0:00:00 > 0:00:08Now on BBC One it's time for the news where you are.
0:00:08 > 0:00:09Good evening, I'm Edward Sault,
0:00:09 > 0:00:10with the news in the south.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13The Hampshire author Richard Adams has died at the age of 96.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15He was best known for his novel Watership Down,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18which was first published in 1972.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21It was set in north Hampshire near to where Richard Adams grew up.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26Here's Sophia Seth.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Like... Like trees in November.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31It became a worldwide bestseller, an animated film,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34and made its creator a millionaire.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Watership Down was a fantasy and originally advised
0:00:37 > 0:00:40devised to keep his daughters entertained on long car journeys.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Its setting was authentic.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Richard Adams had grown up near the real
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Watership Down in Hampshire.
0:00:47 > 0:00:53In one respect, the book is anything but fantastic
0:00:53 > 0:00:54which it takes place
0:00:55 > 0:00:56because the topography and the landscape in
0:00:56 > 0:00:58which it takes place is all completely real.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01This is the country where I was born and where I
0:01:01 > 0:01:04grew up, and I know it all like the back
0:01:04 > 0:01:07grew up, and I know it all like the back of my hand.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09And that love for the south of England
0:01:09 > 0:01:11landscape was still deeply rooted
0:01:11 > 0:01:14when South Today spoke to him about the novel in 2014.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15It's my country.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Berkshire, Hampshire is my country, I know where I am,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19I know what it smells like, and I think,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22to have written, if it is immortal,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25an immortal book about my home ground
0:01:25 > 0:01:28is what pleases me most.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Richard Adams who's died in Hampshire at the age of 96.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38A 71-year-old man has died after being hit by a car
0:01:38 > 0:01:39in the New Forest tonight.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41It happened on the A35 in Burley at half past five.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44The man from Bournemouth died at the scene.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45The road remains closed.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47More details have emerged about the millions of pounds
0:01:47 > 0:01:49George Michael donated to charity.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The singer died at his home in the Oxfordshire on Christmas Day.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Today, the founder of Childline, Esther Rantzen said he had helped
0:01:55 > 0:01:58hundreds of thousands of children.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01She spoke to our reporter Ben Moore from her Hampshire home.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04# In your eyes....
0:02:04 > 0:02:07This is the song that showed not just a musician's talent,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11but also revealed George Michael's extraordinary generosity.
0:02:11 > 0:02:17# Like Jesus to a child...
0:02:17 > 0:02:20All the royalties from his number one hit Jesus To A Child
0:02:20 > 0:02:25went to the charity Childline.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28It was an intensely personal gift.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30He didn't want razzmatazz,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32he didn't want publicity of any kind,
0:02:32 > 0:02:33he just wanted to help us,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36and he did, year after year after year.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39A concert had been planned to say thank you to him
0:02:39 > 0:02:42as part of Childline's 30th anniversary celebrations.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45You don't really understand a person til they've gone.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48And I think the public are understanding
0:02:48 > 0:02:52perhaps for the first time how much George Michael gave.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Not only in terms of his music,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56but in terms of his personal generosity,
0:02:56 > 0:03:02vision, sensitivity, imagination, and practical help.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04So, as news of George Michael's philanthropy spreads,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06there's a very public grief,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11over what was, until now, a very hidden generosity.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Gosport sailor Alex Thomson has passed Cape Horn
0:03:16 > 0:03:19in the solo round-the-world Vendee Globe yacht race.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25Well, here is the famous Cape Horn! Woo hoo!
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It's great to be here, great to be here so quickly.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Shame I'm not here in the first place, but full credit to Areml
0:03:31 > 0:03:35for that, he's done a great job, and I've got to try my hardest
0:03:35 > 0:03:38to try and catch him.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40He is currently in second place and is slowly catching
0:03:40 > 0:03:42the Vendee Globe leader Armel Le Cleac'h,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45who is 380 nautical miles ahead of Hugo Boss.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Brighton and Hove Albion moved back to the top of the Championship
0:03:48 > 0:03:52following a comfortable 3-0 win over QPR at the Amex.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55The victory lifts the Abion two points clear of rival Newcastle,
0:03:55 > 0:04:02and stretches their unbeaten run to 17 games.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Hello, and a very good evening to you.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Now we've got another cold night on the cards.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Some frost as well as some fog and in fact we
0:04:08 > 0:04:11could see some freezing fog in spots.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14There is a yellow weather warning in place from the Met Office
0:04:14 > 0:04:17for the foggy conditions which could cause trouble on our roads right
0:04:17 > 0:04:20through from midnight tonight into midday tomorrow,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22so that fog could linger
0:04:22 > 0:04:22so that fog could linger
0:04:22 > 0:04:24through much of the morning tomorrow.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25There will be some brighter skies developing,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28particularly for some areas along the coast, we could see
0:04:28 > 0:04:31temperatures, here, peaking at eight or 9
0:04:31 > 0:04:33degrees, but when you keep that
0:04:33 > 0:04:35cloud and fog certainly staying on the chilly side.
0:04:35 > 0:04:35cloud and fog certainly staying on the chilly side.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38That chilly theme takes us right up into the New Year.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40We've got quite a lot of cloud through the coming days,
0:04:41 > 0:04:42so the summary.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45We do have that warning for the foggy conditions early tomorrow.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Then we may see some brightness, but cloudy
0:04:47 > 0:04:48conditions right through the
0:04:48 > 0:04:51tail end of this week.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54That's all from us for now.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58More on the BBC News website.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Our next programme is during BBC Breakfast.