hello. this is breakfast with steph mcgovern. universities have been warned that they must allow free speech and that they must be places that open minds and not close them, according to university ministerjo johnson. good morning. it's tuesday the 26th of december. also this morning: the boxing day sales used to be a big dealfor bargain—hunters, but new bbc research suggests that the traditional post—christmas spending spree is losing its appeal. it's the shot dominating this morning's front pages. we will ask the well—wishers who bagged the shot

ofa the well—wishers who bagged the shot of a lifetime how she did it. we'll meet the 11—year—old boy whose runs to raise funds for the hospital which treated his younger brother have attracted celebrity support. in sport, avoiding an ashes whitewash is england's task now. but australia have dominated the opening day of the fourth test in melbourne — david warner with a scintillating century. some parts of the uk officially had a white christmas, but what can we expect this boxing day? philip has all the weather for us. good morning. yes, at last at least for some there was a white christmas. i will have the details on whether many more of you will see something a bit like this injust many more of you will see something a bit like this in just a few minutes. thank you, phil. good morning. first, our main story. the universities minister, jojohnson, will use a speech today to give his clearest warning yet that academic institutions must protect free speech. he'll say students must be able to both hear and challenge controversial views during their years of study. some universities and student groups have refused entry to speakers, edward curwen reports.

time spent at university must open minds, not close them. that's the view ofjojohnson, the universities minister, who will today set out a firm defence of free speech on campus. speaking at a jewish cultural festival in birmingham, he will say students must be free to challenge each other‘s views, and groups seeking to stifle those who do not agree with them must be stopped. his defence of open debate comes after speakers on subjects from the state of israel to transgender rights have faced bans, sometimes by student unions, for having views considered inappropriate. others have demanded so—called safe spaces, where they won't hear about issues they may find upsetting. mrjohnson will say this cannot be tolerated, reiterating universities have an obligation to protect free speech and encourage frank and rigorous debate. from next april, a new regulator, the office for students, will have the power to fine universities that fail to uphold free speech. the body representing british universities said it would not allow legitimate debate be stifled.

the challenge for university leaders will be deciding where to draw the line between extremist speech and a frank exchange of views. edward curwen, bbc news. the royal navy says there has been an increase in the number of russian ships travelling through or near the uk's territorial waters over the festive period. on christmas day, hms st albans was sent to escort a russian warship through the north sea as it passed close to uk waters. defence secretary gavin williamson said he will not "tolerate any form of aggression". a british woman being held on suspicion of drug—smuggling will appear in court in egypt later this morning. laura plummer was arrested in october when officials found 290 tramadol tablets in her suitcase, which are legal in the uk, but not in egypt. the shop assistant from hull says she was carrying the pills for her egyptian partner, who suffers from back pain. millions are expected to head out

to the boxing day sales, marking the start of a what has traditionally been a crucial period for retailers across the uk. our reporterjohn mcmanus is on oxford street in london. the queues are definitely forming? they have started to arrive, as you can see behind me, and there are queues that way as well. there are crash barriers in place at selfridge's. they haven't been needed yet but perhaps they will come into their own in an hour when the doors open. but we do know that these boxing day sales seem to have lost some of their sparkle compared to previous years. there used to be people camping out overnight. that wasn't the case last night. why is that? we know that many people shop online, beginning their boxing day shopping on christmas day in the comfort of their own home, and we know from the bbc survey that many

people feel that black friday has taken some of the sheen away from the boxing day sales, so perhaps retailers will have to decide where they target their discounts, either before or after christmas. but retailers definitely hoping people will come out and spend today. they say across britain £4 billion will be spent today, and here in london they are particularly relying on foreign buyers, foreign tourists coming here and spending their money, perhaps taking advantage of the weaker pound, especially in high end shops like selfridge's here. the retail association which covers the west end of london say they expect about a third of the purchases over the coming week to be made by people who are visiting london, so that is a group that retailers are really counting on. they want people to come out today and perhaps bulk up their fortunes. john, thank you very much for your time this morning. the nhs has promised to cut back on prescribing gluten—free biscuits, pasta and anti—dandruff shampoo.

a study by the taxpayers alliance has found many items which are prescribed by gps in england are available in supermarkets, often at a much cheaper price. nick quraishi reports. the taxpayers' alliance has highlighted a number of items it says were prescribed on the nhs last year. they include this sunscreen. a non—branded version is available for half the price. branded gluten—free biscuits, significantly more expensive than a supermarket equivalent. ibuprofen, 30% cheaper away from the nhs. and colgate toothpaste, over—the—counter it is a seventh of the cost. the taxpayers' alliance says... in response, an nhs england spokesman said... the health service says

it is already reviewing ten items it claims are ineffective, unnecessary and inappropriate for prescription. nick quraishi, bbc news. it has officially been a white christmas in the uk for some, with areas of cumbria and the south of scotland recording light snowfall. have a look at these pictures. the last time we had an official white christmas was three years ago, when parts of the northern isles in scotland saw some snow. more wintry showers are expected — we'll get the latest from phil in the weather centre in ten minutes. it is just it isjust coming up it is just coming up to it isjust coming up to eight minutes past eight. last christmas, ii—year—old george decided he wanted to raise some money for the hospital that helped to save his younger brother's life. since then, he's run 110 miles with celebrities including sir chris hoy,

and has raised more than £55,000. we'll chat to george and his family in a moment but first mike bushell has been looking back on his achievements so far. a year ago, when george mattias set off on his journey running a mile on anglesey, which was filmed on the camera he got for christmas, he never imagined who'd join him over the next 12 months. like the former liverpool captain steven gerrard. what does it mean to you to be an ambassador for alder hay? it means an awful lot to me, because i've spent a lot of time at alder hey and i've seen the children. as word spread, olympic champions such as rebecca adlington were queueing up to get involved. is everyone ok? my legs are ok! sweating a little bit, i have got a little bit of a sweat on. the momentum was building, as comedian john bishop supported the cause. george is doing this because his brother is in alder hey,

and if you want to know how good alder hey is, look how far ahead james is. and even let george run down the runway of liverpool'sjohn lennon airport one morning. when it was closed, of course. and coronation street's alan halsall joined in. george has run over 100 miles now. and each celebrity that takes the challenge nominates the next person. george, ladies and gentlemen, james, and the rest of the family, i would like to nominate tv‘s mike bushell. thanks, dan, because this was one of the highlights of my sporting year. and, like everyone else, i was delighted to see george get royal approval, and the fundraiser of the year title, at the pride of britain award. and here is george with his mum and dad, and his younger brother, james. i've got to ask, george, have you had a good christmas? very nice. and

was santa kind to your? yes! i am very pleased to hear it. mum and dad, watching that, you must be very proud. for something started as a small idea, to see it escalate in the way that it did, be careful what you start, i think! and george is basically a celebrity now! why did you decide to do it? it was all about your brother, wasn't it? when james was little, he stopped breathing, so we rushed him to alder hey, and it took a few days, they saved his life. and ever since, my mum and dad have been supporting alder hey. and i thought of a few ideas to help them as well, and i thought of a few ideas like cupcakes, but i didn't really get onto it. and i thought of doing running. and it has gone really

well. it has gone more than really well, it has gone amazingly well! did you ever think you would end of doing so many miles with so many celebrities? it is incredible really with the amount of population who have run with george on the amount of people that want to do a run. and we can see a picture there of you running with john bishop. we can see a picture there of you running withjohn bishop. what has it been like? you have a superstar son here, and the wonderfuljames as well. it has been the most amazing year. we have been to so many various places, we have ran on the one where liverpool airport, we ran through a furniture store, it has been passed fantastic. and getting children involved as well, so the boys' friends from school, we had the local school in the summer to do a run with george, and it has been fantastic, and the celebrities as

well have been so supportive of george and james. i think it is lucky they get to run with you, george! and james, what do you feel like about it all? you must be proud of your big brother. because he has really helped you, hasn't he? and do you like running, too? yes. have you plans to do more, george? we thought of doing a marathon for every year we've had james. that's loads! a marathon is really far. do you like running, then? it's amazing. ifind ita running, then? it's amazing. ifind it a great hobby, and i would love to inspire more kids. and richard, tell us what these plans for the future will involve. more running, more people, and we have got some people lined up to do it, obviously we have mike bushell, and he has nominated naga, so she is going to do it. she is quite fit! so george

has read his total, it was a mile for every month, which he has done, that was 85. now he wants to do a marathon for every year, which is 208 miles, so that is the target for 2018. so do you practice a lot, george? i just 2018. so do you practice a lot, george? ijust go for it. and running is a big part of it. where will you do your running, do you know? i do it anywhere, really. what has been your favourite place? the airport. it was really good, on the runway. it was closed. it was so fun, it felt like you were actually a plane. did you feel like you were going to take off! and you went to the pride of britain awards?|j going to take off! and you went to the pride of britain awards? i liked meeting all the celebrities. and what has been your most fun thing, james? running! youtube will be

likely brownlee brothers! will you be competitive when you are older, do you like to run? do you know what you want to do when you get older?|j don't know yet. well, you have plenty of time! thank you for coming in to talk to us this morning. you are in the middle of your christmas, so are in the middle of your christmas, soi are in the middle of your christmas, so i will let you go back to it. thank you for coming in, and good luck with everything. thank you. it is just luck with everything. thank you. it isjust coming luck with everything. thank you. it is just coming up to luck with everything. thank you. it isjust coming up to a luck with everything. thank you. it is just coming up to a quarter past eight. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. the main stories this morning. universities are warned by the government they must allow students to hear controversial views in order to protect free speech. boxing day bargain hunting could be losing its appeal, according to new bbc research, as shops open their doors for the traditional sales. here's phil with a look at this morning's weather. is it good weather for running?

pretty bracing, you've got to keep moving to not freeze up. many of us have been basking in ten or 12 degrees, but this is what happened overnight. have been basking in ten or 12 degrees, but this is what happened overnight. a little snow came through, as we were expecting, and now that threat receding as the whole activity moves off into the north sea. still a few showers across northern and western parts, and ice is a risk, receding all the while through the course of the morning, but you have that lying snow to contend with. this is how it is if you are off to the sales. showers are there to be had from northern ireland and particularly into the north west of england, but it isa into the north west of england, but it is a much brighter day. if people have been queueing for the start of the sales, they will notice the difference in temperatures. it was ten or ii difference in temperatures. it was ten or 11 degrees, but now it is four or five. but you ten or 11 degrees, but now it is four orfive. but you have ten or 11 degrees, but now it is four or five. but you have the

chance of some sunshine if you are not in the showers. the most obvious change perhaps if you are down in the southern half of britain is the transformation from this scene ca ptu red transformation from this scene captured by one of our weather watchers looking across torbay into this scene, really wet and windy, and that threat moving all the while up and that threat moving all the while up into wales, the midlands, towards east anglia, getting towards the top end of east anglia, around early evening. notice the temperatures, five, six, 7 degrees. all the while, the showers turning more wintry across the northern half of scotland. that is not the end of the wintry theme. as the cold air is allowed to move further south is that massive cloud and wind and rain moves into the north sea, a real transformation into something more wintry for wales, the peaks of the

pennines and down into the midlands, so pennines and down into the midlands, so the start of wednesday, that could be wintry, there could be lying snow in wales and the midlands, and quite wet until the whole system moves off into the north sea, and once it does, we are all back into something a good deal brighter but colder, and because it is so cold, even across the moors in the south—west, those showers could indeed be wintry. so if all that christmas pudding has forced you to think about getting out and into this glorious weather, just be aware, particularly over high ground, the going could be treacherous, and a little bit wintry. but if you are staying lower level like me, you will be in for a glorious but chilly day. that doesn't sound too shabby, thank you very much. and now we are going to get the

sport. the cricket hasn't been good, but hopefully we will get some pride now? it hasn't been looking good. australia have already taken the lead on the first day of the fourth test, they are leading 3—0. england arejust test, they are leading 3—0. england are just looking to test, they are leading 3—0. england arejust looking to avoid test, they are leading 3—0. england are just looking to avoid a whitewash, it is the second consecutive series they would have suffered that. but it is looking like they will go 4—0 down. it's fair to say australia had the best of day one, of the fourth ashes test — and our reporter patrick gearey was watching in melbourne — patrick that's really not the start england would've wanted, is it? i think right from the off, this was a lwa ys i think right from the off, this was always going to be a lot of

hard—working, from always going to be a lot of ha rd—working, from the always going to be a lot of hard—working, from the moment england were put into the field on a warm day after losing the toss, it looked from omen like david warner would score any amount of runs for his side. they had a hundred before lunch. england came in after the interval and got rid of cameron bancroft, and they thought they had got rid of warner on 99, but it was ano got rid of warner on 99, but it was a no ball, he was reinstated and the very next delivery he got his 100, and the mcg roared his approval, a great celebration from warner who was obviously so relieved not to be out on 99, which would be frustrating for him. he didn't last that much longer, caught behind off james anderson. then the paa joe went for 400 deliveries, and he nearly got shaun marsh over the next delivery, but the umpire's decision was upheld. steve smith, the

immovable australia captain, and marsh, went all the way to the close. smith got to the end of play unbeaten perhaps even an beatable, and that is the worry for in blood. the pace of this game is pretty slow. it looks like the team that makes the most mistakes will lose, and unfortunately for england so far in this area is, that has very much been them. it is not looking good, patrick, thank you very much. let's ta ke patrick, thank you very much. let's take a look at the football. more festive fixtures with eight games today — leaders manchester city play newcastle tomorrow but in this afternoon's early kick—off, tottenham meet southampton with (tx harry kane looking to break a record held by alan shearer. kane's hat—trick in saturday's win over burnley put him level with shearer on 36 goals in the calendar year. manchester united's task today is to narrow the 14—point gap between themselves and manchester city at the top of the table. they're at home to burnley today. united slipped up at the weekend, allowing leicester to equalise in injury time — but burnley manager sean dyche knows

that doesn't mean his side will get an easy ride. they still look a high—quality group of players to me. i was there recently, when they had to dig in and get a win, actually, against a brighton side that played very well. but that's the mark of a good side. you know, if it's not quite their day or the other team are playing well, they still come out of it with result. so i don't think we're going there expecting it to be anything other than a tough game. everton‘s fortunes have been on the up since sam allardyce took over — they're aiming to extend their unbeaten premier league run to six games when they face west bromwich albion away later. in contrast, west brom are still without a win in the league since august. definitely in that dressing room, for me, there's enough quality. they've just got to believe in it. and a little bit of good fortune, get a win somewhere along the line, and suddenly one or two of these players will blossom. but there's one or two still playing a little bit hampered. in the late kick—off, liverpool host

bottom of the table swansea, who are still the king for a new manager after sacking paul clement last week. liverpool's last game was there a 3—3 draw with arsenal on friday, so they have had an extra day to recover, but managerjurgen klopp knows a side in trouble can be a dangerous one. they are under pressure. and that's clear, because they fight for the league, 100%. and that will not change until boxing day. but we will be ready. and, yeah, we will perform. just one game in the scottish premiership is often come up with champions celtic away to dundee. the nicky henderson trained might bite is the favourite this afternoon, and faces a strong field. he has only raised twice since his victory 12 months ago, and has been beaten both times. now some great news from the

tennis world. serena williams said she'd get back on the tennis circuit pretty quickly, after giving birth to herfirst child — and she's announced her return. she'll play an exhibition match against jelena ostapenko in abu dhabi next week — it'll be four months since her daughter alexis arrived. williams hasn't played since she won the australian open injanuary, and although she hasn't yet decided whether she'll be defending her title, the tournament organisers have said it's very likely. she is an incredible force, serena williams. she is. she said, i will be back quickly, no problem. and i bet her rivals will say, this isa and i bet her rivals will say, this is a chance to do a bit better. i think as a tennis player, you would love to play her, either of the williams sisters, just to be pa rt the williams sisters, just to be part of that is incredible, but to come back so quickly after giving birth. iam come back so quickly after giving birth. i am struggling to think about going back to the gym after christmas day! and have you this morning, which is

on all the front covers? this is a picture of the royal family, on all the front covers? this is a picture of the royalfamily, this is the two world cup was there, prince william, kate middleton, meghan markle and prince harry, walking across the sandringham estate to the church service yesterday. here's why this is interesting. photographers from all over the world wanted to get the perfect picture of meghan markle and the rest of the royal family on their way to church yesterday. but it was a lady called karen who had popped down the road to sandringham that got the perfect shot. shejoins us now on the line from norfolk. good morning, karen. hello. can you believe it? no, i can't believe it at all. there i am! and literally, your picture is on every front cover, pretty much, of all the papers. how does that feel? in one word, overwhelming. i have had five

likes maybe an eight week before. but it is a nice photo, i like it. it is lovely, but it is bonkers, and there is another word for you! so tell us how you managed to get that shot. paint the picture for us, how did you get the perfect picture?|j did you get the perfect picture?” was with my daughter rachel and my friend sara, and i literally, and i hate to sound like a bit of a geek here. but we were there early. i can get a bit excitable, and the fact that it was just lucky, it was pure luck. i took it on my iphone. and it was just a great picture. luck. i took it on my iphone. and it wasjust a great picture. so you shouted merry christmas, they turned around and gave you a smile, and then what happened ? around and gave you a smile, and then what happened? you put the

picture on facebook and twitter and the like? this is embarrassing, but i couldn't remember if meghan had an hin i couldn't remember if meghan had an h in her name or not. so i put her name on the bbc website just to say, royals are attending, so i put my picture in the comments, and the rest, they say, is history. absolutely mad. so are you able to make any money from this picture? there are a lot of photographers hanging around who will have been paid to get that shot. yes, i hope so paid to get that shot. yes, i hope so now. paid to get that shot. yes, i hope so now. i didn't think like that initially. so at first, people at abc and things were saying, can we share your photo, we will give you credit, and i was saying, yes, of course. because i didn't understand it. and then i approached a sky news lady, and she said, no, you've got

to charge. and now i have a guy looking after me. and hopefully this will help my daughter. she wants to go into some form of nursing, and i wa nt to go into some form of nursing, and i want to be able to support her as her mum. excellent. karen, it is lovely to talk to you, i know you are in high demand today, so thank you for giving us a few minutes, and not charging us as well! take care, goodbye. what a great story! i bet the photographers were annoyed! it is just the photographers were annoyed! it isjust coming the photographers were annoyed! it is just coming up to 8.20 eight. it was the moment dr who fans had been waiting for — a glimpse of the first female doctor, jodie whittaker. she's replaced peter ca paldi at the end of last night's christmas special. let's take a look. dramatic music. oh, brilliant!

there we have it. the big moment. joining us now from chelmsford is entertainment journalist emma bullimore. she wasn't on the screen for long, but was it worth it, do you think? absolutely. the expectations for any doctor who special will always be sky high, and then you throw in the fa ct sky high, and then you throw in the fact that you are going to get a new doctor, it doesn't happen very often. we didn't see a very long, but it was fantastic. and that marks the end of a nearerfour but it was fantastic. and that marks the end of a nearer four peter capaldi and stephen moore fat. how do you think they will be remembered? there have been amazing moments over the years, but this was a special goodbye from steven moffatt. we had snow, we had a reference from the first doctor, we

had the first world war, we had jenna,, it was a beautiful swan song, and they wrote the whole episode right up until the last minute, and then a new era begins. what are your thoughts on the new era? there was controversy about the gender of the dr, but we seem to be all over that now. what do you think jodie whittaker brings to the part? she is a fantastic actress, nobody has debated that. it has always been whether people can get on board with a female doctor. despite the tiny backlash, people are really excited for somebody different. she is fantastic in the outfit, really quirky and fun. she's going to bring so quirky and fun. she's going to bring so much to the role. bradley walsh is joining so much to the role. bradley walsh isjoining committees so much to the role. bradley walsh is joining committees very popular, it'll be interesting to see what he does is the companion. people can't wait for the new episodes in 2018. how important is it for the survival

of doctor who, the fact that they do regenerate the doctor?” of doctor who, the fact that they do regenerate the doctor? ijust think it adds some fun to it, doesn't it? when they finished with the first doctor, what do you do? do you accept that there is no longer a show, or do you try and a new life into it? it is a chance for new viewers tojoin, maybe if into it? it is a chance for new viewers to join, maybe if people haven't watched doctor who before, unbelievable but it is true! it is unique to the show. a lot of people will give it a go now if they haven't been watching in the peter capaldi ref. haven't been watching in the peter ca paldi ref. why haven't been watching in the peter capaldi ref. why not have a go with jodie whittaker? it will breathe new life into it once again. do you think it'll feel different? that might worry some doctor who fans?- with every new doctor, it will feel com pletely with every new doctor, it will feel completely different but exactly the same, if you know what i mean. it'll bea same, if you know what i mean. it'll be a new actor and there will be new storylines. that doctor who well,

the sense that anything can happen, the sense that anything can happen, the fund, the humour, the drama, the adventure, all of that is going to be the same. if you have been a long—standing doctor who fan, nothing to worry about at all. chris chuck noll has already written for the show and is a massive fan it, we are in safe hands. emma, thank you so are in safe hands. emma, thank you so much for your time. and you can watch doctor who: twice upon a time on the bbc iplayer. stay with us, headlines coming up. hello, this is breakfast with steph mcgovern. here's a summary of this morning's main news: the universities minister, jojohnson, will issue his clearest

warning yet that universities must protect free speech. he will say students must be able both to hear and challenge controversial views during their years of study. some universities and student groups have refused entry to speakers advocating disputed points of view. the body representing british universities said it would not allow legitimate debate to be stifled. millions of shoppers are expected to head out to the boxing day sales today. it marks the start of a what has traditionally been a crucial period for retailers across the uk. but the majority of shoppers surveyed by bbc radio 4's you & yours programme believe online shopping and early black friday deals have made the post—christmas sales less appealing. a british woman being held on suspicion of drug—smuggling will appear in court in egypt later this morning. laura plummer was arrested in october when officials found 290 tramadol tablets in her suitcase.

the tablets are legal in the uk, but not in egypt. the shop assistant from hull says she was carrying the pills for her egyptian partner, who suffers from back pain. the royal navy says there has been an increase in the number of russian ships travelling through or near the uk's territorial waters over the festive period. on christmas day, hms st albans was sent to escort a russian warship through the north sea as it passed close to uk waters. defence secretary gavin williamson said he "will not tolerate any form of aggression". it has been officially declared a white christmas in the uk for some, with areas in cumbria and the south of scotla nd with areas in cumbria and the south of scotland recording light snowfall. the last time we had an official white christmas was three yea rs official white christmas was three years ago, when parts of the northern isles in scotland saw a little bit of snow. more wintry

showers are expected today. those are the main stories this morning. now on breakfast, if you've got any gadgets or gizmos in your stocking, you're going to want to pay attention to this special christmas edition of click. ‘twas the night before clickmas, and all through the smarthome, not a gizmo was whirring, not even a drone. the stockings were full with gadgets galore, with virtual realities primed to explore. # the very next day you gave it away # this year, to save me from tears # i'llgive it

to...# and welcome to the clickmas special! cheering. and thank you very much to john culshaw for that excellent rendition to start us off. would you believe it? the gang's all here, the halls are decked with nifty gadgetry, and it's time to get this party started. ooh! look at that! this is the lyric speaker, and it streams music from your smartphone from spotify, and it also picks up the lyrics from spotify and displays it on the screen for you all to stare at, rather than having a sociable conversation. and if you do want something to talk about, you can talk about the fact that this costs £3600. wow! yes, so there we go. does it play mariah carey? technically, it does, but we can't afford the licensing. well, i tell you what, i've got a christmas present for you, spencer. fabulous. you've always wanted to be a jedi knight, i know this in my heart. yes. you have always wanted to have a lightsabre battle. oh, yes. with this augmented reality star wars battling headset, you can. fabulous.

can i try it now? yes, but you're going to have to go over there, because i know you and your waving arms, you're going to knock something over. 0k. while i get lost in a galaxy far, far away, dan is getting lost in his favourite video game. come on, come on! come on! come on, come on, come on, come on, come on! i've just crashed it! he laughs. it's a stunning game, and i'd love to tell you it'sjust like driving the real thing but... i can't just yet. this is the nissan gt—r. its four—wheel drive

traction—control system lays down almost all of the 550 horses from the engine to the tarmac. it has a top speed that would make your nose bleed, and been clocked from 0—60 in under three seconds. i am ready to go again! sorry? 0h, bleep! oh, my...! yeah, you want to be a little bit... so we've played the game, we've driven the car, so how about... ...we do both?

this is a full—size, fully—specced remote—controlled nissan gt—r/c. it's been made by the team atjlb design, and is driven by a standard playstation controller. four robots control the transmission, steering, throttle and the brakes. the six number—crunchers in the boot calculate my adjustments 100 times a second. sojust to be clear, i'm going to be driving that car with this, while rob chases it in the car that we're in, so we don't lose contact, obviously. i know. bonkers. this is £100,000 worth of sports car, and i've got to say, it's twitchy.

just like the grand prix, a bit of brake, there we go, in we go, in we turn. just take a little bit of kerb. he's got it round that corner! he hasn't smashed the sports car! this car has so much power, and i literally have to just dab my finger and it moves — i mean, it really goes. incredible. wow! i mean, just be able to control something as powerful as that is so much responsibility, actually, but once you get into it, you get focused on the car, it's just incredible. we should all have one of these for christmas, shouldn't we? oh, well. nice to dream. dan! that looked amazing! pointless! but amazing! yeah. and terrifying. it was absolutely terrifying, spence. i think we created a new emoji when we filmed that. oh, isay!

but we flushed it away, it's ok, it's fine. right, well! good! now, in an attempt — moving on — in an attempt to add some substance to this christmas debacle, we've decided to cross to a familiar friend using the power of telepresence, mr dave lee in san francisco. robot sings ievan polkka. hey, dave, wow. nice wheels! this is a serious upgrade on the old telepresence bot, i suppose you're now a serious news correspondent, aren't you? thanks, spen. it's finally the robotic upgrade that i feel i deserve. so tell us about your 2017. you're right there in the heart of it all in silicon valley, san francisco. what's this year been like for you? i feel like this year, spen, the things that made the big companies really good and profitable and rich is now the same thing that's giving

them serious headaches. we've seen the algorithms fight back, causing all sorts of problems with fake news, propaganda from the russians, and various issues that facebook and youtube and google and all of these companies are suffering from, and this year has been them trying to deal with that, and i don't think they have managed it at all, frankly. over here in what i call the rest of the world, everyone's looking at silicon valley, and it almost looks like these large companies could topple because of these kind of scandals. but what is the feeling like in silicon valley? are people actually worried, or are they just getting on with the next new crazy service? i think they're more grumpy about this than worried. i think silicon valley feels that when washington has a go at them about fake news, or when the rest of the world thinks they're not doing a good enough job, they think they're being picked on, is the sense i get from many companies.

they feel like it's something that isn't their fault and that they will be able to fix it, but it could just take some time, or indeed we mayjust have to learn that these networks aren't going to be perfect all the time. so that's the sense i get. i think they hope that as we go into christmas and the new year, we might move on from this issue and stop talking about it quite so much. but i don't think people will forget, i think people are going to be talking about this well into 2018. ho, ho, ho! merry clickmas! what have you got there? this is my friend, anki. i thought it would bring some fun to the clickmas table. look, it even recognises me. hello, anki! and it's a coding robot! it can say phrases, it can play educational games and it can even do that. let's have a look at what it gets up to on the table. don't worry, it's not going to eat those chocolate coins of yours! does it mine for bitcoins7 it mines for chocolate coins, at this moment. robots are the best! ok, team, the foods nearly ready — i reckon about 15 minutes, ok? great! what's this?

well, i know you said not to bring you anything. mmm. and this is no criticism to your cooking. mmm. but this is some 3d—printed christmas dinner while we're waiting. oh, wow! ok, that looks delicious. beef, brussels sprout and cranberry. seriously, they're all different flavours? yep. yes, that is beefy. oh, god, why do sprouts exist? i don't know, and ifeel nervous, like it's my own cooking. i'm trying to find out what it tastes like. and cranberry, which obviously goes with beef so well. cani? i think you should try some. all right. let's get the beef first. oh, wow, look at that. that's just the consistency of beef. so what do you think? mmm. that's the sprouts, actually. um... they do look pretty similar. that's definitely the cranberry. so this...must be... the beef. yeah! how is it? i mean, it is genius, because it does taste kind of like what you described. the consistency needs a little work. and it is stone cold, actually.

ok, well it was specially prepared for us by dovetailed, who create home 3d food printers. so you could even create something like a brussels sprout that tastes of chocolate. oh, that would be good. or you could do it the other way — make something really nutritious. not chocolate that tastes like brussels sprouts. no, that would be ludicrous. ok, fairenough. well, i'm thinking you may have consumed a few calories here — probably literally a few. yeah! so just in case you want to burn off those three calories... yes. well, here's my present for you. 0h, 0k. happy clickmas — it's a smart skipping rope. oh, a smart skipping rope! it will count your skips. right. and also every time you jump, this light flashes. oh, my goodness! joyeux noel! so people can see all around how hard you are working. well, goodness. thank you so much. you're welcome. maybe you could go and have a skip and in the meantime, you can take a look at how your christmas groceries could be heading to you very soon. this is ocado's hatfield

fulfilment centre — a place where humans work alongside a process that already looks pretty automated. but the robots are coming. wow! this grocery—picking robot is being tested here, and early next year she'll be making an appearance at one of ocado's warehouses to do the job for real. it has been trained to identify 2,000 of ocado's 50,000 products using computer vision. and as long as those products are non—porous — so that means basically anything that won't be damaged by being picked up by this vacuum — then it can take them out of the picking box, take them through the scanner, and place them in the bagging area. but this isn't the only bot being tested here.

so i'm off to meet a man called panos and an arm called soma. hello! oh, i don't know whose hand i shake first. i'm going to go for yours. ok, so whilst this robot looks like its purpose isjust to have the human touch, so it can pick things up that are softer without damaging them, it does also have another skill. what this one has been taught to do is the same thing a human would. so to put their hand on it, roll it along and do that. panos, can you help it demonstrate, please? of course. wow! that arm movement is quite something. it's got a few elbows there. but it's grabbed it, and it has picked it up successfully. it can put it down. 0h! thanks, happy christmas to you, too! well, i've managed to get a sneak

peek behind the scenes to find out a bit more about how you try to make a hand seem more human. zaki, who has been working on this project for a while, what are the challenges you face? one of the main challenges is to actually get this hand or glove to sense the forces that a human has. we as humans have a very delicate sense of touch so we can handle objects like apples. so we have tried to reproduce that by having a sort of electronic skin. so this apple, apart from being a bit squashed, has obviously been approved as being good. so i'll take that. i don't think i need to do any shopping this week, i am disappearing with all the ocado products! well, seeing as the robot couldn't join us for clickmas lunch, i thought it was only fair it got a cracker. so let's see what it makes of it. in what country will you not find a vegetarian? you don't know?

turkey. cue laughing. does it not do laughing? wow, i have to say, you get a great view of london's west end from up here. i'm on the roof ofjohn lewis at the moment. these aren't any old binoculars. these are made by iq, and they are basically a combination of a lens strapped to a smartphone strapped to a viewer. they allow you to record what you are seeing so you can watch it back later and share it with friends. nice. i'm freezing. i say, barman... well, hello, spencer! if it isn't tv‘s nick kwek. how are you? cold. can you whip me up something hot? here you go, a lovely hot chocolate. think you very much.

i say hot, because actually that is a smart mug you are holding. it connects to your mobile phone with an app, and that works like a thermostat. you choose the desired temperature of your drink, and that keeps it warm all day long. all day long! at least until your smartphone's battery dies, at which point the power in the mug goes. i'll try and drink it before then. that will be £80. say what now? £80. £80! what's that, production? i'm needed back in the hub right now...? spen! i hope you're enjoying the show. 0h! good to be back inside. kate, what are you doing with your hand? i am making sweet, sweet music. can you not hear it? it is wonderful. this is the remedy digital music glove, and the way that it works, it connects to an app in your phone, and these four sensors here turn on and off loops. and these four sensors

initiate samples. so you can choose lots of different musical styles that you want. drum and bass, hip—hop, edm. electronic dance music. yes, i'm familiar with that. you can even put a bit of flange on. this is what somebody who with absolutely no musical ability whatsoever, i am sure you can tell, can create. kate russell, everybody. fabulous. now it's time for my christmas present to you all. and indeed to you at home as well. now, you might remember, last week i got to talk art with performance art superstar marina abramovic, and during that chat, we talked about how we immerse ourselves in technology every week and sometimes it's difficult to tear ourselves away from it and live what used to be called a normal life. well, this was marina's answer to me. i think this is her christmas message to us all.

you have to come to my world, which i create something called abramovic method. it's very simple. you can do it in your own home. you decide, one day a week, that you take your phone and your computer and switch them off and you don't put them, you don't put any electronics around. sit in a chair and do nothing. doing nothing is the beginning of something. because all what we do is put things on us. when you are surrounded by entertainment you're not being with yourself alone, in silence. so if i was to do that, i can tell you, i would sit there and then i would just wonder what's going on. and then i might get bored. being bored is important. is it? yes, because the bordeom is a sign that something is wrong with you. you have to get bored. you have to go beyond the boredom.

sit for six hours and do nothing and see what happens to your boredom. the boredom goes away. you start seeing that actually you are nervous, you are hysterical, your breathing is raised. go another four hours. you start breathing more slowly. you start relaxing. you start getting to the centre of yourself. it takes time. it takes effort. to relax is a huge work. i really use technology to help make life more efficient, which means that messages come in here and i can deal with these messages while i am walking somewhere else. so i am conscious that i've lost that peace, i've lost the peace and quiet of having a walk. the thing is, every email you write, you have done all the work, you written all the emails that you have in your computer in the morning. you can double back, every email is not important. and then what are

you doing next week? that's the problem — if one person, say me, tries to do it differently, the rest of the world still operates at a much higher pace, and i still get those messages back, "can you do this, can you pop this in here?" but can you imagine if you have three days to live? you would answer all these emails? no. why don't you take every day like the last day of your life? i wouldn't get paid, though. but, again, how much we need of this to live, how much simplicity can we have? it's so important to question everything, how we can create our life in a minimal way, and how many things we need to adopt. —— how many things we need that we don't. it is incredible. that questioning, only when you really put your life, it is so important to question everything.

question how we can create our life in a minimal way. you know, my generation is telegrams, xerox and fax. virtual reality comes like a bomb in my life. the young generation, the kids who were born with the computers and the videogames, these are the people who can actually do something about it. this is the target. that kind of audience. that is the future. that was marina abramovic telling us to throw away our technology, which is a bit of a downer, especially for us, because that's all we know. well, spencer, i think i've got something that might cheer you up. technology isn't always that bad. we've been going on about ar all year, and, kate, if i could get a hand from you. i got you a little seasonal greeting, spencer. what witchcraft is this, emily? this is the ar air measure app, creating a painting in ar. you can do paintings,

measure things, all within ar. and you just stick that anywhere in space, and it's not really there. it's not really there, everybody! if you're wondering, this a photo of the click team just after we finished our live show in front of a live studio audience. you can see that on tv in a couple of weeks. here's a sneak peek of the end of that show. this is the spectacular star wars ballet from propel. of course, in true click style, it all ended in a fight to the death. the lone survivor from the audience took home one of the star wars drones. and that reminds me. it's time for our clickmas elfie. sticking with the theme of ar, we'll be adding a bit of augmented reality to the photo this year. how this works is, we have the photo printer attached to a smartphone. i will need some help here, dan. could you take the selfie, please? you are in a better position than me. we need to put it on video mode. this is a video selfie?

it is. you will find out why in a moment. all i have to say right now is that when dan presses the button, make sure you move and make some noise. we could say "happy clickmas", or something else appropriate. three, two, one... happy clickmas! more moving, more moving... move in a really unnatural way. the more you move, the better it will look. who put that reindeer in the way? so now we've got a still that looks like that, which we can print. that's unfortunate. it's not a bad picture. let's print that still. hurrah! looks, the video's in there. there you go, spencer. your memento. i like the way you framed it. i'm sure that's what it was designed for. i'm going to have to take a selfie of that. thank you, spencer. that's it for this week. thank you so much for watching. on behalf of the whole team, merry clickmas! # the rooftop sees santa,

who's laughing with glee # he's trying to fit robots down the chimney # he finished the job and the gifs were delivered # around rudolph's neck, the gps triggered # and on santa's step counter the total was high # merry clickmas to all! # now where's my mince pie?# guys, i think i've fallen over. no—one told me there was a step. there was some clever stuff in that! that's it from us today. i'll be back tomorrow. have a lovely boxing day. this is bbc news.

i'm annita mcveigh. the headlines at nine: universities must protect free speech and "open minds, not close them", or face the consequences. a warning prices for many everyday items will rise unless the government focuses on replacing trade agreements after brexit. millions of shoppers are expected to head out to the boxing day sales today. but a bbc survey finds them not as popular as they used to be. the doors are opening here at selfridge's on oxford street in central london. these shoppers have been queueing here before dawn, but have these sales lost their allure? also in the next hour, monitoring territorial waters. a royal navy frigate spending christmas day escorting a russian