expelling 35 russian diplomats in response to accusations that russian hackers tried to subvert the american presidential election. the us also referenced alleged harassment of diplomats in moscow. they ceasefire in syria has come into effect in the last few hours. president putin said that the warring parties had declared their readiness to start peace talks but described the agreement is reached as fragile. several of the main rebel factions have backed the deal but some groups are excluded. tributes are being paid to the hollywood actress debbie reynolds who died atjust one day after the death of her daughter carrie fisher. debbie reynolds was 84 and best known for starring with gene kelly in the musical singin‘ in the rain. those are the headlines. now in a change to the scheduled hardtalk programme, here is a chance to see again the remarkable interview the actress debbie reynolds, who died earlier this week, gave tojonathan

in hardtalk in april 20 ten. she starred in one of the best—known films of all time. the musical singin‘ in the rain. fora staggering six decades she has been a big name in show business and she is here in london's west end, treading the boards again. her life, however, has been touched by scandal and hollywood has changed dramatically in the youth she has been involved. guest today is debbie reynolds. debbie reynolds, welcome to hardtalk. what are you still so driven to carry on? if i was and, if i was not having a wonderful time i would be bored to than sitting at home and i would not know what to do it myself. i have always been busy

and active and home in the states i travel 42 weeks a year and that is just constant. i never stopped working since i was 16. i am used to it. i get quite nervous if, let's say i had a two week vacation then i am nervous. i must keep busy. when you started at 16 years old, and could you have imagined you would still be doing it at 78 question now, i thought i would of been dead. is why i named the tour alive. when they called me they said, debbie, what should be named tour? i told i did not really know some people say debbie reynolds, is she still alive? they went with that. 0k, we will call the tour alive and they added fabulous. and when people see me they will see i am. you say you are driven but it is more than that, isn't it? you have to do this financially. it has not been an easy life for you financially. when i so

driven, it is what you want to do. doi driven, it is what you want to do. do i have to work, or as force that everybody needs to work. i raised five children. they all went to university and they all always had a mother who work. they had the cars, colleges, you know. ithink mother who work. they had the cars, colleges, you know. i think all pa rents colleges, you know. i think all parents work. don't they? especially as they have a divorce. that is the thing. your third husband left you bankrupt, didn't he? the second one with the bankrupt first stop and the third husband, he just left with the bankrupt first stop and the third husband, hejust left with with the bankrupt first stop and the third husband, he just left with all the money. that must be very difficult because as a hollywood star you had amassed a huge amount of money until your second and third marriages. i know, but husband spent a lot of money. i called shop all day on what they spend. do you regret that you trusted your husband is so much financially and in the end itjust didn't work out that for one reason or another in the case your second husband he gambled a lot, didn't he? in the second

husband, the hotel complex it didn't work out? as a woman, i must answer you honestly. when you fall in love you honestly. when you fall in love you do not really ask the man in love with me? you think that he is. otherwise you would not get married. you just really do believe. i am rather victorian and i think of a man says he loves me and he wants to marry me and be with me for the rest of alive, you must believe him walk you wouldn't marry him. i'm not a com plete you wouldn't marry him. i'm not a complete fool until after the fact. then i was. yes, i have been married three times. twice, to settle and went bankrupt and the third one went bankrupt but he didn't get everything. he took all the money and ran but he did not get anything. ina great and ran but he did not get anything. in a great resilience, you know? they do not tackle me on the way out they just leave me they do not tackle me on the way out theyjust leave me fall in like a good punch. back in 1988 it look different. you were quoted as saying

two more years than you would have enough money to retire. that was prior to the marriage crumbling and leaving you penniless again. prior to the marriage crumbling and leaving you penniless againlj leaving you penniless again.|j a lwa ys leaving you penniless again.|j always say you can make it back. i give myself not really a two—year period, a five—year plan. i always say there is a light at end of the tunnel so i can get through because if there is a tunnel there is a light. | if there is a tunnel there is a light. i can make it. if there is a tunnel there is a light. ican make it. i never if there is a tunnel there is a light. i can make it. i never give up. what the bankruptcy mean? how did it affect you? the government gets all the money. that is what ba n kru ptcy gets all the money. that is what bankruptcy means to me. it is a big setback but you didn't do it, your husband does it. and in california, california taxes community property so the government steps in and you have to pay it back what your husband i was. some people wonder how this could happen. we always hear the stories about hollywood stars with people to protect their business interests. someone doing everything for them. but clearly there is not? no, there is often

someone stupid like me. did you not get advice? i had great lawyers. that is holed up in bankruptcy court. somehow there is a different thing with community property. so they win. and you are still working asa they win. and you are still working as a result. the good fortune i have was to be in show business. in show business if people care about you and if you have a good show and you work hard your entire life and you have learnt to sing and dance and do mimicry and just be good at your craft, people want to come and see you. cast your mind back to early days when you were first discovered at the age of 16. what did it feel like to be on the verge of a hollywood career? who knew? i was 16 and in school. aged local beauty contests for fun. this way he did

it? win a free scarf? a silk scarf. i never had a silk scarf. or a beautiful blouse. did you want to be an actress? no-one in my family was in acting and i wanted to be a gym teacher. i wanted to go to college andi teacher. i wanted to go to college and i could go as i went to a scholarship. so i kept my grades up and that is what i wanted to do what i hope to be. but a harbour have a local contest in burbank and i won the contest. there was a talent scout there and they took me to warner brothers and they did a screen test and they asked me why i wa nted screen test and they asked me why i wanted to be in the movies and i saidi wanted to be in the movies and i said i don't. that must have shocked them because every young girl in those days wanted to be an actress. especially in california. i truly had no thought about it. i liked to go to the movies but why would you think you would be in the movies? it is one thing to go and to see movie

stars but why would you think you we re ever stars but why would you think you were ever going to be there? if no—onein were ever going to be there? if no—one in your family was, if you we re no—one in your family was, if you were not exposed to it, i no dream of that. all of a sudden, i guess, it was crazy but i fit into show business. you have to be able crazy to be in show business. business. you have to be able crazy to be in show businesslj business. you have to be able crazy to be in show business. i have decided that. you came from a poor background. my family were poor. we have enough food on the table but my father did not make enough money. he worked for the railroad and there was very little to go around. we didn't have furniture. we have a little home my father built and i can't say that we knew we were poor because everybody else was poor. so there was no—one to guide you to say, do you feel terrible? we did not feel that we were different to anybody else because everybody was poon anybody else because everybody was poor. you have made some fantastic films including the one that sticks

in everybody‘s mind, singin' in the rain with gene kelly. a wonderful musical. when you are making it at the time did you think was going to bea the time did you think was going to be a great film that people would remember the decades afterwards?” didn't know that because i was only i7 and will goal. they put me in the picture and i had never danced and then the head of the studio said gene kelly, this is debbie reynolds. mary francis was my real name. that said this is debbie. they changed to debbie. they said she will be your new leading lady. gene kelly said it really? do you dance? i said, well, no. and i'm sure he was aghast. and there are complicated dance scenes, aren't there? absolutely. as difficult as you could get. how did you tackle it? i could do the basic steps. and then... a maxi forward is a dance step. so thenjean knew that

he had to teach me how to dance. so idid and he had to teach me how to dance. so i did and i worked like a dog. i had five different teachers and in six months they prepared me to work and i worked really hard because if the taskmaster and a great dancer and this was his idea. and then gene kelly and fred astaire and stanley donnan, they were the creators. henri leconte could dance to drop dead. his family were orphaned soakers. it was great. he could run up soakers. it was great. he could run up the wall around backwards. they say all the taskmaster and some were saying he was tough on you. not a lwa ys saying he was tough on you. not always very nice. now, he was tough. you have the right idea. did he shout at you? he had a microphone and he used to yell at you. gene kelly? he would tell me smile, the bigger, be louder. he was always coaching. you were his love interest in the movie and you fought off quite another actresses who are in

the friend to get the role originally. people like leslie caron and judy garland and in the end it was the unknown, debbie reynolds. and judy garland and in the end it was the unknown, debbie reynoldsm was the unknown, debbie reynoldsm was supposed to be an innocent virginal will goal and i was fat and i think it was a tough deal for porting to be stuck with me who had never danced. it would have been far better for never danced. it would have been far betterfor him to never danced. it would have been far better for him to have a great dancer and i worked so hard that i think in the end when a look at the performance of our little girl i think i did a good job. it must have been a fantastic time in many ways in the 19505. you also hanging out with frank and the rat pack a great mob and there were you with your innocent will girl image. how did you fit in with the rat pack wa5 innocent will girl image. how did you fit in with the rat pack was to mark i was not having a wild time when i started. i was just mark i was not having a wild time when i started. i wasjust a teenager. but then i did my first nightclub act and i did a movie with ring sinatra called a tender trap. he adopted me like a little sister and he is the one who advised me to never marry a singer. and you did in

the end. your first husband was eddie fi5her, one of the best—known singers of that time. a massive 5tar. singers of that time. a massive star. 20 gold records. why should i start off right? why didn't you li5ten start off right? why didn't you listen to frank sinatra? that marriage ended in disaster after eddie fi5her marriage ended in disaster after eddie fisher and run—off with elizabeth taylor. i had to make the5e mistakes. i did wrong the first time, i did wrong the second time and then the third time.” called myself out. your daughter 5aid called myself out. your daughter said that she thought the courtship between you and eddie fi5her wa5 said that she thought the courtship between you and eddie fi5her was a pre55 between you and eddie fi5her was a press release. they were riding the wave of being a media couple more than having any real compatibility. she said she probably didn't have much in common with eddie fisher. probably but i did not know that. i was in love, young love. what did i go? i really didn't know anything. i thought it was terrific. he was dialling, he was handsome he was a wonderful looking fellow at the start and here i was a young star

and... quite a scandalwhen he ran off with one of the world ‘5 best—known actre55e5, elizabeth taylor. we went to school together at the mgm lot. we were good friend5. she is the most beautiful woman in the world. i certainly was not. and woman. i certainly was not. you could say we eddie fi5her wanted her but why would elizabeth taylor what eddie fisher? what did you mean by that? she wonder5 to as well. of cour5e by that? she wonder5 to as well. of course she found that out right afte rwa rds. course she found that out right afterwa rds. i told course she found that out right afterward5. itold eddie, itold him that what would happen wa5 afterward5. itold eddie, itold him that what would happen was that in 1.5year5 he that what would happen was that in 1.5 years he would reali5e that what would happen was that in 1.5 years he would realise that she was really nothing and she will throw you out. that's what happened. she met richard burton and he was our stop a lot of scrutiny when that story broke. it must have been unbearable. at one stage it said it was an bearable when a man walk out but the fact that the public took it as an affront of was watching, that was unbelievable. it was played out

in the public gaze, wasn't it? isn't everything in pub 5how in the public gaze, wasn't it? isn't everything in pub show business question mark everything in the public. terry 5aid question mark everything in the public. terry said that mother is like ratten angelina and jennifer ani5ton today. you and eddie and elisabeth. it was a similar 5tory. ani5ton today. you and eddie and elisabeth. it was a similar story. i a lwa y5 elisabeth. it was a similar story. i always make a joke of it. i said that elisabeth went down the nile. eddie fi5her has always challenged your version. she knows i didn't leave her for elisabeth, your version. she knows i didn't leave herfor elisabeth, we your version. she knows i didn't leave her for elisabeth, we were apart long for that. poor boy. i feel so sorry for him he has to make up feel so sorry for him he has to make up some 5tory. feel so sorry for him he has to make up some story. he was even less generous about you. he said that you we re generous about you. he said that you were the next door but only if you lived next door to a self is driven in5ecure woman. lived next door to a self is driven insecure woman. it was good that he could read. have you forgiven? i cared about but yes i have four

given eddie i have never really understood a man leaving his children. i can understand leaving the woman but he never really came back around to be a very good father. so i don't particularly admire that. i have wonderful children and i am their parents. so if you ask if i have four given him, i say that with a bit of anger because i have a son, his only son and he misses having a good father. so when eddie left he really left. keating collie would has changed a lot? the5e keating collie would has changed a lot? these days, is probably more frenetic. —— do you think hollywood has changed. the world has changed. when i came into film5, has changed. the world has changed. when i came into films, the studios owned the films and congress took it

over and they could no longer release the film is so than television entered the scene so that the film industry was cut in half, their power. television took over and then movies, the golden era ended, nobody was under contract, they dropped greta garbo, all the sta r5 they dropped greta garbo, all the stars were let go, i was really the only one left under contract was up you spent 17 years under contract. in those days, they told you write, this week you will be in this film, next week that film, it was a controlled life for an actress and it's not the way these days. now it's not the way these days. now it's much harder. you have to raise the money, buy the book, it's much harder. were produced. they were finding the movies for you. we were owned, we were under contract. it was a wonderful life, though. we went paid very well, though. today

they get $20 million per picture. what you think about that?” they get $20 million per picture. what you think about that? i think they should save their money. some people say that they produced bad movies big so they found bad movies. they are not all good today but i think they made some very good p i ctu res think they made some very good pictures and some good ones today. i think they are very fortunate in the 5alarie5 that they make. i wish to all of the stars great success and i hope that they give a lot of their money to charity because they have a great opportunity to help people will stop mo5t great opportunity to help people will stop most of them are doing that. i admire that very much. we made $700 a week in the beginning i made $700 a week in the beginning i made 65 dollars a week or stop them a $20 million. there is a great deal of difference. other differences, they talk about the golden age of hollywood that it was an innocent time in some ways. i think that's why your breakup with eddie fi5her was such a scandal that played out

that the films were more innocent too, when they? boy meets girl, they fall in love and meet —— live happily ever after. jono donna reed, andy griffith, corny picture5. happily ever after. jono donna reed, andy griffith, corny pictures. there i5 andy griffith, corny pictures. there is too much violence and pornography, really, icall is too much violence and pornography, really, i call it pornography, really, i call it pornography, today. the innocence i5 gone. i think a body can look beautiful through a veil, it doesn't have to be boom, i don't really want to see a man's frontal or a woman. it is not appropriate for children. all young people. if it wasn't that type of movie, you could see it but i don't beget should be the general public for every film. you think hollywood is dictating the product or the audience? television has gone much too far. television. i don't think the films necessarily but they have but really, television is pushing it because it's so popular and there is so much cable today. you have hundreds of programmes. before, we didn't even have

television. he had two stations, then for 5tation5 television. he had two stations, then for stations and now it's... to fill that, if an octopu5. to give the public what they want is very difficult. it's difficult for all the networks, the competitions are real. the paparazzi i5 the networks, the competitions are real. the paparazzi is only. —— the competition is unreal. the paparazzi i5 unreal. competition is unreal. the paparazzi is unreal. what about your breakup with eddie fi5her, it was back then but what if it was today? you watched it with angelina with brad, they follow them everywhere. i feel 5orry they follow them everywhere. i feel sorry for them but i went through that. i had hundreds of press on my front lawn and the backyard, the swimming pool. all around. it is difficult and it's not something that one likes to have happened. it won't happen to me again. i'm just going to be here and the uk and play at the apollo theatre, i'm just going to have a good time and be

live on stage and do what i like to do but my life can be easy now because i've been in the business of 63 yea r5 because i've been in the business of 63 years and i've had 63 wonderful, glorious year5. 63 years and i've had 63 wonderful, glorious years. i'm very happy with my life, i've been through all of it now and i've done all of it and i've had a great life and a great time and i'm still having it, that's what i like. you always make very pithy comments, you are a very direct person that she made pithy comments about why you stopped making films. maybe it is reali5m about why you stopped making films. maybe it is realism that its arti5t bill, i don't like making —— taking my clothes offer supportive think about hollywood today?” my clothes offer supportive think about hollywood today? i do think it's glamorous, pretty. i think there are ways to make things exciting and and mysterious at the same time, that's no need. i'm a religiou5 per5on, same time, that's no need. i'm a religiou5 person, i don't need to go that way. i don't believe in that example for the young people. you can bea example for the young people. you can be a good entertainer and a good actress. if you want to, go ahead

but it's not something i ever wanted to do and therefore i never did it. the clock will never be turned back to the innocent age. i think not. i think this is it. we don't have to go...i think this is it. we don't have to go... i don't really have a comment about it because we are here and todayi5 about it because we are here and today is today and so we have to face, that we can handle our5elve5 well. we can handle our5elve5 face, that we can handle our5elve5 well. we can handle ourselves with class and dignity. we don't have to fall down amongst the masses, so to speak, meaning, if you want to be trashy, you can be trashy. there is really no need, it is much more fun to have little dignity in life. you have always been open about the m ista kes have always been open about the mistakes you made in your love life and picking the wrong man. what about the mistakes you made professionally? one time in the late 605 you had a row with nbc over the debbie reynolds 5how 605 you had a row with nbc over the debbie reynolds show because you decided to make a stand over tobacco

advertising. what happened then? everyone could 5moke advertising. what happened then? everyone could smoke on camera and you could advertise cigarettes. i didn't know congre55 you could advertise cigarettes. i didn't know congress would pass a law that you couldn't within six month5 law that you couldn't within six months and i had a new show, the debbie reynolds show and it was out like the lucille ball, 5how. debbie reynolds show and it was out like the lucille ball, show. a two—year contract at a lot of money. i was having a great time but then the show came out and they were advertising cigarettes. i got very up5et advertising cigarettes. i got very upset because i said, i'm not advertising cigarettes. you promised me that i wasn't. that was quite a stand to take it that pick —— particular period. they work at you don't have to advertise it for the young people and i didn't want to do it. i told them i didn't want to have a cigarette 5pon5or it. i told them i didn't want to have a cigarette sponsor and they 5aid have a cigarette sponsor and they said well, that's too bad, that's what you have. and i told them it wasn't in my contract and they read

the contract and that was the truth. your thinking was ahead of the game. banning in cigarette advertising in many countries didn't happen until later. i lost millions for that stand but i'm happy i did it but i think it was fooli5hly it was fooli5h for me financially but then my husbands would have then had more money to spend. one thing that has a lwa y5 money to spend. one thing that has always got you through and we have seen it in the past few minutes is your sense of humour. how important i5 your sense of humour. how important is it in show business? life itself i5 is it in show business? life itself is hard, it is notjust 5how bu5ine55. rough and tumble in whatever form. it bu5ine55. rough and tumble in whateverform. it doesn't bu5ine55. rough and tumble in whatever form. it doesn't matter if you sell bicycles or work in the toy store. life isn't easy. life is what we can make of it and with a sense of humour, a faith in whatever faith, it doesn't matter, as long as we are good to other people and we

are kind and we look around our lives and we do unto other5, are kind and we look around our lives and we do unto others, i think we will make it through. debbie reynolds, thank you so much for appearing on hardtalk. good to see you, good to see you, thank you very much. there is potential for a strong fog patches. don't drop your guard. especially parts of east anglia and south—east england. south—east england. it is a different story in northern scotland. a weather 5y5tem hanging throughout the day. the rain is more on than off.

actually, to the east of that, parts of north—east scotland, we get the sunshine. this is the picture at 8am, plenty of cloud around and in the west of a west facing west facing town5. dampened drizzly at times. many of u5, dampened drizzly at times. many of us, a milder start. where we have fog and particularly the south—east of england, temperatures close to freezing. some of those starting with a frost as well. if you stay mi5ty and murky, the temperature will be down into single figure5. elsewhere, despite the cloud, it is milder than thirsty. —— thursday. there will see a bit of brightness in north—east wale5, north—east england and eastern parts of scotland. in the north of scotland throughout the day, you have the rain and wind. double—figure temperatures for glasgow and just five celsius in norwich. as you take it through friday night, we will be struck by the fact this weather system is still hanging around the same parts of northern scotland.

as we look further south, we keep plenty of cloud. it will be damp and drizzly at times in the west. the west facing coasts and hills. still a few fog patches but not as much as we have full friday morning. —— for friday morning. that is starting to ea5e our way from being a major feature of our weather. as new year's eve begin5, this is how it looks for the final day of 2016. finally, this weather system gets a move on, taking the rain southwards through scotland and northern ireland. the good news is, if you are out and about celebrating the arrival of 2017, it should be pushing away from it although it introduces colder air and wintry 5hower5 behind it. the start 17, the further north you are, it will be 5hower5 at the rest of england, mild. that won't last long. showing you the picture is the new

year's day. the rain clears its way south on new year's day and all of us will find ourselves in cold air. welcome to bbc news. my name's mike embley. our top stories: president obama expel5 35 russian diplomats, accusing them of interfering in the us elections. moscow says it will retaliate. president—elect trump says it's "time to move on," but he will meet intelligence chiefs for a briefing next week. president putin declares a ceasefire deal in syria, brokered by russia and turkey. it came into effect a few hours ago. road to nowhere. why this street in a french town is causing controversy. and don't look down. china's late5t dizzying feat of engineering. the world's new highest bridge.