13.Turkey. The Northumberland town of Hexham has won a �100,000 for a
:07:13. > :07:17.Hydro-Electric power scheme on the River Tyne. They built -- it beat
:07:17. > :07:24.all other contenders in the National on blind -- online vote.
:07:24. > :07:30.The new turbine will cost �800,000. The power will be sold to the neck
:07:30. > :07:36.-- National Grid. There are worries that the turbine could be a death
:07:36. > :07:42.trap for fish on the river. The power of a river is impressive to
:07:42. > :07:47.see. There's a plan to harness this renewable resource with a turbine
:07:47. > :07:55.in the River Tyne. This is similar to a scheme in the Yorkshire Dales.
:07:55. > :08:03.The backers bravely donned a bikini for a dip in the River Tyne. What
:08:03. > :08:07.really got the vote was people reading about the project. That is
:08:07. > :08:14.what got the vote. The whole community, and it being a good
:08:14. > :08:18.project! But anglers were not voting for the turbine on the River
:08:18. > :08:24.Tyne. They are worried gigabit a mincing machine for fish. The river
:08:24. > :08:33.is back in the best state it could ever be. For anglers, it is
:08:33. > :08:38.fantastic. There's an awful lot to risk. That is a lot of risk for 150
:08:38. > :08:48.houses' directors do. At the present time, fish cannot get past
:08:48. > :08:49.
:08:49. > :08:55.the Revell Weir. The salmon should be able to go upstream. There is a
:08:55. > :09:01.duty to protect fisheries. The river has been restocked last week.
:09:01. > :09:10.It will have to reconcile the conflicting interests went the
:09:10. > :09:15.application comes in for the Hexham All too often, we report on how
:09:15. > :09:21.soldiers from our region are killed and injured in Afghanistan. Today,
:09:21. > :09:29.the violence continued their with 58 civilians killed in suicide
:09:29. > :09:34.attacks. The British troops are due to be withdrawn in 2014. The army
:09:34. > :09:39.and Territorial Army will continue to provide a vital role. In the
:09:39. > :09:42.first of two reports, we travelled with the 5th Battalion Royal
:09:42. > :09:47.Regiment of Fusiliers on a training mission to Cyprus, which prepares
:09:47. > :09:57.them for possible deployment to the Afghan region of. First, we will
:09:57. > :10:09.
:10:09. > :10:13.Jonny Gwynne joined 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in 2007.
:10:13. > :10:17.As a Territorial soldier, he has already spent one year away from
:10:17. > :10:21.his family and career on the front line in Afghanistan. It certainly
:10:21. > :10:26.was a shock to the system. There was a lot of bloodshed that I did
:10:26. > :10:30.not wish on anybody. It also brought out the good in the guise.
:10:30. > :10:36.You also miss the comradeship, but at the end of the day, you are
:10:36. > :10:44.risking your life, and it is how many times you can do that. These
:10:44. > :10:49.are going to be the trackers. Marcon joined in 1997. That was
:10:49. > :10:54.when the TA was the rather seen as a weekend Cup for blokes who liked
:10:54. > :10:59.playing with guns. I had part-time jobs in pubs and stuff. I wanted a
:10:59. > :11:09.change. Did you think you would have to go and fight? No, not
:11:09. > :11:18.really. The last time PTA had been mobilised was on service days.
:11:18. > :11:21.days ago, five TA soldiers went to a training camp in Cyprus. These
:11:22. > :11:28.are the sort of soldiers who will be increasingly fighting on the
:11:28. > :11:32.frontline. A recent government White Paper set out a plan which
:11:32. > :11:38.would seek the 8th reservists making up 30 % of our total armed
:11:38. > :11:44.forces. That is up from 10 % now. That means that Howard Smith, who
:11:44. > :11:50.has already seen action in Iraq and Afghanistan, may be called up again.
:11:50. > :11:57.Are you ready to be called up again? If need be. Do you want to?
:11:57. > :12:02.If need be! I think you are better off asking my wife that question.
:12:02. > :12:09.In the past, the TA was brighter -- widely viewed with contempt by a
:12:09. > :12:17.regular soldiers. Has this changed? The journey to Cyprus involved an
:12:17. > :12:21.overnight trip from Durham to RAF Brize Norton. A flight then took
:12:21. > :12:27.RAF Akrotiri, and then a further flight to Dhekelia Barracks. When
:12:27. > :12:36.we finally arrived, things did not look too promising. 28 hours on,
:12:36. > :12:46.and there are no food or water. What is that all about? Whenever
:12:46. > :12:47.
:12:47. > :12:55.the military do anything, moving 91 or so people from one country to
:12:55. > :13:01.another, it is a huge feet. I am not excusing the fact that there
:13:01. > :13:07.wasn't true -- food available for them. Was it because it was the TA?
:13:07. > :13:17.No. When you do things on a bad scale, when things go wrong, they
:13:17. > :13:25.
:13:25. > :13:28.And you can see the second part of the report on tomorrow's programme.
:13:28. > :13:38.Our part-time soldiers will be training in earnest. Planted more
:13:38. > :13:43.to come, including more on the faults of Sunderland's new manager.
:13:43. > :13:53.And the weather is set to throw a lot at us at the next few days. It
:13:53. > :13:55.
:13:55. > :13:59.will be very windy. I will have a It was a night of celebration on
:13:59. > :14:02.Tyneside for the art world last night. They were at the Baltic in
:14:02. > :14:07.Gateshead to see Scotland's Martin Boyce being named the winner of the
:14:07. > :14:12.prestigious Turner Prize. Our arts reporter met him today to find out
:14:12. > :14:19.what impression the region has made on him.
:14:19. > :14:22.This is a moment Martin Boyce will never forget. He was named the best
:14:22. > :14:29.contemporary artist in Britain today and now the Baltic has become
:14:29. > :14:33.a rather special place for him. are working away in the gallery and
:14:33. > :14:38.working closely with the people from the Baltic, and you get to
:14:38. > :14:44.know the crew and people her help renew and then in evening, you go
:14:44. > :14:47.out in Newcastle and get to know the city about as well. It is a
:14:47. > :14:50.great place. Yes, but it is the art here which
:14:50. > :14:53.has been providing the nourishment for the 120,000 people who have
:14:53. > :15:00.been to see the Turner Prize exhibition since it opened six
:15:00. > :15:05.weeks ago. It is great that people from Gateshead and Newcastle are
:15:05. > :15:09.engaging with the work in such a great way. I have never seen people
:15:09. > :15:11.queuing to get into an art exhibition. It is amazing that
:15:11. > :15:13.people have embraced it. Boyce's work was displayed
:15:13. > :15:20.alongside the three other shortlisted artists. All very
:15:20. > :15:25.different but did the judges make the right decision? I do think they
:15:25. > :15:29.got it right. I think it is a beautiful sculpture and I enjoyed
:15:29. > :15:34.it more now it has been explained to me. I think I am a bit
:15:34. > :15:37.conventional. I think they made the right decision rather than the
:15:37. > :15:44.material which was crushed up and didn't seem to have much skill
:15:44. > :15:50.attached to it. I quite enjoyed the winning piece. I understood it more
:15:50. > :15:57.than some of the others and perhaps that helped. I thought it was so
:15:57. > :16:01.much better than the rubbish by Tracey Emin and others. So the
:16:01. > :16:11.Turner Prize has been decided but the exhibition were remain for four
:16:11. > :16:13.
:16:13. > :16:17.more weeks, so you still have a chance to see it.
:16:17. > :16:20.This is a bigger story of the day - down at Dalby Forest they have
:16:21. > :16:26.enlisted new recruits to help out with Christmas-tree sales. They are
:16:26. > :16:33.a little on the large size. Christmas is great, but let us face
:16:33. > :16:39.it it is not that again. What with the tensile and paper and transport
:16:39. > :16:44.costs and electric lights. But here they're trying to cut their carbon
:16:44. > :16:49.footprint. This is an Newfoundland. It looks like a cross between a
:16:49. > :16:55.pony and a beer but is actually a dog. A dog which is capable of
:16:55. > :16:59.pulling it 50 times its own body weight. So a card with a couple of
:16:59. > :17:05.Christmas trees is nothing for them. For a small donation to charity,
:17:05. > :17:09.they will carry trees to the car- park. Add the juice for a big dog
:17:09. > :17:15.and a reason for awning them. They're lovely docile dogs you can
:17:15. > :17:21.work with, they're good working dogs. Obviously, they are beautiful
:17:21. > :17:26.but the temperament is fantastic. I wanted a dog I could work with.
:17:26. > :17:36.There are also a downside. The a slobber. When they're wet and muddy,
:17:36. > :17:37.
:17:37. > :17:42.the smell. They are at large, extra-large and oh my God! This dog
:17:42. > :17:52.is 13 1/2 stone. Addison wait for a rugby player and a little worrying
:17:52. > :17:53.
:17:53. > :17:57.if you see why happens when this 8 stone dog wants to go for a walk.
:17:58. > :18:05.If you're thinking why such big pause, it is because they have
:18:05. > :18:11.webbed feet. They do breaststroke so well they can tour boats. They
:18:11. > :18:21.are trained to rescue people from the water. So pulling Christmas
:18:21. > :18:27.
:18:27. > :18:37.cheese is probably beneath them. -- Christmas trees.
:18:37. > :18:45.
:18:45. > :18:48.Time for sports now. Early on in the programme we heard about Martin
:18:48. > :18:55.O'Neill's boyhood love for work Sunderland. We heard how he was
:18:55. > :18:57.keen to steer it they it assembled journalists into the real world. In
:18:57. > :19:00.the limelight is 16 months after leaving Aston Villa. Martin
:19:00. > :19:03.O'Neill's first match in charge on Sunday should guarantee a bumper
:19:03. > :19:08.crowd and renewed optimism on Wearside. First he must galvanise a
:19:08. > :19:14.squad short on confidence. The best way to do it is to win a couple of
:19:14. > :19:20.football games. Players have to play through little periods were
:19:20. > :19:23.confidence and self-belief is not as high. That is the making of a
:19:24. > :19:28.player, they have to go out and perform when they're not doing so
:19:28. > :19:31.well, if he can do that under pressure, then of course life will
:19:31. > :19:35.be rosier. The hope of the Sunderland board is
:19:35. > :19:37.that a meal can repeat his success at most of the other clubs he has
:19:37. > :19:40.managed where trophies, Cup finals and improved league positions have
:19:40. > :19:48.been consistently achieved. While he accepts he is in a results
:19:48. > :19:52.business, the new boss can see a bright bigger picture. There is an
:19:52. > :19:57.energy about his food all club, there is a passion about it. Those
:19:57. > :20:02.things, with a bit of determination and a combination of all of that, I
:20:02. > :20:04.hope that will give us that lift. - - football club.
:20:04. > :20:10.O'Neills says he and American Warner Ellis Short have not
:20:10. > :20:15.discussed the January transfer window. I am excited about taking
:20:15. > :20:21.his job and what to do something about it, that is not a discussion
:20:21. > :20:27.at the moment, we will see what develops. We had Jennie Lee not
:20:27. > :20:29.discuss that. -- genuinely preliminary talks about managing
:20:29. > :20:33.Sunderland did take place between O'Neill and then chairman Naill
:20:33. > :20:36.Quinn five years ago. Now he is in the hot seat, roll on Sunday.
:20:36. > :20:39.As we say hello to one manager, we say goodbye to another. Hartlepool
:20:39. > :20:42.have sacked head coach Mick Wadsworth after 16 months in charge.
:20:42. > :20:45.Despite a good start the season, a club statement said it felt fresh
:20:45. > :20:49.direction was needed after Hartlepool, who were 13th in League
:20:49. > :20:51.One, lost their last seven games at their victory and Park home.
:20:51. > :20:54.Assistant Micky Barron will take temporary charge, but there is
:20:54. > :21:00.speculation to make the Hartlepool may look for a player manager to
:21:00. > :21:03.replace Mick Wadsworth. Ritchie Humphreys or Nobby Solano anyone?
:21:03. > :21:08.It has been a week of celebration for England women's rugby captain
:21:08. > :21:11.Katy McLean. The Darlington Mowden Park Sharks fly half led her
:21:11. > :21:15.country to a 2-0 series win over the reigning world champions New
:21:15. > :21:18.Zealand this week and picked up her 50th cap into the bargain. In
:21:18. > :21:22.strong winds at Esher and against the run of play, the black ferns
:21:22. > :21:25.scored the first try in the third and final game to give them the
:21:25. > :21:29.lead at half-time. But England came back with a try from Natasha Hunt
:21:29. > :21:39.after the break to level the scores at 8 - all and give England a
:21:39. > :21:40.
:21:40. > :21:45.historic series victory. It is amazing. I thought a better
:21:45. > :21:49.in the summer or. You never really believe it until you get there. It
:21:49. > :21:55.is just great that her family and friends were here to see it. It
:21:55. > :21:58.would be nice for the girls to just relax now and enjoy it. It is
:21:59. > :22:06.massive for their history, we had never fought back like this to a
:22:06. > :22:12.victory. Women's rugby is growing, and we are involved in it and we
:22:12. > :22:16.have 2013 in New Zealand to look forward to. Well done to the girls.
:22:16. > :22:21.This Saturday either have the population will be watching
:22:22. > :22:25.Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC or the X Factor on the other channel.
:22:25. > :22:33.If you are X Factor fan you'll know that our region has a special
:22:33. > :22:38.interest, Amelia Lily heels from the region and the Little Mix has
:22:38. > :22:45.two members from Sao it sounds -- from South Shields. We have this
:22:45. > :22:50.report from South Shields. Stardom beyond their wildest dreams - not
:22:50. > :22:59.any more. Little Mix are days away, if you believe the bid years, from
:22:59. > :23:02.the X Factor champions. -- believe the bookmakers. They're keeping
:23:02. > :23:09.their profile up with a gig in South Shields and another press
:23:09. > :23:16.conference with their men to on the show. She is a mother figure - aged
:23:16. > :23:21.23. The two girls are 18. It is a tough here, there is some really
:23:21. > :23:27.good competition, but we have worked so hard that we honestly
:23:27. > :23:31.feel we stand a chance. They're calling this town next factory.
:23:31. > :23:36.Last year Joe Makel Drew took them on. I remember the sport he got
:23:36. > :23:43.from the North East, it really helped him. With the backing of the
:23:43. > :23:48.North East, we have an even better chance. The confidence of used!
:23:48. > :23:56.They seem completely unafraid of failure. -- the confidence of the
:23:56. > :24:01.use! I see him in the chair sitting there and I think I am doing it for
:24:02. > :24:07.you. The is girls really deserve to have their lives changed. So please
:24:07. > :24:12.pick up the phone and change their lives. -- these girls. They can do
:24:12. > :24:18.a lot for females across the country.
:24:18. > :24:24.Hopefully, we will be catching up with Amelia Lily in Middlesbrough
:24:24. > :24:30.tomorrow. All this cold weather has me in a Christmas mid. I have to
:24:30. > :24:35.say I am getting in the Christmas mood myself. He is an idea for an
:24:35. > :24:45.ideal stocking filler, we have sold 6,000 copies of the Callender for
:24:45. > :24:55.2012. There's still a few left. Go 2012. There's still a few left. Go
:24:55. > :25:04.
:25:04. > :25:09.to our website if you wish to buy one.
:25:09. > :25:19.This was at the Cumbrian fells earlier today. A covering us know
:25:19. > :25:23.over the hills. Some sleet, snow and ice, so not good for the sheep
:25:23. > :25:32.either. He had been out and about what you cameras in the region as
:25:32. > :25:42.well. This is a nice picture of Brampton from earlier today. This
:25:42. > :25:43.
:25:43. > :25:47.is County Durham, thank you to Stephen for that shot. This sign
:25:47. > :25:54.that. Said the road underneath is no. Showers were less frequent
:25:54. > :25:58.today. The return with a vengeance tonight with a band of rain over
:25:58. > :26:05.their hills. Scattered showers for the tail-end of the night.
:26:05. > :26:10.Temperatures will hold up above freezing, but on the Trans Pennine
:26:10. > :26:14.routes one or two icy patches to watch out for. It will feel cold
:26:14. > :26:20.everywhere as a westerly wind picks up again. A windy day tomorrow,
:26:20. > :26:25.some sunny spells, the east will see the best of breaks in the cloud.
:26:25. > :26:30.One or two showers in the West, not widespread. There will be some
:26:31. > :26:36.sleet and snow mixed in there. Many places will miss the showers. It
:26:36. > :26:41.will never feel warm, six or seven at the highest temperatures. It
:26:41. > :26:47.will feel cold when you are out and about. All change for a Wednesday,
:26:47. > :26:53.this weather system comes in from the West bringing wet and windy
:26:53. > :26:59.weather. I called northwest winds for their end of the week. Early
:26:59. > :27:03.warnings from the Met Office - for a strong winds on Thursday and by
:27:03. > :27:08.Friday and return to much more wintry conditions with outbreaks of
:27:08. > :27:12.sleet and snow for many of us. Wet and windy for Thursday, reasonably
:27:12. > :27:16.mild. Much colder by Friday with mild. Much colder by Friday with
:27:16. > :27:22.wintry showers returning. Thank you very much. Never last
:27:22. > :27:27.look at the main headlines: Twin suicide attacks leaves at least 50
:27:27. > :27:30.people dead and hundreds injured in Afghanistan. Martin O'Neill says