:00:09. > :00:12.Hello. Welcome to Midlands Today with Suzanne Virdee and Nick Owen.
:00:12. > :00:15.The headlines tonight: Problems at Stafford Hospital were shocking
:00:15. > :00:17.admits the former Health Secretary, but he didn't know about them, he
:00:17. > :00:20.says, when he approved it for elite status.
:00:20. > :00:28.We gave officers facing rioters plastic bullets says the chief
:00:28. > :00:32.constable, but not a shot was fired. Policing needs to be left with the
:00:32. > :00:35.police, and the consequences of being left on the street can be
:00:35. > :00:39.dangerous to the wider community. Fish rescue as the region suffers
:00:39. > :00:49.its driest summer since 1976. And how the RSC in Stratford has
:00:49. > :00:57.
:00:57. > :01:02.inspired a theatre company in Good evening. Welcome to Tuesday's
:01:02. > :01:05.Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight: the former Health
:01:05. > :01:07.Secretary tells the inquiry into appalling standards of care at
:01:07. > :01:10.Stafford Hospital that the "shocking events will forever be
:01:10. > :01:13.etched in his mind." Andy Burnham also admitted he put
:01:13. > :01:16.the hospital forward for Foundation status, which meant it could be run
:01:16. > :01:23.independently of the Department of Health on the basis of a four-line
:01:23. > :01:26.memo. Our Staffordshire reporter Liz Copper is in Stafford now. Liz,
:01:26. > :01:36.how have the relatives of patients who died at the hospital reacted to
:01:36. > :01:38.
:01:38. > :01:42.Mr Burnham's evidence? This is day 115 of evidence here at the inquiry.
:01:42. > :01:46.I think it's fair to say for the families, this was one of the most
:01:46. > :01:51.eagerly anticipated days of evidence. It was a chance to hear
:01:51. > :01:56.from the man at the heart of Government as events in Stafford
:01:56. > :02:00.unfolded and as decisions were made. Arriving at the public inquiry,
:02:00. > :02:04.which, when in Government, Andy Burnham had argued would not be in
:02:04. > :02:08.the best interests of health care in Staffordshire. He began his
:02:08. > :02:12.evidence by saying the events in Stafford had been shocking and
:02:12. > :02:17.terrible and would be forever etched on his mind.
:02:17. > :02:21.He was questioned about his time as a junior Minister when he'd given
:02:21. > :02:25.support to Staffordshire Hospital's application for Foundation status.
:02:25. > :02:29.Counsel to the inquiry, Tom Kark QC, asked him about a single paragraph
:02:29. > :02:33.in the briefing note he was given. There were just four lines
:02:33. > :02:40.specifically on Mid Staffordshire: "Is that the sum total of
:02:40. > :02:45.information about this Trust" Andy Burnham replied, "Yes, There was a
:02:45. > :02:48.all that was put to me". The inquiry heard the business case was
:02:48. > :02:55.described as marginal but there was a can-do approach. Andy Burnham
:02:55. > :02:58.said, "In retrospect, the can-do attitude was basically a cavalier
:02:58. > :03:02.attitude. Mr Burnham became Secretary of State for Health three
:03:02. > :03:06.months after the highly critical Health Care Commission report into
:03:06. > :03:10.care at Staffordshire Hospital. It was then he had deal with what was
:03:10. > :03:14.described as the aftermath of a pretty explosive report. These are
:03:14. > :03:17.pictures taken by the campaign group Cure the NHS who lobbied Mr
:03:17. > :03:20.Burnham in his constituency following that report's publication.
:03:20. > :03:26.The campaigners gave their reaction to his evidence. These Ministers
:03:26. > :03:29.and MPs - they're living in a bubble, and I think his evidence is
:03:29. > :03:35.exposing that. They haven't really got a grasp of what's going on in
:03:35. > :03:37.the outside world, only what the civil servants tell them.
:03:37. > :03:42.Burnham said improving standards and confidence in the hospital had
:03:42. > :03:46.been his number one job. He said the failings had been local
:03:46. > :03:51.failings by the Trust, the board and senior management.
:03:51. > :03:53.Mr Burnham left the inquiry without making further comment. His former
:03:53. > :04:03.Ministerial colleague, Ben Bradshaw, will be giving his evidence
:04:03. > :04:06.
:04:06. > :04:10.tomorrow. As the inquiry resumes after its summer break, it's due to
:04:10. > :04:13.hear from a number of high-profile witnesses now after the former
:04:13. > :04:17.Ministers have given their evidence. We're due to hear from a number of
:04:17. > :04:23.high-ranking Department of Health officials. They're expected to
:04:23. > :04:27.include the former Chief Medical Officer and also the NHS Chief
:04:27. > :04:31.Executive. An inquiry is expected to conclude hearing its evidence at
:04:31. > :04:35.the end of this autumn. Thank you very much indeed.
:04:35. > :04:36.The BBC Staffordshire website has all the background and the very
:04:36. > :04:40.latest information on the Staffordshire Hospital inquiry.
:04:40. > :04:50.You're with Midlands Today. Still ahead:
:04:50. > :04:51.
:04:51. > :04:54.Are you ready for the final switchover?
:04:54. > :04:57.It's emerged police officers were issued with plastic bullets as they
:04:57. > :04:59.faced rioters and looters in Birmingham and the Black Country
:04:59. > :05:01.last month. The Chief Constable, Chris Sims, said no shots were
:05:01. > :05:04.fired, but he defended his force's tactics.
:05:04. > :05:07.Our special correspondent Peter Wilson spoke to him during a debate
:05:07. > :05:14.in Birmingham, organised by the BBC, which focused on the causes of the
:05:14. > :05:18.riots. The moment last month when gangs in
:05:18. > :05:22.Birmingham turned their guns on the police. The police released this
:05:22. > :05:26.video partly in response to accusations that they'd stood back
:05:26. > :05:29.while looters plundered shops. The deaths of three men who had been
:05:29. > :05:34.standing on the Dudley Road protecting local businesses put an
:05:34. > :05:39.end to the riot. Last night at the city's town hall almost Thieu
:05:40. > :05:44.people came together to debate the causes and the solution -- thousand
:05:44. > :05:48.people came together to debate the causes and the solutions to the
:05:48. > :05:52.unrest. As these events settle on our minds, we need to understand
:05:52. > :05:57.that policing needs to be left with the police and that the
:05:57. > :06:03.consequences of being on the street can be dangerous to the wider
:06:03. > :06:06.community. There is a massive gap between the have's and the have
:06:06. > :06:10.not's. This is something that that went... The Radio Four debate
:06:10. > :06:15.looked at a broken society, broken families, dysfunctional politics.
:06:15. > :06:19.In the audience, everyone had a chance to have their say. I don't
:06:19. > :06:23.agree with everything that happened, and I don't say it's right. I don't
:06:24. > :06:31.condone it, but again, it wasn't just gangs, you know? It's easy to
:06:31. > :06:34.label everyone as gang member or a gang or a thug. Like I said, there
:06:34. > :06:37.were university students and athletes stealing and robbing stuff.
:06:37. > :06:41.This debate hasn't been only happening on the stage here at the
:06:41. > :06:48.town hall. The audience themselves have been debating the issues, but
:06:48. > :06:51.everyone is agreed that there is no easy solution, no silver bullet to
:06:51. > :06:54.these problems. No silver bullet, but the police
:06:54. > :06:58.reveal they had been prepared to use plastic bullets. They're part
:06:58. > :07:06.of the tact take that we would deploy if police came under direct
:07:06. > :07:11.fire. During the riots, our cameras captured two young women carrying a
:07:11. > :07:15.40-inch flat-screen TV. They gently put it down in a hotel doorway. The
:07:15. > :07:20.debate raged on whether harsh environments or just plain greed
:07:20. > :07:25.had sparked the looting. Many in the audience questioned why greed
:07:25. > :07:27.was good for top people in the City, but not for the poor and
:07:27. > :07:32.marginalised. There were undoubtedly banks that were badly
:07:32. > :07:36.run, and of course we know they have taken taxpayers' money from Us
:07:36. > :07:39.all, but the key thing is, on the whole, these banks were not
:07:40. > :07:44.actually breaking the law, and you have to look at other reasons why
:07:44. > :07:47.things went so badly wrong, and they did. This was not just a forum
:07:47. > :07:52.for politicians and Westminster insiders. It was a public debate.
:07:52. > :07:56.The sense that greed is good has led us down a very, very, very dark
:07:56. > :08:01.and dangerous path, and we should get off it. It's just a lack of
:08:01. > :08:05.morality in society in general. It's what I want and I want to have.
:08:05. > :08:09.The knee-jerk reaction we have had over the past couple of weeks has
:08:09. > :08:13.not actually allowed people to pause and actually think about the
:08:13. > :08:17.practicalities of how you deal with such a disparate number of people
:08:17. > :08:22.causing so much disruption for so many different reasons. A Streamed
:08:22. > :08:25.on to the internet, broadcast nationally on The Today programme,
:08:25. > :08:30.the Midlands audience felt that their voice had been heard, even if
:08:30. > :08:33.the solutions to the riots are complex and many.
:08:33. > :08:36.One of the themes promoted at last night's debate in Birmingham was a
:08:36. > :08:40.need to promote old-fashioned values among young people.
:08:40. > :08:44.But can a so-called back-to-basics approach work?
:08:44. > :08:53.Cath Mackie has spent the day at one inner city school where results
:08:53. > :09:00.suggest it can. I've got to solve those problems to make you
:09:00. > :09:09.successful... A rousing start to the term at Perry Beeches School in
:09:09. > :09:11.Birmingham. Lesson one - taking responsibility. We have a team of
:09:12. > :09:16.teaching staff. It's your responsibility to find out who they
:09:16. > :09:19.are. Four years ago just 21% of pupils here got five GCSE's at
:09:19. > :09:23.grade C or above. Then Liam Nolan took over. This summer the figure
:09:23. > :09:26.leapt to 75%, including in English and maths. This is an inner city
:09:26. > :09:29.school in a deprived part of Birmingham, yet in the space of
:09:29. > :09:32.four years, it went from failing to outstanding, and it says it did it
:09:32. > :09:40.in just three simple words - "respect, discipline and
:09:40. > :09:44.standards." We are a very structured school. Students wear a
:09:44. > :09:47.perfect uniform or they don't come here. They do their homework or
:09:47. > :09:53.they're detained. They do not speak with disrespect, otherwise, the
:09:53. > :09:56.parents sit with us and talk to us about where it's gone wrong, so
:09:56. > :09:59.it's clear where the expectations are. It's a philosophy which has
:09:59. > :10:01.won Mr Nolan and his school countless awards and led to an
:10:01. > :10:05.invitation to last night's BBC debate on the riots in Birmingham.
:10:05. > :10:11.What we need to do is think quick. We need to engage our young people.
:10:11. > :10:16.You say "we" - is it schools, patients, Government? Yes and I
:10:16. > :10:21.think it's local councils, local support groups, finding things that
:10:21. > :10:24.engage young people. We cannot just churn out pupils with nothing.
:10:24. > :10:29.These youngsters are engaged, but clearly feel let down by society at
:10:29. > :10:34.large. It's not all of us that's doing bad things. It's the certain
:10:34. > :10:38.few. There are those that want to do the right thing. The youth
:10:38. > :10:42.club's funding is gone. It's going to close. What happens to those
:10:43. > :10:46.students who aren't engaged? More than a quarter of those charged in
:10:46. > :10:48.the West Midlands riots were under 18, and now surgeons are planning a
:10:48. > :10:52.campaign aimed at schools to cut knife crime.
:10:52. > :10:57.We see the consequences, and some of them are dire - death, terrible
:10:57. > :11:01.injuries, and we also have to deal with the families afterwards.
:11:01. > :11:09.the focus is very much on the adults of tomorrow. The question is
:11:09. > :11:12.whether they - and society at large - will learn the lessons of today.
:11:12. > :11:15.Joining us now from Westminster is the Conservative MP Paul Uppal,
:11:15. > :11:20.member for Wolverhampton South West, an area that also fell victim to
:11:20. > :11:29.the riots. Thanks for joining us, Mr. We've clearly got to address
:11:29. > :11:32.the adults of tomorrow, but how? As you alluded to in the report, these
:11:32. > :11:37.are long-term solutions. One thing I noticed on the day after the
:11:37. > :11:41.riots, on Wednesday, a lot of young people came with me and helped
:11:41. > :11:45.clean up a lot of the shops and a lot of the damage that was done to
:11:45. > :11:48.the retail units there. They said, we want to show that young people
:11:48. > :11:52.can have a positive contribution. We do want to put something back.
:11:52. > :11:56.So of course, there are problem, but there are also a lot of young
:11:56. > :12:02.people out there who are trying to to do positive things as well.
:12:02. > :12:07.A lot of people are in despair at the way young people don't care,
:12:07. > :12:11.have a built-in no conscience. How do we break through? One thing I
:12:11. > :12:15.liked about that report is the emphasis on the values of respect,
:12:15. > :12:19.discipline and standards. Besides being an MP, I am also a father to
:12:19. > :12:22.three children. I think the most important job I have is to teach my
:12:22. > :12:24.children what is right and what is wrong. I think it's vitally
:12:24. > :12:28.important we address that. If you're not getting discipline in
:12:28. > :12:32.the family, it's important we get it at school. When did we reach a
:12:32. > :12:36.point in this country when it became acceptable and almost
:12:36. > :12:40.fashionable to disrespect teachers? It's about our values. The me-first
:12:40. > :12:43.culture, the celebrity-obsessed culture that we almost have - there
:12:43. > :12:46.are hundreds of thousands of heroes who are watching this programme,
:12:46. > :12:50.people who do the right thing, raise their children, go to work,
:12:50. > :12:53.pay their taxes - those are the values that made this country great
:12:53. > :12:58.and our city and region great. You're in Government, and you have
:12:58. > :13:02.to get that message out to the ones not thinking like that. How? It's
:13:02. > :13:05.important. It's going to take a long time because this ship has
:13:05. > :13:10.been going in one direction for a long time. I think it's important
:13:10. > :13:14.we talk about this, have discussions like this evening and
:13:15. > :13:19.like we did last night. It's important we stress the long-term
:13:19. > :13:22.values rather than the short-term- ism we have had in the past. Thank
:13:22. > :13:25.you very much indeed. Thank you.
:13:25. > :13:28.You can hear more of the Birmingham Town Hall debate on our Facebook
:13:28. > :13:32.page, and you can also join the discussion about the way forward.
:13:32. > :13:35.A round-up of other news now: A 28-year-old man has been arrested
:13:35. > :13:38.on suspicion of attempted murder after a knife attack on a busy
:13:38. > :13:40.street in Birmingham. Police were called to the Hodge Hill area of
:13:40. > :13:44.the city yesterday afternoon following reports of a man lying
:13:44. > :13:47.injured outside a property. The victim was airlifted to hospital.
:13:47. > :13:49.The trial of seven men accused of charges relating to sexual
:13:49. > :13:52.exploitation and child prostitution has collapsed after running for
:13:52. > :13:55.more than three months. A judge at Stafford Crown Court
:13:55. > :13:58.formally discharged the jury from reaching verdicts on 49 charges
:13:58. > :14:04.variously denied by seven men from Wellington and Sutton Hill in
:14:05. > :14:14.Telford. A decision is underway into whether there will be a re-
:14:15. > :14:15.
:14:15. > :14:18.trial. It's been fish rescue day in Herefordshire as it was revealed
:14:18. > :14:20.that this region's had its driest summer since 1976.
:14:20. > :14:23.The fish were recovered from the River Teme, the third such
:14:23. > :14:27.operation in the last month after water levels fell to dangerous
:14:27. > :14:30.levels. Kevin Reide reports. The River Teme at the village of
:14:30. > :14:36.Leintwardine in Herefordshire is looking more like a gravel pit than
:14:36. > :14:39.its normal picturesque self. A dry summer and regional weather
:14:39. > :14:42.variations mean the flow has all but gone, and it's not since the
:14:42. > :14:45.famously hot summer of '76 that it's looked quite like this.
:14:45. > :14:49.Well, i'm in right in the middle of the river near to the English Welsh
:14:49. > :14:52.border, and normally it's one to two feet high at this time of the
:14:52. > :14:55.year, but as you can see, it's completely bone dry. The fish are
:14:55. > :14:58.trying to survive in the few remaining small pools, but water
:14:58. > :15:00.quality is poor and they're vunerable to predators. So for the
:15:00. > :15:10.sixth time this year the environment agency is carrying out
:15:10. > :15:11.
:15:11. > :15:16.a rescue operation. Well, we use electro--fishing equipment, which
:15:16. > :15:20.puts a small current of electricity into the water, and it just stuns
:15:20. > :15:24.the fish for five to ten seconds, long enough for us to net the fish.
:15:24. > :15:27.The fish in this part of the world are largely unaffected by man. That
:15:27. > :15:32.means they're particularly important as they're classic
:15:33. > :15:37.examples of their species. These brown trout are especially special
:15:37. > :15:40.for this part of the River Teme. They're wild fish. They have not
:15:40. > :15:44.been cross-bred with stocked brown trout, so these are very valuable
:15:44. > :15:49.to us and valuable to their own species, you know, because the
:15:50. > :15:53.genetic strain of them is as pure as you'll get. Other important
:15:53. > :15:58.species like eels and salmon are also being rescued. What we'll do
:15:58. > :16:03.with them is we'll take them down to a bit of river that has plenty
:16:03. > :16:08.of water in it, and they'll be fairly safe and secure. Otherwise,
:16:08. > :16:11.they are going to perish. So far more than 4,000 fish have been
:16:11. > :16:14.rescued, and the Environment Agency says there may be similar
:16:14. > :16:23.situations in other areas. It's asking anyone who has similar
:16:23. > :16:27.concerns about a river near them to call their hot line.
:16:27. > :16:32.A most beautiful part of the world. What a shame.
:16:32. > :16:33.Still to come this evening: Living the dream - one more big
:16:33. > :16:37.amateur tournament, and Andy becomes a professional golfer.
:16:37. > :16:47.And after the driest summer for 35 years, don't knock the rain. Is
:16:47. > :16:47.
:16:47. > :16:50.there more on the way? Find out later.
:16:50. > :16:53.It's the end of analogue television in the Midlands tonight. As the
:16:53. > :16:56.second half of our region prepares to make the big switch.
:16:56. > :16:59.Our science correspondent David Gregory's been behind the scenes at
:16:59. > :17:02.our biggest TV transmitter to see what going digital has involved and
:17:02. > :17:12.what it means for the viewer. His report contains some flash
:17:12. > :17:14.
:17:14. > :17:18.photography. 860 feet of television engineering
:17:18. > :17:22.- the Sutton Coldfield transmitter. Just like the rest of us, it has
:17:22. > :17:25.been preparing to go digital. Inside the broadcasting bunker,
:17:25. > :17:28.what must be the most famous switch in the Midlands. Tonight at
:17:28. > :17:32.midnight the process begins, and they'll throw this switch and after,
:17:32. > :17:38.what, nearly 50 years, analogue BBC Two will disappear from the
:17:38. > :17:43.Midlands completely. Losing BBC Two, though, is just the
:17:43. > :17:47.start. OK. Today, the Sutton Coldfield and the Trenton
:17:47. > :17:52.transmitterer going to start the switchover process. Overnight
:17:52. > :17:57.tonight, the BBC Two analogue process will get turned off forever.
:17:57. > :18:01.From tomorrow morning, all the BBC services will be available for the
:18:01. > :18:05.first time. It's taken a lot of work behind the
:18:05. > :18:09.scenes to prepare for the switch. At the moment, they're testing the
:18:09. > :18:17.signal, but can't broadcast it. It has to be dumped. That generates a
:18:17. > :18:21.lot of heat and energy. The energy is temporarily channelled away
:18:21. > :18:24.through these big pipes. As well as more channels, some 370,000 people
:18:24. > :18:28.will be able to get Freeview for the very first time, and there is
:18:28. > :18:32.help for those who need it. We have been do tooing a lot of work on the
:18:32. > :18:37.ground working with local groups and organisations to get the word
:18:37. > :18:41.out there about the help scheme because we do write to everyone, up
:18:41. > :18:46.to three times, in fact, but we know people need hear things from a
:18:46. > :18:49.trusted voice or friendly face before they take action. We're
:18:49. > :18:53.telling people at this stage to look out for those that might
:18:53. > :18:57.struggle and let them know there is help available. By the 21st of this
:18:57. > :19:00.month, the Midlands will be totally digital.
:19:00. > :19:03.Thousands of performers from across the globe are to tread the boards
:19:03. > :19:06.at the World Shakespeare Festival. The event, which was launched in
:19:06. > :19:09.London today, is expected to be the highlight of the Cultural Olympiad
:19:09. > :19:12.next summer. More than 50 arts organisations
:19:12. > :19:22.will take part, including the Iraqi Theatre Company performing Romeo
:19:22. > :19:28.
:19:28. > :19:31.and Juliet in Baghdad. Ben Sidwell is in Stratford-upon-Avon now. Ben,
:19:32. > :19:35.it sounds like a major event in Olympic year.
:19:35. > :19:39.It is famous across the world. Theatre companies from across the
:19:39. > :19:42.world will be descending on Stratford to perform the works of
:19:42. > :19:47.the bard himself, as I have been finding out today at the launch of
:19:47. > :19:51.the World Shakespeare Festival. Announcing a festival like no other
:19:51. > :19:54.to celebrate the works of William Shakespeare. There is so much
:19:54. > :19:58.creative talent across the globe that have come together for this
:19:58. > :20:02.festival, so it's once a-in a lifetime experience. Everybody's
:20:02. > :20:06.welcome. Next year to coincide with the 2012 Olympics, theatre groups
:20:06. > :20:10.from around the world will come to Stratford-upon-Avon, London and
:20:10. > :20:17.other venues across the UK to perform the bard's works. Many
:20:17. > :20:20.productions will be in the actors' native languages. It certainly is a
:20:20. > :20:25.once-in-my-lifetime. I have never witnessed anything like this, and
:20:25. > :20:30.of course, it's the Olympic Games coming to the UK that has made it
:20:30. > :20:35.possible, really, so you need to take advantage of these moments to
:20:35. > :20:39.celebrate. Rather than Stratford, it was the British Museum in London
:20:39. > :20:42.where details of the World Shakespeare Festival were announced
:20:42. > :20:47.this morning. The British Museum seems a fitting location for the
:20:47. > :20:50.launch of the World Shakespeare Festival. After all, it's here that
:20:50. > :20:55.people come to learn about the history of our country. As far as
:20:55. > :21:00.the arts are concerned, no-one has had a bigger impact around the
:21:00. > :21:10.globe than Shakespeare himself. yeah - he's famous in Iraq, of
:21:10. > :21:15.
:21:15. > :21:18.course, and we studied Shakespeare a lot in the theatre or the academy
:21:18. > :21:24.or university - no, we studied in school. It's not just foreign
:21:24. > :21:27.actors who will be involved in the festival. There is the odd
:21:27. > :21:32.midlander too. I have done all right, haven't I?
:21:33. > :21:38.You know, I have always wanted to work at Stratford. It feels like
:21:38. > :21:41.home, and it does the best work in the world, and to be part of the
:21:41. > :21:45.World Shakespeare Festival at the same time, it's a very lovely dream
:21:45. > :21:49.come true on lots of levels. one million tickets for the
:21:49. > :21:57.festival go on sale next month, and just like the Olympics itself, this
:21:57. > :22:03.is likely to be a once-in a lifetime opportunity. Myra will be
:22:03. > :22:07.playing Beatrix in Much Ado about Nothing if you're interested. One
:22:07. > :22:11.man who should be playing the lead role but isn't because of the curse
:22:12. > :22:15.again - broken arm, I am afraid, is Jonathan Slinger. Commiseration on
:22:15. > :22:19.that. Thank you. Looking to next year, I know you have a lot of
:22:19. > :22:22.things in the festival. It must be exciting as an actor. Hugely
:22:22. > :22:25.exciting. We're going to be the focal point for the international
:22:25. > :22:31.Shakespeare community next year. I am going to be very much in the
:22:31. > :22:35.centre of it playing some amazing parts, so I am incredibly excited.
:22:35. > :22:38.With theatre companies coming from around the world with their take on
:22:38. > :22:42.Shakespeare that must be really interesting as an actor to see that.
:22:42. > :22:46.I think more than anything else, it's important. I think we can get
:22:46. > :22:49.stuck in our own ways of doing things and I think in the same ways
:22:49. > :22:55.corporations around the world are having to take on a much more
:22:55. > :23:00.global perspective to get their ideas, their inspiration, to
:23:00. > :23:03.reinvigorate what they do, and to consider the fact that, as Michael
:23:03. > :23:07.Boyd says, Shakespeare is no longer the property of the English. It's
:23:07. > :23:11.very much a global phenomenon, read, performed and adored across the
:23:11. > :23:14.world - it's really important we see other people's take on it.
:23:14. > :23:18.There was some research out today that said 50% of school children
:23:18. > :23:22.across the world - they still study Shakespeare - quite incredible.
:23:22. > :23:26.These are now available at the theatre. And tickets go on sale
:23:26. > :23:36.October the 10th. Get yours quickly. Thank you very much indeed, Ben.
:23:36. > :23:37.
:23:37. > :23:41.October the 10th - that's the day - not far away, is it?
:23:41. > :23:44.Sport is just a hobby for most of us with only the very best able to
:23:44. > :23:48.earn a living from it. But, for Andy Sullivan, his dream of doing
:23:48. > :23:51.just that is about to come to true. $$NEWLNIE But first, Andy's facing
:23:51. > :23:53.the ultimate test for any amateur golfer competing for the Walker Cup
:23:53. > :23:55.against the United States. Ian Winter's been to Nuneaton to find
:23:55. > :23:59.out more. The good luck bell above the
:23:59. > :24:03.wishing well at Nuneaton Golf Club. September is sure to be a memorable
:24:03. > :24:05.month for Andy Sullivan. He's about to bid farewell to his amateur
:24:05. > :24:10.status and hello to the high pressure world of professional golf.
:24:10. > :24:12.But first, Andy's heading north.. For a hot date in Aberdeen, where
:24:12. > :24:16.the finest amateur golfers from Great Britain and Ireland are
:24:16. > :24:21.hoping to wrestle the Walker Cup away from the vice like grip of the
:24:21. > :24:25.USA. It's the biggest thing you can do as an amateur. At the start of
:24:25. > :24:28.the season, it was definitely on my to-do list. I am really proud of
:24:29. > :24:32.myself. Just to beat the Americans is satisfaction, but personally, I
:24:33. > :24:37.am my own person. I just hope that we all acquitted ourselves very
:24:37. > :24:40.well up there and perform to the highest level we can. It's the
:24:40. > :24:44.pinnacle of every amateur's career, and it's such a great achievement
:24:44. > :24:48.for someone to do that, and for years to come he could be an
:24:48. > :24:53.inspiration for others. His proud dad has followed his career every
:24:53. > :24:59.step of the way. From the age of ten, he recognised his son's
:24:59. > :25:04.special talent. Now he's ranked fifth in the world's amateur
:25:04. > :25:08.rankings. He has no nerves. He has the right frame of mind to do it.
:25:08. > :25:12.He has the ability to speak for himself. He has a good head on his
:25:12. > :25:16.shoulders. In recent years the United States have had a virtual
:25:16. > :25:20.monopoly on the Walker Cup, but if Andy Sullivan can help Great
:25:20. > :25:25.Britain to a victory this weekend, it will be the perfect ending to
:25:26. > :25:29.his amateur golf career. That would be lovely. Good luck,
:25:29. > :25:38.Andy. Now, what about the weather? It was
:25:38. > :25:41.violent last night, wasn't it? I'm sorry - that's the simple
:25:41. > :25:46.answer. You may have heard me say earlier that it has been the driest
:25:46. > :25:50.summer in the Midlands since 1976, so we really need this week's rain.
:25:50. > :25:55.There were no warnings at the present time, so it's not going to
:25:55. > :25:58.be particularly heavy, so as the fronts go through through the week,
:25:58. > :26:03.they tend to weaken, so splashes here and there. This tightly coiled
:26:03. > :26:05.area of low pressure that starts to move in through the weekend. We'll
:26:05. > :26:08.get more substantial rain perhaps. The winds pick up through the
:26:08. > :26:12.weekend. It was blowy tonight. The winds will come in from the south-
:26:12. > :26:15.west. It's warm air, and the temperatures will pick up from
:26:15. > :26:19.Thursday onwards. Back to tonight, and I think compared with last
:26:19. > :26:24.night, it's going to be much drier. We've got a few showers just to the
:26:24. > :26:27.north, but they're going to tend to die away, peter out later on. It's
:26:27. > :26:31.looking largely dry later with clearer spells. Because of those,
:26:31. > :26:34.it's going to be a little bit cooler than last night with lows of
:26:34. > :26:37.around 11-12C. We have some sunshine to start the day tomorrow,
:26:38. > :26:42.again, the distribution of showers, more particularly towards the north.
:26:42. > :26:45.There is a feed of them coming in through the Cheshire gap through to
:26:45. > :26:49.parts of Shropshire and Staffordshire. Elsewhere, mostly
:26:49. > :26:53.dry. Good deal of sunshine the further south you go. Temperatures
:26:53. > :26:57.are still up today - values of 17- 18C. Coupled with that wind from
:26:58. > :27:02.the west, which is easing down compared to today. It's going to be
:27:02. > :27:07.around 20mph from that direction. It is going to feel a little bit
:27:07. > :27:11.cool tomorrow. As for tomorrow night, that's when we start to see
:27:11. > :27:17.rain working in the from the west. Outbreaks on Thursday. The winds
:27:17. > :27:20.There is going to be a load of county cricket on this week. It's
:27:20. > :27:25.not going to be good for that. headlines:
:27:26. > :27:30.Known criminals were at the heart of the English riots. Ministers
:27:30. > :27:33.blame a broken penal system. Conditions at Staffordshire
:27:33. > :27:36.Hospital were shocking says the Health Secretary, but says he