hello. you're watching gmt on "bbc world news." i'm david eades. our top stories, a peace conference called by venezuela's president as protesters threat en to bring down his government. vt president maduro seeks to calm weeks of anger and street violence. is his brief tenure at the top in jeopardy. so bad you can hardly even see it, the smog in beijing hits record levels. also how uganda's drastic new anti-gay laws could cost it

dear in the fight against hiv/aids. i'm aaron, in the fancy high society parties, bank statements hidden in magazines. credit suisse bankers trying to attract people to hide billions in swiss bank accounts. it's midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington and an hour on from that, 8:00 in the venezuelan capital of car rack cuss where protesters claim the government is on verge of collapse. there's been weeks of protests with barricades in the streets, 13 people have been killed in clashes with security forces. nicholas maduro was elected last year, a direct successor to hugo chavez who held office since 1999. so far a very uncomfortable ride

for him. for the large part the protests come down to money, price controls and protectionist policy has seen venezuela's economy go into meltdown over the last year. the rate of inflation hit 56% at the end of the year and continues to rise month after month. some venezuelans are paying $9.00 in some places for a loaf of bread. not only are basic things expensive, they are in very short supply. here is another big issue. crime. venezuela's murder rate has made it the united nation's fifth most dangerous country. president maduro is trying to camp tensions by calling for a peace conference. vladimir hernandez is there. >> reporter: for over a week this has been a common scene in venezuela, anti-government demonstrators have taken to the streets in protest because the economy has crashed and crime levels are at a record high.

nearly 20 people have died since the protests began two weeks ago and many more have been injured. gabriella was one of those hurt. >> translator: on the night of the 15 i was hit by six rubber bullets, five by the national guard. >> reporter: she shows me the wounds she received during a recent protest. she has made a formal complaint to the authorities but has no hope it will get anywhere. >> translator: less than two seconds after i heard the impact i felt that i was hit. my trouser was ripped. but i had it easy. it was worse for people like alejandro, they died, killed by a bullet to the head. >> reporter: when the nightfalls, blockades like this one take place in different parts of the city. they are set up by demonstrators who are complaining about the difficult economic situation of venezuela. they also think the government

of president maduro is not doing enough. this is not the only one. as you can see in several streets of the city blockades are almost at every corner leaving avenues almost completely empty. most of president maduro's support comes from motorcyclists who have been accused of firing weapons against the demonstrators. they deplore the tactics used by the opposition. >> translator: for the last 15 days there's been a siege by these fascists who put up barricades and barbed wire. we are tired of this. >> translator: there are a number of critics demonstrating now, but they have to be non-violent. they're closing the roads, but i have a right to use the roads and they're not letting me. >> reporter: the venezuelan government says these demonstrations are part of an attempt to topple a democratically elected government.

those who clash with the police firmly believe the country's economy is in pieces. vladimir hernandez, bbc news, caracas. >> we can speak to our correspondent. we were hearing from have had mere's report there. is the president really do you think on the brink as his opponents would like to say? >> reporter: well, it seems very hard to tell at this point. we need to remember that the president has a high majority of people still in support of his policies for now. but at the same time he seems to be in a bit of a crisis and has called for this peace conference for today. however, this peace conference will not be attended by any member of the opposition. this is because the opposition believes firmly that they won't carry out any dialogue until the government keeps clamping down on protesters. this is what the elected leader of the opposition, henrique

capriles told one of my colleagues from bbc mundo. >> translator: this government is dieing out and consuming itself. that's why in my view it is crumbling. you may say it will die. it is in the process of extinction. everything it is doing is going that way. the economic and political crisis might lead to a social explosion which is something i don't want for venezuela because i think that would be worse than the situation we are living in right now. so with the economic crisis generates a political crisis, what's going to happen in the country? we are going to need a way out, and the solution is the constitution. and what's the military going to do? they need to respect the constitution, not deny it.

that could be the change. >> reporter: that was the leader of the opposition, enrique c capriles talking to bbc mundo. he has said several times he's opposed to a violent solution and won't use arms to topple this government. >> whatever he says at this point and whatever the opposition says, he's got massive issues, hasn't he, if we look. inflation figure huge, public debt is huge, murder figures are high. what is he proposing to do to turn that around? >> reporter: mr. cka pril liss s proposing that the economy should be completely changed and also proposed different ways to get out of the situation of insecurity. it seems so far that a majority in the country doesn't seem to trust his ways. let's remember that he lost just in april and that in december

during local elections the opposition actually got quite a minority vote. so so far it seems that although there are serious problems in the country and protests are bringing mr. maduro to probably reflect on this situation, a majority of venezuelans seem to still be backing this government for mao. >> thanks very much. uganda invokes a draconian new law against homosexuals. the united states spends millions on aids programs in the country to combat aids. the american ambassador scott da leasee has urged the government to appeal its anti-gay law and criticized a newspaper for publishing a list of what it called the country's top homosexuals. the health minister has insisted

to the bbc gay people won't be discriminated against if they need medical help. our health correspondent spoke to him. >> it has its own areas that has generated some controversy. however, we want this opportunity to assure everybody that this bill or now this law will not in any way interfere with the rights of all the people of uganda, all the -- all the people in uganda to get new health care that they need and that they deserve. >> what about the huge international condemnation there's been around the world, everybody from president obama, of course. the u.s. has now said that they'll review their relationship with uganda to desmond tutu comparing it to nazi germany?

>> the most important element is that each society should be given the opportunity and the respect to manage its affairs in the broad lines, taking into account the culture, the practices, the beliefs of their people. >> you say that this will not affect any health care delivered to any ugandans. if the a gay person tries to get access to health care, they will be given the absolute same treatment. >> the answer is definitely yes. nobody will be discriminated from public health care simply because of his or her sexual orientation. >> but let's talk about hiv/aids. obviously uganda has come such a long way in that area. there are concerns from aids charities that this could have a huge impact on gay men accessing

services for hiv/aids. they will not be honest about their experiences because of the suf ening of this law. >> in the real practice there is no fundamental change that's going to take place as far as medical treatment of ugandans is concerned. gay people, whether pronounced or otherwise, will be -- by the way, health workers will leave up to their ethics of keeping confidentiality with their patients. >> let's get some other news from around the world for you. the former editor of a hong kong newspaper has been seriously wounded in a knife attack amid growing concern amid press freedom. kevin lao was slashed the back several times with a kitchen clever. he was replaced as editor in

protests over spensor ships. one of the biggest ira bombers will not face trial. john deremy was charged with the murder of five british soldiers in hyde park. his lawyers said he had been given official guarantee he was not a wanted mad man. this turned out to what is a catastrophic mistake according to the judge. amazing story, a couple in california who stumbled across hundreds of buried gold coins as they were walking their dog. they're told the haul is worth about $10 million. the coins were found in rusty metal tins near the couple's home. experts say they are in pretty much mint condition. by the end of the day, ukrainians may well know who will be holding office in their

new government provided it meets with their approval. the acting president has said that the representatives chosen by parliament will be announced and presented to the protesters themselves in kiev. it can't come soon enough really. the ukrainian currency is plummeting, at its lowest ever point against the dollar. tensions between east and west in the country appear to be growing, and on the international level, the calls are for calm, but they come amid fears of interference from abroad. tim willcox joins me live from kiev. that last point perhaps the most relative. we're getting word coming in of president putin ordering the tests of combat readiness of troops in central and pointedly western russia. i guess that's going to press a few alarm bells where you are. >> reporter: yes, he does this from time to time. the timing of this is very important. these troops are adjoining ukraine. there's been no reaction here from the interim president in

the last few minutes to that. but this obviously is a sign that president putin, russia is flexing its muscles here at a time when this transitional government is about to be formed. you mention the fact that there's potential cabinet ministers are due to be on the stage here. we're not quite clear how that's going to happen. some people are suggesting that they're going to be paraded on the stage here at independence square in some sort of x factor tv reality shows, a way to see how the crowd reacts. people have very clear ideas of who they want to represent, do they want a new type of politics here? it will be interesting to see later tonight, 7:00 local time, whether the crowd boos or cheers. >> going to be an extraordinary display of people power if that is how it pans out. it still shows those prepared to come out and gather behind you still have hugely symbolic importance in the country. >> they do. the ukrainian parliament which

has been sitting most days since the departure of viktor yanukovych hasn't been sitting today because they're doing deals, working out who they'll put into this transitional government. the big thing is trying to reflect the demonstrators, the protester movements, many of whom don't have any political affiliation at all. they want some sort of representation. we've been up at the parliament today speaking to demonstrators who have been guarding the parliament from anyone getting in and protecting that. they're saying we need to be represented in this new political way for ward here in ukraine. we don't just want the same old faces, the same old voices. >> tim, wilcox in independence square. still to come in the program, can you spot the leopard? it's a fast-mover so no wonder this big cat is still on the run. we'll bring you the latest on india's fugitive feline. india's fugitive feline. you miss the drama? yeah.

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let me give you a picture of the chinese capitol beijing today. you can hardly see anything, can you? because the smog hanging over the city mao is the thickest ever. it is off the scale, literally. it's now so bad hundreds of thousands of people are fearful of getting out of their homes because they're going to have to take in that air. they don't want to be breathing that too much. this latest pollution has already been going on for a week. just how bad is it? well, to the irritation of the chinese government no doubt, the u.s. embassy in beijing tracks air quality from its building with gradings from good to hazardous. it publishes that data every day. the current reading is beyond hazardous, running at more than 500 micrograms per cubic meter. the latest readings today signifies that the top line is at 600. that's just the air quality

guide, good right down to beyond index is way off the scale at the moment. the level at which america starts classifying air as unhealthy is just 150. scientists say the impact of this toxic mix of particles can be deadly over the long-term. here is the bbc's martin patience in beijing. >> reporter: china's capital shrouded in a toxic smog, its skyline barely visible. normal life hasn't completed ground to a halt, but some of those dancing are taking precautions and with good reason. we're here at a busy beijing hospital where we're going to meet a doctor who is on the front line when it comes to dealing with pollution. dr. zhang was worked here for 30 years, he's never been busier, seeing up to 30 patients a day. >> translator: as the air

pollution is getting worse it's causing more diseases, linked with chronic diseases, especially pneumonia, bronchitis and lung cancer. >> reporter: ironically when the smog hits there normally isn't a surge in admissions as the null verbal are warned to stay indoors. one of those who has ventured out is ms. wong. she's suffering from asthma. her chest is tight she says, and she's finding it hard to breathe. the impact of china's pollution is being felt in hospitals across the country. according to a study air pollution here contributed to more than a million deaths in 2010. china's economic development may have been remarkable, but it's coming at a huge cost which is proving deadly. martin patience, bbc news, beijing. for serious opposition, the

city of yabroud is under continued attack from president assad's forces. in the last few weeks thousands of people have fled to seek refuge over the border. for the fighters left behind a weapons shortage is critical. new supplies from saudi arabia are said to be on the way. rebel commanders have their doubt. from the lebanese-syrian border, quentin summerville sent this report. >> reporter: the roud from yabroud. abdul takes this bumpy track most days. an hour's drive away yabroud is under siege. for his passengers, this is their escape route. under the gaze of the lib niece military, syrians have sought refuge here in the past two weeks. we can't shoaib dual's face because he's going back to fight.

but his passenger won't return. >> translator: trin left yabroud because of the shelling, the air strikes and missiles. there's hezbollah on one side and the army on the other. we had to leave for the sake of the children. >> reporter: it's dangerous there, but you're going back. >> translator: i'm going back to stand beside our brothers. i can't stay here in humiliation. i will go and fight there until my last drop of blood. >> reporter: this is why thousands are fleeing. there are daily bombardments from government planes and artillery. these streets have been in rebel hands since the beginning of the war. if the regime takes yabroud, it will secure the route between damascus and homs. yabroud is only an hour away, right over that hills in syria. it's the last rebel stronghold in the west of the country. if opposition forces are to hold

that ground, they need to be unified and need new weaponry. after the failure to find a political solution to the war in syria, right there could be one of the first tests of a new military strategy. >> reporter: the regime's tanks and planes have outmatched the rebels. occasionally opposition fighters have had the heavy weaponry they needed. rebel commanders have been promised new weapons by saudi arabia. it's new missiles they're desperate for. >> the most important thing we've requested and still need are anti-aircraft weapons. the regime isn't bombing the fsa. it's targeting and shelling civilians. >> when do you think you'll get your hands on them? >> it's a secret, okay?

>> translator: only when everything is ready because we don't want them to fall into the wrong hands. >> reporter: the rebels' task is considerable. for now many of yabroud's fighters have moved their families to lebanon. it's not free from danger, but it's safer here than in the city they're fighting to keep. quentin sommerville, bbc news on the lebanese-syrian border. have a look at this. i wonder who is most terrified. a leopard on the loose in a town in india has led to closure of all the local schools. the wildcat has been roaming the town about 50 miles from the capital delhi. there have been several efforts to capture it. they've all failed. rebecca williams has more. >> reporter: it's now been on the run for more than two days causing havoc. this leopard seen briefly here on camera has forced schools to close as police search the city streets. the leopard went on the runaround midnight on sunday

around 70 kilometers east of delhi. for some time it was stuck in a room at a local hospital but managed to escape. the most recent sighting was in the city. police armed with tranquilizer darts have been searching for the an ma'am that's already injured six people. even soldiers have joined the hunt. at one point officials managed to back the leopard into a warehouse. but just as it did before at the hospital, it went on to escape. >> humanity is encroaching on the habitats of a lot of the wildlife like leopards, lyons and tigers. there's less space for them to actually live. they're going to interact a lot more with people by coming to villages and towns. >> reporter: the effects of that interaction are clear. residents just hope the leopard will be caught soon so the city can return to some normality. >> amazing pictures. i should tell you coming up in

the next half hour here on gmt, it's hard to name a country where claims of corruption haven't surfaced over the years. it's rare to watch a sitting prime minister on tape discussing how to hide large sums of money. that's what recep tayyip erdogan is accused of. in the next half hour we'll see how he's going to cope. every day with twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. because an empty pan is a blank canvas. [ woman #2 ] to share a moment. [ woman #3 ] to travel the world without leaving home. [ male announcer ] whatever the reason. whatever the dish. make it delicious with swanson. ♪ 800,000 hours of supercomputing time, 3 million lines of code, 40,000 sets of eyes, or a million sleepless nights.

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welcome to gmt on "bbc world news." i'm dived eades. in this half hour a major test for turkey's prime minister. protests on the streets and now parliamentary debate over allegations of corruption involving mr. erdogan and his son. also how a graveyard for whales could bring to life our understanding of the seaworld 5 million years ago. i'm aaron. in the business flying high as airbus announces record orders.

we've got the big boss here on the show. we're going to be asking who is buying and what does that tell us about the global economy. when it comes to open, honest government, it rarely looks much worse than this. in turkey an online voice recording seems to show the prime minister recep tayyip erdogan asking his son to dispose of millions of euros in cash. that's the issue parliament will be discussing later. there have been angry protests in the country as mr. erdogan's opponents say he simply has to government he's also facing an investigation into widespread allegations of corruption. the prime minister himself says those recordings are simply fake. james reynolds has this report from ankara. >> reporter: resign shout the

protesters in istanbul. they call their prime minister a thief. they confront the police with stones and fireworks. they're forced back. the wiretapping scandal has revived the protest movements of last may and june. demonstrators say that the leaked phone calls which claim to show the prime minister instructing his son to hide large sums of money are proof of widespread corruption. but recep tayyip erdogan speaking to his ruling party on tuesday denies the allegations. he's called the recordings a vial attack on his position. he accuses of unnamed enemies of fabricating the tapes. >> translator: there aren't any allegations that i cannot answer. neither members of ak party nor i will be lured by their traps

to change the agenda and we will not surrender to this game. >> reporter: antigovernment protesters here in ankara make their own similar promise. they will not give up either. the country's political opposition has joined the protester's calls for the prime minister to step down. james reynolds, bbc news, ankara. president obama has told the u.s. military to draw up plans for a complete troop withdraw from afghanistan by the end of this year. that's because the afghan president, hamid karzai, has refused to sign a security agreement ahead of april's elections. from washington barbara plett usher reports. >> reporter: for american troops the afghan war will be over at the end of this year. the question is how they will go. they've been hoping to leave a small force in place. but now president obama has asked the pentagon to draw up plans for a possible full withdraw. that's because mr. obama has failed to convince the afghan

president, hamid karzai, to sign a bilateral security agreement or bsa, leaving the u.s. without a legal framework for continued operations. mr. karzai's relationship with the u.s. is at an all-time low. his decision to free alleged taliban militants against american wishes is only the latest sign of what he bluntly calls mutual distrust. he told this gathering of afghan tribal elders even if they approve the security agreement, which they did, he'd leave the signing till after presidential elections in april. that significantly narrows american options. >> the longer we go without a signed psa, by necessity the more narrowing the size and ambition the mission for a post 2014 force would be. >> reporter: few think that afghan security forces can hold back the taliban without u.s.

support. the military and police here urgently want to finalize the deal to ensure continued training and funding. the americans also want to keep access to afghanistan as a staging ground for counterterrorism missions, afraid of leaving a security vacuum like they did in iraq. the fact the u.s. did pull its troops out of iraq because of no security deal means it's not an idle threat in afghanistan. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. time here on gmt to catch up on the world of business. aaron is with us. aaron, your top story. >> have you ever had a bank statement delivered inside a magazine, david? >> no. >> i'm sure. let me explain. hello there. we have heard a lot about dodgey bankers, but this story could be right out of a bond film. u.s. officials released a report

describing the cloak and dagger tactics used by one of switzerland's largest banks to entice all americans to put their money in swiss bank accounts and held avoid tax. between 2001 and 2008 a band of credit suisse bankers, they boarded planes and headed en masse to the united states on tourist visas. once in america it was time to woo possible clients. trips to miami, golf tournaments and high society cocktail party was part of the course. it was here that "sports illustrated" magazines were used to hand over bank statements on the sly. page 39, bob, that's according to one client. it all sounds very "wolf on wall street." the report claims the bank opened swiss accounts for more than 22,000 u.s. customers with assets totaling some $12 billion. that is why the u.s. is annoyed. it wants the taxes the swiss

banks helped americans to dodge. our correspondent imojen foulkes is following the story from geneva. >> reporter: i think some of the detail is causing raised eyebrows in switzerland. they have a reputation for being rather cautious and careful. this comes like something out of a spy novel or a hollywood movie. the fact is the swiss do know that their big banks, credit suisse and ubs, at that period you were talking about, 2001 to 2008 were doing this kind of thing. it's pretty common knowledge. it's changed since then. there's been a big crackdown. nevertheless, we see -- i think what we see particularly with this report is that united states, there's no way it's going to give up on that lost tax revenue, and it is prepared to go into detail like this and release it because they still have credit suisse in their sights. they want that money back. i think credit suisse itself has

not commented but will be very nervous. >> i am sure. despite these underhand tactics, it seems swiss banks are going to get off quite lightly. kevin alexander explained this to me a little earlier. >> it could. but we've seen so far that the u.s. department of justice has taken a light-touch approach in dealing with credit suisse. last week a fine of $197 million was announced that credit suisse would have to pay. but this is a very small fine in comparison to the profits that credit suisse made from this illegal conduct. okay. let's talk about airbus, certainly one of the world's largest plane makers. it's reported a 21% rise in full-year profits. that's after a record delivery of 626 planes during 2013. the company reported profits of

$5 billion. there we go right there. and they confirm that they've hoped to deliver around 630 planes this year right now. airbus also said it would deliver its first a-350 jet, that's the airbus equivalent, the competition to boeing's 787, all new composite material, a technologically advanced aircraft. it's going to hopefully deliver that, the first one to qatar airways before the end of the -- possibly the fourth quarter. last month airbus's main rival, boeing, said it expected to deliver around 715 to 725 jets this year which would be an increase of at least 10% from 2013. trying to get the big boss, trying to get tom enders up. keep your fingers crossed. let's talk about this for now.

of all the large european countries, france is one struggling to get out of a bit of a meyer. we do know that francois hollande, the president, of course, says he will be judged on his success if he gets more french people back to work. that is a tough task. the figures -- we know the figures have gone from bad to worse and no one is holding their breath in paris. take a look at this number right here. over 3 million french people are actively looking for work. with economic growth still sluggish to say the least, private firms are finding it hard to pay their labor bills and rise above the latest tax increases. as nigel cassidy reports from paris, some are giving up the fight altogether. >> reporter: another day at the office. for these workers it may be one of their last. the direct selling beauty company avon france has lost money for years and has now called in a receiver.

a thousand self-employed representatives have been stood down unless a buyer is found in days, the 127 staff will be made redundant. >> i am part of the worker market and in i.t. department we work on old system and it will be very difficult to be on the i.t. market. >> it's very hard to find a job because of the situation in france, because of unemployment, because the growth is not here and consumption is very low and so on. >> reporter: the cost of supporting the former staff won't fall to the u.s. parent company, but added to the now unsustainable state welfare bill. while neighboring countries cut costs, the french parliament has loaded more onto business in taxes, leaving firms battling to sell profitably and keep all their staff. wherever there's unemployment, there are people who find it hard to feed their families.

today about 200 people will visit this food bank in the center of paris. those who can only find temporary work have few entitlements, some even end up giving up an allowance of bakes foods. >> outside france i see everybody saying we need to decrease strongly our expense. the confidence of the manager and of the employer go back, then higher return and the unemployment will decrease and the situation will completely change. >> reporter: no signs of economic spring at this office park. president hollande has offered employers an incentive of tax relief if they take on more workers. but with payroll taxes here in france, putting an extra 50% on any salary, companies just aren't in the mood to take on new workers. nigel cassidy, bbc news, france. there you go. thanks, nigel. we're trying to get tom in, the

big boss at airbus. i think he's late from another meeting. i'm going to go and hopefully interview him and we'll run the interview later in the afternoon. don't miss it. lots going on. follow me on twitter. you can find me @bbcaaron or treat tom enders and say where are you? you got to be on gmt. >> thanks very much indeed. thanks for being with us here on "bbc world news." still to come, you heard the one about the struggling comedian? it's not funny. we're going to give you an insight into the tough business of making people laugh in just a minute.

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welcome back to gmt on "bbc world news." i'm david eades. our top stories, opponents of venn swill land president nicholas maduro claim his government is on the verge of collapse. the country has been paralyzed by weeks of protests in which 13 people have been killed. uganda's health minister told the bbc gay people will not be discriminated against when they need health care, even though a new anti-gay law has just been passed. now to one of the most astonishing fossil discoveries of recent years. a graveyard of whales found beside the pan american highway in chile's atacama desert. scientists think they know how many are so preserved. the evidence suggests that the whales ingested toxic algae and were poisoned and then washed

into annest airy and onto flat sands where they became buried over time. with me is richard sab yen, the marine mammals curator at the natural history museum here in london. is this one of the dream moments for one like you? >> it's unbelievable. this is an opportunity to study a large number of animals in one location so incredibly well preserved. >> we've been given already the story which is they were poisoned, all died together. how can we be that precise about it? >> i think the thing to take into account is the fact that scientists on site reported there are more than one species, there are multiple species here, animals that feed on different types of organisms out at sea but all washed in. i think there are four successive episodes of mass drowning here. so there needs to be a single sort of common cause. this harmful algae bloom theory

is one that scientists favor. >> could they detect it, do you think, from the fossils? is there any way of scientifically working out the various toxins that might still be in the soil? >> it depends on the state of preservation. i'm not sure how well these organisms do preserve. certainly there's very little distortion of the bones. there seems to be some evidence for other microorganisms in the strata that surround the sket skeletons. >> the pictures are amazing, the way they've been preserved offers a vast reservoir of data for you to chew on. how rare is that? how well do we know, if you like, the history of whales? >> this is the question. fossil evidence, there are very few sites around the world where complete skeletons have been found. they tend to occur as individual animals. you don't find mass strand dings, large accumulations like we've had here. the thing to remember is because

of the nature of the animals, they live at sea, have a huge range that they cover, when they die they normally die out at sea and they sink to the bottom where they're scavenged and nothing remains. >> i suppose that's the toughest place to find, the bottom of the ocean. that's what's so intriguing here. what is now one of the deserts of the world. that's what 5 million years does i suppose. >> absolutely. i think the things scientists will be excited about is the information we can get from the location itself which might give them clues to other parts of the world where similar deposits could be found. >> is that the sort of place where you'd be saying to yourself and colleagues, i've got to go and see this? >> absolutely. the position of the skeletons is as interesting as the skeletons themselves. the position demonstrates relatively clearly from the data that's available that these animals were washed in either dead or dieing in a similar sort of fashion to what we see today. there are very strong similarities. the opportunity to study, we've got all ages here, very young

animals to very old, an entire cross-section of a population, for want of a better word. it's a brilliant opportunity for researchers. >> is there any way to assess from this sort of finding the scale of whale populations at some point as well? >> it's still a very strong sample size. for what we've got already, a huge trevor trove. it's incredible. >> thanks very much indeed. for the likes of jerry seinfeld, chris rock or russell brant, for example, a career in standup comedy can be a very lucrative business. it's not quite such a laughing matter for those just setting out. jack stratton is one of the new comedians gigging up to seven nights a week, clocking hundreds of cross country miles as he struggles to make a living and name for himself. we asked him to keep a video diary as he traveled for club to club. we joined him for some of the

many nights on the road. >> most comedians are all over the place all the time if they want to make a full-time living. my name is jack stratton, stage name malcolm head. my comedy is character comedy. >> steve is on telly, look, look, steve is on telly. oh, wait, that's not steve. [ laughter ]. >> i got the initial thing of coming to a gig and feeling quite hyped and immediately want to run around the streets of windsor because i've got that adrenaline buzz. i make a bit but not much after travel and food or whatever. put it this way, i make less

than if during the day i had just gone and done a day's work somewhere. >> this gig happens to be eight miles away from 3450i dreer graham. i stopped on the way here and i'm going to stay the night here. obviously it's a lot cheaper than staying at a hotel. >> you don't know yet. i might charge you. >> you might charge me. >> pump it, push it, pump it, push it. turn it up. pump it, push it, pump it, push it turn it up. sorry, my mistake, it's self-inflating. >> this last gig is at the hotel. this is tonight's, old dry cereal. >> what you seem to find in

comedy is a lot of skinny people or people with unusual body shapes. you never get people in comedy that look really healthy and well built. comics spend all day sat in a car and sat in a hotel room and stand on stage in a bit and go and eat something awful. some think comedians improvised are totally planned. when it is truly a moment, that is a great moment. >> we like you. >> we love you! [ laughter ]. >> that's the best. you've got to say best of luck to him, haven't you. just want to remind you of a news story which broke during the time we've been on air. president putin ordering the check of russian's battle readiness in the west of russia. one of the great spanish

guitarists paco de lucia has died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 66, he's credited with promoting flamenco music. collaborating with jazz and classical musicians as well. he died while playing with his children on a beach in mexico. we thought we'd close this edition of gmt with the music of paco de lucia. bye-bye. ♪

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the hotel gym is short for gymnasium. the hotel pool is usually filled with water. and the best dot com for booking hotels, is hotels.com. it's on the internet, but you probably knew that. or maybe not, i don't really know you. bellman: welcome back, captain obvious. captain obvious: yes i am. all those words are spelled correctly. ♪ ♪

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orchestrations were arranged by sir rodney fenning, and dame eve english is a member of the kings lynn players. so tune in again next week for more from the "what's my line" team. and that brings us to the end of programming for today. so from all of us here at alexandra palace, a very good night. £200 overdrawn. [ "god save the queen" plays ] [ sigh ] i need a miracle.