‘two hours the journey is just over two hours long so things happened rather quickly! now, let's check on all the weather details, we can go to the other side of the newsroom and join tomasz. i'm not sure about your scheduling of all this gorgeous weather, tomasz! i know, what we —— what did we do wrong, both of us, on the warmest day of april so far? it nudged up to 25 celsius just day of april so far? it nudged up to 25 celsiusjust outside, day of april so far? it nudged up to 25 celsius just outside, looking across the newsroom, but for most of us, it is not that warm, it is closer to the mid or high teens, is not everybody is getting those high values. but the cloud has already turned, the weather has turned across scotland and northern ireland, wondering where all the warmth has gone. most of us are not getting it, across scotland and northern ireland, where the front approaching, that is a change. it is approaching, that is a change. it is a much cooler change over the next 24 a much cooler change over the next 2a hours, the front will be moving

across the uk and bringing fresh conditions. but until that happens, if you have the sunshine and full of lovely warm if not hot weather across the south east, then enjoy it. let's have a look at the country at around four p.m., this is pretty much with the temperatures will be peaking da nso spot much with the temperatures will be peaking danso spot in the north, probably dropping a little later in the afternoon. single figures in the western isles with rain pushing through. the weather frontjust about moving through northern ireland and belfast with some spots of rain. ahead of this, we have a fair bit of cloud anyway. into cornwall, western parts of wales, eastern wales, sorry, then that bubble of warm air sitting across the south east. but coastal areas quite a bit fresher. so a lovely second half of the afternoon and evening across many central and eastern areas but the weather front is making a beeline for the south, so is making a beeline for the south, so the fresh air you have in the north will be reaching all parts. through the course of tonight, the

front range itself out so we not anticipating any rain in the south, you can leave your washing out, but it will turn cooler, just five or six celsius further north, seven or eight brother said. today we have warm southerly winds but tomorrow, north—westerly winds bringing some sunny spells and showers as also a lot fresher. and for many of us in the south east, a 10 degrees drop and quality drop in the north as well. on tuesday, the wind shifts direction and, we are still in that fresher air mass from the northern pa rt fresher air mass from the northern part of the atlantic, 10 celsius in glasgow, possibly mid teens across the south east. if i was to summarise the week ahead, it is not looking bad, we will lose the heat and the blue skies, but at least it is going to be decent enough. plenty of dry weather around, which is also not necessarily good news, because we have not seen a lot of rain

particularly across some southern and central areas of the uk. hello. this is bbc news with sophie long. the headlines at 2.30pm. a british man, chris bevington, was among four people killed in the lorry attack in stockholm on friday. his family described him as talented, compassionate and caring. the british government toughens its rhetoric over russia's involvement in the syrian civil war, as borisjohnson is criticised for cancelling a planned trip to moscow. there have been two separate bomb blasts at church services in egypt. over a0 people died in explosions in the cities of tanta and alexandria. the body of the police officer, keith palmer, who was stabbed to death last month, has arrived at the palace of westminster to lie in rest ahead of his funeral tomorrow. now on bbc news, a special documentary ‘enter

the dragon‘ following snooker superstar ding jun oui as he returns to compete in china. if you want to know what it is like to be a sporting icon in a country with more than a billion people, ding junhui can tell you. there is the sense of national pride when you win a major tournament. there is the media attention — everyone wants to speak to you and a vast television audience watches every match to play. you get invited to glamorous events. your adoring fans are always thrilled to meet you.

social media needs to be kept updated, with nearly five million million people following you. there is also knowing that your success has helped spark a snooker revolution in china. the next generation of stars has been inspired to play because of you. and a new type of snooker luxury club is starting to open. it is the night before the start of the china championship. the world's top players and officials are gathering in the lobby of their hotel. they are waiting for the bus to take them to the opening ceremony. the first—ever staging of this tournament has caused great interest, here, as only the winner of the world championship will receive more prize money this season. it does not take long before ding junhui is recognised. the bus journey gives the players a chance to catch up. snooker has been a popular sport

in china's third—biggest city for many years. tonight's destination is the famous guangzhou tower, where the reception is being held. the snooker fans are also making their way to the event. this red carpet event feels more like a movie premiere in hollywood. only in china do snooker players get treated like film stars. most of the fans here have only seen their stars on television before, so are keen to get an autograph. soon, it is time to launch the new tournament. after the introductory speeches have been made, the big moment arrives. with the ceremony over, ding quickly becomes the centre of attention. suddenly, it is a media scrum. in asia, no other snooker player

receives this level of attention. the ding junhui story begins on the first of april, 1987. i was born in china, jiangsu yixing, and then growing up in that city and also i started to play some pool, at eight years old. he went to junior school here. the school is very proud of its famous former pupil. snooker is a very popular sport with the children and played in many schools in china. at the age of 12, ding moved with his family to the city where many of china's top snooker players are based. my father owned a club, when i was starting playing snooker, so it's after that, maybe one two years, and the club is shutting down, with the money problems, so we moved to dongguan, which is the second growing—up place

to improve my snooker a lot. so, this is a big decicion to move, to keep going on with my career, my snooker career. my father was a big help, because at that age, my brain is like blank paper. there is nothing on that. so, he had to help me to think about the problems, positions. every day, he looks after me, to make sure i played every shot with concentration, because you know that kids always like to play for fun, some of these. when ding and his parents moved to the city, they didn't have much money and the help they received has always been really appreciated. the people are very kind.

we don't have enough money to live well and they do a lot to help us. you know, they want to go to clubs, you do not need to pay. and it — they — rent some place to live in, we don't have. lots like that things. it is time to make the short journey to the venue, where the china championship is being staged. ding is really excited to be playing in the tournament, given its proximity to dongguan. it's first time i played in the big, big, big tournament here in guangzhou. and i was living here, this area, for about seven years, and when i was like 12 or 13 years old, the snooker players all come here to play, because there are more tournaments here, before. so, i grew up here and i think it's a good time to go back. ding's first—round opponent is another famous asian player,

hong kong's marco fu. yeah, it's a big event. you know, me and marco's always get the most people watching in on the television. it's our match in china. tonight, i'm playing against marco. i think he has got friends here from hong kong, it's not far away from here. i think it's, like, two hours driving. and i have a more friends here, so it's interesting. this security staff are waiting and ding's quickly escorted in. the practice room is where all the players head before a match. everyone is keen to get a glimpse of the chinese star. even his opponent is keeping close watch. after a brief practice session, he heads to a waiting area, ready to be called for his match. all snooker players need to dress smartly and ding's keen to look his best. dingjunhui!

snooker is a very popular television sport in china, where it is shown by the national state broadcaster. 210 million people watched the 2016 world championship on cctv5. he's so popular and so famous, so fans want him to win every game he played. so that's definitely something very heavy on his shoulder. so, he has to face it. but i think, generally, ding can deal with this. ding tries not to put extra pressure on himself by thinking about the millions of people watching on tv. i playing live in that area. it is quite a few thousand people. that's why i think it's an extra cameraman.

but i don't think about how many people are watching. the hardest part is after the match. winning is ok, but to lose is... is harder to learn how to make it well. in europe, snooker‘s most popular star is ronnie o'sullivan. he also understands the pressure of being expected to win. you have to get your head around it. you know, you have to accept it, that that's the situation you're in. you need to embrace that kind of expectation level. it either sits comfortably with you or it affects your performance. and i don't know, either way, i think you need to be a strong character. you have to have big shoulders and be quite thick—skinned and not allow things to get to you. ding's fans don't get to see him win. it's marco fu that progresses to the next round. defeat can be hard to take. i am still learning. this is hard. a hard part to learn. because when you win, you forget everything,

because only happiness with you. but when you lose, everything is bad. bad tables, bad fans, bad balls. and nothing, nothing good. sometimes, i can't control very well myself after being beaten by somebody. but sometimes, it is ok. every player has to speak to the media after a match, win or lose. in the past, ding has found it hard to deal with defeat, but the mental side of the game is something he's been working on with with a former world champion, who is now a leading coach. everything a player will go through out there, everything a player will go through out there, mentally, i will have been through it myself. one of the reasons i wanted to coach with the mental side is because, as a player, i never had a coach to talk to. so, when they are down, i try to keep a little more in touch with them.

he knows everybody lose the match is not happy. don't want to talk. he can talk to me next day, or in a few days, when i call him, so it's, he know when... when i talk to him, he tell me the right things will be happened or something already happening. he tell me how to accept with that, and also accept that things, you learn from that. with ding, i think he is very, very willing to learn, both his technique and the mental side. he's never happy with his game. he's like all the top players — they always pushing for some more. he's like all the top players — they're always pushing for some more. ding's talent was obvious from a young age. he was invited to practice in england by keith warren when he was just 15 years old. warren, and his business partner, garry baldrey, manage players from asia and around the world. the first time i coming, i was scared to leave home, away that far, just by myself.

when i first stayed here, i don't talk much. i don't talk much with keith and garry, i don't talk much to anybody else. it was only the way i'm going to say i'm happy is standing nearby the table. keith and garry have enjoyed a long association with ding, who is based at the academy they now run in sheffield. he came over when he was 15, to practise with peter ebdon for about six weeks. 2002? and he beat peter for six weeks, every day. and then, peter went on and won the world championships. the first time i practised with dingjunhui, i phoned keith that evening and i said "keith, this lad is really, really special". i was thinking, "where has this lad come from?" it was his maturity, as much as anything, which really impressed me. and i was thinking, i have never seen a 15—year—old like this before. in 2003, aged 16, ding turned professional.

he moved to wellingborough in england, where his new management team ran an academy. but those early years weren't easy. it was tough. i mean, he couldn't do anything. notjust speak the language or cook. he, literally, could not do anything himself. i think he got everything done for him in china. i don't talk with my family as much. you know, just every day i play, practice after practice. i go home, stay by myself, just sitting like that, and for, maybe one or two hours, just looking at the floors, the tv, and nothing to say. just sitting down there and then it's like a dead man, you know? and it's so boring. so boring. ding is now one of the richest snooker players in the world. but back then, his focus was very simple. he had to keep his place on the main tour and earn a living. i feel the real pressure‘s coming

the first few years. to be pro. i know i have to earn money to be living well, first. and also my family. i need to help my family, my father, my mum. i want them living well. so it's not about first round, second round, i want to win the tournament. but it's difficult. so, i know i need to work more harder and also i need to improve quick, because in that time, it's only one year, one year to stay in the tour, with 96 players, so i feel pressure. ding's breakthrough year was 2005. he beat stephen henry, to win the china open in beijing. there was also success in england, when he won the uk championship. you might recognise the player he beat. victory at the 2011 masters tournament in london was another

early career highlight. only the world's top 16 players are invited to play. and the final featured two players from asia for the first time. i played good. i played great to beat marco. i played him quite a lot of times. i know marco. he plays good and he's a tough player to beat. i think, for two asians getting to the final, means a lot to the fans back home. a lot of the fans were really interested and i imagine they stayed up tuned in to watch the whole match, and it was really good for snooker. around 70 million people play cue sports in china each week, including eight—ball and nine—ball pool. and the best young players come to live and practice at the national academy. since 2005, ding's success

in winning tournaments has inspired millions of chinese children to play the game. before, there were a lot of snooker fans, but because nobody can win a tournament, year by year, the snooker fans are leaving that sport and they are doing something else. and after 2005, i win it, the tv shows more snooker, the people are starting, bringing their skills back to the tables. they are starting to again think, "oh, this is a good sport to play." there are 30 pupils here in all, ranging in age from six to 22 years old. they practise from monday to saturday each week, from 9:00am to 5:30pm. some day, they can be a professional player and even be as good as ding. they know there are lots of efforts they have to pay, a lot of time and a lot of energy they have to pay, they have to prepare

for that, that day. every day begins with a warm—up. the youngsters work with top—class coaches. cutting—edge computer technology is also used to help them improve. the food here is really good, too. mobile phones are kept locked away until lunchtime, to make sure there are no distractions. three players from this academy have qualified for the main snooker tour since it opened in 2013, including these two young stars. they both idolise ding. ding is pleased to see this new generation of chinese players coming through and happy to give them the benefit of his experience. i can show them, we can do it,

you know, that chinese players, asian players, can win a tournament. the signs of success are already here when it comes to producing top—class players. in the next ten years, china could be the dominant snooker superpower. china hasjust invested heavily in player development, china hasn'tjust invested heavily in player development, but also in the business of snooker. the country stages some of the most prestigious and lucrative tournaments in the world. i think itjust shows the significant growth in snooker generally. and globally, particularly here in china, it is... you know, that growth has been consistent and our events are getting bigger and bigger. obviously delighted to see that happening. it is great for our players. they are playing for huge prize pools now. the one tournament china would love to stage is the world championship. it has been held in sheffield since 1977 and the city has a deal

to keep it there until 2027. but, in the future, could the tournament ever move abroad? you can never say never. myself, lam passionate about staying in sheffield, because that is what i remember, where the game starts. realistically, can we say it is going to be there in 50 years' time? i have no idea. but what we would say is, it is a rather clever commercial twist to say no. because the message is, you can't buy history, but you can create your own, so go and do it. and i think the chinese are doing it. the snooker club i used to practise at has been in business for over 80 years. it is a popular place, which anyone can afford to visit. but, if you want to see what the world's most exclusive billiards club looks like, you have to come here. the top level of membership is around 125,000 us dollars a year. there are seven

expensively—furnished vip rooms for the members to use. it is certainly a luxurious way to relax. china's passion for snooker also extends abroad. ding receives great support from the chinese students studying in the uk, like these from cardiff university. even when he loses a match, like he did here, he will make time to meet his fans. i am so proud to be here, and i am so proud that, as i am a student, i have a chance to come to here, and i can be a part of this, to cheer him on. and, yes, i am so excited. another way ding engages with his fans is through social media. he has nearly five million followers on the chinese site weibo. sometimes, i want to show when i do funny things. some, you know, for the tournament,

some after the tournament, what i think, i can share the thinking with snooker fans. the dream of every snooker player is to win the world championship. sheffield's crucible theatre will always be a special place for me, as i won the trophy here six times. sheffield is a city ding knows well. he has lived here for the past ten years. it is very nice to be here. that is why i like to spend half the time in the uk, half the time in china. sometimes, i want to get back to normal life and i can come here, to stay here, be a normal person. in china, it is impossible for him to walk down the street without being recognised. but here, it is a different story. well, almost a different story. hello. best of luck.

thank you. in 2016, the chinese star made history. he became the first player from asia to play in the final of the world championship. the final did not start well, though, and mark selby got an early lead. it is quite a bad start, big pressure. after 6—0, i started thinking, maybe i lose with a big score. it is like 18—2, or 18—3, or something like that. ding wouldn't give up. he kept fighting and started to play well. unfortunately for him, selby was too good and won his second title. being a champion is notjust about talent and hard work. it is also about having the belief that you can be the best in the world. in the end, the last match in the final is not about the pressure.

it is nothing near that. it is only the faith that you can win. the finals, i learnt a lot. if you go to the last match stages, you have got to believe in yourself, that you can win. that is all you need to do. ding junhui will be playing at the crucible for many years to come, and certainly has the talent to become a multiple world champion. another beautiful day out across most of england and wales. temperatures have hit the mid—20s across the southeast and london. change is all new wave. it is already a lot more cloudy across scotla nd already a lot more cloudy across scotland and northern ireland. these pressure conditions will be setting in right across the country over the next 2a hours. we see some low cloud

also affecting parts of cornwall and these westernmost fringes of wales. the bulk of wales and england still enjoying those clear blue skies. let's look at the evening forecast. that fresh weather in scotland, by this stage the cold front or cool front will have gone through. a bit of sunshine around here and there. temperatures only into single figures at this stage. a chilly evening on the way. you can see some cloud spots of rain, moving through the lake district. passing belfast, to the south of that, still on the one side. some of the was westernmost coast is certainly fresh, but that warm bubble of air is hanging on to the south—east and east anglia. around 20 or 21 degrees. here's the weather front, moving across the uk during the night. behind it, fresh winds setting in, summer showers around as well for scotland and northern ireland. lots of clear spells too. by ireland. lots of clear spells too. by the end of the night, around five

or6 by the end of the night, around five or 6 degrees in northern cities, eight or 9 degrees in the south. monday morning, a fairly fresh start for many of us. actually a nice day for many of us. actually a nice day for april. plenty of sunny spells, occasional showers across scotland and northern ireland, maybe some of those showers sneaking across the la ke those showers sneaking across the lake district. to the south, a very decent day, but nowhere near as warm. we are talking about 15 degrees, a 10 degrees drop expected in london. also a decent day across the southern half of england on tuesday. around 12 or 13 degrees. some rain and stronger winds there across the far north. another front moving across the country during wednesday, fresh air coming in from the northern climes. breezy, fresh sort of day. very little difference as we head into the easter weekend. staying on the coincide with some sunshine and a few showers. ——

staying on the cool side. a british man, chris bevington, was among four people killed in stockholm in friday's lorry attack. the british government toughens its rhetoric over russia's involvement in the syrian civil war. this is the largest we are seeing. our current apart have come together in america. the foreign secretary faces criticism for his decision to pull out of a trip to moscow — the snp calls him a us puppet — labour says diplomacy must continue. more than a0 people are killed in separate bomb blasts at church services in two egyptian cities. a rare honour — the body of pc keith palmer —