they will remain in double figures — 11—13 in southern areas, because of all that cloud around. we should see brightness in northern ireland as well as northern england and north wales. but as we go through the rest of the afternoon, you can see the next weather front approaching off towards the west. it should hold at bay until evening time for northern ireland. these are our temperatures. through this evening and overnight, it will turn chilly quite quickly in eastern areas with a touch of frost and possibly patchy fog if you're travelling. overnight, that will lift temperatures and deposit fog on the hilltops. by morning, very mild across southern and western areas areas and, for many, grey and damp and misty again. although the rain clears, we keep a lot of cloud on sunday. the best chance of brightness will be the eastern side of the hills. across the east of wales, north—east england and scotland. still relatively mild. the breeze picks up and becomes a gale later across the north on new year's eve on monday, bringing the next weather front in and more rain here,

but for most parts, by day, it looks brighter and we should see more sunshine. with more cloud, that should hold into the evening. again, we are in december, so i would not go out without a coat, but it does look mostly dry, if rather cloudy. as we go into the start of 2019, the high drifts away to the west and allows a northerly, much colder wind across the uk. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. the immigration minister is to visit dover later amid mounting concern about the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats. more than £100 million is to be spent chartering extra ferries to bring in vital supplies in the event of a no—deal brexit. named in the new year honours list —

the british divers who rescued a boys football team from a cave in thailand. also on the list, alistair cook and michael palin knighted, and twiggy is made a dame. i'm very surprised, because i've done a lot of things in my life, none of which i felt were totally worthy of such recognition. but maybe the cumulative effect is one of some kind of achievement. an army officer has become the first british person to complete a solo trek across antarctica. it took captain louis rudd 56 days. more headlines at 11. now on bbc news, it's time to take a trip through 2018 — a year full of adventure for the team from the travel show. hello, i'm ade adepitan. and welcome to the travel show. this week, we've decided to put away our boarding passes, stow our suitcases and take a look back at some of our favourite places, faces and stories of 2018.

it's been a really hectic year as we go through our adventures from over 60 countries. here's a taste of what's coming up. yeah! their footwork is impressive. we are going through the most fashionable part of tokyo and i'm dressed as a fat plumber. let's kick off our look back with some stories that

show what a cultured bunch we are here at the travel show. in a moment, i head to beirut to see how they are trying to reclaim their 1960s title as the paris of the middle east. then lucy visits cape town to see how ballroom dancing is helping to break down barriers. but first, back in april, christa headed to norway to try her hand at playing musical instruments made out of ice. she's so cool! i start my trip at norway's ice music festival in finse. you are really feeling, you can see it in the air — it's cold.

the word is it will reach a low of —24 tonight. so i had better rug up. what makes this festival extra—special is that the instruments are actually made on the day from nearby ice. i really like it because it's kind of the sound of nature. it doesn't sound like anything else you have ever heard. we don't get to practise, so the music is made on the stage in front of the audience and that is really special. people are like, is this possible? it is always not possible so it is pretty cool that we can do it.

i guess there's a lot of folk music in it, it's very nordic with the ice and snow and cold winters. just in the nick of time, all is ready and we gather for an evening of ice music. she scat sings applause in the 1960s, beirut

was the height of glamour. it was dubbed the paris of the middle east. and few places epitomised this ideal better than one of the city's five—star destinations. this commemorative book was published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the hotel, and when you look through this it gives you an idea of the calibre of celebrity. they've got marlon brando. there's bridget bardot. even the great mohammed ali. i was coming here since the beginning. we used to do fashion shows here, and this is a very special hotel. this is international model

mona ross, who was based in beirut before the war. wow. mona ross, take a seat. now she is a permanent resident of the hotel. it's part of my life. i consider i'm part of the fixtures and fittings. you are part of the furniture. part of the furniture! when the war came, the hotel became a battle ground, a key strategic point because of its size and downtown location. i was passing by next to it when it was destroyed. and i saw a little hibiscus plant with a red flower on it, and i was so touched by this. i couldn't believe my eyes,

why this plant was alive in front of this hotel that was dead. today, a generation of young lebanese are determined to shake the dust and debris from the city's reputation. and it is the nightlife that is really putting beirut back on the map. the music hall is one of the capital's most famous venues. hosting a cabaret packed with an eclectic mix of musical forms. i said i was going to get a place where you have extremes, it can be classical music and then something that is totally punk or very kitsch.

i try to work on cultural entertainment. usually those two words do not meet because entertainment is nightlife and alcohol, and culture is museums and theatres. with its bill celebrating both the city's prewar golden age and contemporary music trends, the music hall offers a vision of beirut comfortable with its past and living in the moment. this beautiful grand and iconic building is city hall and it is from that

balcony that mandela gave his first speech after being released from prison. back then, this entire area was completely jam—packed with people eager to catch a glimpse of him and hear what he had to say. but almost a quarter of a century after the end of apartheid “119911, i wanted to see how far these hopes for the rainbow nation have come. we are on our way to mitchells plain, a township in the suburbs of the city. in the past, people from areas like this just would not get many opportunities but things are slowly changing, giving the next generation a chance for their talents to be recognised. at the neighbourhood dance studio, children aged as young as four are having their final rehearsals ahead of a prestigious ballroom competition. their footwork is impressive. dancing is one of the most popular sports in townships — up there with football and boxing,

and perhaps more importantly, it's bringing all young south africans from all backgrounds together. bringing young south africans from all backgrounds together. it is a new day and it's showtime, a dazzling parade of sequins, lycra and colour. we are here at the super series national championship and people have come from all over the country to compete on this dance floor. there is so much excitement in the air. the guys are looking suave and the ladies are looking fabulous. but who will take home the trophies? although events like this are a regular part of the calendar now across south africa, it is sobering to remember that not so long ago, under apartheid, it was socially taboo for black and white couples to dance together — so competitions like this would be unthinkable. i remember when we did ourfirst competition in johannesburg and we were the only black dancers, and we were in the corner.

i remember being invisible. i know what it means to be a champion but also not really being recognised. i remember them not knowing my name. the amazing thing about seeing the born—free generation which is they don't really know what it feels like to see or feel segregation. you see couples who are dancing from two different... a white boy and a black girl dancing together, and that's amazing. no one would deny the country still has some way to go before fulfilling mandela's dream, but in their own small way, step by step, the young hopefuls here in cape town are doing their bit to carry his legacy into the future. there you go. the born—free generation foxtrotting their way into the future in cape town, back in september. up next we have a different type of dancing from the same month, but this is when rajan went to japan

to take part in a festival that required fancy footwork and a fair amount of stamina. i'm looking forward to this. hi. tell me, what makes this festival unique? everything, every dancer has this. a very public training session for newbies like me will be followed by a chance to take part in the main festival parade around the streets of the city. the nerves have all gone, who cares how good you are? this is about community and festival. i'm getting it now. yes, it's exciting. music plays.

rajan there, reporting from japan back in september. something tells me they won't be inviting him back tojoin in again next year. nice try, mate!

stick with us. still to come, on our special look back at 2018, mike takes on the sand dunes of kazakhstan with a snowboard and we will also be saying goodbye to one of my travel show buddies who has now become a hollywood star. and it all began right here on the travel show. being a presenter here means you have to be pretty comfortable taking on all sorts of challenges. over the years i've taken lions for a walk. head banged. and tried my hand at shakespeare. all in the name of the programme. but soft, what light through yonder window breaks? it is the east and juliet is the sun. up next, some of our favourite clips

from 2018 when some of my travel from 2018 when some of my travel show buddies also faced up to their fears. my journey takes me to the wondrous allure of a seemingly limitless desert, abu dhabi's defining feature. at this annual sports festival there are camel and horse races but basically this is party time for petrol heads, people bring their four—wheel drives and buggies for a romp on the dunes, and you don't get much bigger than this. 300 metres high at an incline of 50 degrees. i have been looking at one of the world's highest and steepest sand dunes for a while now and i really want to reach the top. luckily i have got a lift. whoa! we are reaching the top.

the best way to describe what i'm about to experience is a self drive video game simulation with some sightseeing thrown in. welcome. they have been running these go—kart tours, taking in many of the tourist attractions of central tokyo, for several years now. this brings back memories

from my childhood. luigi. mario. it has got to be mario. where is the key? john, where is the key? this is ridiculous. even though it is a sunday morning and the traffic is light, it takes a while to get used to driving a vehicle that feels so low and exposed. 0h! slightly vulnerable, but i think i'm getting the hang of driving this car now. oh, my gosh. did you see how close i came to a taxi? 0h! oh, my gosh, i can't believe we are going through this crossing. we are going through the most fashionable part of tokyo and i'm

dressed as a fat plumber! i wanted to see how kazakhstan‘s relationship with nature is changing so i'm meeting up with a mountain guide. they wanted to show me how some people are mixing old kazakhstan with the new. sand boarding on the most famous singing sand dune in kazakhstan, famous because the dune makes a humming sound under the right conditions, almost like an organ. carlos was along for the ride. the sand dune reaches a height of 150 metres and it might look placid from a distance but it is an entirely other story when you are up there. it is a bit windy today

but we are on the singing sand and that is always how it is here, i guess. i've gone snowboarding before, what are the differences with sand boarding? 0k. lean back? he laughs. this is a lot of fun. but before long... ..we are starting to get the hang of it. and with that, my trip

to kazakhstan is at an end, and what a ride it was. yeah! to end this look back at 2018, we could not finish without remembering that this year we said goodbye to a familiar face on the programme. he has now swapped being on the tv for playing a leading man in hollywood. ever since i can remember my family has been my whole life. rachel! henry has been with us

since the start, back in 2014, and we have had plenty of adventures together, clocked up countless miles. and hollywood success could not have happened to a nicer bloke so good luck, henry, and as a parting gift from everyone here on the show, here are your best bits. a baby. what is the baby's name? mina. wow, so small. they're determined to make me sweat even more.

i've got a fair way to go yet. straight, straight. i don't want to rip my pants. you're much stronger than i am. this is getting bumpier and bumpier, it's almost like trying to stay on a bucking bronco. 0h! i'm done, i'm finished. i'm going to go home and rest my sore bum, i think. it's been a long day. so that's it for our look back on 2018, i hope you've enjoyed following us on our travels this

year and willjoin us in 2019 as we hit the road to bring you some of the best stories from around the world and, you never know, maybe even provide you with inspiration for your next trip. until then, from me, ade, and all the travel show presenters and the crew on the programme, we would like to wish you wherever you are, a happy and healthy new year. see you in 2019. hello, it's brightening up from the north behind the weather front that has brought drizzle through the morning. behind the weather front,

it looks like mostly dry weather will prevail, notjust today but indeed for much of the rest of 2018. any rain we have will be light and patchy, mostly in the north. this is today's rain courtesy of low pressure. we also have a weakening weather front sinking southwards, so it is bringing drizzle to southern parts of england and wales, but that is all but dying out. the rain is leaving scotland and the northern isles and then the sky is brighter in the afternoon. drierfor most. the winds will take a little longer to ease down. they have been blustery this morning. but again, nothing exceptional for december. they will take the edge off temperatures, which have been high for the time of year. they will remain in double figures — 11—13 in southern areas, because of all that cloud around. we should see brightness in northern ireland as well as northern england and north wales. but as we go through the rest of the afternoon, you can see the next weather front approaching off towards the west. it should hold at bay until evening time for northern ireland. these are our temperatures.

through this evening and overnight, it will turn chilly quite quickly in eastern areas with a touch of frost and possibly patchy fog if you're travelling. 0vernight, that will lift temperatures and deposit fog on the hilltops. by morning, very mild across southern and western areas and, for many, grey and damp and misty again. although the rain clears, we keep a lot of cloud on sunday. the best chance of brightness will be the eastern side of the hills. across the east of wales, north—east england and scotland. still relatively mild. the breeze picks up and becomes a gale later across the north on new year's eve on monday, bringing the next weather front in and more rain here, but for most parts, by day, it looks brighter and we should see more sunshine. with more cloud, that should hold into the evening. again, we are in december, so i would not go out without a coat, but it does look mostly dry, if rather cloudy.

as we go into the start of 2019, the high drifts away to the west and allows a northerly, much colder wind across the uk. this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 11: the immigration minister is to visit dover later amid mounting concern about the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats. more than £100 million is to be spent chartering extra ferries to bring in vital supplies in the event of a no deal brexit. named in the new year honours list — the british divers who rescued a boys‘ football team from a cave in thailand. also on the list — alistair cook and michael palin knighted, and twiggy is made a dame. i'm very surprised because i've done a lot of things in my life, none of which i felt would be worthy of such recognition, but maybe the cumulative effect is one of some kind of achievement. also coming up this hour:

an army officer has become the first british person to complete a solo trek across antarctica. it took captain louis rudd 56 days, and he's only