as you can see, there is already quite a buzz at hull truck theatre. but then again it's not everyday that the rsc up sticks and moves to a new home temporarily. but then again it's not a usual year for hull, we are the uk city of culture for 2017. i'm anne—marie tasker, the arts and culture correspondent for the bbc in hull. and this is kofi smiles. i'm the face of hull, chosen by the bbc to tell the world about the city of culture, after i auditioned here. you can see the stage, it's just down there, round past the toilets. it's three months since kofi was over there auditioning by the toilets. but if, unlike him, you weren't here in hull for the start of 2017, here are the bits you missed. ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. it was in with a bang onjanuary 1st with three and a half tonnes of fireworks over the humber and a spectacular light display telling the city's history. what do you think to the unbelievable display? i thought it was amazing. absolutely fabulous. i've got family in canada and they are watching it live now. i'm from london and if this was in london... i can't find the words to explain the reaction you'd get. absolutely fantastic. it's amazing. hurray! fantastic. absolutely fantastic. really moving, very emotional. yeah. i'm from brazil and i spent a couple of years in copacabana and to be honest this is the same quality here. it is amazing. i'm so proud of hull. it's absolutely amazing. ijust think it will launch

a really positive year. if that opening looked very much to hull's past, the next spectacle to grace the city centre looked very much to its future. looking at hull's place in the world's industry of building offshore wind turbine blades. here's kofi to explain. despite what you're thinking, what you're looking at didn't come from outer space. since january, this monumental piece of art has taken up residence in hull city centre. it's an incredible 75 metres long and to put that into perspective, i'm about six foot, so i would fit along this 41 times. that's a lot of kofi. so if the blade didn't come from outer space, how did it get here? if the answer is very slowly

and very carefully in the middle of the night. here, you can see it making its way through the city centre. its journey began at the siemens factory in hull's alexandra dock. they make a lot of wind turbine blades, but usually they end up out at sea and not in the centre of a city. i'm excited. i'm going to take my daughter, who is eight years old, and let her have a look at it. because we are in the unique position where we can see these blades up close and personal and even touch them, which blows your mind, as it did the first time i saw one in the factory. it takes weeks to make every single blade. the result is this incredible handmade object, somewhere between a whale bone and the wing of a giant robotic bird. but is it art? so, that's got to be 30 degrees. in that direction. that's it, that's the angle. what we are asking, by declaring it to be an art object, is to challenge and make people think about not only the values that it represents, but what it means to place this kind of production into the heart of the city.

it doesn't feel like a wind turbine blade here. when you are looking at it like this, it feels like it is something organic, feels like a bone. that's how the blade was made, which brings us to the small matter of transporting it here to the very centre of hull, from a factory three miles down the road. in one piece. it all started in the middle of the night to try to keep its arrival secret. the blade is so big, no normal lorry can carry it, so a specialist haulage team used remote—controlled vehicles. one of the main roads into the city was closed and 50 pieces of street furniture, lamp posts and traffic lights, had to be lifted out and then put back. as it got near the square, there was a seriously tricky 3—point turn — not easy when you are manoeuvring the equivalent of eight buses end to end. by dawn the blade had finally arrived in the square. and as the city woke up on the 8th of january 2017,

there was just one job left to do — the very delicate task of lowering the blade into position onto two plinths. fortunately, the blade did make it safely into queen victoria square in the centre of hull. what do the locals think? let's find out. it's modern. it's something that you won't see anywhere else. it's quite big. i'm surprised there's no sign saying mind your head. would you consider it a piece of art? it is kind of a piece of art, yes. it's kind of avant—garde. out of place. everything could be art, really, it really depends on how you look at it. it is like art but then it is used for a job. so it's like art used for a job. notjust like in a frame. some people feel it's a feat of great engineering and not art. some people think it's because it's so beautiful and unique. i think it's amazing because it's getting people engaged and talking about what they consider art.

but whatever you think about it, you can't deny that it grabs your attention. and walking through the city centre in any direction, you simply can't miss it. but you have to be quick if you want to see the blade because it's only going to be here until the 18th of march. until then, it's going out the way that it came in. but it's notjust about what's great in hull, this is a uk—wide arts festival, showcasing the best in the world. that's right. the arrival of an italian masterpiece has caused a stir in the city centre, but you are the art expert and i'm pretty sure you can tell us why. i certainly can, and this is it. hull's ferens art gallery has always prided itself on its collection of paintings and sculpture. but for 2017, it wanted to raise its game and after spending millions on refurbishment, it needed a new superstar exhibit to match. and this is it.

it's not the biggest work of art and it's far from the most expensive, but christ between saints paul and peter is still something special. because it's the only painting by pietro lorenzetti in the uk. not much of his work still exists in its originalform, this is a fragment of a much larger altarpiece, but when they bought it here for more than £5 million in 2012 it's set a world record for the artist. but time had not been kind to this tiny work of art, buried under varnish, dirt and clumsy repairs. so in 2013, the painting was sent to the national gallery in london to be worked on by one of the world's best restoration teams. repairs were done a long time ago using gold—coloured bronze, powder, as paint, and that had discoloured enormously into a kind

of slimy green and black. smears across much of the background. st peter was quite buried under layers of varnish. the fact that paul is wearing these kind of wonderful lilac and mustard robes. when he arrived, he was looking like a franciscan monk — he looked very brown—grey. you might be thinking pietro who? he is not grow well known in this country, but one of the biggest developments in the history of art might never have happened without him and those around him. lorenzetti worked as a painter in 14th century italy in the tuscan city of siena and was probably taught in the workshop of this late medieval master, late medieval master.

but in a time when religion dominated art, they started to paint their spiritualfigures in a more human, more naturalistic style, with more perspective. something that paved the way for world —famous artists like michelangelo and leonardo da vinci to develop in the renaissance. lorenzetti along giotto and others stands at the beginning of this new movement which developed since the renaissance which is so important for the development of art throughout europe so we're looking at a piece of art which is at the start of this approach, which is concerned with natural appearances and human psychology. something that already is talking to us in a language we can understand. but restoring the painting was a huge task. the scientists had to remove a virtually insoluble crust of the same mineral found in gallstones to try to get the lorenzetti back to how the painter himself would have seen it. i think we are closer,

but the picture has changed colours and faded and things have happened that can't be reversed, but there is less between you and lorenzetti then there was. in january 2017, after untold hours of work, the lorenzetti came home to hull and was unveiled to great fanfare. 0n show alongside loans from the national gallery, the 700—year—old artwork was seen by around 60,000 people in the first month alone. lorenzetti has been a big draw for people because it is so different to what we have in the collection. it is amazing to have this 700—year work here, so people are intrigued to see how it has survived and made it here to the gallery. it may be small, but this painting has become a mighty attraction. and a treasure for the nation. still to come on britain's city

of culture, our exclusive look behind the scenes of the rsc show the hypocrite. and we look at the giant artwork that is reflecting life, birth and memory in hull in 2017. but first, this is my guide to the best of the rest and some highlights to look forward to. the installation of coloured lights on the barton estate was the first in a series of 60 committee based projects. i think it is brilliant. it makes you feel really good that you are part of the city of culture. hollywood icons has taken the city by storm. artist quentin budworth photographed members of the public re—enacting their favourite film poses in different parts of the city. humber street gallery is a brand—new arts base near hull marina, home to contemporary art, including the provocative and challenging

coum transmissions exhibition. pot luck was exactly what it said on the ticket, and audiences paid £5 but did not know what they would see until the event started. anything from spoken word to film. these tracks, these unbelievable streets. i'm not 100% on spoken word. but some of the acts have been unbelievable. so engaging and funny. pot luck. fantastic. still to come, flood, an epic story that includes a word performance, online elements and a bbc broadcast. and a circus show taking place in the historic general cemetery, and the royal ballet will help reopen hull new theatre

after a £16 million transformation with a special gala performance. the actors are about to go on stage for the opening weekend of the hypocrite. it's a play that brings together the royal shakespeare company and hull playwright richard bean, who is best known for one man, two governors. it is a swashbuckling farce about the english civil war. we have been looking at the rehearsals from the start. injanuary, the royal shakespeare company found a new temporary home in hull — a disused church on a housing estate. the english civil war starts now. who will make the first advance? it's a play that is hull through and through, written by a playwright from hull, it is being produced

here and is based on a key moment in hull's past. this is a very historic spot for hull. the inspiration for your play. beverly gate. “116112, hull was a walled town, very secure fortress town, and sirjohn holland stood on the beverly gate low wall and he spoke directly to the king and refused him entry and at that moment he became treacherous and would be executed. the writer richard bean started researching his lead character more than two years ago. but rather than a historical drama he has turned the events of 1642 into a comedy. i thought i would be doing the politics. when i started reading all of this, these original papers, it's like reading a farce, a french farce. that final thing where the governor

of the town is running on his own chaste... i'm not going to say benny hill. i could see in your eyes you were thinking benny hill! so richard bean had found his central character. and he's being played another yorkshireman — tv and film star mark addy. i've spent the last two days running around inside a cardboard box which represents a commode. for reasons that are too complex to go into, but yes, farce is ultimately a physical form. richard bean's probably our best comedy writer at the moment. especially in terms of farce. he can write a farce

like nobody else. be more careful next time. while the actors rehearse, work started on the project of building the set. the largest the theatre has ever made at this theatre. backstage they are even converting offices into dressing rooms to make stage for the 21—strong cast. the play is filled with tricks and illusions. from a sword through the neck, to mark addy being beheaded on stage. the man in charge of pulling it off worked on the harry potter play in london, and he says this show is proving just as tough. you have people watching from three different sides so where are sometimes you can do things with magic and you don't want people to be able to see from the sides, with this, you have got to think about those things because everyone is up close and they are closer than in a conventional theatre. at one point there is a sword put through the ghost‘s neck. this is a solid thing. that is quite a feat.

that is the challenge. solid sword through a neck, but we are doing it. it's fun. tell us how. i can't, it's magic! big stars, a big cast and a big—name theatre company, creating the biggest theatrical moment of 2017 so far. and one of the stars is caroline quentin. best known for tv show men behaving badly, but delighted to be taking to the stage for this play. apart from paying the bills, why did you want to take this role? i was sent the script by richard bean and everyone knows he's a brilliant playwright. i had worked with him on a workshop years ago and i really liked him as a man and then i went to see one man, two governors, and i thought, yes, he relies what he's doing. he really knows what he's doing. my agent said you have been sent a play, i read five pages, i was with my husband,

and i said, i've got to do this play. i couldn't bear the thought of somebody else playing lady sarah before i did. i am really glad i'm doing it first. even though it means living away from home for three months? i am a long way from home. because i live in devon. if you live in london or manchester, it's not such a huge journey, but it is a long way from the south west to here. but a really great piece of work like this, they don't come along very often, they genuinely don't. it has been an amazing response. the tickets have been the fastest selling in the history of the theatre in its current location. do you feel any pressure knowing that so many people are going to be watching? brilliantly for me, it was sold out before i was connected with it. i feel no pressure at all! but actually, the people of hull, and i know the play will have a longer life,

this play, but the people of hull are going to love this play. men behaving badly is what you are best known for and given that cold feet has had a revival, has anyone asked you to reprise your role? not yet. there is always talk about that coming back, it is one of the most asked questions, really. i've never heard of there being a revival. but with cold feet coming back — i've worked with mark bullen, as well. anything is possible. you just don't know in this game. you don't know what you're going be doing next. that's what's great about it. how much are you looking forward to opening night? it is very nerve—racking. it gets worse. the older you get. you don't remember lines as well. it's nerve—racking. it is nerve—racking.

but i'm really looking forward to the people of hull seeing this play. because they will. .. there's so much great stuff in it, they... some of thejokes, they are so deeply entrenched in the culture here. they will love it. caroline quentin might be one of the big names coming to the city of culture, but at the heart of this is the notion that art can transform lives and give something back to a community. as part that the city of culture have given out 60 grants to community groups, or to anyone who has had a good idea, really, and one of those people was a midwife from the maternity hospital. kate has been to meet her and some of the newest arrivals in hull in 2017. at hull women and children's hospital, thousands of babies are born every year,

and for those born in 2017 there's a chance to be part of a very special art project. it is all right to do the baby's footprint? it doesn't hurt the baby but it does tend to make them cry. this morning at four hours old, baby lana is making her mark on history. there we go. i'm very proud. it makes it more exciting and more magical. something to look back on, definitely. it's all the idea of midwife sally ward. when i found out hull was going to be the city of culture, i thought, what better idea than to start right at the beginning of life? babies born into the city of culture and that is how we came up with the name of the project, and thought it would be

lovely to celebrate birth and do something special for the hospital. on an average between 15 and 20 babies are born in this hospital every day, so 400 footprints being taken by these midwives every month, and by the end of 2017 they expect to have a collection of more than 5,500 footprints. the idea is that we scan these feet and this is all of january's. 381. each scan is based on a piece of artwork and this is january here, and we go on to build up the piece of artwork. some are bigger than others? yes, there are a couple of spikes when babies are born, one around march and one around september, i've been told. you might think why that might be. what were people doing nine months before. yes, say, at christmas. the size of the footprints vary from large babies to the tiny prints of those which haven't survived. we felt it was important that it was notjust

a celebration of birth, but also of remembrance. we want all babies to be included for 2017, so mums have a choice if they want their babies to be included, and even if they are tiny or have been stillborn, we will still do that footprint and that will go on the artwork. we are going to stomp this on the piece of paper. back at the hospital baby theo is the latest to join the born in the city of culture project. conceived through ivf and born prematurely, he is now thriving and his parents kate and becky say they are thrilled he is taking part. he has such big feet, as well. he is absolutely beautiful. could not wish for anything better. it is lovely that he was born in 2017 and the little footprint is a great idea. it will be a gorgeous tribute to him and a lovely tribute to the staff, as well. that's all from the hull truck theatre and the city of culture. plenty to come and next

time we will be speaking to battling barbra butterick — she was the world's first women's boxing champion. and we'll be looking at the symphony for hull, at the symphony for hull, composed by sir karljenkins. if you can't hold out until the spring, head over to the website, for hull 2017. goodbye. see you soon. we have a mixture of weather types with rain, hill snow, we have a mixture of weather types with rain, hillsnow, blustery showers and a bit of sunshine around. we can look at pictures

coming in from the weather watchers. this one from north wales with settling snow. big shower clouds around. this was taken just an hour ago. we still have the mixture in weather types today and a weather front moving west to east across england and wales bringing snow across wales, the peak district, but falling as rain at low levels. to the north and improving day in scotla nd the north and improving day in scotland and northern ireland with showers easing and a return to dryer weather. around the country, this afternoon looking dry across the bulk of scotland. western windy across the northern isles. in northern ireland, a return to sunshine moving in. cloudy in belfast. cold and cloudy under the weather front in parts of northern england, north midlands, and further south sunny spells and scattered blustery showers rolling in, particular across the south—west of

england and wales. turning windy here and we could have gales around coasts and hills. 0vernight, most rain pushing away and then clearer skies and one or two showers. a cold night and there could be frost, perhaps an icy stretch in the north, first thing monday. monday morning, rain heading into the south—west. perhaps south wales, also. it gets out of the way quickly and across the country it looks like an improved day compared to what we have today. sunny spells tomorrow. some scattered showers perhaps on the heavy side at times. moving through into tuesday, a ridge of high pressure first thing but then you will notice a front coming in from the atlantic that will bring wet weather to western parts. central and eastern parts remaining dry for central and eastern parts remaining dryfora central and eastern parts remaining dry for a good part of the day. it is turning increasingly wet and

windy again from the west and temperatures around 7—11. the outlook, fairly unsettled weather on the cards. we will see spells of rain working west to east across the country and equally there will be brighter weather and the weather is turning a touch milder in the middle of the week. more details on the website. this is bbc news. the headlines at 11.00: the chancellor phillip hammond rejects calls for "huge spending sprees" ahead of his first post—brexit budget on wednesday. as we embark on the journey that we will be taking over the next couple of years, we are confident that we have enough gas in the tank to see us through that journey. president trump is urged to provide evidence supporting his claim that barack 0bama ordered to tap his phones during the election campaign. china decides to cut its growth target for this year after its economy expands at its slowest pace in 26 years. also in the next hour —

remembering those who died on d—day. a memorial will be built in honour of the thousands of british soldiers and sailors killed on the normandy beaches. and in boxing, tony bellew, upsets the odds by beating david haye, in a thrilling heavyweight contest in london.