30/06/2011

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:00:08. > :00:11.Good evening. Welcome Thursday's Look North. Tonight: On strike.

:00:11. > :00:15.Demonstrations are held across Yorkshire, as a thousand schools in

:00:15. > :00:20.the region are hit by strike action over pensions. We're hoping that

:00:20. > :00:23.this will make the Government listen to what we're saying, take

:00:23. > :00:28.notice and see there's lots of working people who believe that we

:00:28. > :00:33.shouldn't be punished. The public sector has to get more in line with

:00:33. > :00:37.the private sector and we're all in dire straits financially. We look

:00:37. > :00:42.at the impact of today's walkout on parents, teachers and businesses.

:00:42. > :00:46.Also tonight, the prom goes on. How students in Doncaster defied

:00:46. > :00:50.the strike to end their schools days in style.

:00:50. > :00:56.We meet the Leeds actor launching the latest Harry Potter film, ten

:00:56. > :01:02.years after the first one. Skies were threatening looking

:01:02. > :01:12.across the area early today. But they should be mostly dry. All the

:01:12. > :01:13.

:01:13. > :01:16.Thousands of public sector workers across Yorkshire have been on

:01:16. > :01:21.strike today, in a dispute over changes to their pension. Schools,

:01:21. > :01:25.colleges and job sen tears cross the region have all been affected.

:01:25. > :01:28.Let's fiebld out what impact today's strikes have had. We know

:01:29. > :01:33.of 983 schools in Yorkshire which were closed or affected. That's

:01:33. > :01:39.just over half the total number in the region. Border Agency staff

:01:39. > :01:43.joined the strike. Leeds Bradford and Robin Hood airpbts were not

:01:43. > :01:46.disrupted. Some job centres were offering a limited service and

:01:46. > :01:53.court cases were delayed. Protests have been taking place

:01:53. > :01:57.across the region - in Sheffield, Bradford, Leeds and York. Begany

:01:57. > :02:02.Hewson has been looking at the disruption caused by the biggest

:02:02. > :02:06.industrial action for many years. They came in their thousands, a sea

:02:06. > :02:10.of people flooding into cities and towns. The colours denoted their

:02:10. > :02:13.different unions, teachers stood side by side with Jobcentre staff,

:02:13. > :02:19.prison workers, coastguards, but all were united in their anger at

:02:19. > :02:23.Government plans to change their pensions. I will pay �30,000 more

:02:23. > :02:28.in pensions till I retire under Government proposals. I'm 48 years

:02:28. > :02:33.old. Somebody at 24 will pay an extra �60,000 more in pension to

:02:33. > :02:36.receive less than they get now. I've been a teacher for only four

:02:36. > :02:40.years. I have hopefully a long career ahead of me. The way things

:02:40. > :02:43.are going at the moment, it's just disgusting what the Government are

:02:43. > :02:46.doing. It's also about little fellas like this and their future

:02:46. > :02:50.as well. We're fighting to protect the future of our kids. We want

:02:51. > :02:56.them to have a decent education and a health service. I don't want to

:02:56. > :03:00.look at my son and when he asked "What did you do to protect my

:03:00. > :03:04.future?" With tens of thousands of workers away from their posts, the

:03:04. > :03:09.impact was felt to varying degrees. At job centres it was pretty much

:03:09. > :03:14.business as usual. Around 200 office staff were absents from

:03:14. > :03:19.their posts in York. Schools and colleges felt the biggest impact.

:03:19. > :03:23.More than half of the schools in the region were closed. Where doors

:03:23. > :03:29.stayed open, parents were relieved not to have to make alternative

:03:29. > :03:33.arrangements. Very relieved. I was -- I have four here today. It helps

:03:33. > :03:37.a lot with child care for a lot of the parents. I'm glad, this school

:03:37. > :03:42.always manages to stay open whatever goes on. I fully support

:03:42. > :03:45.the teachers I must say. Big relief. To send him to school and be with

:03:45. > :03:49.his friends. Though many voice support for today's action, some,

:03:49. > :03:53.particularly those in the private sector, were not impressed.

:03:53. > :03:57.Employees at this Sheffield company don't have such a luxury as a

:03:57. > :04:03.company pension plan. The boss here believes it's high time the public

:04:03. > :04:05.sector took its blinkers off. always had to do it ourselves.

:04:05. > :04:10.We've never had anybody contributing to our pensions. What

:04:10. > :04:14.our pension is is what we pay into it. It's frustrating when we see

:04:14. > :04:17.colleagues in the public sector, who we are paying our taxs to fund

:04:18. > :04:23.their pensions and they are now wanting something to continue, when

:04:23. > :04:26.it's clear the climate out there can't support that. Unions disagree.

:04:26. > :04:29.They're adamant they'll fight changes and promised today's

:04:29. > :04:36.massive turnout is just the beginning if agreement can't be

:04:36. > :04:41.preached. -- reached.

:04:41. > :04:45.In West Yorkshire alone 8,000 members of the NUT were on strike

:04:45. > :04:49.today. Among them was Rachel Williams. She was one of hundreds

:04:49. > :04:53.to attend the mass rally in Leeds this afternoon.

:04:53. > :04:57.Rachel Williams lives in Leeds. She's been a teacher for 13 years.

:04:57. > :05:01.But in all that time, there's never been a more important day than

:05:01. > :05:07.today. I feel like the Government aren't listening. I know for me

:05:07. > :05:12.personally, for example, they're asking me to pay �90 more a month

:05:12. > :05:17.to lose over my career �180,000, for me it's incredibly important.

:05:17. > :05:20.Rachel is one of 3,000 NUT members on strike in Leeds alone today.

:05:20. > :05:24.This is where she's heading. In the city centre, hundreds of people

:05:24. > :05:28.have turned out for a mass rally against the Government's proposed

:05:28. > :05:31.pension reforms. It's been a good day. We were picketing the school

:05:31. > :05:34.this morning. We got a lot of support from people going into work.

:05:34. > :05:40.A lot of people are very angry about what's happening. It's

:05:40. > :05:44.brilliant that we're all out here, together to show how important this

:05:44. > :05:47.pensions problem is. Strikes like this in Yorkshire have affected

:05:47. > :05:51.around a thousand schools today and caused major disruption across the

:05:51. > :05:54.region. The Government has called the strikes irresponsible and

:05:54. > :05:58.premature A cross the country, hundreds of thousands of people

:05:59. > :06:02.disagree and here in Leeds today, the teachers are determined to make

:06:03. > :06:06.sure their voice is hear. Elsewhere in the county, plenty of

:06:06. > :06:10.schools have stayed open. At Bradford Academy, around half of

:06:10. > :06:15.the teachers are on strike, but the school still opened to years eight

:06:15. > :06:18.and nine. Just as well, as today is their maths exam. We wrote to

:06:18. > :06:23.parents explaining that as they came in they were likely to see

:06:23. > :06:27.pickets on the gates. It was their responsibility that they explained

:06:27. > :06:33.that to them. Parents have done what we asked and children have

:06:33. > :06:37.come in for their exams. Rachel has arrived at the rally. She's decided

:06:37. > :06:40.this is more important than being in school today. We hope this will

:06:40. > :06:43.make the Government list ton what we're saying, take notice and see

:06:43. > :06:51.there's lots of working people who believe that we shouldn't be

:06:51. > :06:55.punished. Unions are warning, unless the row's resolved, more

:06:55. > :07:00.demonstrations could take place in Autumn and people like Rachel are

:07:00. > :07:05.fully prepared to support another strike.

:07:05. > :07:10.Earlier I spoke to Craig Whittaker Conservative MP for Calder Valley

:07:10. > :07:13.who speaks for the Government on education and to Ian Murch from the

:07:13. > :07:17.National Union of Teachers. I asked if they thought today's action to

:07:17. > :07:20.make any difference. Eventually the Government will have to listen to

:07:20. > :07:24.these messages. The degree of anger teachers have shown bit size of the

:07:24. > :07:28.vote for the industrial action and the number of people who've taken

:07:28. > :07:33.part, ought to be a real warning to them. We had our pensions altered

:07:33. > :07:36.in 2007. To come back four years later, when we were told they were

:07:36. > :07:39.affordable and stable has made people really angry. Given that

:07:39. > :07:43.you're still in discussions with the Government, aren't these

:07:43. > :07:46.strikes peoplure? Well, we've had three months of discussions with

:07:47. > :07:49.the Government. Nothing better is on the table than it was at

:07:49. > :07:54.beginning of the three months. The discussions were due to finish on

:07:54. > :07:59.Monday this week. We believe they've only been extended because

:07:59. > :08:03.of the threat of industrial action we've made. But, the talks have to

:08:03. > :08:07.produce something different in terms of retirement age, level of

:08:07. > :08:11.contributions and what happens to indexation after people retire,

:08:11. > :08:15.before the unions will give up on the campaign that they're fighting.

:08:15. > :08:18.Let's talk to Craig Whittaker now in London. Surely, the public

:08:18. > :08:22.sector workers have the right to strike because you're changing the

:08:22. > :08:26.rules midway through the game, aren't you? Well, just look at my

:08:26. > :08:29.mail bag today, the real tragedy about the strikes today are for the

:08:29. > :08:33.50% of teachers that went into school today. Without question what

:08:33. > :08:38.the unions have done today is damage even further the reputation

:08:38. > :08:42.of teachers. It is premature to strike today. The negotiations are

:08:42. > :08:46.still ongoing. And yet, we have this real bully boy tactics over

:08:46. > :08:49.the British public. My mail bag, without question, says that the

:08:49. > :08:53.people aren't on the side of the unions today and that's a real

:08:53. > :08:57.tragedy about what's going on. Doesn't it stick in the throat when

:08:57. > :09:01.MPs are telling public sector workers final salary pension

:09:01. > :09:05.schemes are no longer viable, but you are still enjoying very well

:09:05. > :09:11.funded and very generous, as David Cameron called them, final salary

:09:11. > :09:15.schemes. The ironic thing is we are public sector workers as well. We

:09:15. > :09:20.are very much part of this process. We are part of the huton review. We

:09:20. > :09:24.will come out at the end of this with much reduced benefits through

:09:24. > :09:29.the pension scheme. The main reason is because long-term sustainability

:09:29. > :09:33.of all pensions in the public sector aren't affordable. Not only

:09:33. > :09:37.aren't they affordable in the public sector, but we've seen in

:09:37. > :09:41.the private sector over the last ten years, this process happening.

:09:41. > :09:44.We have to be realistic about making sure the viability and

:09:44. > :09:50.sustainability of pensions for all going forward. If we don't do that

:09:50. > :09:53.now, that won't happen. Ian Murch, Craig Whittaker says you won't have

:09:53. > :09:59.public sympathy. He says his mail bag is full of people saying it's

:09:59. > :10:02.unfair. We've had enormous number of expressions of public sympathy.

:10:02. > :10:05.People understand that you cannot teach in most circumstances until

:10:05. > :10:11.you're 68. That's what we're asking of young teachers. We're asking

:10:11. > :10:14.them to pay �100 more to their pensions, work till they're 68 and

:10:14. > :10:18.get a smaller pension. That's not affordable to them. Craig Whittaker,

:10:19. > :10:22.should it not be the case that MPs pensions schemes should be reformed

:10:22. > :10:27.first and people can follow, you said the example? The example has

:10:27. > :10:31.been set by MPs. We are very much part of the same process as all

:10:31. > :10:34.other public sector workers. Whatever comes out at the end of

:10:34. > :10:38.the negotiations will be what MPs end up with. Just going back to

:10:38. > :10:43.what Ian has just said there, it isn't fair to the public, it isn't

:10:43. > :10:47.fair to the mothers and families that have to take time off work

:10:47. > :10:51.when they are actually already going through those processes, and

:10:51. > :10:54.have been through those processes of making their pensions

:10:54. > :10:59.sustainable. They're not going to wear this public sector pension

:11:00. > :11:03.schemes at the rate and value going forward. Gentlemen, many thanks for

:11:03. > :11:07.joining us this evening. During the day, thousands of

:11:07. > :11:11.teachers took part in the strike action across Yorkshire, that's

:11:11. > :11:14.clearly had an impact on working families. How have parents and

:11:14. > :11:18.pupils coped with a day off in the middle of the week and so close to

:11:18. > :11:23.the school holidays as well? Cathy Killick has been finding out.

:11:23. > :11:27.They'd normally be in the classroom right now. Instead it's an

:11:27. > :11:32.impromptu game of ping-pong on the time table. These sixth formers

:11:32. > :11:35.school in York is partially open. Maths beckons later. But for now,

:11:35. > :11:40.they're kicking their heels in the park. Considering they're working

:11:40. > :11:44.hard, they're working more for less pay and also their pensions seem to

:11:44. > :11:49.have come down to the normal level as well. I think it's definitely

:11:49. > :11:53.justified what they're doing. Elsewhere, parents have had a

:11:53. > :11:57.mountain to climb finding child care or doing it themselves. We're

:11:57. > :12:02.all doing our bit financially, aren't we? So, yeah, that's kind of

:12:02. > :12:05.what I feel. A bit disappointed that they came on strike, if I'm

:12:05. > :12:11.honest. York's tourist attractions have had a good day. For some the

:12:11. > :12:14.strike has been a money spinner, with museums reporting increased

:12:14. > :12:17.attendance. We're very fortunate that we have over 30 visitor

:12:17. > :12:23.attractions for families and children to explore. So we have

:12:23. > :12:28.noticed an increase in calls to our visitor centre. And also different

:12:28. > :12:32.attractions have told us they've seen quite a large increase in

:12:32. > :12:35.calls. The national mining museum near Wakefield proved popular with

:12:35. > :12:40.families looking for an educational day out to make up for closed

:12:41. > :12:44.schools. For thousands of children, though, today has been a term-time

:12:44. > :12:52.treat. The teachers need a rest and all the cuts and stuff, it's just

:12:52. > :12:58.unfair on the teachers. A day off school is pretty cool. Well it's

:12:58. > :13:03.really positive and I'm happy that I got the day off. Tomorrow, it's

:13:03. > :13:07.back to work for teachers and pupils alike.

:13:07. > :13:12.Someone was happy at least. Children and parents in Doncaster

:13:12. > :13:16.didn't let the walkout spoil their prom. The action meant the year 11

:13:16. > :13:19.leavers party would have to be cancelled. Parents and governors at

:13:19. > :13:24.Ridgewood School rearranged their schedules and decided to run it for

:13:24. > :13:28.themselves. It was a school day like no other,

:13:28. > :13:32.not just because it was the biggest social event in the education

:13:32. > :13:42.calendar, but because the leavers' celebration was being run bit

:13:42. > :13:42.

:13:42. > :13:46.parents. It's been very busy. We've all pulled together. We had a

:13:46. > :13:49.meeting last night to put everything in place. Thanks to

:13:49. > :13:53.everybody's support, everybody showed and it's all been great.

:13:53. > :13:58.would have been a disaster not to have this day. Months of planning

:13:58. > :14:01.and hundreds of pounds had gone into this event at Ridgewood School

:14:01. > :14:07.in Doncaster, so parents and governors decided four days ago

:14:07. > :14:10.that this was one thing the strike must not fbgt. -- affect. 36

:14:10. > :14:18.volunteers looked after just over 200 teenagers and they did it for

:14:19. > :14:24.this. Ecstatic! Everyone's buzzing. We were thanking everyone. Yeah

:14:24. > :14:27.thanking everybody. How big a day is today? Massive! One of the

:14:28. > :14:32.biggest days of our lives. They entered school together for the

:14:32. > :14:36.last time. We're not allowed on the school site today, but I'm told

:14:36. > :14:40.pupils are now in the main hall, where there are speeches and awards.

:14:40. > :14:44.It is a scaled down version of original plans because there's no

:14:44. > :14:50.staff present and that has been criticised. If NUT members are not

:14:50. > :14:55.going to do an event like this, it should be covered properly. If it

:14:55. > :14:59.can't be covered properly NUT members are advised to help support

:14:59. > :15:03.an event like this. The head teachers hasn't commented, but

:15:03. > :15:06.governors say they weren't acting as teachers and that health and

:15:06. > :15:11.safety checks were carried out. By midmorning it was time to move to a

:15:11. > :15:17.new venue, on a day when the talk was of teachers not going into

:15:17. > :15:22.school, these pupils certainly left in style.

:15:22. > :15:25.Other news - a man from Worksop, jailed for life three days ago for

:15:25. > :15:29.shooting dead his wife and daughter in America, has filed an appeal

:15:29. > :15:34.against his conviction. Neil Entwistle, who's 32 and met his

:15:34. > :15:38.wife at York University, argued he should get a new trial because

:15:38. > :15:42.police searched his home without a warrant.

:15:42. > :15:46.We were Spelbound then... And so was he. The Harry Potter star from

:15:46. > :15:56.Leeds tells us about his amazing decade in the movies.

:15:56. > :15:57.

:15:57. > :16:00.And not to be sniffed at, art for dogs goes on show in Yorkshire.

:16:00. > :16:03.England's cricketers are in Yorkshire for the second one-day

:16:03. > :16:06.international tomorrow, when they take on the Sri Lankans at

:16:06. > :16:10.Headingley. Quite exciting, an important match for the club to

:16:10. > :16:17.host, particularly after missing out on all of this summer's Test

:16:17. > :16:21.matches. 17,500 fans will fill Headingley.

:16:21. > :16:24.We knew this year was going to be difficult because we only had a

:16:24. > :16:29.one-day international. We haven't got a Test match. This year we're

:16:30. > :16:34.going to still post a loss, even after tomorrow's event. But it will

:16:34. > :16:40.be a small loss compared with what we had last year. We budgeted for

:16:40. > :16:46.that. We knew that. We've cut our cloth accordingly. We may have been

:16:46. > :16:51.Murrayed yesterday, he took us off air, next week we will be going

:16:51. > :16:54.potty when the final film in the Harry Potter series is released.

:16:54. > :16:59.It's release aid week tomorrow. You might not know that a young actor

:16:59. > :17:03.from Leeds had a role in the film, Matt Lewis, who played Neville

:17:03. > :17:07.Longbottom, popped into the studio for a chat yesterday. Let's see him

:17:07. > :17:13.in action in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. You're

:17:13. > :17:17.sneaking out again, aren't you? Listen... You're looking back at

:17:17. > :17:21.that, Matt, what do you think when you see that? Well, erm, it's so

:17:21. > :17:24.bizarre. I'm in the a big fan of watching the old ones. They're

:17:25. > :17:28.great films and they're so well done. Seeing myself like that is

:17:28. > :17:33.hard work. You're 22 now. Yeah. It's difficult. My dad always

:17:33. > :17:38.sticks them on at Christmas. They're always on BBC. I can't

:17:38. > :17:41.stand it. It. I don't like it. It's like home videos on national TV.

:17:41. > :17:46.When you look back to believe where you are now and the huge success,

:17:46. > :17:50.you wouldn't have had any idea when you were young. No, not at all. I

:17:50. > :17:56.was a fan of the books. I knew they were going to be big, you know, but

:17:56. > :18:00.not on the scale that it's become. I had no idea that I'd be here 10,

:18:00. > :18:05.11 years later. Remind us how you came by the role. To get a role in

:18:05. > :18:08.the first film was a coup any way. Definitely. Since I was five, I

:18:08. > :18:13.were around Yorkshire and various things. They had an open audition

:18:13. > :18:16.at the Queen's hotel in the town. I went along, queued for hours and

:18:17. > :18:21.yeah, I was in the audition for about two minutes, if that and got

:18:21. > :18:24.very lucky. It has been so massive. Presumably the publicity and

:18:24. > :18:29.everything like this for the final film will be huge for you guys.

:18:29. > :18:34.Yeah, we're going to be busy. Going out on this one, the one with the

:18:34. > :18:38.most action than any of the others. We've tried to achieve something

:18:38. > :18:41.epic with this. I'm looking forward to it. We've got great plans for

:18:41. > :18:45.the premiere. We have Trafalgar Square instead of Leicester Square

:18:45. > :18:48.this year. That's going to be the first time a film premiere has been

:18:48. > :18:52.in Trafalgar Square. Then I'm off to North America, then New York is

:18:52. > :18:56.the first stop. We don't want tomorrow bairs you, but you came

:18:57. > :19:04.into Look North ten years ago. We've changed over the years, but

:19:04. > :19:09.you have as well. Juf a bit. ARCHIVE: Yes, because it's like, he

:19:09. > :19:13.is an orphan. But he is clumsy and so am I. That was quite easy.

:19:13. > :19:21.see another clip, because this is a key moment in the film, when you

:19:21. > :19:24.actually have to stand up... wanted you to appreciate the change.

:19:24. > :19:31.Do you remember being interviewed by two people dressed like that?

:19:31. > :19:35.You think I would! My memory must have been erased. It hasn't scarred

:19:35. > :19:39.you for life? Not quite. It must be a slightly sad time for you,

:19:39. > :19:43.because it's the end of an ear ya. Yeah, it is. When you're working

:19:43. > :19:47.together for people for so long, it's going to be sad that we've

:19:47. > :19:50.finished now. At the same time, it's like leaving school. I've been

:19:50. > :19:54.there for such a long time, now I'm ready to move on and dot next

:19:54. > :19:59.chapter of my life. It's as exciting as it is being sad.

:19:59. > :20:06.wish you well and thafrbgz thanks for coming in.

:20:06. > :20:10.Cheers. That was one we made earlier, wasn't St it? -- wasn't

:20:10. > :20:17.it? I am looking forward to the film. We've seen them all.

:20:17. > :20:21.haven't seen any. That will be one for the DVD box set. Harry Potter

:20:21. > :20:24.all the way. Modern art isn't always to

:20:24. > :20:28.everyone's taste. Damien Hurst's pickled animals or Tracey Emin's

:20:28. > :20:33.messy bed have divided people over the years. What do you think man's

:20:34. > :20:40.best friend would make of it all? Art for dogs is just one of the

:20:40. > :20:44.ideas behind West Leeds Festival. This year's West Leeds Festival has

:20:44. > :20:49.gone to the dogs. This is the latest gallery space. It's art for

:20:49. > :20:55.those with a nose to the ground. Each poster supposedly irresistible,

:20:55. > :21:00.that by the way, is another dog's bottom. Will our specially

:21:00. > :21:07.commissioned panel of poochs be impressed? Let's meet the judges.

:21:08. > :21:13.Mr Jez, bubbles, Tia, Tigger, Merlyn and Arthur. That's little

:21:13. > :21:17.Jack Russell Gemma and that's Rosy. First up is seven-year-old German

:21:18. > :21:23.shepherd Merlyn. He's a local and is very familiar with these

:21:23. > :21:29.lampposts. No surprise he sniffs out something new. Arthur gives the

:21:29. > :21:35.picture a glance or two. Mr Jez finds a more interesting smell.

:21:35. > :21:40.Bubble sz keen, as is Gemma. So keen in fact I suspect there's some

:21:40. > :21:44.cheating going on. He's taken a bit of interest especially as they're

:21:44. > :21:48.peanut butter on them. I think it's wonderful. The dog thinks it's

:21:48. > :21:52.wonderful too. It's fun and nice to have something in our local park.

:21:52. > :21:55.We come here all the time. I don't think the dogs know what's going on.

:21:55. > :21:59.I think it's more for humans. sure there will be an occasional

:21:59. > :22:03.dog that maybe lifts a leg to show its appreciation. I think mainly

:22:03. > :22:09.this is for the owners really. It's a bit tongue-in-cheek. We have a

:22:09. > :22:12.sense of humour at the festival. It's a festival renowned for being

:22:12. > :22:17.quirky. They once put prison photographs on the outside of the

:22:17. > :22:24.jail, created a knitted shed. These were canal dancers. 2,000 people

:22:24. > :22:27.helped create a string of Y-front bunting and and this was a weird

:22:27. > :22:31.puppet hobbit gl. This year a Symphony Orchestra will perform on

:22:31. > :22:37.a stage in the middle of this pool and yes, you'll be able to spin

:22:37. > :22:40.around them. Pets, however, will not be well kol. If you want a

:22:40. > :22:45.cultured canine, these images will be adorning lampposts throughout

:22:45. > :22:49.July. They don't look overly impressed.

:22:49. > :22:53.What will they think of next. say it's for the owners, it's a bit

:22:53. > :22:57.Lowdown, I would say. If you're looking for something to

:22:57. > :23:00.do this weekend, theatre companies, dance schools and even us here at

:23:00. > :23:05.the BBC in Yorkshire are preparing to open our doors to show you what

:23:05. > :23:09.we do. It's part of a new free evebt this Saturday called the

:23:09. > :23:13.quarry hill festival, which celebrates the cultural industry

:23:13. > :23:19.around us here in this part of Leeds. How about this? This is

:23:19. > :23:25.human beat boxing. You can have a go at it yourself

:23:25. > :23:29.over at the Wardrobe Bar. Harry, you wonder where he was, there he

:23:29. > :23:34.is. He couldn't resist a dabble himself. He's being put through his

:23:34. > :23:37.paces and taking his clothes off as he went. How about a tour of the

:23:37. > :23:41.Northern Ballet theatre. If you want to know what we do, come over

:23:41. > :23:46.to the BBC and take a look behind the scenes.

:23:46. > :23:56.It's all for free, but you do have to book. For more information or to

:23:56. > :23:56.

:23:56. > :24:00.guarantee your place on the tour call this number: a lot of you have

:24:00. > :24:05.been getting in touch about the strike action today via Facebook.

:24:05. > :24:08.There's a range of views. One here Ian says "At what point will the

:24:08. > :24:14.public sector wake up and notice that we are in a recession and that

:24:14. > :24:17.they are much better off than those in the private sector?" Christine

:24:17. > :24:23.says "It's greed. The more people get the more they want. At least

:24:23. > :24:27.they're in work and are able to strike unliked the millions of

:24:27. > :24:30.unemployed." Another one said "Well done to the people who went on

:24:30. > :24:38.strike. At least you've had the guts to stand up for yourselves.

:24:38. > :24:43.Maybe others will follow suit" Louisa says "I'm sure if you could

:24:43. > :24:47.lose over �240,000 you would strike too. Stephen said "They're getting

:24:47. > :24:52.paid too much to get a pension like that. I'm in the private sector and

:24:52. > :24:56.have to pay �250 a month for my own pension." Valerie says "Well done

:24:56. > :25:02.to the strikers, stand up for your rights the politicians get �64,000

:25:02. > :25:06.and have a good pension. Also they claim travel expenses K normal

:25:06. > :25:09.workers claim anything towards getting to work, meals, drinks? I

:25:09. > :25:14.believe this Government is strangle ordinary people.

:25:14. > :25:21.Thank you for your views. Mr Paul is here. You didn't get the e-mail

:25:21. > :25:26.about the colour code again? today Paul. I've bought a ticket to

:25:26. > :25:30.the one-day international. Are you going? No, I'm going to be here.

:25:30. > :25:35.LAUGHTER That's so not true. It is actually

:25:35. > :25:40.true. I'm in the no drinking stand. There is justice in this world!

:25:40. > :25:50.sounds riveting. Now the forecast. It's looking very nice. For those

:25:50. > :25:51.

:25:51. > :25:55.of who are -- you who are awake, it should say Fri, not Sats. There's a

:25:55. > :26:00.should say Fri, not Sats. There's a 10% chance of catching a shower. It

:26:00. > :26:05.goes for most of us, sunny start, clouding over later. It's a

:26:05. > :26:10.pleasant end to the day here in West Yorkshire. A bit of cumulus

:26:10. > :26:14.type one there. There are bigger clouds across North Yorkshire

:26:14. > :26:18.bringing thunder storms. Very pleasant for west and south

:26:18. > :26:22.Yorkshire. Let's lock at the chart for tomorrow: High pressure in

:26:22. > :26:25.charge. But I think although we get off to a sunny start, the next

:26:25. > :26:30.couple of days, quite a bit of cloud builds up, especially into

:26:30. > :26:34.the afternoon. It looks settled. Breeze will be very light an the

:26:34. > :26:39.fine weather lasts into Monday and possibly Tuesday before the poor

:26:39. > :26:41.weather returns next week. You can pick up those speckled clouds

:26:41. > :26:45.across more eastern parts of Yorkshire there. That's brought

:26:45. > :26:50.some heavy showers this afternoon, the odd clap of thunder has been

:26:50. > :26:53.reported. They continue for the next few hours. For west and south

:26:53. > :26:57.Yorkshire it's a lovely end to the day. Everywhere dry and clear

:26:57. > :27:02.overnight. We'll see lowest temperatures down to seven Celsius,

:27:02. > :27:08.that is 45 degrees Fahrenheit. So the sun will rise in the morning,

:27:08. > :27:12.4.39am, setting at 9.40pm. A glorious start to Friday with

:27:12. > :27:15.largely unbroken sunshine, clear blue skies. I think if you watch

:27:15. > :27:19.the graphics, you can see the shadows growing, it means we head

:27:19. > :27:22.for a cloudy afternoon, the risk of the odd light shower, most will be

:27:22. > :27:26.dry, further bright or sunny intervals and temperatures of 19

:27:26. > :27:33.degrees, similar for the weekend. Looking pleasant. What type of