this is bbc news. the headlines at 7.00: brexit talks get the green light in brussels — they will now move on to the next stage. this is an important step on the road to deliver the smooth and orderly brexit that people voted for injune last year. opening the second phase of our negotiations wouldn't be possible without the unity of the eu 27, the hard work of michel barnier and the constructive effort of prime minister may. a student is cleared of rape after police fail to disclose evidence which could have proved his innocence. ryanair agrees to recognise pilots' unions for the first time, in an attempt to avert strike action in the run—up to christmas. the date is set for prince harry and meghan markle‘s wedding, next may. and in the next hour... the wait is nearly over for strictly fans. the final sparkles are being added

and the stairs being perfected. and coming up on newswatch... we are devoting the whole programme to an interview with the outgoing director of news and current affairs,james harding. join us tonight at 7:45pm here, on bbc news. good evening and welcome to bbc news. eu leaders have agreed to move brexit talks on to the next phase, which will deal with the future relationship between britain and the eu once britain leaves. theresa may has called it an important step on the road to a "smooth and orderly" brexit. but the president of the european council, donald tusk, has warned it will be "dramatically difficult" to reach a final

deal by march 2019. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. the men with the message. part one is done. the european union is ready to grant the prime minister's wish and move on. she was a tough, smart, polite and friendly negotiator. and so we were able to conclude that sufficient progress has been made. to get this far on brexit, there has been some conflict and a lot of compromise. what is needed to get to the end of the next phase, and is theresa may's goal of a full agreement by march 2019 realistic? still realistic and, of course, dramatically difficult. the real negotiations on the second phase will start in march next year. i cannot say when these negotiations will be concluded. but i don't hope that i will have to have as early morning meeting

with the british prime minister than the one i had last week. hopefully, with fewer last—minute trips to brussels in the middle of the night, the negotiations step up. it has been a slog to get this far, but their words this morning are part of our history now, the official end of the beginning of our departure from the european union. it's taken time, but at last the government's negotiating team can crack on with initial talks about how we do business in future, and vitally the transition a couple of years after brexit itself. the uk and the eu have shown what can be achieved by commitment and perseverance on both sides. i'm pleased that it's been agreed we should make rapid progress on an implementation period, which will give certainty to businesses and individuals. the eu's brokers believe the cabinet at home must bury their differences, though, to give a clearer picture of how they want the future to look, before getting a decent hearing. the divide within the conservative

party is going to make it very difficult for us to negotiate a way through as a country. and theresa may, ultimately, has to be able to deliver for business here. business need that certainty now. the 27 we are leaving behind don't agree with much of what the uk has already put on the table, especially during the transition period. they want the european court to be in charge during that whole time, for the uk to accept any changes without a say, and for immigration to stay the same. this is a big junction. phase two will be even tougher, she warned. we would like it to look as much like the current relationship as possible, but that wouldn't necessarily be the view of everyone. it's a marathon race. we have just finished the first mile. given how far apart the two sides were, and the distance between the different wings of the tory party, the prime minister might feel

entitled tonight to take a pause for breath, a moment to savour having reached this junction. but with clashes in the commons to come, in the cabinet, and contradictions between the european union and the uk, still, she has little time or energy to waste on celebration. and to reach this point, not even halfway, she's already had to yield so much. indeed, at times it felt like the prime minister simply might not make it even this far. it is a very long way still until the end of this whole journey. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, brussels. with me now is hugh bennett, deputy editor of the website brexit central. to diejust what to die just what has been a busy week. in laura's report back, it is

not a time for celebration for theresa may, is the champagne on ice? i think the uk has given away more than he wanted to at this stage. but it is good to move on. it has felt like jumping through hoops than a genuine negotiation because of the way the eu structured the talks. there will be relief on all sides we can get on about the important business about talking of trade and the future relationship. it seems there is tension in phase two with theresa may saying, let's crack on and talk trade, but jean—claude juncker said we cannot talk about that until march, so straightaway, tensions between the two positions. neither side is ready to talk about trade at the moment. the eu drew up a mandate between the eu member state leaders. they decide what guidance to give michel barnier, the mandate to negotiate. on the uk site, theresa may has to

make the decision, will we be aligned closely to eu rules or strike out on our own and give us the power to strike up some trade deals, like the norway light and canada plus they have been talking about. european leaders need to gather their thoughts on the issue. that is why the talks are not starting immediately. of course, theresa may is under pressure, one might say and has been for the last six months, from within her own party. so many people want the prime minister's ear. we have seen this defeat, how bruised has it left her? it is easy to overestimate the significance of the defeat. i don't think it changes the dynamic of the negotiations. when you look at the people behind the defeat, the rebels, anna soubry, dominic grieve, they are people who would have been committed to stop brexit and obstruct it in every way possible. they talk about parliamentary sovereignty, but it is a movement to

make brexit more difficult for the prime minister. he will only have to look at the reactions of lord adonis, celebrating it as the first step of stopping brexit. i don't think it changes the structure of the negotiations ultimately. how is she viewed by the other leaders when there is so much argy—bargy back at home? it makes it difficult because they agree with her and she has to come back to the uk to parliament and it can cause trouble when they go back to the negotiating table. there is eu leaders have said, if the uk parliament votes to reject it, you won't get the negotiations again, you will have to leave with no deal, so the one who wanted to stop brexit will be disappointed, i think. thank you for your time this evening. and for all brexit

devotees, news of a special programme on monday. we are just packing up in brussels where, finally the prime minister got the green light to move onto the next phase brexit talks, but what happens next? it is the podcast on television, monday at 11:10pm on the bbc news channel. let's turn to other news now. relatives of the four children who died in a housefire in salford have said they don't know how they will be able to tell the children's mother, who is in a medically induced coma and likely to remain that way for several weeks. 15—year—old demi pearson, brandon aged eight, lacey aged seven and three—year—old lia died following the fire on monday which police are calling a targeted attack. the child ren‘s grandfather says the family had been harrassed before and the police had been called on sunday night but left. the house was set alight a few hours later. three people have been charged with murder. judith moritz has been speaking to the family and is in manchester tonight. brandon and lacey were running up

and down the street. they were so happy it was snowing. brother and sister playing in the snow last week. brandon and lacey pearson where inseparable. lia was the baby, everybody doted on her. she melted your heart. we couldn't have a serious face with that child, she brought so much happiness. their teenage sister demi mothered them all. for young lives taken. their mother, michelle, is badly burned in a coma. she doesn't know her children have died. how can i turn round and say they've gone. i can't even turn around and say one has gone. all her young ones, all her babies have gone. she'sjust going to say, why have you brought me

back? why didn't you just let me go? this is the first time the family has spoken of their pain, their loss under memories of the night they saw fire engulfing the house where the children and their mother were asleep. there's no words to describe what you see. you cannot describe what you see. you cannot describe what you see. i remember going down the street and then i was beaten back by police officers. i am screaming at them, screaming at them. calling all them sorts of names. you just wanted to go in and help them. little lia's life hung in the balance the two days and her antiglare held the balance the two days and her antigla re held her as the balance the two days and her antiglare held her as she slipped away. they let me hold her. did you speak to her? i sang to her. it must have been so difficult? it broke me,

it really did. i didn't want that little girl gone. the police said the house was targeted. the family say michelle complained of being u nsafe say michelle complained of being unsafe there. she said she had been to the housing that week and begged them to move her to a safe house or get her out of the area. michelle has been unsafe in that property for months and months and the police we re aware months and months and the police were aware of this, the council was aware of this. i am sorry to say this, but... people have let her down. they have let down, my sister and her kids would have had a chance of survival if people had done their job properly. the loss is immeasurable and the pain is raw. ajudge has called for an inquiry after a university student was cleared of rape because police failed to disclose evidence which could have cleared him.

22—year—old liam allan spent two years on bail, before his trial at croydon crown court was halted, when it was revealed his accuser had sent him thousands of text messages. clive coleman has the story. the day after the case against him was dropped, liam allan is coming to terms with the end of a two—year nightmare. i was relieved, notjust for myself, but for everyone who's been with me for every step of the way. and everyone it has impacted. it wasjust a huge, huge relief. you sort of get your life back. you don't realise that you've lost parts of your life until you have it completely done. the trial may be over, but the strain it caused remains vivid. i'll be honest, i did start to suffer from panic attacks, a couple of weeks before court, which is why i said it was probably my worst time. because you just, you have to have your own reaction, panic attacks are an internal reaction that you can't help yourself. but it is to be expected, you can't not go through this and not panic and not fear and remain strong through the whole thing. it could bring the strongest person in the world to their knees. liam went on trial charged with six

rapes and six sexual assaults. his lawyers were repeatedly refused access to his alleged victim's phone records. they were finally handed over at the start of the trial. 40,000 phone messages, included details which clearly suggested he was innocent. his trial at croydon crown court collapsed yesterday. she said she didn't like sex with him. text messages to say she loves sex with him. there were rape fantasies, there was sex in the open air. this was a 12 count indictment. if the defence hadn't got that, that man would have been convicted, that man would have got 12 years, that man would have had his life trashed and on the sexual offences register for ever. it is a fundamental principle of our system that the prosecution must hand over any evidence that it holds that could help the person on trial. lawyers tell me that liam allan's experience is farfrom a one off and that there's

a widespread problem. the metropolitan police are carrying out an urgent assessment the case. but for liam, sorry just won't do it. an apologyjust doesn't feel like enough. the length of time i faced, the fact that the person remains anonymous and i am everywhere and got dragged through hell for the last two years, apology doesn't even slightly cut it at all. liam's case adds to mounting concerns that the system for ensuring that those on trial receive all of the evidence that could help their defence, is failing far too often. clive coleman, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: eu leaders meeting in brussels have agreed to move onto the second stage of brexit talks with the uk. as we have just heard, a of brexit talks with the uk. as we havejust heard, a judge has called for an enquiry into the

colla pse called for an enquiry into the collapse of a rape trial after it emerged police did not reveal crucial evidence to the defence. ryanair has crucial evidence to the defence. rya nair has recognised crucial evidence to the defence. ryanair has recognised pilots' unions for the first time in an event to avert strike action in the run—up christmas. the date of prince harry and meghan markle's wedding has been announced. it will be on saturday the 19th of may next year. the couple confirmed their engagement last month and said the ceremony will take place at windsor castle. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell is at buckingham palace, so now we have a date. so it's a saturday, which is unusual but not unprecedented. the wessexes got married on a saturday back in 1999. i'm quite sure part of the calculation has been that because there's no bank holiday for this wedding, having it on saturday will give those who are so minded, an opportunity to go to windsor and be part the celebrations, as the couple have indicated they want to be the case. the other interesting thing

about saturday the 19th of may is that it is the date of the fa cup final. william, of course, is president of the fa. he would normally be at wembley. if he so chooses he could still make it. best man or supporter to his brother at windsor in the morning. for a late kick—off at wembley in the afternoon, but somehow you know, i think they will all be too busy celebrating. dutch military police opened fire this afternoon on a man armed with a knife at amsterdam's schipol airport. a suspect was overpowered and arrested. the airport's entrance plaza was briefly evacuated but then mostly reopened to the public. there was minimal impact on air traffic. schiphol airport is one of europe's top five busiest air hubs. in an attempt to avert strike action in the run up to christmas, ryanair has agreed to recognise pilots unions for the very first time. the airline is urging its staff to call off industrial action which is planned for next wednesday.

the head of ryanair, michael 0'leary once said he'd rather cut off his own hand than recognise unions, so it's a bit of a turnaround, as our transport correspondent richard westcott explains. i think it is a staggering turnaround for someone who is always known as one of the tough guys of the business world. for years, michael 0'leary said he would not basically recognise unions, he wouldn't let pilots negotiate through unions. he was saying it only on tuesday when a press release came out from the company saying, we will not recognise unions. this morning, they did an about turn, change their minds and said they will recognise unions under certain circumstances. they are facing industrial action from pilots, strike in ireland and portugal next week. they have had problems with pilots before, rya nair. week. they have had problems with

pilots before, ryanair. it wasn't that long ago that i was standing here telling you about the 20,000 flights they had to cancel across the winter because they messed up the winter because they messed up the pilot's roster. people had to read book flights and make other plans. what about the strike next wednesday? tonight, there is a twist. the union has said they are happy to call off the strike, but they want to meet ryanair fares. they will not call off the strike until they can meet ryanair face—to—face. ryanair until they can meet ryanair face—to—face. rya nair have until they can meet ryanair face—to—face. ryanair have said they can only meet them on wednesday, strike day. as it stands, but strike in ireland next wednesday is still going ahead. joining me in the studio is travel editor at the independent, simon calder. thank you for coming in. we shouldn't be flippa nt, thank you for coming in. we shouldn't be flippant, but there is a temptation to say, it has hell frozen over? it has always been the

case, ryanair frozen over? it has always been the case, rya nair has frozen over? it has always been the case, ryanair has some unusual employment practices, not negotiating with unions. you have been always able to join a union but it hasn't done you any good. even cabin crew could not be any more than five because the planes were so small. now they have pilots working for service companies, who themselves are working for other companies, who are then contracted by ryanair. an interesting sequence of events that helps to keep ryanair‘s of events that helps to keep rya nair‘s costs down. of events that helps to keep ryanair‘s costs down. the stock market wasn't impressed with ryanair‘s market wasn't impressed with rya na i r‘s festive market wasn't impressed with rya nair‘s festive announcement market wasn't impressed with ryanair‘s festive announcement when they said they would recognise unions and then the share price fell sharply. this change came because ryanair was getting concerned? yes, ryanair was getting concerned? yes, ryanair is the biggest and also the safest european airline that there is. but after the cancellation is

that richard wescott referred to, a lot of passengers have felt, we're not sure if we should book with ryanair, because who knows if it will take off. if we have christmas strikes, it could make things even more worrying, which of course could hit forward bookings. this is a pre—emptive strike, saying to the unions, call off the strikes and we will talk. it did work for the strike in italy, some ryanair pilots we re strike in italy, some ryanair pilots were threatening to strike, but that was called off. and there is still the possibility things will not go ahead on wednesday. how easy is it for the pilots to respond? these are pilots in several different countries and it will require some joined up thinking? it is, ryanair has said it will only reply in

ireland, britain, germany, france and italy. in all the other countries, it will continue the same way, negotiating with representative committees. the airline has said we will only talk to you if you have a ryanair part, we don't want to get involved in talks with pilots from other airlines. so this is a u—turn from ryanair. other airlines. so this is a u—turn from rya nair. they other airlines. so this is a u—turn from ryanair. they are trying to process this. i imagined by monday morning, peace and goodwill will have spread across the airline world. michael o'leary in his christmas jumper! the mother of missing airman, corrie mckeague has announced that the reward for information about his disappearance has doubled to £100,000. and she believes the inquiry could become a criminal investigation. corrie disappeared during a night out in bury st edmunds more than a year ago.

richard smith reports. and a second search of a landfill site found no trace of him. speaking to bbc scotland tonight, nicola urquhart launched a fresh appeal for evidence and called for police to pursue new lines of inquiry. police believe corrie mckeague was taken away in a bin lorry. suffolk police have confirmed their second search at a landfill site was ending, content he wasn't in the area. aforesa id ending, content he wasn't in the area. aforesaid investigation into his disappearance would continue. tonight, nicola urquhart offered a £50,000 reward, and it has now been doubled. colin davey has upped the reward to £100,000 if someone can come forward with information that would lead us to finding him. we are specific because we have been given information in the past that the police are aware of. if those bits of information were correct, this would be a criminal investigation, without a shadow of a doubt because of the information we have been given. she didn't say what the

information was. she suggested senior police officers had not known about it. this, her appeal to people who have previously come forward. those people have spoken to us and i would plead for anybody involved who has spoken to us in the past, who has spoken to us in the past, who has spoken to the police, please get backin has spoken to the police, please get back in touch again. there are several theories about what happened to corrie mckeague. police said they will scrutinise all of them as they strive to find him. richard smith, bbc look east. in california 8000 firefighters are still battling a huge wildfire, which has been burning for 11 days. the blaze has now destroyed an area larger than new york city and paris combined, and is on track to become the largest wildfire in the state's history. 0ne firefighter has died, a 32—year—old man who leaves behind his pregnant wife and two—year—old daughter. a mounted police officer and a police worker who claimed liverpool fans burned a horse with cigarettes during the hillsborough disaster will not face criminal charges. the former south yorkshire police

policeman and the civilian farrier were accused of making up the story. both men were referred to the crown prosecution service by the police watchdog. a bus driver has been sacked for forgetting that a four—year—old boy was still onboard his school minibus. the child was left alone after the bus was returned to a depot in inverness. the little boy then attempted to walk the six miles back to his home before being spotted by passers—by and taken to a police station. craig anderson has more. primary one people, john robertson, had only been taking the bus for a week when his homeward journey last friday turned into a nightmare, for him and his parents. when the minibus failed to drop the four—year—old at his door, his pa rents four—year—old at his door, his parents became increasingly anxious and launched searches around the school and near his home. obviously,

he had to get off the bus. i don't know how long he had been on the bus, he just know how long he had been on the bus, hejust said he know how long he had been on the bus, he just said he was crying waiting for the bus driver to come back. after he got off, you cross two roads and then he was approached by two nice members of the public who found him. well his dad was on the phone to the police to report him missing, a report came in two passers—by in a car had spotted him wondering distressed on the industrial estate the bus company has its depot. they took until a police station. he was scared but relieved two people approached him. they said it took him a while to trust them to get into the car. which good, but i am glad it was those two strangers that found him and nobody else. the company has offered their apologies and said the driver has been dismissed for gross

misconduct. highland council, which issues the contracts for school transport has launched an enquiry. the coach company is being asked to account for what happened. i hope some vital lessons will be learned so some vital lessons will be learned so something like this can never happen again. a lot of people are saying there should be chaperones on the bus and i agree with that. but is why we are doing what we are doing. it is all about safety, we we re doing. it is all about safety, we were lucky we can get to tuck him in anae, someone else might not be so fortu nate. anae, someone else might not be so fortunate. craig anderson, reporting scotland, inverness. let's get the weather with louise. the first temperatures to greet us on saturday morning is just below freezing. there will be a good slice of sunshine once the early—morning

frost has lifted. add to northern ireland, wales on south—west england, there will be more in the way of cloud and a trail of showers in the afternoon. where we have seen the frost, despite sunshine, temperatures will struggle. the cloud and the showers, it will be milder. the weather front will move in from the atlantic, the winds change direction to mother south—westerly but that means rain for all of us at some point during the day on sunday. starting heavy and widespread to the west, pushing steadily east as we go through the day, but milder, top temperatures by the middle of the afternoon, seven to 11 degrees. take care. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines... eu leaders meeting in brussels have agreed to move on to the second stage of brexit talks with the uk. this is an important step on the

road to delivering the smooth and orderly brexit that people voted for injune of last orderly brexit that people voted for in june of last year. opening the second phase of our negotiations wouldn't be possible without the unity of the eu 27, the hard work of michel barnier and the constructive effort of prime minister theresa may. ajudge has called for an inquiry into the collapse of a rape trial, after it emerged police did not reveal crucial evidence to the defence. ryanair agrees to recognise pilots' unions for the first time — in an attempt to avert strike action in the run—up to christmas. kensington palace says prince harry and megan markle will marry on 18th may next year. on 19th may next year. back out of the news that the uk and

eu are moving onto the next phase of brexit negotiations. well, christian fraser has been following developments for us through the day from brussels. it has been a roller—coaster year in terms of the brexit negotiation, evenin terms of the brexit negotiation, even in the last two weeks, we have had ups and downs. but perhaps as the leaders go off into the night at the leaders go off into the night at the end of this last summit of the year, it has finish on a fairly positive note. just looking at donald tusk‘s tweet today, clearly they thought there had been enough progress on the first stage of the negotiation, but the congratulations for that given to the prime minister. they have helped her along, there has been some give and ta ke along, there has been some give and take on both sides, they have reset deadlines. i think what we take away from this summit is that the eu side really does want a deal with theresa may. they see her as their best chance for a smooth brexit. and also they think that with her they can enjoy that there aren't the same sort of hiccups that we might have seen over sort of hiccups that we might have seen over the

sort of hiccups that we might have seen over the course sort of hiccups that we might have seen over the course of the last eight or nine months. we can speak to damian grammaticus, our europe correspondent, about that just to damian grammaticus, our europe correspondent, about thatjust is that the case that they see theresa may as their best chance?|j that the case that they see theresa may as their best chance? i think they want a stable prime minister in they want a stable prime minister in the uk who can make difficult compromises for the uk, because that is going to continue to happen, and who can deliver those. that is crucial to the eu side. there was a real audible sigh of relief in this building today. it is interesting at the end of this year it is quite a good point to take stock, because we had the triggering of article 50 at the beginning of the year, all sorts of confusion about what was going to happen, real down points when it looked like everything might fall apart, and they‘ re looked like everything might fall apart, and they're back on track, and that's what matters to the europeans i think. talking about the transition, there are very narrow para meters transition, there are very narrow parameters which the european commission is setting, relating parameters which the european commission is settir ecj, lating ‘fi is

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i it gfifjfi’ifgz’zzzz ?f”f’i§’§ff:i. ..—.. . . . z . .. . . emphasis on the eu maintaining that unity. because i think they've emphasis on the eu maintaining that unity. b one se i think they've emphasis on the eu maintaining that unity. b one big think they've emphasis on the eu maintaining that unity. b one big ifggjzheyve emphasis on the eu maintaining that unity. b one big 5551: from e emphasis on the eu maintaining that unity. b one big 5551: from this learned one big lesson from this last few months, which is that they are very much stronger negotiating with the uk when they maintain this united front. and i think that they will do their arguing behind closed doors and then face the uk. and i think we've seen, actually, even in the guidelines today, you are talking about narrow parameters —

the eu side is laying out very clearly what it expects will be the terms of a transition to come. and those are pretty restrictive for the uk. there is quite a lot to swallow in there, but this is exactly what happened in the first stage of the negotiation. so, in the new year they move on to that next part of they move on to that next part of the negotiation. 0ne they move on to that next part of the negotiation. one thing we should just say about the withdrawal process , just say about the withdrawal process, they are saying in the document today that they expect the withdrawal agreement to be put into a legally binding text, and there is still some work to finish on that, particularly when it comes to citizens rights. they're hoping that that can be done in parallel with the talks about the future negotiation. that is the situation here in brussels at the end of this eu summit. just on this topic, some breaking news coming via our political editor, laura kuenssberg, concerning the potential rebellion theresa may was facing from her own backbenches. you will recall on wednesday that crucial vote that was

lost in the commons, because of 11 tory mps who decided to vote against the tory whip. there was a sense that they were still not happy and that they were still not happy and that next week, this coming week, there was going to be another challenge to the government over that whole issue of the date for brexit being put on the face page of the brexit appeal. but we are now hearing from laura kuenssberg that those rebels have agreed an amendment. we are not exactly sure the precise nature of the compromise but it is about the brexit date, which should mean that the government is almost certain to avoid a potential defeat in the commons next week. so, no repeat of this week's disappointment for theresa may. the tories have issued a joint statement in the name of dominic grieve, saying that this is a welcome resolution. with all the changes, where exactly do we stand as the withdrawal date approaches? chris morris looks ahead to what the next phase of talks will be about.

negotiations will focus initially on a transition period of about two yea rs a transition period of about two years after brexit, with the aim of giving business some extra certainty. except the uk no longer has a seat at the decision—making table. for example the eu says that the uk will have to follow all regulations including new ones approved during the transition. the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice will still jurisdiction of the european court of justice will still apply jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice will still apply in full. and free movement of people will continue, too. the eu says that means the uk is staying in the single market and customs union. the british government doesn't agree and it says we will leave both of these on the 29th of march 2019. it could become a dispute over a form of

words, but politically it is important. so, lots to negotiate, but time is short. if all goes to plan, more eu guidelines will be issued next mark, allowing talks on the future relationship to start on things like security, foreign policy and, of course, trade. the eu says formal trade negotiations cannot begin legally until after the uk has left in 2019. by october next year there could be a paper setting out broad political ambitions for future trade, perhaps 50 pages long. contrast that with the eu's free—trade agreement with canada, a potential future model which free—trade agreement with canada, a potentialfuture model which is more than 1500 pages. the government wa nts to than 1500 pages. the government wants to be more ambitious and finish trade talks as quickly as possible. and realistically, says the eu, they will continue long after brexit has actually happened. time for some light relief now.

willjoe dazzle with the jive? or will alexandra waltz off with the glitterball? well for strictly fans, excitement will be running at fever pitch tonight as the last minute sequins are sewn on for the strictly final tomorrow. this series has been the first since the departure of judge len goodman, but fans have stayed glued to the action on the dancefloor. in fact, this year has been the most popular of all for the bbc one show. so will it be a vintage final? joining me now is tv critic emma bullimore, and a big fan of strictly. it is great to have you with us. we mentioned len goodman going and sometimes you think it is the end of an era — has that impacted on this series, do you think? we were certainly worried because he was such a force on the show, but shirley has been absolutely brilliant, very technical, which i

personally like and she has really gone down well. and she has got a nice manner, hasn't she? 0n the judging panel they need a contrast of characters and she does a nice line in critique but also support and enthusiasm ? line in critique but also support and enthusiasm? exactly, and good fun. the relationship between her and bruno is fantastic. she's not afraid to put craig in place when necessary. long may she continue. we're down to the final four. we've got debbie mcgee, alexandra burke, gemma atkinson and joe mcfadden. and the money seems to be onjoe? gemma atkinson and joe mcfadden. and the money seems to be onjoe7m does, which nobody saw coming. i think debbie and alexandra are the best a nswers think debbie and alexandra are the best answers but it is notjust about that. joe has had the journey, which everybody talks about, and he has never been in the dance—off! gemma is an outside bet but she has a great relationship with aljaz, who's very popular so, that might have an effect. people have got behind debbie mcgee, because for many people, we get used to seeing

these athletic young people and we think of course they can dance very well — this is a mature woman who has shown she has an extraordinary talent? absolutely, and actually nobody over a0 has ever won strictly. if it were to be her or joe, that would be a first. this is a show for everyone. people have said that debbie has had a little bit of training in the past — that was quite a long time ago, to be fair! she has been sensational, as has alexandra. the quality of dancing tomorrow will be amazing. and alexandra certainly, thejudges have been so complimentary about her — she's got this amazing enthusiasm and energy, but it does bring up this age—old debate of, is it about whether you've got some foot in the world of dance already, have you had a bit of training, and it makes it difficult? yeah, some would say she has got an advantage because she has beenin has got an advantage because she has been in west end musicals. she would

say, i've just been in west end musicals. she would say, i'vejust done been in west end musicals. she would say, i've just done some pop dancing. the fact is, it's not her fault. she has had a lot of flak online. she's been asked to do the show — she's doing it. and the standard is so high. it is not like series one, where you could probably b&i motor. ithink series one, where you could probably b&i motor. i think good luck to her. do you think we will ever see a situation where a true amateurs could win it any more? junie joe is an amateurand he could win it any more? junie joe is an amateur and he could very well been. everybody has got some kind of advantage you fear you are a sports person or an actor or whatever. everybody has got something to help them. it is very wide open this year. how are you going to be watching? i will be there! year. how are you going to be watching? iwill be there! i'm year. how are you going to be watching? i will be there! i'm so excited! you are a very lucky woman. thank you very much forjoining us tonight, emma bullimore. now, it is time for newswatch. hello, welcome to newswatch

with me, samira ahmed. today we've got a special edition of newswatch. we're devoting the whole show to an exclusive interview with the outgoing director of news and current affairs, james harding. we ask him about his record during his four years in the role, and what advice he has for his successor, fran unsworth, who's just been appointed. so, come the new year, bbc news will have a new boss. james harding is off to set up his own news media venture. but who is he and what challenges has he faced? james joined the bbc in 2013, having left his previous role as editor of the times newspaper the year before. it was his first job in broadcasting, heading up the largest broadcast news operation in the world. he presided over bbc news during one of the most divisive times in recent british political history. the scottish independence referendum, brexit, and two general elections.

he's also had to deal with a series of pay rows at bbc news, including the pay gap between male and female presenters. but he is credited with the appointment of the bbc‘s first female political editor, laura kuenssberg. james's replacement will be fran unsworth, a long—term bbc journalist who is currently his deputy, and director of the bbc world service. well, i've been speaking to james harding and began by asking him about brexit, and what he says to the many viewers who thought the bbc was part of the establishment during the eu referendum. clearly favouring remain. i think that the referendum was, of course, an incredibly polarising time, as you say, samira. but actually what's interesting is, of course, we've had complaints from both sides and what we try to do, and i think when you look back and you look at the coverage, what we actually did do, was set about trying to explain what the choice was, trying to report out what the choice was. if you look back over the last few years, there have been an extraordinary number

of democratic moments, two referendums, two general elections, a host of others around the world. i think one of the real lessons of the last few years is you can't predict what's going to happen. you can't rely on either political predictions or polls, and that means for us we have to do what we're here for, we've got to make sure that people get a sense of what the choice is. you mention the need for the bbc to provide informed news about that issue, and there was a big accusation from many viewers that the bbc was in fact, during the referendum, too timid in calling out things, notably statistical claims being made by one side or another that just weren't true. there's no question at all, the bbc and, as a news organisation, a group of journalists, what we set out to do is to understand the world presented to us and make choices. in that there is no question at all that the bbc has to make judgments, and we do.