hurt, the m: it it we. ”in w mg, feeling the hurt, the everything that goes with it. how important is the crew in the support boat in keeping you going? it is very important, inasmuch as they have to be on top of the feeding arrangements, so be on top of the feeding arrangements, so they have to be able to encourage, they mustn't tell the swimmer where they are, how far they've got to go, but when it comes down to it, it is the swimmer in the water alone. it's very much a lonely spot inasmuch as nobody can help the swimmer in the water, it is down to them to do it. some? over whether she would have to quarantine, she didn't have to do that in the end. when it comes to the training for something like this, and dealing with the cold and getting stung by

jellyfish, presumably you can only go so far? when you get in the water, you know, that is your test, basically. yeah. i mean, the training is obviously very important and that is actually what i focus on at the moment, training others to swim the channel, and i get a huge amount of satisfaction out of doing that and i run swim pants for aspiring channel swimmers and so on, but —— swim camps, but the training, you have to acclimatise to the temperature of the water, obviously chloe mcardle has got a little bit ofan chloe mcardle has got a little bit of an issue there because she comes from a country where the sea temperature is generally warmer, but, you know, alter credit to her she has done that, and she has done it very successfully. you have done it very successfully. you have done it 30 full—time so a to credit dominic kevin. great fear. just make

a credit to you to great value. that or a credit for you too, kevin. great for you. in a few moments on bbc news, we'll have a special edition of talking movies. before that, it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz shafernaker. western scotland not doing so bad. some sunshine in the western isles. tempter is around 23 in london. fairly cold airon tempter is around 23 in london. fairly cold air on the north sea coast. here are the storms moving across the north across the course of the night. it will be a muggy night, 16 degrees, some very warm nights in the last week or so. that is not going to change. here is tomorrow's weather forecast. showers will become widespread across northern parts of the uk. it is very

hit and miss so some of us will miss the storms altogether tomorrow. hello from new york. i'm tom brook. sitting on a bench in central park not far from my home. in today's programme, a special edition of talking movies. we will be looking at how some of the tumultuous events of recent weeks and massive protests over racism may shape the future of cinema. let's start with film production, which came to a halt earlier this year in china, and then in much of the west as the pandemic arrived. but the cameras are beginning to roll once again. to get some idea of what film

production in the age of coronavirus will look like, this studio in iceland may serve as a model. production resumed on this drama after the director made changes to make the production covid—secure. we clean and sanitise every hour the whole studio. i came up with this coloured spaces so if you are in a yellow armband you could only be in a yellow area. there were never more than 20 people allowed to be in the spaces. we can control the shooting pretty well that way. there are lots of issues to be considered as film production resumes. reaching agreement over safety. new solutions have to be found. this director cast his new film

by auditioning actors on line. in his new dark comedy waking up dead he planned to shoot love scenes in an age of social distancing. myjoke is we'll be the first film to have sex scenes featuring gloves, masks and disinfection. but i'll see what happens closer to the shoot, because i feel that if there is going to be anxiety on the part of actors, we won't know that until we have the shoot dates and we're about to shoot. ‘what we've done is stayed in touch with every actor individually and all of their agents and managers, keep them in line with the covid—i9 protocols. because of actors' concerns of working in close proximity during the pandemic, there is great interest in state—of—the—art technology which can make it appear as though two actors are right next to each other totally seamlessly, when they are being shot in different physical locations.

i think that is something that will be developed over the next year. several of these led light stages are getting constructed. if we wanted to practice extreme social distancing, where literally each actor and individual can be on their own stage with no—one anywhere near them, then we could connect these stages digitally. as we get past the pandemic, this could be a good way because it is faster, and we can get good results. the pandemic is bringing major change in hollywood, notjust in work practices but in the kind of films the industry will be making. i do think there will be a lot of ingenuity around how to tell stories, whether using special effects or existing footage. we are talking about creative people. we will see a lot of

creative solutions. now we have gone through this, we know how to deal with this. if there is a second wave, i think we can ride through that, in this country at least. hopefully other places will learn and do that as well. i think that is what we need today. in my mind it is not to close but to keep on going safely. for everyone involved in production, these are nerve—racking times. fears of a second wave and whether a film set can be made truly safe remain major concerns. clearly in hollywood it is not business—as—usual and it won't be for some time. the protests over racism that emerged around the world in the wake of the death of george floyd reverberated far and wide. they appear to have shaken—up the film industry. there is now quite a bit of debate over what films should get made, what films should be celebrated and what film—makers

should be supported. this report has looked at how the film industry may be different in the future. as confederate flags and monuments of slave traders and holders come down around the world, new paradigms are rising up. hollywood is facing pressure to truly increase opportunities for black film—makers. go back where he told you. i'm not playing. while many films about black people centre on injustice and greed, ——grief, this editor wants to see storytelling expand beyond black drama. i would love to see stories about black people just living, instead of them getting arrested by cops, less stories about cops and going to jail and more stories about them just living and being successful.

he believes true progress will be made in the industry when not only black stories are wide—ranging, but also the people telling them are. black cinema is notjust black men. it's women, trans, gay, it's a full spectrum. protests sparked by the murder of george floyd by a white police officer have led to new developments. this street has been renamed to black lives matter boulevard, but in order for changes proposed by the film industry to go beyond the cosmetic and into lasting changes, producers say white film—makers should commit to being antiracist and make room. look at your own companies, realise it is not enough to hire a black assistant. you have to realise you can't just make movies that you've been making before.

you have to realise, i need to carve out a piece of this slate for black and brown stories. if that happens, that will be real change. real change will require having black people at every part of the film—making process. from assistant to executive producer. black critics should also have a seat at the proverbial table. you'll notice lots of white people are commenting on black creative work. what happens is their own perspectives, opinions, their own thoughts end up becoming the main thing. what they say ends up becoming what everybody assumes about the movie or what they think. ultimately this moment of racial reckoning shows us the limitations of having one dominant voice to tell all stories. allain says to create films that reflect society,

hollywood can no longer take black dollars without accepting black input. black and brown people buy more tickets, we spend more money. we need to see more content that speaks to us. the other thing is, you know, there is a lot of black stories that white people want to tell. which is fair. artists can talk about anything. but if you are going to do that, you better make sure that people behind the scenes are black. it's just so important. since the beginning of the film industry, seismic global events have had a huge impact on cinema. they have inspired film—makers to tell new stories and explore new genres. how will the coronavirus pandemic change cinema in the future? from dubai, the bbc has been finding out.

with more than half a million lives lost and the global economy severely hammered, the covid—i9 pandemic has emerged as one of the biggest crises the world has ever witnessed. the virus has also taken a toll on the movie industry, forcing production companies to put filming on hold until and ending new releases. but once the cameras start rolling again, will film—makers be tempted to tell depressing stories relating to the pandemic on the big screen? we'll see lots of uplifting inspirational stories about people who survived the plague. of neighbours helping one another out. we'll get some extremely critical films about the trump administration. and what is seen by many as its catastrophic mishandling. the coronavirus is an unprecedented challenge, but history tells the movie industry has gone through several difficult phases. from wars and recessions to terror

attacks and social upheavals. they have all encouraged makers to explore new story ideas. some have gone on to become great movies that had a long—term impact on the film industry. sit up and hold onto this. the great depression in the 19205 was the worst economic recession in the last century. but more people went to the cinema then at any other time in history. during the 19305 american movies like i am a fugitive from a chain gang reflected new wave of social realism. matching the grimness of the times, they were hugely popular at the box office. the perception that the audience during the depression went to the cinema to be distracted during the period was not entirely accurate.

horror became a popular genre. frankenstein reflected the reality of those coming back from the war trying to integrate 15 years later with horrible handicaps. the realities of the great depression, the war, shape even films that seem as far removed from reality as 42nd street or frankenstein. in the 19405 the american economy was booming but the world was reeling from the devastation of war. oscar winner the best years of our lives looked back at what the world had gone through. war movies became a staple of the cinema. in wwii the government, they were not necessarily mandating, but enabling hollywood propaganda films that went on, and through 1945, not only did you have hollywood propaganda film5 being made, but you had actor5

and actresses who were extremely well—known acting in these films. american and global events continued to inspire breakthrough movies across the 20th century. another recession in the ‘705 gave birth to movies like the godfather and taxi driver that redefined the antihero and hollywood films. it also gave rise to 5ci—fi thriller5 that gave the audience a roller—coasterjourney away from the real world. 0b5erver5 feel the pandemic will also offer an opportunity to film—makers to attempt new ways of storytelling. some directors have already created short movies about the lockdown experience for a greek film festival, but will the audience have the appetite for these type of movies? this remains to be seen. hollywood, despite its liberal leanings, is still controlled largely by a white male

establishment, so what will happen to the force for change in the industry, especially regarding the push for diversity? at least one hollywood institution appears to be taking this seriously, the academy of motion picture arts and sciences, the organisation that hands out the oscars every year. after box office matches like black panther, crazy rich asians and us, there is more diversity but the academy hasn't exactly embraced it. we were not inclusive but now the academy is, its lifeblood is to see that artists around the world are included, all colours, shapes, sizes, the works and that permeates our

times today, thank goodness. it's about time. but there had been calls to boost diversity for decades, culminating in 2015 with the viral #05carssowhite. now the organisation has announced a task force to tackle the problem. the film academy has continued with its pledge to diversify, inviting new members of colour and more women but the academy is still predominantly white and male. some fear the attention paid to diversity could result in the suffering of other aspects of film. it is a good thing that you try to support groups that have been neglected historically, but in the meantime we have to be careful about that because if you start also neglecting quality, on behalf of diversity politics, this will harm both.

the cause, supporting minorities, but also minorities themselves. so you need actually to support more behind—the—scenes, that you give education and opportunities for them to practice and to develop their talents. with the black lives matter protests ongoing, discussions around diversity in hollywood are more amplified than ever. an idealised version of what hollywood could be has been reimagined in a recent tv series, by ryan murphy, behind glee and american horror story. but does it distract from issues still alive in the current day? i want to take the story of hollywood and give it a rewrite. the characters are fictionalised versions of real—life hollywood movie stars like the first women of colour to win an oscar, mcdaniel. hollywood's first chinese

american movie star, and the closeted leading man. the show tries to put the wrongs of the past right in post—war tinseltown, but not all critics have been impressed with the series. part of the issue i had with the show is the fact that so much of the fantasy hinges on this assumption that all it takes is like a couple of good white people in powerfor things to suddenly change, for things to change astronomically. and with a domino effect. if you look at history, that is not the way things happen. at the same time to see black characters be elevated and have happy endings, i think, is really fun to see. while the tv show ascends into a woke utopia where cinema's outsiders are given the happy ending they deserve, in real life hollywood, there are many approaches. more people would agree it is a pivotal moment that needs

to be handled carefully. i was fighting in their fight but now it's time to fight ours. weeks of lockdown and the emotion of the black lives matter protests appear to have intensified cultural debate over what is acceptable in world cinema. emma jones reports on whether going forward cinema will be tolerant of storytellers personal life and political opinion. michael moore has a history of asking provoking questions. do you think it's dangerous handing out guns in a bank? his new documentary planet of the humans says green energy isn't the answer to the climate crisis. released in april, it has over 8 million views on youtube. your film caused offence in the environmental movement. were you prepared for that? what i didn't expect was the rapidity with which the call

for censorship came. there are a lot of things we should be fighting now, for the environment, racism and sexism, all the hate in our culture but we have to be careful. if we are not free to debate things, we will fail. there have always been cinematic provocateurs. lars von triers and gaspar noes who make art house films that shock. there have been those whose lives provoke. people such as mel gibson, roman polanski or woody allen. woody allen's latest film has its us release cancelled though it topped the box office elsewhere this may. his memoir was initially scrapped due to sexual abuse allegations. he has denied them. he has never been charged. when we talked about woody allen, it was difficult for people to review this book, difficult for critics to review his movies. it is like you're signing

on with satan if you dare to say that the woody allen movie is actually quite a good screwball comedy. there is also press speculation that the future of the fantastic beasts series is not secure, partly because of controversy over author jk rowling's views on trans issues. it seems the effects of lockdown, the black lives matter protests and the #metoo movement have pushed the film industry to scrutinising all its values. now what we are seeing as other ideas and other opinions, there is a debate but what we are seeing is a diversity of opinion and that can only be a good thing because it will create change and this idea there is a morality police is to an extent true. hollywood policing its beliefs doesn't sound particularly liberal, but activism has helped gay characters go from this stereotype... personally i really enjoy it when couples dress alike.

to oscar—winning moonlight an oscar—winning story and more nuanced storytelling. port authority is a love story set in new york. when you put something new into the storyline, it changes the layers and the waves. having a trans woman play a bond girl or cleopatra for everyone to see at the same time, could be a life changing experience for a lot of people. the same pressure as part of the #metoo movement to give more women in film a voice might have resulted in st frances. it features abortion, but that is not the dramatic point of the film. i think there is a lot

of value to being able to bring your own experience, your own complicated nuanced experience to the forefront, so that people have an antidote to this very polarised sort of aggressive culture that we have, especially on social media. i'm smart! if cinema is thinking more of women and lgbtq rights, as well as racial diversity, it'll almost certainly result in better stories. what the film industry now has to decide is who it allows to tell those stories and what should or shouldn't disqualify them. that brings our talking movies: future of cinema special to a close. we hope you've enjoyed the show. please remember you can always reach us online at bbc.com/talkingmovies. you can find us on facebook and twitter. for me, tomba, and the rest of the production team, it's goodbye as we leave you with some images of eight film set in operation in the age of covid—19.

it is very cloudy across the uk right now. there are a few scattered downpours as well and will continue to see these storms over the next couple of days. very little change on the weather fronts.

the air has become very stagnant across the uk and quite humid ever since the heatwave ended days ago in the south and central areas. we are seeing the same pattern day on day. clouds re—form in the south, move northwards and bring the threats of showers, downpours and thunderstorms. this is what the picture looks like this evening. you can see where the showers are. some of them are quite small, only a few miles across. one minute dry, the next the heavens' open. there will be a tendency for these two driven authors as we go to the evening and overnight period. the temperatures overnight will be pretty high. 16 degrees in norwich and london, 1a in belfast. that is an indication of how much moisture is in the atmosphere. when you have a lot of moisture temperatures don't tend to fall away much during the night. the low pressure so with us on monday with the threat of showers. they circle gently around this area of low pressure. the wind is our light.

we'll have to wait before ones ramp up in the atlantic to sort of waft away all this humid weather. thick clouds and storms. the weather will change in the coming days but notjust yet. the same weather pattern will continue into tuesday. again, the threat of downpours with some sunshine in between. actually, you will notice the storms become more widespread across the north. wednesday we see a change. this area of low pressure within it mixed in has the remnants of a tropical storm. the weather will be very unpredictable towards the end of the week. there's the chance things will warm up in the south—east but overall unsettled weather for the end

of the week.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 4pm... as students protest against the downgrading of a—level results in england — more confusion as the exam regulator withdraws its guidance on appealing against grades — just hours after publishing it. the common thing is anger. a lot of people are really sad and the stress, it is a really stressful time. like, yourfuture is uncertain. i think the general attitude is, people want change. people want the government to be held accountable. it's about time that boris johnson takes for this and stops making it up as he goes along, because it's far too serious for that, and i think in the next 2a hours he's got to come and explain to students, parents and teachers,