the scenes of britain's city of culture with a special programme on hold's year—long festival of arts and culture. —— hull's year—long festival. welcome to summer in the uk city of culture. and summer means festivals. we have got them all — literature, theatre and music. we're here for the humber street sesh. one day, 30,000 people, 1a stages, 200 acts, it is incredible! we will try to get you round as much as possible, and we got this. hull has seen its first—ever children's literature festival inspiring the next generation of writers. what happens when you grew up is you are still a child inside, fortunately, so the stories i write are the stories i wrote for myself when i was about eight. uk pride comes to the city of culture. i'm so proud now that things have come on leaps and bounds for everyone, whether you are transgender or whatever. and bringing comedy and curiosity to the world of museums, bill bailey curates his first exhibition.

i shot tomas limpkin from but two feet away, however the pistol ball did not strike but instead flew upon the ground striking a hedgehog. we start at this huge music festival in what was an old fruit market. it is now the cultural quarter of the city. and every august this happens. there are more than 200 bands here today.

200 bands playing across 14 stages with 13,000 people descending here. you can feel the excitement and the vibe. one of the bands here today is the happy endings. a couple of months ago they were playing at glastonbury, but tonight they are here. it was like i had made it playing at sesh. only a few months ago, you were at glastonbury, how does this compare? that is a different animal. i had as much fun playing earlier as i did at glastonbury. do you think being city of culture has made a difference for people outside hull? a lot of people are looking to see what all the fuss is about and i think it is nice. i have sensed a lift. when you went to glastonbury did people know where you were from hull?

only because i announced it! tell the world. too right! beautiful harmonies. we can't stay here all day, we need to go. it is brilliant that it is all local talent. it advertises hull as the city of culture. we can every year. this year, particularly, it is special because we are the city of culture. it is fantastic, great family day out for us all. the atmosphere is really good. to be involved with the local community. it is a really amazing atmosphere. really good. for the younger generation, this is vital for the growth of the music scene. for them, setting their sights, you can play these big stages.

my first ever gig was here a few years ago and it is brilliant because new people come to watch you, your friends come, it is such a brilliant event. it will really help hull. # what are you thinking? we are sitting on an amazing wealth of talent in this region and i think

it is about time that the rest of the country was aware of it. the crowdsjust keep coming and a man who could draw a big crowd like this is bill bailey and he has gone and created his own museum. we had a chat with him. there is the basic cockney intro. there is no doubt that bill bailey is a man of many talents. he started out in stand—up but has acted in television series from black books and spaced to doctor who and hustle and he is a perennial favourite on tv panel shows. they pointed at me and they said, "you are trying to be bill bailey, aren't you?" and then they went, "nice try!" able to play pretty much every instrument and with perfect pitch, he has successfully combined his musical talents with comedy. but he has other passions as well.

bird watching is one of them. and now he has taken to museum curating as well. at the maritime museum in hull he has assembled a cabinet of curiosities, fascinating objects accompanied by their true descriptions and concocted comedy ones as well. like this nut. or are they baboon buttocks? he has roped in the children of hull as well to make up some cracking tales. morgan, age 11, the cursed dog. it was found in the year 1409. a dark wizard cast a spell on him and turned him into wood. if you touch this dog for more than five minutes you will also get turned into wood just like other people. these people are found in the cabinet called "i have made a terrible mistake. " isn't that wonderful? it is amazing. how did you decide what you were going to pick out? i imagine there was a lot to choose from. there was a huge array

of fantastic artefacts. i also wanted to have a balance of the really odd, the really curious, the strange. also for it to have a link to the city as well. things that were specific to hull. did you pick them because you could make up a fantastic story or was it that you saw something and you were genuinely interested in it? a bit of both. some of them are genuinely interesting. they are beautiful artefacts. like the scrimshaw. art on whale's teeth. it is so strange and beautiful. there is a pistol that looks a bit like a kosh. that triggers an idea or a story or a scenario and i started to embellish it. a famous dueler at the time said of the pistol, "i shot thomas lympkin from two feet away,

but the pistol ball did not strike him and instead flew upon the ground striking a hedgehog which when examined was found to be mildly stunned. i then wished to club him but he had become perturbed and ran away." this whole exhibition has inspired me to write a book about extraordinary tales that could be true, they might not be true, but they are embellished and i think that is something that probably i will do more of, is storytelling. so the visitors to this museum have had a sneak peek to that. yes. do you think you're the first comedian to have curated a museum exhibition? i don't know. i am going to say yes. it certainly does seem like new ground. in the spirit of this exhibition, yes, i, bill bailey,

am the first comedian to curate an exhibition of this kind, anywhere in the world. bill bailey seemed like such a sound guy. he was as funny as he is on television. can you hear me? this is the loudest silent disco i have been at. what? i can't help it! this is a place for big kids and small, not unlike the malarkey festival where i found out it was notjust about books. this is the big malarkey, hull's first—ever literature festival for children. and if you thought a children's literature festival was all about books, think again. from theatre to hip—hop and arts and crafts, this week—long event has something for everyone. turning the east park of hull into a cultural paradise. some orange,,

some orange, , red. some orange,, red. —— # yellow, orange, red. # just look, it's true. # i just feel blue. there has been a huge programme of activity and storytelling including a packed house forjulian clary talking about his children's book. i caught up withjulian after he met the children of hull. what happens when you grow up, you're still a child inside. fortu nately. it was easy for me to revert back to being a child and the stories that i write about are the stories i made up for myself when i was about eight years old and to my surprise, it was already there. they all live at number 41 fairfield rd and their next door neighbour is mr nigel the grizzly bear. i would like to challenge myself to do things i am not sure

that i can do or not. later this year, i am doing a quite serious play and i have no idea if i can remember the lines or manage to act and it was similar with children's stories. 0therwise, you're just doing the same thing, which is fine, but i need the challenge. events that promote literature for children are especially important in places like hull which is below the national average for reading at key stage two level. the children i met at the festival were certainly no strangers to a good book. i like reading books with my mum. i like books because it reminds me of the movies. when i am reading, it makes me feel happy. i like snuggling into bed with lots of books. i like tractor books. any books. any big books that are this wide.

i like to get stuck in with the culture. the organisers of the festival roped me into a rendition of one of my favourite children's books, funnybones. the toe bone is connected to the... foot bone. the foot bone is connected to the... leg bone. the leg bone is connected to the hip bone. the hip bone is connected to the backbone. well done. thank you, guys. there is still much more to come from here at the humber street sesh. and we are going to see how hull celebrated 50 years of gay rights. we are going behind—the—scenes of a dramatic theatre show called flood but in the meantime, let's look at what has happened and what is to come. for the first time since 1930, the bbc proms travelled out of london to perform a special outdoor concert right here in hull. as part of the lgbt 50 season, a ground—breaking photography

project explores what life was like for the lgbt community in hull's twin city in sierra leone where homosexuality is still illegal. electric fence is a provocative installation examining the everyday experience of people facing hate crimes. there was a hate preacher in america who said that all gays and lesbians should be locked in an electric fence and occasionally thrown in some food and water and they would die out because they could not breed. it is a nasty hate crime. poet philip larkin spent 30 years as the librarian at the university of hull where a new exhibition reveals his private life like never before. it celebrates playfulness in all its forms with three floors of interactive exhibits including an excitable purple robot. i am a loose card. these aerial acrobats took inspiration from european comics for a breathtaking outdoor

spectacle, on display for free in the west park of hull. in edinburgh, hull 2017 supported five theatre companies going to the fringe and sent 500 volunteers to spread the word about the city of culture. we are representing hull. september is set to be a huge month culturewise. for a start, it is the tenth anniversary of the freedom festival which includes over 200 free events, exploring themes of freedom. one day maybe is part live performers and art installation using cutting—edge technology to transport audiences into a dystopian future. and after a £60 million refurbishment, the new theatre in hull is preparing to reopen, playing host to world—class touring productions, new commissions and a one—off performance from the royal ballet. you can't come to a festival and not get some glitter

and i think you should have it in your beard as well. i will just stick with this. at the first uk national pride there was a lot of glitter and i had serious glitter envy. an amazing day marking 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the uk and it was fantastic. it was a great day, it was such a family orientated event, it was a great way for the city to turn out and celebrate such a monumental occasion. and we had an amazing guide, hull's longest standing drag artist. i am bobby and welcome to hull pride 2017. busta bust, that is us. how many do you think are in the parade? about 2300 people, which is incredible. there are 116 prides.

i suggested that we have the first uk pride, because of the city of culture. it is incredible. we are in the middle of all the queer icons, 50 years, 50 queers, they are unbelievable. that is beautiful. took a few years off me! you have got to be different, you know you will get laughed at, you know people will have a dig at you. from a social point of view, there was not much of a problem. but work! i worked in the financial services industry and within six months, nobody would book me or hire me. i came out as a 19—year—old gay man and i have been beaten up, had my nose broken, i have been spat on, it was not nice. no. sorry. lam 78. in my day, you were told

you get to 21, get married, buy a house, have kids. i was 21 when i got married. we got divorced. it was not easy at all. especially as you could not talk to anyone about it. you had to be clandestine, which wasn't funny in those days. you could actually get arrested for it. they used to raid houses. when did you come out? not until i was 31. we have been together now for 34 years and we are very happy. 45 years i have been slapping this on. i was married at 17, divorced just after 19 and two boys in that time. it is the wonderful bobby mandrell!

# i am what i am. opening uk pride was such an honour. the crowd is going crazy for you. i do so many prides up and down the country but to be asked to come today to hull is fantastic. it is amazing. an amazing day. 50 years, and i know, these years have passed for the better. i am so proud now that things have come on in leaps and bounds, for everyone, whether you're transgender or whatever, gay, straight, we can all come together. # i'll come get my things, but i can't let go. # i'm waiting for it, that feeling, i wanted.

we have come down to the urban stage, but a couple of weeks ago, the proms were taking place here. now there is hip—hop and break dancing. where else could that happen? only in the uk city of culture. we are right down on the humber and a little bit further downstream, an incredible theatrical production has been taking place. it was called flood and they filmed it on the water using pyrotechnics and light sounds and it was fantastic. we went behind—the—scenes as they made it for bbc two. the rains have been getting worse day by day. something terrible is happening. the waves, she wanted to save them.

please, help us. is that how far faith can carry us? it is a story about a catastrophic flood, imagining a future where water engulfs europe, thousands drown or become refugees and the last city is an island and it is a story that is being told across a whole year in hull. tell me how i can save them, save the world. flood is about a flood that happens 20 years in the future and the whole of europe is overtaken by a huge tidal wave and it looks at the impact on the people who live in our floating city. the idea of being overwhelmed by water and by people is something we can all appreciate and empathise with. it seems a brave choice of subject matter, given that the city of hull would be one of the first in the uk to be submerged if sea levels rise. swathes of the city flooded ten years ago, leaving thousands of homes

underwater and many in hull still fear it happening again. the year—long story of flood started online and screened in supermarket car parks in hull, with a film showing fishermen hauling in dozens of empty life jackets and one survivor. at easter, 3000 people braved the cold to watch the story unfold and the endless rains begin. we have a casualty on board, request emergency services. this piece of theatre is notjust about the water, it is set on it. it has taken three weeks to build this set. they had to lower in a boat and there is a car that you will see appearing from behind there, as well as building the whole of the stage. they have also got to set up plenty of special effects, ready for the tv filming to begin.

the third instalment was filmed for bbc two and took the story from hull to a national audience. and to the misery of the crew but delight of the director, the weather changed right on cue. it is coming up to ten o'clock, it is almost dark enough to start the first of two nights of filming. in a show called flood there is a lot of water and the crew have spent hours putting those rainmakers up there, but in the event, nature has provided its own special effects. the cast is notjust professional actors, some of the army of city of culture volunteers are taking part and when they signed up last year to marshall events and hand out leaflets in 2017, they never thought they would end up on national telly. when you signed up for this job, what did you think you would be doing? standing in front of the camera was not up there. i wanted to be part of the history,

showcasing the culture of hull. i hold the guy who gets onto the boat with another volunteer. and then he hits him and i drag him onto the floor and i punch him in the face twice. how nice! part four of the story will be performed live on the dock in october. a city itself threatened by water, once again hosting this apocalyptic story about the devastation it could cause. humber street sesh is almost over, so it is time for the headline act, and kofi is introducing one. let's hear it for life!

life have played festivals like reading and leeds and i chatted to them earlier. for us, the band is trying to showcase how you can be empowered to make music on a shoestring and really show the bands around hull that you can go out and do it and the things that we have achieved have all come naturally and organically for us and it can be done, you just have to have the right mentality and i think that is coming on. the music scene in hull is amazing and we are so happy to be involved with it and trying to wave the flag for it. you guys are being modest, a lot of this is about your success. how important is it for fans to realise you can go your own way? it is the only way. there is no golden ticket. when people ask for advice, there is no quick route. the best advice is to work hard and don't expect it to be easy. that is it from us.

we didn't get to see all the bands, but we gave it a good effort. and we will be back in the autumn when we will have the royal ballet in hull and the world's most controversial art competition, the turner prize. if you want to get your cultural fix, head to this website: i think we have got time forjust one more band. nice one! goodbye. hello. the fine summer's day across

the uk for the vast majority. some light winds and some cloud and blue skies as well, much like this shot from earlier on in suffolk. cloudy insta nt scotla nd from earlier on in suffolk. cloudy instant scotland and northern ireland but even here, some breaks in the cloud and hazy sunshine. rain and drizzle for some. rain in the hebrides. more cloud in north west england and wales, with some drizzle not to be ruled out especially over the hills. but mostly dry here with some breaks in the cloud. the best sunshine will be further south and east. the best temperatures up to 26. 23 in leeds for the cricket, and dry. more cloud tomorrow. that holds for those heading off to leeds carnival. notting hill carnival, more sunshine than cloud and it will get warmer and warm through the next couple of days with just a gentle breeze. a gentle breeze for many

this evening to end the day. more cloud coming and going in the north and the west of the country. the cloud thickens up in northern scotla nd cloud thickens up in northern scotland with outbreaks of rain. some heavier bursts in the hebrides and 0rkney and shetland later. the breeze will pick up with temperatures holding in the teens for the vast majority. it is the start of the bank holiday for most of you. the weather splits the country into two. the south and east, high pressure and north and west low pressure close by which throws weather friends our way. some brea ks throws weather friends our way. some breaks in the cloud in eastern ireland and scotland but winds and rain spreading in from the west before sunshine returns to the highlands and islands later. quite cloudy at times and northern ireland but some breaks as well. sunshine comes and goes. the further south and east you are, not much cloud, and east you are, not much cloud, and sunshine and gentle winds. the warmest day of the month so far, potentially the warmest august tank

holiday on record. 28 is possible. that weather front clears away on tuesday morning, introducing cooler conditions but pleasant enough. some brea ks conditions but pleasant enough. some breaks in the sunshine on tuesday but on wednesday there will be rain, especially in the west. but for many staying dry. this is bbc news. i'm rachel schofield. the headlines at 11: two lorry drivers are charged with dangerous driving offences after the m1 crash in which eight people were killed. a shift in brexit policy — labour says britain should stay in the single market and customs union for a period after leaving the eu. the notting hill carnival is opened with a ceremony to remember the victims of grenfell. a minute's silence will be held this afternoon. one of the most anticipated boxing matches ever, but did it live up to the hype? floyd mayweather extended his

perfect career record to 50 fights unbeaten — by stopping conor mcgregor in the 10th round. and coming up in half an hour, dateline london.