this is bbc news. the headlines at 8:00... the bill is passed and the motion is laid upon the table. president trump edges a step closer to repealing obamacare, as the us house of representatives passes a health care bill. the duke of edinburgh announces he's to retire from all public duties, with full support from the queen. but it was business as usual for the 95—year—old, who his place alongside the queen this lunchtime. i'm christian fraser, live in paris, building up to the french election. emmanuel macron and marine le pen are back on the campaign trail in france following their tv debate ahead of the presidential election on sunday. bbc news learns that an nhs trust which is facing an investigation into maternity errors has paid out millions of pounds in compensation, after similar mistakes led to children being born with brain injuries. also in the next hour, the story of a surfer saved after 3a

hours adrift in the irish sea. matthew bryce has been speaking exclusively to the bbc about his ordeal, saying that he had prepared himself for death. and coming up at 8:45, david baldacci will be talking about his latest book "the fix" on meet the author. good evening and welcome to bbc news. in the past hour, the us house of representatives has passed a healthcare bill, bringing president trump's pledge to repeal and replace obamacare a step closer. the american health care act was passed narrowly after weeks of arm—twisting within the republican party to muster sufficient support.

it has been opposed by democrats and several groups representing patients, doctors and hospitals. ed haislmaier is a senior research fellow in health policy studies at the conservative think tank the heritage foundation. he's been campaigning for the repeal of obamacare and gave me his reaction to tonight's developments. what people have missed in this debate is there has been a lot of focus on the roughly 20 million people who gain subsidised coverage for through obamacare. what has been missing is the focus the 25 million, at least as many, if not more people, who have not gotten any subsidies, but got hit by enormous increases in premiums and loss of coverage. those people are self—employed people, small businesses, and those are the constituents behind the republicans'

effort to repeal and replace obamacare. effort to repeal and replace 0bamaca re. those are effort to repeal and replace obamacare. those are the ones that put donald trump and the republicans in office, based on their promise to do this. so, obviously, those people are going to be very happy, or at least see that progress is being made. just yesterday, and speaker paul ryan referred to this, it caught my eye as well, yesterday we had another indication of the problems that people are facing in the state of iowa, now a third insurer is talking about leaving entirely because they keep losing money under the obamacare regulations. that could in iowa with no insurance. two the two candidates vying to become the next french president were back president were back two on the campaign trail today, after clashing in a tv debate last night. the centrist politician emmanuel macron and his far—right rival marine le pen traded insults for two hours. he accused her of being a liar and she accused him of being soft on terror.

christian fraser is in paris for us. yes, just three days to go until the vote on sunday. the television debate is supposed to be the high point of the second round campaign. iam not point of the second round campaign. i am not sure it lived up to the billing. they were at each other‘s throats from the get go last night. he was telling people she was the high priestess of fear and talking about her fascist past, trying to remember where she came from, the roots of the fn. she was reminding everybody, particularly on the left, that he was a product of the system, a former banker, a former economy minister in the deeply unpopular government of francois fillon. did it change anything in the minds of the people? they will find out because both of them are on the election campaign, and james reynolds has been to the north with marine le pen. marine le pen, here in brittany, finds herself targeted by both accusations and protesters' eggs. the eggs may be easier to dodge.

critics accuse her of failing to discuss her programme during last night's debate, a charge she denies. translation: the french people know my programme very well, that is because it is very clear and i have been presenting it to them for several years. i wanted to lift the veil, and i believe i did that successfully, on who mr macron is. here, in amiens, her message goes down well. 76—year—old claude tells me life needs to change. translation: there is no work any more, there is no money any more, i have grandchildren who don't have jobs, i have a kid who doesn't have a job, we're in a real mess and it has to stop. this is post—industrial france, the front national‘s heartland. this is marine le pen‘s last chance to try to close the gap with her opponent. she's been making the case for months, even years, but much of this country still wants nothing to do with her. and that is why emmanuel

macron is a frontrunner. this morning he repeated a warning. translation: marine le pen has shown she does not love liberty, she has shown that in how she deals withjournalists, she's shown it in her position on same—sex couples, on women and on the freedom of the press. and emmanuel macron has won the support of one fellow liberal who knows what it's like to face right—wing populists. i know that you face many challenges and i want all of my friends in france to know how much i'm rooting for your success. because of how important this election is, i also want you to know that i am supporting emmanuel macron to lead you forward. en marche! vive la france! emmanuel macron, here visiting the factory in southern france, goes into the final days in the lead. his supporters may be tempted to hold early celebrations but the country has yet to vote.

interesting, that intervention of president barack 0bama, a lot of people need macron side will say they are pleased with that, because it makes him look presidential, in the right sort of circles. many people in the country are opposed to the globalised outlook he has put out there in the campaign, they will not be as pleased to see mr 0bama involving himself, particularly supporters of marine le pen and those on the far left. let's see what people made of the debate last night and what the intention was from the two candidates. i am nowjoined by michael stothard, paris correspondent for the financial times. there was an interesting angle that marine le pen was taking, she was

trying to keep voters on the left away from emmanuel macron, will she succeed? she already has, it is already said that 40% of the far left voters are going to vote for neither candidate, a radical change from 2002, when the left turned out in droves to defeat her father. she has already achieved a huge amount of hergirl. she has already achieved a huge amount of her girl. she also had people from the right telling voters to abstain as well. —— a huge amount of her goal. that is the big question going into the election, howard —— how it will affect the polls. not everybody will welcome an intervention from barack 0bama, some will be reminded that he is a product of the system, emmanuel macron is a former banker? ties into the central theme of the central campaign, that there are two frances

the happy france, people in urban areas, well educated benefiting from globalisation, then the so—called unhappy france, living in rural areas, less well educated and have been punished by the deindustrialisation of france. and marine le pen is tapping into these voters. when you get somebody like 0bama saying to vote for macron, his supporters are listening, but they already support him. and voters for marine le pen do not like that rhetoric. he can win power, the polls say that he probably will, but wielding power is a very different thing. does he have to have a big majority over her to get the authority he wants? i think if marine le pen gets 45% in this election, that will hobble him going into the legislative is. if he gets 65, it will be the other way round, he will be in a very powerful position. it really matters what

score he gets going into the election. important to remember there are big parliamentary elections coming up injune, the size of the victory will dictate what happens in the parliamentary elections. at the very least coming he has to have a cohesive coalition if he does not get the majority, without it, there is very little he will be able to do. after nearly 70 years in the public eye, prince philip has decided it's time to call it a day — he'll retire from royal duties in the autumn. his decision — which has the support of the queen — is not related to any health issues. there've been tributes from public and politicians alike, with theresa may praising what she called his steadfast support for the queen. in a moment we'll look at the prince's contribution to national life, but first our royal correspondent nicholas witchell on what's prompted this decision. it is an image to which the nation has become accustomed over a good many decades. the queen and the duke of edinburgh, side—by—side on official business. today they were at a reception

at st james' palace. the duke, a few steps behind and there in support. inside, meeting members of the order of merit, swapping stories about hearing aids. we've all got them! and joking about retirement. i hear you're standing down. i can't stand up much! never mind standing down, i have trouble standing up, he said. but, come the autumn, his attendance at events like this will be the exception. after nearly 70 years of public service the duke has decided, a few weeks short of his 96th birthday, that it's finally time to step back from public duties. the palace says the decision has not been prompted by any particular concerns about his health, and the evidence would support that. yesterday he was at lord's cricket ground, opening a new stand and sharing a familiarjoke. the world's most experienced plaque unveiler!

laughter. alongside all those plaques he has unveiled are the serious achievements. things like the duke of edinburgh award scheme. but his most important contribution has been the support he has given to his wife, the queen, as she has become the longest reigning monarch in british history. he has become the longest—running consort. they have done it together. the duke taking second place to his wife in public, but her most constant and sometimes forthright supporter in private. he has supported her by being a very strong husband. and he has put herfirst, and he has not tried to interfere in her work, her work as queen is her work. soon though, the duke's public role will come largely to an end. the palace statement said: political leaders

paid their tributes. from his steadfast support for her majesty the queen, to his inspirational duke of edinburgh awards, and his patronage of hundreds of charities and good causes, his contribution to our united kingdom, the commonwealth and the wider world, will be of huge benefit to us all for years to come. i wish him well in his retirement. i wish him well spending time doing the things he wants to do, as opposed to being required to attend lots of events, some of which he may find very exciting, some less so. so all the best, good luck. he has dedicated his life to public service and to supporting the queen. i think he has more than earned his retirement. prince philip, as well as the support he has given the queen and his own public service,

has done an amazing amount of charity work as well. the duke's retirement from public duties will mean that other members of the royal family will step up to support the queen. it is likely she will be seen more frequently at major occasions with the prince of wales or princess anne. but those who know the couple say it won't be quite the same for the queen. the queen will undoubtedly miss him on public occasions. there is no doubt that when they go out for a day together, they are a mutual support system. having been on tours with them, having followed in the car behind them, at the end of the day they get together into the car and he entertains her hugely, telling funny stories about what has happened during the day. so she will definitely miss all of that. and occasionally she will strike us as a lonely figure. but she will be going back to buckingham palace, windsor castle, balmoral, and he will be there. slowly but surely, there is a generational shift taking place at the palace. officials have made it clear the queen will continue with her public engagements.

but at the age of 91 now, her load is being lightened. as monarch, she is still the centralfigure. but as today has underlined, there is starting be tangible evidence of transition. nicholas witchell, bbc news. we will come back to his decision to step back from public life in a few moments and we will be speaking to somebody that was inspired by his duke of edinburgh award scheme, and somebody that has been working with him for over 30 years. but let's return to what is happening in the united states, the news that the us house of representatives has come in the last hour, passed a health care bill bringing president trump's pledged to repeal and replace obamacare a step closer. you can see these are live pictures of the great and the good, all gathered here to hear president trump. he tweeted

earlier that if the vote was successful, republicans would gather for a big press conference at the beautiful rose garden of the white house immediately afterwards. there is paul ryan, right in the middle of the shot, the leader of the house of representatives. they onlyjust got it through by four votes. 217 voted to repeal obamacare, and replace it with something rather different. 2i3 voted to keep obamacare. 20 republicans voted in opposition. president trump has been working extremely hard to ensure that they we re extremely hard to ensure that they were not defeated for a third time on this. it still has to get through the senate, the upper house, where it might face further obstacles. we are hearing from gary 0'donoghue that there may be further changes to this particular bill. here is president trump, arriving, to congratulate everybody on what they have achieved. this was one of the

central planks of his presidential campaign. he was very keen to see obamacare campaign. he was very keen to see 0bamaca re overturned. some campaign. he was very keen to see obamacare overturned. some of the provisions in the bill, according to some commentators, mean that there will be millions of people who are not covered by this new system. the american medics, their association, they are concerned that some people will fall out of insurance cover. let's listen to what mike pence has to say. chairwoman rogers, chairwoman brady, chairman waldon, chairwoman brady, chairman waldon, chairwoman black congressman mcarthur, congressmen meadows and all of the principal members of congress that are standing with us here today, on behalf of president donald trump and the first family, welcome to the white house. and thanks to the leadership of

president donald trump, welcome to the beginning of the end of obamacare! it was march 2010, seven years ago, the democrats passed a government ta keover of the democrats passed a government takeover of health care. at that time, republicans in congress promised the american people that law would not stand. today, thanks to the perseverance, the determination and the leadership of president donald trump, and all the support of those gathered here, we have taken an historic first step to repeal and replace obamacare and finally give the american people the kind of health care they deserve. applause

today, with heartfelt gratitude for all he has done to keep his word to the american people, and for all he will do to continue to make america great again, it is my high honour and distinct privilege to introduce to you the president of the united states of america, president donald trump. thank you. thank you, thank you, mike. that's the group! thank you. thank you very much. this really is the

group, what a great group of people. and they are not even doing it for the party, they are doing it for this country. we suffered with obamacare, iwent this country. we suffered with obamacare, i went through two years of campaigning and i'm telling you, fio of campaigning and i'm telling you, no matter where i went, people were suffering so badly with the ravages of obamacare. i will say this, as faras i'm of obamacare. i will say this, as far as i'm concerned, your premiums, they are going to start to come down. we are going to get this passed through the senate. i feel so confident. your deductibles, when it comes to deductibles, they were so ridiculous that nobody got to use their current plan. this nonexistent plan, i heard so many wonderful things about over the last three or four days, after that, i don't think you are going to hear so much right fiow. you are going to hear so much right now. the insurance companies are fleeing. it has been a catastrophe and this is a great plan. i actually think it will get even better. this is, make no mistake, this is a

repeal and a replace of obamacare. make no mistake about it. make no mistake. and i think, most importantly, yes, premiums will be coming down. yes, deductibles will be coming down. but, very importantly, it's a great plan. ultimately, that's what it's all about. we knew that wasn't going to work, i predicted it a long time ago. i said it's failing. now it is obvious that it's failing. it's dead. it's essentially dead. if we don't pay lots of ransom money over to the insurance companies, it would die immediately. so, what we have is something very, very incredibly well crafted. i tell you what, there's a lot of talent standing behind me, an unbelievable amount of talent. that, ican unbelievable amount of talent. that, i can tell you. you know, coming from a different world, only being a politician for a short period of

time, how am i doing? am i doing 0k? i'm president! hey, i'm president! can you believe it, right? ithought you needed a little bit more time and they always told me, but we didn't. but we have an amazing group of people standing behind me. they work so hard, they worked so long. i said, let's do this, let's go out, short little shots, for each one of us, and let's say how good this plan is. we don't have to talk about this unbelievable victory, was it unbelievable, so we don't have to say it again. it's going to be an unbelievable victory, actually, when we get it through the senate. there are so we get it through the senate. there are so much spirit there. i said, let's go out, a list of some of the people, and after that list goes, if they don't talk too long, our first list, we are going to let some of the other folk, ban say whatever you want. but we want to brag about the plan, because this plan, really... uh—oh! well, we may... we arejust

go to talk a little bit about the plan, how good it is, some of the great features. i want to thank paul ryan. he has worked so hard. i was joking, isaid, paul, ryan. he has worked so hard. i was joking, i said, paul, forthe last week, i've been hearing paul ryan doesn't have it, it's not working with paul ryan. he's going to get rid of paul ryan. today i heard paul ryan isa rid of paul ryan. today i heard paul ryan is a genius, he's come a long... you know, the groups have all come together. we have the tuesday group, so many groups. the freedom caucus. they are all great people. we have a lot of groups, but they all came together. really, in a la st they all came together. really, in a last three or four days, especially in the last day. i can see mark, kevin, so mini people, jim. —— so many people. this has brought the

republican party together. as much as we have come up republican party together. as much as we have come up with a really incredible health care plan, this has brought the republican party together. we are going to get this finished, and then we are going, as you know, we put our tax planning, it isa you know, we put our tax planning, it is a massive tax cut, the biggest tax cut in history of the country. i used to say the biggest since ronald reagan. now it is bigger than that. also, pure tax reform. we're going to get this done next. a lot of people said, how come you kept pushing health care, knowing how tough it is? don't forget, obamacare took 17 months. hilary clinton tried so took 17 months. hilary clinton tried so hard, really valiantly, in all fairness, to get health care through. it didn't happen. we have really been doing this for eight weeks, if you think about it. this isa weeks, if you think about it. this is a real plan, a great plan. we had fio is a real plan, a great plan. we had no support from the other party. i just want to introduce somebody, to say a few words, somebody who i

think has been treated very unfairly, but no longer matters, because we won and we are going to finish at off. we are going to go on toa finish at off. we are going to go on to a lot of other things and have a tremendous four years, and maybe even more importantly we are going to have a tremendous eight years. but we are going to start off with just a great first year. paul ryan, come up and say a few words, congratulations on a job well done. you get a thick skin in this job, thank you. thank you guys. first, thank you. thank you guys. first, thank you, mr president. thank you for your leadership. there are too many people to name who played such an important role in helping us get to this part. but i want to thank a few people in particular. i want to

thank kevin walden, diane brady, pete sessions, for all of the hard work they put into getting us to this point. i want to thank all of the other members who contributed to making this the best deal possible. it really was a collaborative, consensus it really was a collaborative, consensus driven effort. i also want to thank the team at the white house, tom price, nick mulvey ernie. we could not have done this without you gentlemen. you guys are the best. of course, this would not have been possible if it weren't for these two gentleman behind me. this is the fourth presidency i have served with andl fourth presidency i have served with and i have never, ever seen any kind of engagement like this. i want to thank mike pence and president donald trump for their personal involvement in working with members, working to get this right, getting this done and getting us to where we

are. thank you, gentlemen. today was are. thank you, gentlemen. today was a big day, but it isjust one step in this process. an important step. we still have a lot of work to do to get this signed into law. i know that our friends in the senate are eager to get to work. they are! we are going to see that work through. you know why we are going to see this through? because the issues are just too important. the stakes are too high will stop the problems facing american families are real. the problems facing american families as a result of obamacare are just too dire and to urgent. just this week, we learned of another state, iowa, where the last remaining health care plan is pulling out of 94 of their 99 counties, leaving most of their citizens with no plans on the 0bama

market at all. what kind of protection is obamacare if there are fio protection is obamacare if there are no plans to choose from? this is a trend that we are seeing all across the country. the truth is, this law has failed and is collapsing. premiums are skyrocketing and choices are disappearing. it is only getting worse, spiralling out of control. that is why we have to repeal this law and put in place a real, vibrant repeal this law and put in place a real, vibra nt marketplace, repeal this law and put in place a real, vibrant marketplace, with competition and lower premiums for families. that is what the american hellcat is all about, it makes health care more affordable, it takes care of our most vulnerable and shifts power from washington back to the states and, most importantly, back to you, the patient. like i said, we have got a lot of work to do. one thing is clear, republicans are committed to keeping our promise to lift the burden of obamacare from the american people and put in place a better, more patient centred system.

it is my pleasure to welcome some to the stage that made this possible, out the stage that made this possible, our very the stage that made this possible, our very talented majority leader, kevin mccarthy. i remember the very first time i came down here, to see the new president. we talked about health care. you know what the president said, let's not make this partisan. don't do what you think is right for the republican party, do what is right for the american country. today, that's exactly what we did. if you simply read the papers from this week, you take politics out of it and put people before politics, how do you look in the faces of 94 counties in iowa, out of 99? not that they won't have many choices, they will have no choice. how do you ca re

they will have no choice. how do you care for pre—existing conditions when there is no care at all? you read the paper, yesterday, and you look at aetna pulling out of virginia, or tennessee, with 16 counties with no care. what about the families that paid into the 23 cohorts that 0bamaca re the families that paid into the 23 cohorts that obamacare created with more than $2 billion? 18 of them have collapsed. the only answer the american government gives them is a penalty. we were hearing from the house speaker, paul ryan and president trump first of all. laura bicker is at the white house too. we can speak to her. i don't know how often the representatives are invited up to the rose garden. they're in celebratory mood. this is a very rare m ove celebratory mood. this is a very rare move for all the congress men to be bussed here, for them to gather in. rose garden. why are they doing it? they're doing this because

this hands donald trump his first legislative win. it was a campaign promise made on podium, made on platforms right around the united states of america, repeal and replace obamacare. stage one is complete. the problem is this stage one was supposed to be the easy part. he had a massive majority in the house and yet, they've passed it with just a vote to spare. that goes to show just with just a vote to spare. that goes to showjust how much arm—twisting there has been in the last few weeks to get even this deal done. so although they're celebrating and congratulating one another in the rose garden there is a long way to go before this becomes a law. there are some significant changes which 20 republicans didn't like the look of and they voted against this and none of the democrats support it? none of the democrats support this, you are right and they believe that it goes too far to strip health care

insurance from those who need it. now let's look at the main problem, these preexisting conditions. that could be anything from heart disease, it could be cancer, it could be asthma, you could have a difficult pregnancy but you could have any of those conditions and when it comes to those conditions, it makes it difficult to get health insurance. for some, they have been priced out of the market. so when obamacare came in, it meant these people could get health insurance more easily. the fear is with this new plan it will strip those away. what they've done is create a pot, an $8 billion pot for people with these preexisting conditions, but it might not be enough money and it's only there for five years. what happens after that? that's unclear. so, not only that, this plan has not been costed and it's impact on how many people will lose their health insurance has not been revealed yet. that will all be revealed in time,

maybe next week and it will go to the senate in june, maybe next week and it will go to the senate injune, but it may not be an easy passage ahead at all. laura, thank you very much. prince philip has decided to call it a day. after nearly 70 years in the public eye, prince philip has decided it's time to call it a day — he'll retire from royal duties in the autumn. his decision — which has the support of the queen — is not related to any health issues. we can now speak to martin palmer. hejoins me from our studios in bristol. you have known each other for a very long time. how do you get along? extremely well. extremely well. i mean, ithink extremely well. extremely well. i mean, i think we share the same

slightly warped sense of humour. i tease him and he tees me. we have had some stand—out rows because what he appreciates is people who say yes, but argue back or present their case in a way that makes him think. he certainly made me think on occasions. what subjects have you fallen about, but had a difference of opinion over, i'm fascinated what your role is, religious advisor on the environment? i started with him when he was the international president of wwf and we founded the alliance of religions and conservation and we've worked with every major reledgeon to help them develop environmental programmes and there is probably about three million such programmes that have come into existence. very much inspired by him. it was his vision. he was the international president of wwf in 1985, they were planning their 25th anniversary the following year and they planned everything and it was going to be injakarta and on

economics and the environment and he went to the meeting and looked at the paper and said, "i'm not coming." they went, "you have to, you're our president." he said, "if the environmental crisis was about data, it would be over now. it has got to be hearts and minds. " the only thing that touched hearts and minds are arts and religion. he came up minds are arts and religion. he came up with this idea based on a book i'd written for schools and i've a lwa ys i'd written for schools and i've always said, you know, i wrote it for schools and he enjoyed it for that reason, it had lots of pictures and he got that idea that actually, if you're going to really change how people treat the planet, you've got to change their hearts and minds and not give them yet more data so what we've argued about in the past has beenin we've argued about in the past has been ina we've argued about in the past has been in a sense which elements of that changing hearts and minds has been most effective. we once cleared the deck of an entire ship coming from greece because we about an hour half row about when simplicity was

something that could be taken worldwide. he grew up as a greek 0rthodox. we've arced about population, it is a big one. i had a letter from population, it is a big one. i had a letterfrom him population, it is a big one. i had a letter from him yesterday because we had taken someone to see him and brought a copy of the pope's document to him that was signed by one of the senior cardinals in the vatican and he had read it and read it within days and said, "yes, this is fine, but what about population?" i was writing back and saying hang on, you have got to look at the wider picture of the vatican. we have argued about that, but what we have argued about that, but what we have shared is a delight in the quirky world of religion and the fun that we've had with it of the we've had huge fun, but when i go to see him, which i do regularly, we start off on the business, but we soon wander off on to all sorts of different topics including history and theology and philosophy, but contemporary affairs and it usually

ends up with his swapping jokes. he sounds like he is the least stuffy person you could imagine. everybody we talked to says that. he puts people at their ease, but today's announcement have taken a lot of people by surprise. when did you know about it and what would he make of the fact that it has been leading news bulletins all day? well, when i heard this morning, i comment to my colleagues, you know, he could have dropped a note in his letter because we have been swamped as a result and i was we have been swamped as a result and iwas in we have been swamped as a result and i was in meetings and had to be called out of them. the point is, the reason he didn't mention it to me in his letter yesterday is that honestly, he will be going, "why would anybody be interested?" i know that sounds strange and it's not false modesty at all. his understanding of his role is that he made it possible for other people, myself and hundreds, if not thousands of other people to do better what we felt we all were called to do. we were moved to do

than we could have done otherwise, but the most fatal thing you can do with prince philip and say well done for the wonderful things you've done because he'll go "it's not me of the it's them." he doesn't see this is a particularly interesting story and when i see him next i will say, "you could have dropped us a hint. that would have been helpful." he will say, "why would would have been helpful." he will say, "why would anybody would have been helpful." he will say, "why would anybody be interested ? " say, "why would anybody be interested?" he will probably laugh because it kept you on your toes. martin palmer thank you very much for talking to and sorry we kept you so long while we dealt with president trump and the obamacare. very interesting. especially the bit about preconditions of presidency, meaning pregnancy, that was a wonderful moment. oh, i'm glad you enjoyed it. thank you very much for sitting tight. john watts is a former prisoner who completed the duke of edinburgh awards and met prince philip. john,

thank you too for waiting patiently. so when did you do the awards? a lot of people do the bronze, but you did all three, didn't you? i did the bronze, silver and go in 2008 and 2011 when i was in a young 0ffenders' institute. 2011 when i was in a young offenders' institute. why did you decide to do them? it was something to get my out of my cell and use up my time, but as i started to do it, i started to learn a lot about myself, but more postmortem, i was learning a skill. i was going to get a qualification i could use outside of prison. so i kind of stuck at it and then from there just everything developed. my whole life went on to develop. there were the particular skills that you learned during those awards? cooking. yes, so basically, ican awards? cooking. yes, so basically, i can cook now. that's what i do for a career. i went on to work with jamie oliver and a couple of other famous chefs. we can see pictures of threw. yeah, i was in custody at that point working on day release and that was a documentary about the duke himself, actually. you have met

prince philip. he was interested in the hike and the conditions you did the hike and the conditions you did the hike? he was asking about the expedition, he was asking where we all with ball and chain? to see humourfrom someone all with ball and chain? to see humour from someone like that was awesome. what is he like one-to-one? everybody we've spoken to say you we re everybody we've spoken to say you were expecting it to be awkward because of who he is, but it is not at all? i think that's what makes it less awkward. i've met him twice and both times he came out with a joke, it makes it less uncomfortable and you see this is a real guy. he's pretty modest about all the things he has done. everybody says that too. when you told him how important the awards had been to you, what was his reaction?” important the awards had been to you, what was his reaction? i don't know exactly what his reaction was. it's hard to tell. i mean, the thing is with the award it affects so many different people in so many different people in so many different ways. tell us what you're

doing now. this is a direct result of the skills you picked up?|j doing now. this is a direct result of the skills you picked up? i work for myself. i've got my own business. i have a catering truck and then i do all types of catering. i've done all kinds of awesome events and stuff. but yeah, through the duke of edinburgh's award i learnt to cook and carried that on, but started my own business, i wouldn't have been able to that if i didn't believe in myself. an amazing endorsement of the duke of edinburgh awards. best of luck with your business. thank you. thank you. a surfer who was rescued after spending 32 hours clinging to his board in the irish sea has said he had prepared himself to die. speaking exclusively to the bbc, 22—year—old matthew bryce spoke of his relief at being spotted by the coastguard helicopter, but he said when it first flew over, he thought it had missed him. 0ur ireland correspondent, chris buckler, has been

talking to matthew bryce in the ulster hospital in belfast, where he is recovering. by the night—time, it wasn'tjust my shoulder, all my limbs were cramping. matthew bryce is exhausted, sunburnt and still recovering. but he's just thankful to have survived after drifting alone in the irish sea for more than 30 hours. i would say that's probably a yellow surfboard so that's the right colour. this picture, taken on sunday, shows him surfing off the west coast of scotland before he was pulled out to sea by strong winds and tides. the current changes and i can't do anything. all this time the wind is pushing me further and further and further out. and then at night, well... he ended up clinging to his surfboard in the middle of the irish sea for a day and a half. he was eventually found halfway between northern ireland and scotland just as the sun was setting and a second

night was approaching. i was pretty certain that i was going to die with that sunset. so as i was watching the sun set, i had pretty much made peace with all and then i heard a helicopter. and the helicopter flew right over. so ijumped off the board and i lifted the board up and i started waving the board. and it flew right over and i thought they had missed me. they turned. they turned round. and then they saved my life. this is the moment he was rescued from the water. and his family could finally be told that he was alive. you have this elation

and then, 20 minutes later, you crash back down. you don't know what state he's in. you don't know how unwell he is and until we got that phone call from matthew, just to hear his voice. the search teams even managed to recover his surfboard. are you looking forward to being reunited with your surfboard ? is that the right question? i think we'll find a good use for it. maybe as starter fuel! but, yeah... that's it, you're done with surfing? i think so. i couldn't do that again. and that pledge to keep away from the surf is one his family seem determined to make him keep. back to the french presidential elections now and the last two candidates are making their final pitch to voters ahead

of sunday's poll. with me is writer and journalist agnes poirier. who was most helped and who was most hindrd by the tv debate? who was most helped and who was most hindrd by the tv debate7m who was most helped and who was most hindrd by the tv debate? it was the most heated debate. probably the most heated debate. probably the most heated debate. probably the most heated from the beginning of the fifth republic and the beginning of those debates. look, it's very strange because marine le pen can be potentially a very formidable opponent. at the five years she has been at the helm of the party, but didn't set a foot wrong, but since the beginning of the campaign she has done a bad campaign and that debate where she refused to explain her manifesto, what she did was attacking emmanuel macron relentlessly. surprised a lot of people as if she didn't want to become a president. as if she