:00:04. > :00:07.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today, with Nick Owen and Mary Rhodes. The
:00:07. > :00:10.headlines tonight: Beaten senseless in his own home -
:00:10. > :00:15.a family's fury after an 86-year- old man is attacked and left
:00:15. > :00:21.unconscious by masked men. Very frightening. I've never known
:00:21. > :00:23.anything like it, really. I thought they were going to kill us.
:00:24. > :00:27.Mystery solved after the bang that rocked parts of Coventry and
:00:27. > :00:31.Warwickshire last night. It was just the fact that it sort of went
:00:31. > :00:35."bah-boom" very quickly, and I thought, what can it be?
:00:35. > :00:38.His life was saved by a helicopter - a pop legend on why the Air
:00:38. > :00:41.Ambulance is so important. And can Cheltenham Gold Cup winner
:00:41. > :00:51.Synchronised make it a historic double in tomorrow's Grand
:00:51. > :00:57.
:00:57. > :01:01.Good evening and welcome to Friday's Midlands Today from the
:01:01. > :01:06.BBC. Tonight, the moment masked intruders assaulted an 86-year-old
:01:06. > :01:09.man and ransacked his home. Tommy Reid was left with bruising and a
:01:10. > :01:13.dislocated shoulder. Today his relatives have been describing
:01:13. > :01:16.their horror at the attack. Mr Reid's 80-year-old brother Bill
:01:16. > :01:20.arrived at the scene soon after the incident but suffered an angina
:01:20. > :01:24.attack and had to be taken to hospital in the same ambulance. He
:01:24. > :01:34.says he's never felt hatred before but he now despises the men who
:01:34. > :01:34.
:01:34. > :01:41.attacked his brother, as Joanne Writtle reports.
:01:41. > :01:44.Just so worried about my eldest brother... Whether he is OK. I am
:01:44. > :01:47.worrying about him. May Spence speaks out after her
:01:47. > :01:55.brother Tommy Reid was knocked to the floor by three masked men who
:01:55. > :02:01.burst into the home they share in Aston in Birmingham. I was shaking.
:02:01. > :02:05.I couldn't stop shaking. And then the family, they all came over.
:02:05. > :02:10.Nieces, nephews, all of that. Very frightening. I've never known
:02:10. > :02:13.anything like it, really. I thought they were going to kill us. As if
:02:13. > :02:17.things couldn't get worse, May's other brother Bill arrived on the
:02:17. > :02:21.scene soon after the men had fled. But he suffered an angina attack
:02:21. > :02:30.and had to be taken to hospital in the same ambulance. Last night, I
:02:30. > :02:35.went to bed... Excuse me. I cried all night. Thinking of, how can you
:02:35. > :02:40.just turn around and forgetting anything like that? You can't. You
:02:40. > :02:45.think it will happen again. I was never born with paid in me. Never.
:02:45. > :02:49.None of them was ever born with hate in me. We have got it now.
:02:49. > :02:52.Back inside, this is the mess left by the raiders, who escaped with
:02:52. > :02:55.cash after beating Tommy with metal bars and baseball bats. He's now in
:02:55. > :03:02.hospital with a dislocated shoulder as his family try to sort through
:03:02. > :03:05.the mess. It just makes you feel angry. Last August, there was a
:03:05. > :03:11.burglary here when May was in hospital after breaking her hip.
:03:11. > :03:16.This time, though, she's finding it difficult to cope. Every little
:03:16. > :03:21.noise I have heard, due jumper. You know, do think they are coming back.
:03:21. > :03:24.It is terrible. -- you jump. spokesman for West Midlands Police
:03:24. > :03:30.said it was a particularly nasty attack on a vulnerable member of
:03:30. > :03:33.the community. They've urged anyone with information to contact them.
:03:33. > :03:38.And we've just heard that Tommy Reid has now come home from
:03:38. > :03:41.hospital. His family says he is confused and very shaken.
:03:41. > :03:51.Still ahead this evening, the centenary of the sinking of the
:03:51. > :03:51.
:03:51. > :03:53.Titanic. How much to blame was the Infighting between MPs, national
:03:53. > :03:59.newspaper coverage and a city divided, all over a mayoral
:03:59. > :04:02.campaign which hasn't yet got the go-ahead. Birmingham doesn't go to
:04:02. > :04:05.the polls to decide whether it wants an elected mayor for another
:04:05. > :04:12.three weeks. But the arguments between those for and against are
:04:12. > :04:15.already raging. A warning this report contains flash photography.
:04:15. > :04:18.The referendum to ask Birmingham residents if they want a directly
:04:18. > :04:23.elected mayor won't happen till 3rd May but the issue's already steeped
:04:23. > :04:28.in controversy. Labour MPs Liam Byrne and Gisela Stuart, plus ex-MP
:04:28. > :04:31.Sion Simon, all want to be Labour candidates. If the ex-MP won, no
:04:31. > :04:36.problem, but the others would have to resign as MPs, which would mean
:04:36. > :04:45.a by-election. But in last month's by-election in Bradford West,
:04:45. > :04:50.Labour lost out to the Respect Party's George Galloway. This, the
:04:50. > :04:54.most sensational result in British by-election history. Now Labour is
:04:54. > :04:56.said to be thinking of banning MPs from standing as mayor, though a
:04:56. > :05:04.spokesman said: These reports are highly speculative and therefore
:05:04. > :05:09.we're not going to comment. will find the Labour MPs in this
:05:09. > :05:13.city are with in touch of their constituents and the George
:05:13. > :05:18.Galloway thing was a very small strange effect, which I don't think
:05:18. > :05:22.would be repeated here. But whether sitting MPs should be allowed to
:05:22. > :05:27.stand or not is not the only controversial issue. Outside the
:05:27. > :05:30.city centre, residents have other concerns. In Perry Common,
:05:30. > :05:33.residents have knitted a vegetable plot for an exhibition. But while
:05:33. > :05:36.all is sunny in the garden, they feel out here in the suburbs
:05:37. > :05:41.they're being left in the dark about the mayoral campaign. We know
:05:41. > :05:46.that as with the normal election, there is not a high percentage of
:05:46. > :05:50.people here prove vote. This is like, you have got to vote for
:05:50. > :05:55.another thing you are uninformed about. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe
:05:55. > :05:58.people don't know about it. But I don't think so. They're not alone.
:05:58. > :06:01.In a Populus poll commissioned by BBCWM last month, 59% of 500 people
:06:01. > :06:07.questioned didn't even know a referendum was taking place. The
:06:07. > :06:11.issue's made the national papers. Another hot topic - the cost.
:06:11. > :06:18.they would do the same salary as the chief executive, that would be
:06:18. > :06:21.about �200,000. -- if they went for the same salary. Nobody is
:06:21. > :06:29.explaining the costing. But others, like those building a new mosque in
:06:29. > :06:32.Ward End, argue a mayor would help attract money to the city.
:06:32. > :06:36.Pakistani communities and Asian communities, we will welcome this
:06:36. > :06:40.system with a mayor. It is my feeling this will improve the
:06:40. > :06:44.community. And all this controversy over something which may not even
:06:44. > :06:46.happen. Birmingham decides in three weeks' time.
:06:46. > :06:50.Our political editor, Patrick Burns, is outside Birmingham's Council
:06:50. > :06:59.House now, from where a directly elected mayor would run the city.
:06:59. > :07:06.It really is a phoney war at the moment, Patrick? It would certainly
:07:06. > :07:10.be phoney of that referendum results -- if that referendum
:07:10. > :07:14.result would go with the usual council leader system. That would
:07:15. > :07:19.render this conversation beside the point. But many political observers
:07:19. > :07:24.are saying there is nothing phoney about the tension this reveals
:07:24. > :07:29.within the Labour Party. On the one hand, in previous parliaments,
:07:29. > :07:35.members of the Brownite camp, like Sion Simon, who Reno's stood down
:07:35. > :07:41.from his seat to campaign for mayor and his close colleague, -- who we
:07:41. > :07:47.nose to down, and the deputy chairman of the Labour Party, who
:07:47. > :07:53.is thought to be behind his barring of MPs. And on the other hand,
:07:53. > :07:58.former Blairite MPs Gisela Stuart and Liam Byrne. So some history to
:07:58. > :08:03.this and may be a settling of scores. If there is an election,
:08:03. > :08:07.will it be about party politics or personal charisma? Obviously there
:08:07. > :08:12.is a real possibility that big individual independent candidates
:08:12. > :08:17.will emerge but there is something inherent to the job, even for party
:08:17. > :08:24.politicians. Think of Ken and Boris in London. They are rather removed
:08:24. > :08:29.from their parties. Many people say this is an Americanisation. That is
:08:30. > :08:34.why they don't like the role. It has been said the Mayor of
:08:34. > :08:37.Birmingham could be more powerful than half the people in the Cabinet.
:08:37. > :08:40.And none of the major parties have so far decided on their candidate
:08:40. > :08:43.for Mayor of Birmingham if it goes that far, although two independent
:08:43. > :08:45.candidates have already said they'll run.
:08:45. > :08:48.Two teenage boys from the West Midlands are being questioned over
:08:48. > :08:52.claims they recorded calls made to a police anti-terrorist hotline.
:08:52. > :08:56.The phone line at Scotland Yard was bombarded with hundreds of calls a
:08:56. > :09:06.hacking group claims it recorded a conversation between officers. The
:09:06. > :09:17.
:09:17. > :09:20.youths, aged 16 and 17, were arrested last night.
:09:20. > :09:24.An inventor who hoped to turn fallen leaves into green energy
:09:24. > :09:27.says a series of problems meant he couldn't make a go of it. One of
:09:27. > :09:29.the problems involved the basic raw material. The council contractor in
:09:29. > :09:31.charge of waste removal wouldn't give him the leaves from
:09:31. > :09:33.Birmingham's parks. Here's our environment correspondent, David
:09:33. > :09:35.Gregory. Like all the best inventions, it's
:09:35. > :09:38.an obvious idea. Take leaves, process them and turn them into
:09:38. > :09:41.logs you can burn. And Birmingham's parks are full of leaves, so
:09:41. > :09:44.getting the raw material should be no problem. We were soon put right
:09:44. > :09:46.and told that whilst the leaves were on the trees, they belong to
:09:46. > :09:51.the city council, but we obviously needed them once they have fallen
:09:51. > :09:57.off of the trees, and then they belong to the area. They are in
:09:57. > :10:00.charge of street cleansing. We had to try to negotiate and that is why
:10:00. > :10:03.we had the problem. Despite broadening his product range and
:10:03. > :10:09.getting leaflogs into big DIY stores, Mr Morrison couldn't get
:10:09. > :10:13.enough leaves and the leaflog disappeared from the shops.
:10:13. > :10:18.Obviously for those who invested money in the company, this was very
:10:18. > :10:22.bad news. And Mr Morrison will be the first to admit there were other
:10:22. > :10:26.problems and mistakes made. But in the end, not being able to get hold
:10:26. > :10:32.of leaves from the parks was clearly the big issue. Was it just
:10:32. > :10:39.the fact you could not get hold of the leaves? It was a combination of
:10:39. > :10:49.things. But not being able to... Confirm and contract the amount of
:10:49. > :10:50.
:10:50. > :11:00.feedstock we needed in the year had a massive impact on our ability to
:11:00. > :11:08.
:11:08. > :11:12.confidently sell leaflogs into the Mr Morrison says he still gets
:11:12. > :11:17.emails from all over the world asking about his invention. And he
:11:17. > :11:22.hopes to make leaflogs again, preferably in the UK.
:11:22. > :11:32.David joins us now. Why was it so hard for Leaflog to get hold of the
:11:32. > :11:34.
:11:34. > :11:38.leaves it wanted? Yes. The company had said that they think composting
:11:38. > :11:44.the leaves from the parks to make compost for gardens is greener than
:11:44. > :11:48.turning them into logs to burn, which on a small-scale release
:11:48. > :11:55.greenhouse gases. This was a young company as well and other mistakes
:11:55. > :11:58.were made. But we might still have leaflogs on the shelves if they had
:11:58. > :12:01.made their position clear. compare the problems faced by
:12:01. > :12:04.leaflog with plans for Ironbridge Power Station in Shropshire to
:12:04. > :12:08.import millions of tonnes of wood from America to burn? Yes. You have
:12:08. > :12:11.this small-scale thing with Leaflog taking Leeds from trees in the
:12:11. > :12:16.local area for people to burn at home and then you have this 2
:12:16. > :12:21.million tonnes of wood coming in for power stations from the USA.
:12:21. > :12:27.They will get green subsidies for it. So the rules and regulations
:12:27. > :12:37.seem to encourage a mince -- unexpected consequences. We will be
:12:37. > :12:39.
:12:39. > :12:42.exploring back on the Sunday, it -- Sunday Politics this weekend.
:12:42. > :12:45.We ended last night's programme with early reports of a big bang
:12:45. > :12:48.which echoed across parts of the South Midlands. It's been confirmed
:12:49. > :12:51.that two military jets caused a sonic boom. The Ministry of Defence
:12:51. > :12:53.says they were responding to an emergency alert and were acting
:12:53. > :12:56.within guidelines. Baffled residents jammed switchboards as
:12:56. > :12:59.they called to report the big bang, as Giles Latcham reports.
:12:59. > :13:06.It was still, it was quiet, as Warwickshire settled in for the
:13:06. > :13:10.evening, when... Emergency switchboard lit up across
:13:10. > :13:14.Warwickshire when residents reported hearing a large bang. Some
:13:14. > :13:18.thought it was a gas explosion and others an earth tremor. I thought
:13:18. > :13:23.somebody had thrown a brick at the house! We thought something had
:13:23. > :13:26.happened to the House or a lorry had crashed. It has cracked my
:13:26. > :13:32.window! In Harbury near Southam, homes shook and frying pans were
:13:32. > :13:38.dropped as the bang sent villagers running into the street. We were
:13:38. > :13:42.saying, what happened?! What happened?! We thought a house had
:13:42. > :13:46.blown up or a caravan had gone! Or a lorry had crashed! In Kineton,
:13:46. > :13:51.the Beaumonts feared ammunition had exploded at the nearby Army base.
:13:51. > :13:57.My grandson with us thought there had been an earthquake or a tremor,
:13:57. > :14:03.so it was quite exciting. I thought somebody had crashed their car and
:14:03. > :14:07.so I went home. It wasn't scary. It was more puzzling. A bit more
:14:07. > :14:09.mysterious. Today the explanation, and amateur footage showing one of
:14:09. > :14:15.two RAF Typhoons dispatched to investigate when a civilian
:14:15. > :14:20.helicopter accidentally sent a signal on an emergency frequency.
:14:20. > :14:23.They were authorised to break the sound barrier. Underneath the path
:14:24. > :14:28.of the aircraft you will get this big grumble following the aircraft.
:14:29. > :14:33.It turned out a civilian helicopter had signalled an emergency
:14:33. > :14:37.frequency by mistake. The shockwaves are shocking
:14:37. > :14:40.Warwickshire were a false alarm. That has just about explained
:14:40. > :14:42.everything! Later in tonight's programme, Aston
:14:42. > :14:45.Villa's young Austrian striker Andreas Weimann on why he deserves
:14:45. > :14:49.a chance to keep banging in the goals.
:14:49. > :14:52.And if you're a gardener you might have enjoyed this week of April
:14:52. > :15:02.showers, but beware! The frost is making a return. I'll have all the
:15:02. > :15:02.
:15:02. > :15:07.weekend weather details you need to 27 years ago, Duran Duran frontman
:15:07. > :15:10.Simon Le Bon almost lost his life in a yachting accident. He was
:15:10. > :15:15.trapped under a capsized boat until he was plucked to safety by a
:15:15. > :15:18.helicopter. Today, at the end of an exhaustive world tour with his band,
:15:18. > :15:21.the pop legend visited Coventry to give his support to the Air
:15:21. > :15:31.Ambulance Service and their plans to expand their vital work, as Ben
:15:31. > :15:33.
:15:33. > :15:37.Godfrey reports. Pop stars Simon Le Bon and the crew
:15:37. > :15:40.of his capsized yacht have been saved from the seas of the South
:15:40. > :15:43.Coast... It was 1985. Simon Le Bon, one of
:15:43. > :15:48.music's biggest stars, almost drowned in a freak accident. His
:15:48. > :15:52.life was saved by a Royal Navy helicopter rescue. I was below
:15:52. > :15:55.decks at the time. I was sleeping and woke up. Today, Simon became an
:15:55. > :15:57.ambassador for the Air Ambulance Service. Based at Coventry Airport,
:15:57. > :16:05.this helicopter responds to emergencies across Warwickshire and
:16:05. > :16:08.Northamptonshire. I grew up with watching Thunderbirds and
:16:08. > :16:13.International rescue, and I think as a kid, you have this idea that
:16:13. > :16:18.if anything really bad happens, somebody will come and get you. And
:16:18. > :16:22.this is the closest thing we have to that. This is said to be one of
:16:22. > :16:27.the fastest air ambulances in service, but also the most
:16:27. > :16:37.expensive. I found out it cost almost �2 million to run it a year,
:16:37. > :16:38.
:16:38. > :16:40.which is why we need to keep the money the running in. Despite the
:16:40. > :16:44.financial challenges, this service has ambitions to launch the
:16:44. > :16:48.country's first dedicated air ambulance for children. We want to
:16:48. > :16:52.set up a paediatric intensive care unit and we want to curb the
:16:52. > :16:54.travelling times. Their latest high-profile supporter has just
:16:54. > :16:58.completed a 70-date world tour,and Duran Duran aren't about to rest
:16:58. > :17:08.for long. They're heading to Brazil next month for more international
:17:08. > :17:10.
:17:10. > :17:15.dates. I love what I do. And I do it with friends as well. I am very
:17:15. > :17:19.lucky. So the frontman is now a wingman, but the Air Ambulance
:17:19. > :17:25.Service isn't the only charity in the skies. The separate Midlands
:17:25. > :17:29.Air Ambulance Charity is also appealing for donations.
:17:29. > :17:36.That brings back some memories! It's Grand National day tomorrow,
:17:36. > :17:38.but it's also a big day for young Villa striker Andreas Weimann.
:17:38. > :17:42.There's nothing more dangerous than a grizzly bear that's just been
:17:42. > :17:45.wounded. And that's why Manchester United's shock defeat by Wigan
:17:45. > :17:48.midweek could mean bad news for Aston Villa. But Sunday's game at
:17:48. > :17:54.Old Trafford will be a dream come true for their young Austrian
:17:54. > :17:57.striker, Andreas Weimann. Ian Winter has been to meet him.
:17:57. > :18:01.Just when mums and dads were running out of ideas for the school
:18:01. > :18:05.holidays, a long queue formed outside the Aston Villa shop and
:18:05. > :18:10.plenty of went along to see which of their heroes was inside. The
:18:10. > :18:15.same fans who have known for weeks that Aston Villa need one man up
:18:15. > :18:24.front, and his name is Andreas Weimann. The number 26 show it has
:18:24. > :18:27.suddenly become a very trendy fashion statement. -- 26 shirt.
:18:27. > :18:32.Three things you never knew about him. His parents were both Austrian
:18:32. > :18:42.hurdle champions. He moved from Rapid Vienna to Aston Villa at age
:18:42. > :18:48.
:18:48. > :18:52.16. And he has scored two hat- tricks against Wolves. If only he
:18:52. > :18:57.could repeat the trick on Sunday at Old Trafford. The young Austrian
:18:57. > :19:00.striker would be guaranteed cult status with the fans. I am really
:19:00. > :19:04.looking forward to it because I have never been to Old Trafford
:19:04. > :19:10.myself. Not as a player or as a fan, so obviously looking forward to
:19:10. > :19:15.that. What would it mean to score against United? Unbelievable! I
:19:15. > :19:19.can't describe it. Probably the happiest moment of my life. He has
:19:19. > :19:25.definitely got the potential. He is all over the pitch, he works hard,
:19:25. > :19:31.plays with his heart. I think he will do very well. Good talent in
:19:31. > :19:37.him and good goalscoring. exciting player? Yes. Andreas
:19:37. > :19:41.Weimann doesn't turn 21 until August. Aston Villa fans have high
:19:41. > :19:44.hopes for the partnership and Alex Ferguson will also be aware of
:19:44. > :19:47.their goalscoring potential at Old Trafford on Sunday.
:19:47. > :19:50.The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised will be trying to make
:19:50. > :19:55.history tomorrow by winning the Grand National in the same year.
:19:55. > :19:58.It's only been done once before and that was 78 years ago. So can the
:19:58. > :20:02.Festival hero defy the stats and bring the National trophy back to
:20:02. > :20:06.Gloucestershire? Dawn at Jackdaw's Castle. It's
:20:06. > :20:09.usually a quiet time. But when you've won a Gold Cup then not
:20:09. > :20:17.every morning is peaceful. Synchronised and the girl who rides
:20:17. > :20:26.him every day have been much in demand this week. How we see taking
:20:26. > :20:30.to the fuss? And how I do? -- how is he taking? I don't like it, to
:20:30. > :20:36.be honest. He doesn't mind. He will have his photo taken for a while.
:20:36. > :20:40.He knows when he has had enough and he will let you know. If and there
:20:40. > :20:50.is good reason for the interest. Synchronised is bidding to become
:20:50. > :20:51.
:20:51. > :20:55.the first horse in many years to win the Grand National and the Gold
:20:55. > :20:59.Cup in the same year. It was 1934 when Golden Miller won both the
:20:59. > :21:02.Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year. And he's still the
:21:02. > :21:05.only horse to manage it. But this year there's been a four-week gap
:21:05. > :21:08.between the races instead of the usual three, and the stable say
:21:08. > :21:13.he's recovered completely from his exertions at Cheltenham. He has
:21:13. > :21:17.come off the race really well. Jumping is the same for all of them.
:21:18. > :21:22.You don't know who will take to the track until you get there. He is in
:21:22. > :21:26.great shape himself, in good form, he might never be in as good as
:21:26. > :21:28.form again. And Jonjo knows what he's talking about. He won the race
:21:29. > :21:34.with Don't Push It, and Synchronised represents the same
:21:34. > :21:38.combination of jockey Tony McCoy and owner JP McManus. In fact,
:21:38. > :21:41.McCoy had the choice of Jonjo's three National runners. White-faced
:21:41. > :21:44.Synchronised will be joined by Arbor Supreme in the middle and
:21:44. > :21:47.Cheltenham Festival winner Sunnyhill Boy. But Synchronised has
:21:47. > :21:50.won the Midlands and Welsh Nationals before taking last
:21:50. > :22:00.month's Gold Cup. And McCoy, the 15-times Champion jockey, knows
:22:00. > :22:00.
:22:00. > :22:03.winning on Synchronised really would be history in the making.
:22:03. > :22:06.If the Gold Cup Grand National double hasn't been done for all
:22:06. > :22:12.those years, what chance has Synchronised got? Well the stats
:22:12. > :22:16.say no chance. Golden Miller in 1934 is only horse to achieve it.
:22:16. > :22:19.He'd also have to become the first top weight to win since Red Rum in
:22:19. > :22:29.1974. On the plus side, he's been defying the experts all season with
:22:29. > :22:29.
:22:29. > :22:35.his improvement. The distance is no problem. I'll just slightly worried.
:22:35. > :22:38.He isn't the biggest but his jumping is great. At the time when
:22:38. > :22:44.people will have an annual flutter using an umbrella up to work out
:22:44. > :22:48.the winner, is it a lottery? It can be. Garisson Savannah in 1991 was
:22:48. > :22:51.first and then second. Rough Quest in 1996 came second and then first.
:22:51. > :22:55.The last three winners have weighed 11 stones or more and three of the
:22:55. > :22:57.top four in the weights have run in the Gold Cup. The other is last
:22:57. > :23:00.year's winner, Ballabriggs. It could be an important factor.
:23:00. > :23:02.heard it here first. This weekend marks the 100th
:23:02. > :23:06.anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, when 1,500 people lost
:23:06. > :23:09.their lives. Among the memorial events taking place will be one in
:23:09. > :23:11.the Potteries, the birthplace of the Titanic's captain, Edward Smith.
:23:11. > :23:14.Our Staffordshire reporter, Liz Copper, has been looking behind the
:23:14. > :23:17.history of the man in command when disaster struck.
:23:17. > :23:20.Edward John Smith was the most respected officer on the White Star
:23:20. > :23:24.line, which owned the Titanic. He was known as the millionaire's
:23:24. > :23:27.captain. He hailed from Hanley in the Potteries. This plaque, to be
:23:27. > :23:36.unveiled this weekend, is a permanent memorial to the captain
:23:36. > :23:42.in the city of his birth. How many sea captains can you name? What
:23:42. > :23:46.names can you think of? Captain Smith of the Titanic. He is known
:23:46. > :23:49.internationally and he came from here. This house lays claim to be
:23:49. > :23:51.the place where Edward Smith spent his early years. It's currently on
:23:52. > :23:57.the market and is attracting international interest because of
:23:57. > :24:00.its Titanic connections. Just yesterday, we had a film crew come
:24:01. > :24:06.from Russian television and they were here for quite a while. They
:24:06. > :24:10.said there is a lot of interest in Russia in the Titanic and Captain
:24:10. > :24:15.Smith. That will go out on evening television in Russia. We have also
:24:15. > :24:20.had interest from Germany, particularly from a Titanic museum,
:24:20. > :24:25.and they are very interested in possibly buying a property. Edward
:24:25. > :24:29.John Smith left the streets of a crisis when he was just a teenager.
:24:29. > :24:33.Eventually, she was to mix with high-society. As captain of the
:24:33. > :24:37.Titanic, he has been blamed for the huge loss of life. But a debate
:24:37. > :24:44.here this weekend will challenge whether you should be held
:24:44. > :24:48.completely responsible. -- whether he should be held. He acted
:24:48. > :24:53.extremely calmly. He told people what to do. He got women and
:24:53. > :24:56.children in the lifeboats first. Many will say, he was in a
:24:56. > :24:59.difficult position. He had risen up through the ranks and he did what
:24:59. > :25:08.any but the odds would have done in those very difficult circumstances
:25:08. > :25:11.when faced with a human charity. -- tragedy. -- he did what any body
:25:11. > :25:14.would have done. Captain Smith's final actions were never accurately
:25:14. > :25:17.recorded. All that's known for certain is that he perished as the
:25:17. > :25:20.Titanic sank. But his place in history is being commemorated a
:25:20. > :25:23.century on. And you can take part in the
:25:23. > :25:26.recording of the special BBC Radio Stoke debate on Captain Edward
:25:26. > :25:36.Smith on Sunday night from 7pm at the Mitchell Arts Centre in Stoke-
:25:36. > :25:36.
:25:36. > :25:41.on-Trent city centre. No tickets Now for the weather. A typical week
:25:41. > :25:46.of April showers but at times this weekend, it will feel more like
:25:46. > :25:53.February, because it will be very cold and frosty as well.
:25:53. > :26:00.Particularly troublesome for gardeners. This is the picture
:26:00. > :26:06.earlier on today. It is in the South West where we will keep a few
:26:06. > :26:09.showers at times through tonight. Further north, the cloud will break
:26:09. > :26:16.a bit and temperatures will drop underneath the clearing skies.
:26:16. > :26:21.Getting down to minus one degree. Any early showers in the South
:26:21. > :26:28.tomorrow will move a way quite quickly. Then we have this edge of
:26:28. > :26:34.fine weather. More cloud starts to move in from the North later and it
:26:34. > :26:39.will feel noticeably colder with a brisk wind. As the skies clear
:26:39. > :26:45.tomorrow night, the pampered us are going to plummet. Down to freezing
:26:45. > :26:50.in Birmingham. -- the temperatures are going to plummet. A very cold
:26:50. > :26:54.start on Sunday. Do watch out for those tender plants. More in the
:26:54. > :26:59.way of sunshine developing for Sunday and in the sunshine, not too
:26:59. > :27:09.bad. The more settled weather is not an end to last. This is next
:27:09. > :27:15.week the Plough -- next week's weather system moving in. Heavy
:27:15. > :27:22.rain on Monday into Tuesday, so a very unsettled story for next week.
:27:22. > :27:25.And the frost returns for this A look at tonight's main headlines:
:27:25. > :27:28.A historic visit - David Cameron becomes the first British Prime
:27:28. > :27:34.minister to visit Burma. And an 86-year-old man is attacked