this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at 7pm: the legendary entertainer sir bruce forsyth has died at the age of 89. from strictly come dancing to the generation game — he was one of britain's best loved stars. nice to see you, to see you nice! he'd entertained millions of people on screen for more than seven decades. tributes have been paid from the world of showbusiness. he was never cruel, he never used dirty material of any kind, he was oui’ dirty material of any kind, he was ourfamily entertainer. dirty material of any kind, he was our family entertainer. he was loved and trusted. in spain, armed police shoot dead five suspected jihadists overnight in the coastal town of cambrils following a second vehicle attack. it is thought a much bigger attack was being planned. police link it to the deadly attack in barcelona, in which 13 people were killed when a van mowed down pedestrians

on the famous las ramblas. in the us, president trump's chief strategist steve bannon has left his position at the white house. good evening and welcome to bbc news. one of the biggest stars of british television, sir bruce forsyth, has died this afternoon at the age of 89. his career had spanned more than 70 years and included sunday night at the london palladium, play your cards right, the generation game and more recently strictly come dancing. he retired from strictly in 2014 after presenting the programme for more than ten years. his former co—presenter tess daly said today she was heartbroken to hear of his death and called him a friend, a gentleman and a true legend.

our correspondent david sillito looks back on his life. live from london, this is strictly come dancing. please welcome your hosts... bruce forsyth! when it comes to tv history, bruce forsyth was simply the face of saturday night. strictly come dancing, the last hurrah in a career that went back more than 70 years. the boy bruce, the mighty atom wasjust the beginning of a life of song, dance and comedy. # that's why the lady is a tramp! there are things he could call on, he could handle it. and when things went wrong, he could step in and put them right. of course, those shows were alive. that is where he was at his pomp, live.

sunday night at the london palladium in the ‘60s was his big break. beat the clock showed that he could make a game show must—watch tv and turn members of the public into prime—time entertainment. that's it! you've won! nice to see you, to see you... nice! and nowhere showcased that talent better than the generation game in the ‘70s. this is another phyllis here. i don't like being called phyllis. my name's phyl with a y. all right, bit like that? this is another bundle of trouble. nice to see you, didn't he do well? the catchphrases became part of national life. a swing ball there we are.

didn't he do well? among the tributes today, the director—general of the bbc said he was one of our greatest entertainers. he defined saturday night. after that, play your cards right on itv, another successful game show. tony blair insists that weapons of mass destruction will eventually be found in iraq. well, it would be nice to see them, to see them... nice! on have i got news for you he reminded tv what a pro he was. if he had a regret, it was not making it in america, infilms, and his main love, as a song and dance man. this could save the whole show. just do as i do. it'll be like the generation game, all right? you're never quite prepared for it in the end, are you? he was such a remarkable, iconic figure. none more and remarkable in all the

tv history in this country. that is the kind of man we're talking about. sir bruce forsyth first appeared on the bbc in 1939. 70 years later, he was still there, still the king of saturday night. fly me to the moon. david sillitoe reflecting on bruce forsyth‘s extraordinary career. david sillitoe reflecting on bruce forsyth's extraordinary career.l number of close friends and associates have commemorated his life. tess daly said there are no words to describe how heartbroken i am to be told that my dear friend, sir bruce forsyth, has passed away.

his other strictly come dancing co—host, claudia workman, tweeted... and the lead judge on the show, len goodman, has said... a little earlier, my colleague, jane hill spoke to the veteran television and radio presenter nicholas parsons. he told her that sir bruce would be best remembered as a great entertainer, i have such fond memories. he was an exceptional personality and the most amazing entertainer. he was in many ways quite a professional and unique, he was not only a very good comedian but he was a singer and a dancer,

which is the way he started, of course, and a very good actor. i saw him in a play in the west end called little me and he could do everything but not only that, he was one of the most charming, outgoing, giving professional performers i've ever met. he was just a lovely personality. he gave out to everybody he ever met. and, of course, as a game show host i think he was unique, i think he was the top of the league. he not only had to run the show and keep it moving and so forth, but he engaged with the contestants in such a way. he was cheeky, he pulled their legs, and still they were not offended in any way, they went along with it. he was an exceptional and amazing entertainer. would you say, nicholas parsons, that he made actually quite a difficultjob look very, very easy. show business everywhere is not easy.

if you are a true professional, that covers up... you have the skills to make everything you do look easy and natural, which he could do. but it is very demanding. entertaining, to go out and face an audience and time lines, the art of acting is timing but comedy acting is more sophisticated timing. bruce could not only do that but had such an engaging personality, he had such warmth, he gave out to the audience, he sort of embraced them, and they came in as his friend and he talked to them on that kind of level. when i'm thinking of him now, i just think of that lovely, warm, outgiving generous personality. joining me is tv critic toby earle.

ford pcv this man had. the bbc started broadcasting in 1936, he first appeared in 1939. his career is almost as old as the bbc‘s tv existence. he is a cornerstone of british broadcasting history and it's impossible to separate him from the history of british tv broadcasting. people talk about the golden age of tv. the audience as he reached, of the scale compared to 110w. reached, of the scale compared to now. we live in a more fragmented era but even though there were fewer options, that didn't mean people had to tune in. he could draw in an audience and keep them coming back, you have only to look at the number

of shows he has held over the years, decades, play your cards right and the third iteration of his career was strictly come dancing in 200a. the biggest entertainment programme in the country. i know we have bake off in the country. i know we have bake 0ff nibbling around the edges but strictly has become a betty moth and thatis strictly has become a betty moth and that is done to his charisma and pa rt that is done to his charisma and part of the reason that has lasted is how he brought in the audience in the studio and at home and the people on stage, it wasn't about you and me, we will all have fun together. everyone we speak to talks of his generosity, it was not all about him and he wouldn't have survived for so long if he hadn't had that monumental ego you assume that performers have. he came from board of all, he was blessed with

comic timing and learned his craft in front of live audiences so when he transferred to tv, there was that ability to connect and build that report and that is testament to his lasting power. a lot of people will remember him as that consummate game show host but he was so much more. he loved singing and dancing, i went to strictly a few times, although he was less mobile he could do a tap dance routine while sitting down at that i could have done with years of practice. he loved dancing and he was so practice. he loved dancing and he was so good as a performer, he guest starred in magnum pi was so good as a performer, he guest starred in magnum p! in the 80s as a game show host, so eat you have this very line between fantasy and reality that he transcended. to have

that type of career is unimaginable 110w. that type of career is unimaginable now. he is a one off and one of the few people left who have shaped and formed the tv landscape, he has become that benchmark for light entertainment. the generation game is coming back soon, people will consciously or unconsciously measure mel and sue against him. good luck to them that he did make that show his own. he's quite an extraordinary act to follow. toby, thank you. we will have more on bruce forsyth and a tribute to him through the evening but let speaking out to arlene phillips, one of the strictly come dancing judges. i'm not surprised we have you on to paid tribute to bruce forsyth, our producer amanda is a

massive fan so thank you forjoining us. massive fan so thank you forjoining us. what are your memories of sir bruce keogh ‘s macro i first came across sir bruce in the 70s. he was just so full of life and he would get up and imitate the disco dancers and he would make me laugh, i enjoyed his company and then i worked with him on a couple of rural variety shows and then of course strictly, and his endless teasing and madejudging strictly, and his endless teasing and made judging style, strictly, and his endless teasing and madejudging style, especially when there was at strong sportsmen and we have this ongoing joke and i would love to watch into the warm up, he was in his element with the audience singing and his brilliant dancing. no one can dispute that he

was a unique tap dancer. did you ever dance with him? only when he grabbed me and whisked me around the floor. i never actually danced with him although i did help choreographed routine he did with adam garcia on a sunday night tv show and that was so much fun because everything adam garcia can do, and he is a phenomenal tap dancer, bruce was there i was giving him and adam's face, i'll never forget. you have some good material to work with. strictly is such a big show, quite a complex show to have to handle. how clever a choice was bruce as the host? bruce was a

brilliant choice because he had done so brilliant choice because he had done so many live shows, but sometimes he felt really restricted by the limits of the live shows, the factor was no time for him to improvise because everything is done by the second and you cannot be late on a bbc tv show, the nacho has to come in on time, and you could see sometimes he was getting quite uptight and sometimes just before he went out to either talk to the couples after they had finished dancing or talking to them later, he would be on the side, almost revving up like a car, preparing himself, building the energy to burst out and be entertaining, but if something went wrong, bruce was a master at fixing it instantly. all those years of

performing in theatres really stood him in great stead, i suppose. yes, being ina him in great stead, i suppose. yes, being in a theatre prepares you that anything can happen when you are performing in front of a live audience but also because he again understood every kind of entertainment, to be able to sing, dance, play the piano, comedy, drama, he had everything he needed right there and he was as sharp as can be, there wasn't a moment bruce was stuck for words, no matter what it was, and it was a classic moment when karen hardy and mark ramprakash got stuck in a microphone lead and they had to stop dancing and they

had no time, everything is to the second, and bruce got the audience cheering and when the strange manager came on to untangle the microphone, brucejust manager came on to untangle the microphone, bruce just danced manager came on to untangle the microphone, brucejust danced off with like it was part of the show, as if it had been choreographed. an amazing talent and a genuine affection for the audience. he loved the audiences but he would shout at them, if they didn't respond to it choke the way he wanted, he would be raped them, can you turn around three times and come back and do it ain? three times and come back and do it again? and the audience would cheer, same guy, bit of noise. arlene phillips, thank you for talking to us phillips, thank you for talking to us and share your memories of sir bruce forsyth. much more on the life

and career of bruce forsyth and all the tributes that have been paid to him after 7:30pm. the headlines on bbc news: tributes are being paid to bruce forsyth, who has died at the age of 89. police believe the terror network behind the atrocities in spain may have been planning a bigger attack. president trump's strategist steve bannon has left his position at the white house. in spain, the security authorities believe that a network of at least eight people may have been behind two terror attacks yesterday and overnight. 13 people were killed and scores wounded yesterday afternoon when a van was driven into crowds on las ramblas in the centre of barcelona. during the night, five suspected terrorists were shot dead in the coastal town of cambrils 65 miles away, after they drove a car into people, killing one and injuring six others. police say they carried an axe and knives and fake explosive belts. one of the terrorists killed may have been this 18—year—old,

moussa 0ukabir, who they believe to be the driver of the van in barcelona. four people have been arrested so far. officials say they believe an explosion in a house in a small village over 100 miles away from barcelona on wednesday is also linked. the foreign office says a "small number" of britons were injured in the attacks. 0ur correspondent ben brown is in barcelona now. just to say that people here, although they are determined to come back onto the streets of barcelona after that horrific attack at las ramblas, there are still nervous and tents and jumpy. in the last few minutes we have seen people running, another stampede of people running past where we are and some of them

crying. apparently it was just a local fight but people were scared because people are on edge, they we re because people are on edge, they were all sprinting away from the area so were all sprinting away from the area so it indicates howjumpy people still are, understandably in barcelona. the police now believe there was a wider terror network between these two vehicle attacks in barcelona and also in cambrils. they say they aren't looking for at least four more suspects and what they are pushing as a line to the press in their news conferences is that it seems there could have been a much worse atrocity carried out because there were a number of gas canisters being stored at the house where there was a huge explosion on wednesday night and police believe the terrorists who were storing those gas cylinders were preparing some sort of atrocity. when they

lost all those gas canisters in that house, they decided to carry out cruder vehicle attacks in barcelona and also in cambrils. let's get this report from clive myrie. a shared silence. across another european city touched by terror, one minute of stillness filled the space that words could not. a void with a single burning question — why? then, as king felipe and prime minister rajoy looked on, applause and defiance. no tinc por! we are not afraid, they chanted. but the previous 2a hours of violence were shocking. this, a street in the coastal town of cambrils.

a terror suspect is cornered and is wearing what police believe is a suicide belt. they decide there is only one course of action. the dead man was one of five who tried to mow people down in a car on the nearby seafront. all of the attackers were shot by police and investigators now believe they were part of a terrorist cell of eight to 12 people, some of whom were in this house, 120 miles from barcelona the night before, when a blast killed one person and injured seven others. it is thought explosive devices were being prepared, as well as the blueprint for barcelona's las ramblas attack. nick and stephanie from lincoln were caught up in the panic. a white van ploughed into the path of hundreds of people. they ran for cover into a nearby cafe. the only thing going through my head was paris, and the london attacks, where the attackers would come

through restaurants and bars, shooting and stabbing people. i thought, we're going to get shot, we're going to get shot. it felt like it was neverending. when we turned around, after the first bang, bodies everywhere, kids everywhere, people shouting. i can't seem to shift that from my mind at all. it is absolutely heartbreaking, what people have gone through here. you were running for your lives? absolutely. in sheer panic and terror. you don't understand what's happening, for probably about a minute or two. and then when you see the people on the floor, you realise what has happened. police have released this image of four suspects — a young moroccan man, moussa 0ukabir, and three others. his older brother driss was arrested and then released yesterday. more information is coming out about the victims, like bruno gulotta, 35

and from rome, on holiday with his wife and two children, a little boy and girl, now fatherless. there are concerns for julian cadman, who is seven and thought to have dual australian and british nationality. he has not been seen since the attack. the spanish are resilient people. 2a hours after the blood—letting, this is las ramblas, where, a few hours ago, bodies lay, now there are flowers. 0n the boulevard where the white van eventually crashed, there is a shrine. so many have told us that life must go on, that the terrorists will never win. but lives have been changed here for ever. let's talk more about that second attack in the early hours of the morning in cambrils, about 60 miles

south—east of barcelona along the coast, a popular seaside town where those five terror suspects were shot dead after their attempt at another vehicle attacks using an audi saloon, they rammed into a group of people, injuring seven. 0ne saloon, they rammed into a group of people, injuring seven. one woman later died and police opened fire on the five occupants, killing them. there is a report on spanish media that one of those people shot dead was moussa 0ukabir, who was believed to have been the driver of the van in barcelona, so that is true he got from barcelona in a few hours to cambrils to out another attack and was then shot dead. that hasn't been confirmed, but let's get this report from our correspondent in cambrils. heavily armed police in this small tourist resort an hour and a half's drive south of barcelona. these are the same police units who in the early hours of this morning shot and killed five

militants who had driven their car onto a crowded promenade. eyewitnesses said police had no choice as the car's occupants all appeared to be wearing explosive belts and had one intention — to kill and cause mayhem. there was a terrible noise as the car accelerated into the crowd, says local shopkeeperjuan dominguez, then lots of shots as people fled. one woman ran towards me, he says, saying a man was going wild with a knife stabbing people. the car, a black audi, flipped onto its roof, such was the force of the attack. it was removed from the scene today as visitors and locals reflected on what they had seen. among them a britishjuniorjudo squad training in the area, initially thankful they had missed the earlier attack in barcelona. first thing i did was call my mum. i said nothing's going to happen here, we'd seen a high police presence but then we realised that was for barcelona and then

we said nothing will happen here and two hours later it goes and happens. you never think it's going to happen to you. a woman who was stabbed in the attack here later died from her injuries and although the explosive belts worn by the gang later turned out to be fakes, police say the attack was brutal and was very much part of what had happened earlier in barcelona. further down the coast there is now a massive police presence outside a house destroyed on wednesday which may have served as a terror base. one theory — it could have been a bomb factory that blew up accidentally, prompting the killers to bring forward their murderous plans. we're here in catalonia square, just at the end of las ramblas, at midday

the square was packed with thousands of people, you saw those pictures in the report, people who had come to observe a minute ‘s silence and pay their respects but also to register their respects but also to register their defiance and you saw them applauding and chanting, we are not scared. it was a really moving demonstration by people saying they will not be cowed or defeated by terrorists and that is very much the mood here in barcelona this evening. thank you, ben brown with the latest from spain. police in finland say two people have died and at least six others have been injured after being stabbed in the city of turku. the suspect was shot in the leg by police and taken into custody. police have urged people to avoid the city centre. security has been reinforced at helsinki airport and at railway stations in response. donald trump's chief strategist steven bannon has

left his white house post. his exit follows a review of his position by white house chief of staffjohn kelly. mr bannon, a right—wing nationalist and former head of breitbart.com, was seen as having shaped mr trump's election campaign. let's go to washington, and speak to niall stanage, associate editor of the hill, a us political website. thank you forjoining us and bbc news. another one bites the dust. why had steve bannon's position become so precarious? there are a number of different factors. the national as you mentioned has become more controversial after events in cha rlottesville more controversial after events in charlottesville and president trump's reaction but also the white house has been affected by factionalism and we —— leaking and bannon has got part of the blame. in an interview this week he suggested

military threats in north korea were posturing on the part of the us and that was unlikely to happen, so all those things came together and ended his tenure. so no one is indispensable, so many people who seemed critical to the administration have found themselves out of a job and this time it seems he was sacked, he didn't resign. there are conflicting reports and suggestions from people close to bannon that he step down some time ago, that sits uneasily with reports myself and others were getting from sources defending his position saying he would be there for some time and emphasising his closeness tojohn kelly, time and emphasising his closeness to john kelly, who time and emphasising his closeness tojohn kelly, who it turns out has removed him. some democrats say there is one less white supremacist in the white house now, so clearly no love lost there.

but what does this say about the direction the white house might head in right now if steve bannon is not pa rt in right now if steve bannon is not part of the mix? the general consensus is that this might make the administration somewhat more predictable or more orthodox. steve bannon was proudly a disrupter, as he put it, he favoured kicking things over in the way politics is conducted in this country. but any thought that the presidency will be more conventional runs against the fa ct more conventional runs against the fact that the president himself is an unorthodox and volatile figure. how much more stable or less turbulent will the white house be with him there? it should become slightly more stable. i do think there was a very identifiable steve bannon faction in the administration which has been thinned out and has now lost its figurehead, so at least in that sense i think there can be

some degree of hope among the people working there that they will have a more conventional environment. so there is a vacancy at the white house. how readily do they need to find a replacement? it depends how you look at it. steve bannon was credited with giving a kind of intellectual, or philosophical framework for donald trump's beliefs. he was positioned at this —— as the sort of frontier of trumpism. whether that is the position that needs to be filled is debatable. he had clearly fallen foul of the president before the axe came down so i'm not necessarily assuming there will be a new steve bannon announced. it is never a dull moment, is it? thank you for talking to us, the associate editor of the hilt. let's look at the weather forecast with darren bett. lots of showers and thunderstorms,

the worst heading out into the north sea but we have a weather front pushing through wales, and the midlands and east anglia for a while which could be heavy and it will clear away, things will calm overnight, a few showers mainly towards the west of scotland, north—east scotland finally becoming dry overnight and those numbers, 11, 12, 13 degrees dry overnight and those numbers, 11, 12,13 degrees similar to the dry overnight and those numbers, 11, 12, 13 degrees similar to the last couple of nights. as we head into saturday fewer showers than today, shouldn't be as heavy, mainly across the northern uk and in the afternoon mainly focused across scotland. the wind will not be a strong and in the sunshine in southern parts of the uk it will not feel too bad, the numbers will not be bad, a little below average for this time of the year. heading into sunday there is a chance of rain coming into the south—west, what is left of an old hurricane that was the other side of the atlantic, perhaps heavy rain in northern ireland. 0ver the atlantic, perhaps heavy rain in northern ireland. over the rest of the uk it looks hello — this is bbc news.

i'm martine croxall. 7:34pm. these are the headlines: sir bruce forsyth, one of britain's best—loved entertainers, has died at the aged of 89. he was surrounded by his family, and had been ill for some time. nice to see you, to see you... nice! his famous catchphrase made him a household name to millions in a career spanning more than seven decades. his friend, comedian jimmy tarbuck, paid tribute. just looking at the shows he did, he made huge success and hits of all of them. the palladium, you know, he was a great host of that. and he was wonderful with the public and the public loved him. spanish police say they believe a terror network behind atrocities in barcelona and cambrils may have been planning a much bigger attack. two people have died and several injured after a stabbing in the finnish city of turku, a man suspected of carrying out the attack was shot by police. authorities are still trying to establish the motives. president trump's ideological mentor

and controversial chief strategist, steve bannon, has been sacked from his role at the white house. more now about sir bruce forsyth, the veteran entertainer who has died at the age of 89. tributes have poured in for a man described as the nation's favourite. earlier i spoke to the former bbc chairman, lord grade who told me about his long—standing friendship with sir bruce. well, i have known him since i was a kid, i used to go into rehearsals at the london palladium when he was hosting sunday night at the palladium which is what made him a star. we had worked together, and we have been loyal friends and dear friends ever since, that some 60 yea rs. friends ever since, that some 60 years. i last saw him two weeks ago today. i spent the morning with him at his house and we were reminiscing. his body was frail, his

brain was as sharp as ever and he had a wonderful twinkle in his eye. i shall always remember that twinkle, as indeed the british public will remember him. indeed, because he had that ability to connect with everyone. he could pull your leg without you feeling diminished by it, it seemed. your leg without you feeling diminished by it, it seemedlj your leg without you feeling diminished by it, it seemed. i think the public trusted him in a way that they might not trust others. he a lwa ys they might not trust others. he always left them with their dignity. he was never cruel. he never used dirty material of any kind. he was a family entertainer. he was loved and trusted. where did all of that talent come from? how did he learn to do all of those things so well? well, his dream was to be fred astaire. that's what started him off. he went to the cinema and saw fred astaire in a top hat and persuaded his mum and dad in

edmonton in north london to take tap dancing lessons and eventually he found he could get laughs. he was doing his routines and he would have sort of very difficult pianists who couldn't keep the tempo and he would start taking the mickey out of the pianists and getting laughs. it took off from there. so many generations will remember him for very different things. you talk about sunday night at the london palladium, for me it was watching him on the generation game. he transcended the decades, didn't he? no entertainer in entertainment history in america or in the uk, i don't think, has managed to be a star for three, may be four different generations and never go out of fashion. showbiz is about fashion, you go in and out of fashion, some go in and out of fashion, some go in and out of fashion quickly, others take a bit longer but they all go out of fashion eventually. bruce never went

out of fashion. why? how did he manage to be so current no matter which era we are talking about?” think because the public adored him and he never let them down. he never failed. he always delivered. he a lwa ys failed. he always delivered. he always made you smile, he always made you laugh, and he was a brilliant picture of what shows to do and what chose not to. for every show he said yes to the mother must have been a thousand he said no to. he was a consummate judge of his own career “— he was a consummate judge of his own career —— there must have been. people who are so accomplished to make it look so easy but there is so much effort and rehearsal and practice that goes into it, isn't there? he was a worrier before he went on to the stage, he wanted everything to be right, he had a huge input in these shows. the

generation game, he worked really ha rd generation game, he worked really hard on the format, strictly macro, he did the same. hejust hard on the format, strictly macro, he did the same. he just knew what was right and what was wrong. it was never about showing him off, it was about how to make the show better —— strictly. he didn't mind anyone else getting laughs. former bbc chairman lord grade. let's talk to mike colwill, of the great bruce forsyth social club. mike, thank you forjoining us, i love the t—shirt. mike, thank you forjoining us, i love the t-shirt. no problem at all, i would always do this for bruce. what a sad day for you but what great memories you must have, tell us great memories you must have, tell us about your origins of the club was meant we were formed 30 years ago, we were going to sarver bridge our 30th anniversary to october but we may bring that forward now. we are all lads of a similar age and remember bruce from the 70s and the generation game, and he brought laughter into your house every saturday night so we decided to form a group and go out and have bruce forsyth nights out where we would

ta ke forsyth nights out where we would take the games of the generation game and play your cards right around the pubs and have a great time and it caught on and spiralled from there and we were lucky enough to meet bruce and appear with him on his audience with programme in 1996 when we sang his opening number for him. really? you dress up at -- as him. really? you dress up at -- as him as well. yes, we dress up and put the t—shirts on and sometimes put the t—shirts on and sometimes put the t—shirts on and sometimes put the moustaches on, so, yes, we wa nted put the moustaches on, so, yes, we wanted to do the full bruce.” put the moustaches on, so, yes, we wanted to do the full bruce. i think we have some footage of you and your fellow clu b we have some footage of you and your fellow club member is on stage with him. let's have a quick listen if we can to hear the sound on it.” him. let's have a quick listen if we can to hear the sound on it. i don't talk like that. i do not talk like that. you do. laughter great to see norman wisdom in the audience. you are doing impersonations of him, not that he

thinks you are very accurate. nice to see you, to see you nice. we will be right back. that's very good indeed. he must have loved that he went to this trouble. it was lovely and he repaid the favour and came to plymouth in the following year to join us on our tenth agm and took pa rt join us on our tenth agm and took part ina join us on our tenth agm and took part in a game of play your cards right when i was bruce and he was the contestant and he won the car. quite right as well. what are you going to do in tribute to him now that he has gone? plans are under way, it has caught us as a bit of a surprise, of course it is a very sad day but i will meet with some of the members after this, and we will come up members after this, and we will come up with a really good tribute and a night out. no doubt the club will go on. absolutely, no doubt. of all the entertainers you could have focused on, what was it about bruce forsyth that appealed to you as young men? when you think about it he had the

prime—time slot for decades where he just brought laughter into your front rooms, and as young lads it made a lasting impression on us. he was a consummate professional, he was a consummate professional, he was immaculately turned out. when we worked with him it was all done in one take and that is what shot through on the television screen. everybody talks about how generous he was and put everyone at their ease, on a show that could sometimes bring in 20 million viewers. absolutely, prime—time, ithink bring in 20 million viewers. absolutely, prime—time, i think he had 25,000,001 christmas for his generation game show that is half the population tuning into bruce. it isa the population tuning into bruce. it is a sad day that you have extraordinary memories to cherish, i'm sure, mike, from the great bruce forsyth social club, it is a new one on me, i'm glad you came on the programme. nice to see you. to see you... nice. i can't

programme. nice to see you. to see you... nice. ican't stop programme. nice to see you. to see you... nice. i can't stop laughing. joining us now is our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba. we have been watching the same clips for quite awhile, and we just keep laughing. the timing, catchphrases and physical comedy is the genius. that's the thing, it is a sad day for everyone who enjoyed watching him, but you've been seeing people smiling all over the building, and i'm sure, smiling all over the country as they revisit those memories of him from everything from strictly come dancing to sunday night at the london palladium, play your cards right, the price is right, the generation game. the director—general of the bbc tony hall got it right when he said he basically invented saturday night for a lot of people, he was the king of saturday night television. he reinvented himself so many times. the programmes are reinvented themselves around him as styles of television changed but he kind of said the same at the centre of it all and hejust

said the same at the centre of it all and he just had these two things, he had utter professionalism and a real passion and that passion was for working with audiences, working with members of the cast in strip began dancing and making sure everybody was having a fantastic time and he was a real people person, to pardon the cliche, use all the way he worked with the co ntesta nts all the way he worked with the contestants on the generation game, he made them feel special, or when they played play your cards right, he treated them the same as a list celebrities on strip began dancing, he was somebody who clearly loved working with people and knew how to get the best out of them and knew how to make everybody laugh and welcome everybody in, and that includes all of us sitting watching at home. he was so good at what he did. lord grade said he grew up with lord —— bruce forsyth there. the number of people paying tribute shows how many people respected him.

it shows how he was respected by people in the industry and genuinely loved by people in the industry. the show business industry has people from all across the spectrum from the very nicest to some who might not be quite at that position but sir bruce was one of