away from that a lot of fine and dry weather and once again, temperatures doing well. if you have outdoor plans on new year's eve it looks like it will be mostly dry, away from scotland and northern ireland. cloudy but not too cold. high—pressure holding onto the south. gradually as we head towards new year's day, the wind will become more north—westerly as the high pressure is centred over the uk. that will make a change to things because as the wind starts to work its way down it will introduce drier, cooler air. less cloud, less moisture and as a result, although it will feel fresher, many of us will see brightness on new year's day. still high—pressure in the driving seat as we head towards the middle part of the week. still got the north—westerly flow once again. a good deal of brightness. more cloud may work its way in along the north sea coast but mostly dry. notice the temperatures. coming down from where they were at the

beginning of the week despite a lot of sunshine on offer. heading into the beginning of january, turning a bit cooler. a lot of dry weather around, good spells of sunshine but by night it will turn colder which will lead to a patchy frost. this is thursday, little in the way of change. a case of spot the difference, high—pressure is in charge. wind coming from a north—westerly direction. once again across—the—boa rd, a lot of sunshine to come. but it will feel cooler, even in the sunshine temperatures are going to struggle. on thursday, highs of between four and eight celsius, so much fresher as we go through the day. towards next weekend thejet stream becomes more undulating, and the high—pressure system starts to sink down to the south—east. it will lose some of its grip allowing the atlantic systems

to bring wet and windy weather, especially to the north and west. a change on the cards and it will feel noticeably fresher. turning unsettled into next weekend with a risk of rain, especially in the north and west. hello. this is bbc news. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow morning's papers in a moment — first the headlines. the actress damejune whitfield, best known for her roles in the sitcoms terry and june and absolutely fabulous, has died at the age of 93. the immigration minister has been in dover, as the home secretary cuts short a family holiday to deal with the rising number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats. he's coming back and he will take control of the situation. we had a conference call yesterday. one person has died and 23 others have been taking to hospital after a minibus overturns on the scottish borders the new year's honours list is announced —

they include the british divers who rescued a young football team from a cave in thailand, twiggy, who is made a dame, and michael palin, who is knighted. as we've been hearing tonight, the comedy actress dame june whitfield has died at the age of 93. she was perhaps, best known for her roles in the bbc sitcoms terry and june and absolutely fabulous. let's speak now tojon plowman — who produced the first four series of absolutely fabulous — in whichjune whitfield starred as ‘mother‘ to jennifer saunders‘ character eddie monsoon. . thanks forjoining us. what was it like working withjune on the series? say again? what was it like

working with dame judi series? say again? what was it like working with damejudi whitfield on absolutely fabulous. in every episode in the end because i was the executive editor in the end. she was wonderful, she was a very skilled actress. she absolutely knew how to do comedy. she knew how to make comedy work. you pause in the right place and it gets a big laugh. if you did it another way it wouldn't get quite such a big laugh. she was a wonderful woman. she was terribly good to work with. c was a nice human being and she did terribly well. over seven decades, as far as ican make well. over seven decades, as far as i can make out. from the radio in the 50s and other things she did like miss marple, and on television,

terry and june and ab fab, and everything in between. working with the likes of benny hill and tommy cooper, and almost anyone you can name, not to mention her performance in the blood donor with tommy hancock. she made that role in absolutely fabulous into something greater than was originally foreseen. well, originally foreseen was never a word we knew the meaning of because in a way it always evolved and developed. originally, joanna lumley‘s character was going to be the... it rolls along and you think that the show doesn't really

work otherwise, sojune and everyone else came into every episode loud and clear. what did june whitfield bring to those roles that made them such a success, made her so popular with so many viewers? she was a good, nice person. she was like your mum, or your auntie. you related to her. you thought yes, ok, that's edina's mum. i believe she doesn't really know what's going on in edina's world but she's prepared to make the odd quick sarcastic remark that will take edina down to size. make the odd quick sarcastic remark that will take edina down to size! thanks forjoining us. my pleasure. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow.

with me are the independent‘s chief political commentator, john rentoul and lucy fisher, defence correspondent at the times. many of tomorrow's front pages are already in. the sunday telegraph has a photograph of dame june whitfield, who has died at the age of 93. its lead story is about calls for the home secretary to ‘get a grip‘ over the channel migrant crisis. the sunday times also has a photograph of dame june whitfield with terry scott, her co—star in the sitcom terry and june. the paper calls her the ‘golden girl of british comedy‘. it also leads on home secretary cutting short his holiday to handle the migrant issue. the mail on sunday says mps are calling for the migrant boats to be seized in calais. the observer leads on a story about gcses. the paper says private school pupils are gaining an advantage as they are more likely to take, what the paper claims, are less—demanding igcses, which state schools are being barred from using. sunday the sunday express reports on the woes on the high street

and says that experts predict at least 10,000 stores will shut next year after festive sales failed to come to their rescue. a lot of different stories in the papers but let's start with dame judi whitfield. we've been hearing about her and the many roles she had ——june about her and the many roles she had —— june whitfield. lovely picture on front of the daily telegraph. absolutely, such a classic actress andi absolutely, such a classic actress and i think the longevity of her career, seven decades, speaks to that enduring nature and her versatility as an actress. i read she performed i300 versatility as an actress. i read she performed 1300 tv and media appearances and even this week was speaking to someone from the bbc in an interview. saric news but she obviously had a good innings. —— sad

news. she forced a career in comedy when there weren't many women doing that and was performing until very recently. that's true and i discovered in one paper, ithink recently. that's true and i discovered in one paper, i think the sunday times, her memoirs were called and june whitfield, presumably a barbed comment on how she often got second billing. she had a great cackling laugh and a great sense of comic timing. the sunday telegraph, their main story, sajid javid told to get a grip of the migrant chaos. he has cut short his holiday but it isn't clear what the strategy is going to be. we learned on friday night that he is poised to reject calls to bring in more resources, boats perhaps, to patrol the channel for fear of encouraging people to make what

could be a very perilous crossing. the call has gone out for him to cut short his safari holiday in africa. he has form for this, previously he was in australia on holiday as business minister, and stepping in with the steel crisis. not surprisingly way he is trying to avoid negative headlines by being on holiday in this instance. quite a testing problem for him to deal with. indeed, it is all about so and he is trying to convince people he's taking it seriously but it is unclear what he's going to do. in a senseit unclear what he's going to do. in a sense it is right that politicians should be under pressure to demonstrate that they are getting a grip, as the sunday telegraph puts it, because that's what the public wa nt it, because that's what the public want politicians to do. the fact

that he feels he has to come back suggests measures will be taken. it depends on co—operation with the french authorities. presumably the only sensible way to deal with it is to cooperate with the friends, perhaps have the british board officials on french soil, helping to e nforce officials on french soil, helping to enforce the law and prevent these boats from taking to the sea. yes because the mail on sunday, on that same story, its banner headline, sees the migrant boats in calais. there has been a lot of cooperation on some efforts to crack down on migrants getting here on lorries and ferries and so on. it's very difficult under the dublin regulations. it is possible for the uk, if authorities establish that migrants have claimed asylum in another eu nation to return migrants to the first nation where they

sought refuge. many migrants want to end up in the uk so they go through france but haven't legally made their claim there. it is impossible under international law to return there. difficult to see the easy solution. sajid javid on friday declared a major incident. sounded like a vague piece of rhetoric but it is the official status in the home office meaning he has appointed a senior civil servant to take control, it is the operational priority. difficult to see why it wouldn't necessarily be in the french interest for migrants to stay in france, if they are wanting to get to the uk and become written‘s problem. why would the french try to stop that? —— become britain's problem. the same problem with the jungle, they didn't have a particular interest with stopping them getting into the channel tunnel but investigations were concluded and they cooperated. it is easier if

we are in the european union with france, to negotiate these things. one would hope that these things will be possible after brexit and that we don't have to invade calais. an mp has called for the seizure of french boats in calais! we don't know who that is. we will find out. compare know who that is. we will find out. co m pa re two know who that is. we will find out. compare two countries like italy and greece, what they have dealt with. that is true, but it is worth getting a grip on the situation, to use that phrase again, before it becomes more serious because clearly people are going to die if this gets much worse. i agree but it is worth noting we are not at the sharp end of this. 200 migrants attempting to

ci’oss of this. 200 migrants attempting to cross since the start of november. in the last few days, 300 migrants including about 150 children refused entry to malta and italy, finally being allowed to dock in spain after spanish authorities acquiesced. we aren't seeing the worst of it as some of our european counterparts are. an interesting take on the problem in the independent, saying that tech giants are failing on the migrant crisis. what's that about? it's about facebook and whatsapp, which is owned by facebook, being used by people smugglers to communicate with each other and it raises this tricky question for the home office again, to what extent do you allow things like whatsapp, which are encrypted, to be used for criminal activity and to what extent does whatsapp have a responsibility to police what goes on on its

platform. facebook is well, we know that traffickers are a big part of the problem and they are using these social media platforms to try and boost trade, which puts people at terrible risk. sure, i'm not sure what the solution is. these are two of the most popular forms. there are many others that people could switch to if they were crackdown on. the fa ct to if they were crackdown on. the fact that social media sites like facebook perhaps give an insight to people in developing nations about how rich and prosperous life can be in the west, which may be an incentive of another kind, to make journeys. we have got through several minutes without talking about brexit on the papers, which is unusual! the sunday times, brexit may not happen, a warning from liam

fox, the international trade secretary. interesting that he says that. he says that if mps don't vote for theresa may's deal, brexit may not happen. he is a leading brexiteer. he, like michael gove, accepts the prime minister's withdrawal agreement. interesting that he is making the point that it is either brexit or no brexit, presumably putting it off and having a referendum and remaining in the eu, ratherthan a referendum and remaining in the eu, rather than saying, a referendum and remaining in the eu, ratherthan saying, we'll a referendum and remaining in the eu, rather than saying, we'll leave without an agreement, which is what frightens a lot of labour mps. is this message going to resonate from liam fox? it remains to be seen. such a sense of exhaustion in westminster, by the time people have staggered to the christmas holidays and the house rising. very little has been heard. interesting that

liam fox has established himself as an unlikely ally of the prime minister, being such a staunch brexiteer and warning that there are calls for a second referendum. if people want brexit they may be better to support the pm rather than pushing for no deal. it remains to be seen, whether there is a feeling that brexiteers are warmer on the prime minister's plan. gambling on the fact that over the recess, mps will talk to their constituents, that people will say, support the deal, time is running out. try and negotiate... don't try to negotiate something different. we may get no deal, which would be dangerous. any sign that this strategy is going to play out. if anything i sense that the opinion is still... i don't know

if it is hardening against the prime minister. liam fox is right in his analysis. he's doing it for tactical reasons try and scare hard brexiteers back into line. he is right that in the end there will be a choice between theresa may's deal or having a referendum. the idea that we leave without agreement is probably not going to happen. he says that is the choice. people who don't like theresa may's deal on the tory side will have to decide whether they just tory side will have to decide whether theyjust want to stay in the eu after all, which would be quite a big doubt for many of them. we've got this brief breathing space but it looks set to reignite with a vengeance but it looks set to reignite with a vengeance in january. absolutely, even today we've had questions, a warning that no deal would be disastrous, a low rumbling of warnings against no deal but we

ain't seen nothing yet, the explosion of news on brexit. a key vote on january the 14th, that we, on the prime minister's deal. the sunday express is warning that 10,000 more shops are to close. in the last few days we've seen hmv calling in administrators, and other high—street casualties. calling in administrators, and other high-street casualties. this is what they call a scoop of interpretation. it's obvious that the high street is in decline as people are shopping online. you know, there's nothing you can do about that. it's a shame to lose hmv but i haven't been into hmv for a very, very long time. it is all online now. dvds are on netflix. other channels are

available! very few of us will have gone out and bought a cd or a dvd as christmas presents? what is a cd?! that's right. i would like to use time when i'm waiting for the two or the bus to look at my phone for things i need to buy rather than spending leisure time traipsing around the shops. i also think that in one sense it is not so sad as a consumer to seeing the decline. the concern is about the quality of jobs, working in retail on the shop floor is probably preferable to some jobs in warehouses, stacking goods when you get these huge online stores where people are increasingly resorting. the high street turning toxic in 2019, the rather apocalyptic view of the daily express. she is right that we should

be more concerned than we probably are about the conditions of workers in these huge fulfilment centres that back—up all this online shopping but it is trying to hold back the tide of progress i think to get sentimental about the high street. many high streets in britain are pretty dreary places and the sooner they convert it to exciting new housing and flats, the better. on that controversial note, let's have a quick look at a couple of other stories. the observer has this picture of britain's antarctic hero, as they put it. he walked a long way. the british army captain lou rudd, the second ever person to ci’oss

rudd, the second ever person to cross antarctic at solo with no help andi cross antarctic at solo with no help and i am pleased to see people going to these really intrepid journeys, when some of the roots now that used to be intrepid like climbing everest have been done hundreds of times and it's great to see someone doing something that hasn't been done before. let's go back to the sunday telegraph. over christmas i'm sure a lot of people will have spent quite a lot more time than usual with their grandparents. here is a minister saying we should take one on holiday with us. take them on holiday. i watched gavin and stacey's christmas special from 2008 over christmas, where the mother is completely forgotten and pops up from behind the bar. it's not necessarily what every family would wa nt necessarily what every family would want to do. it's a nice idea and

obviously, we have a minister for loneliness and it is herjob to exhort us to think about the older folk. lucy, should ministers be telling us with whom to take our holidays? well, i think it is apt. it isa holidays? well, i think it is apt. it is a good idea to point out the example in southern europe where it isa example in southern europe where it is a common theme to have all the relatives living with a family. part of the daily routine, helping out but also receiving help from family members. there is a huge social care crisis that looks to get worse. i think it's a good idea to think of solutions, everyday solutions like this. i think quite a lot of us have actually taken this. i think quite a lot of us have actually ta ken grandparents this. i think quite a lot of us have actually taken grandparents along because they are useful for baby—sitting as well! because they are useful for baby-sitting as well! yeah, absolutely, it's a nice idea but you feel some resistance to being told

how to arrange your holiday by a government minister. . thanks for joining us. that's it for the papers. my guests will return for another look at the papers. good evening. another largely dry and cloudy day across the country. this picture was taken by a weather watcher in shropshire earlier in the day. there were some glimpses of sunshine around. that story isn't going to change much over the next few days. for the last few days of 2018, high pressure keeps things mostly dry, cloudy and mild. some rain, especially over the northern half of the uk. that's down to this weather front moving to the east. patchy rain over parts of england and wales, perhaps the odd spot east anglia. the south—east will see the lowest

temperatures with clear spells holding on the longest, so frost is possible in the south—east. most of us will be frost free on sunday morning live a lot of cloud and drizzly outbreaks. through the day, it should brighten up in most parts. the best sunshine in eastern england and eastern scotland. the rain lingering for the northern isles. some drizzly rain in north—west scotland and perhaps the hills of western england and wales. temperatures, 10—12, still pretty mild. new year's eve on monday, high pressure still with us. we've got weather fronts to the north which will bring windier conditions in parts of scotland. some rain likely in the north—west. patchy rain pushing further south into the evening. for much of the country it is looking dry. still cloudy conditions and reasonably mild.

temperatures on new year's eve, ten or 11 degrees. we hold onto the dry and settled weather for most of us overnight so if you have plans to see in the new year, for most places it will be dry. a chance of rain in parts of scotland. fairly cloudy sky if you expect to see fireworks. new year's day on tuesday, high pressure still with us. a weak front which may bring some rain. for most of us a dry and mild day before things turn colder and more wintry as we head into the new year. bye, bye. this is bbc news. the headlines at 11:00pm: what's it like living in the jungle? well, it's... rather dull boring,

really. the actress damejune whitfield, best known for her roles in the sitcoms terry and june and absolutely fabulous, has died at the age of 93. the uk's immigration minister defends the government's handling of the increase in migrants crossing the channel. he's on his way back and he will be at his desk