good morning, welcome to breakfast. happy christmas. on an exceptional christmas day and the end of an extraordinary year, these are our headlines. a deal on brexit — the prime minister shows off the 500 page agreement in a social media video and recommends it as post—christmas lunch reading. an extra 800 military personnel are deployed in kent to help clear the backlog of lorries waiting to cross to france. we are live in dover with the latest. a message of hope from captain sir tom, as he reflects on a christmas when millions are separated from loved ones. this year, of course, with things as they are, it can't be

quite the same for everyone. but things will get better, and next year we'll be all right. rugby star rob burrow looks back on a year living with motor neurone disease. the tale of two young lads supporting their local hospital, and how we surprised them with a new celebrity supporter. good morning. a chilly start to this christmas day but a pretty come day lies ahead. we are going to be battening down the hatches with storm valid from boxing day. —— storm valid from boxing day. —— storm bella. good morning, it's friday 25th of december — christmas day — and for many of us it's very different to what we're used to. coming up, we've got heart—warming stories, a catch up with some old friends of the programme, and plenty of festive cheer. first our main story.

after the uk and european union secured a brexit trade deal, politicians, diplomats and businesses will begin examining the details. mps here are expected to vote on the agreement on wednesday. our political correspondent, helen catt, has more. it's little wonder that he looked so pleased. this was a big moment, a deal done after nine months of talks and years of divisive debate. i'm very pleased to tell you this afternoon that we have completed the biggest trade deal yet, worth £660 billion a year, a comprehensive canada style free trade deal between the uk and the eu in the eu. in the eu the tone was more muted, but they, too, say they got a good deal in the end. so we have finally found an agreement. it was a long and winding road, but we have got a good deal to show for it. it is fair, it is a balanced deal and it is the right and responsible thing to do for both sides.

three, two, one... the uk left the eu back injanuary, but nothing really changed as we've been in a transition period ever since. this deal sets out how the uk will trade and cooperate on security from next friday. on wednesday, mps and peers will be called back from the christmas break to debate it. between now and then, the hundreds of pages that make up the deal will be carefully pored over by many. labour has said it will back it, as, it says, the only alternative to no deal. when this deal comes before parliament, labour will accept it and vote for it. but let me be absolutely clear and say directly to the government, up against no deal, we accept this deal, but the consequences of it are yours, and yours alone, and we will hold you to account for it. even with this agreement things

are going to change. freedom of movement will end after next thursday. trading with the eu won't be as easy as it was. what this deal will do is avoid more significant disruption and prevent customs taxes being put on goods. the deal that was never certain to happen has now been done. unwrapping what's in it, well, that's just about to start. helen catt, bbc news, westminster. last night, the prime minister gave us the first glimpse of the brexit deal that was agreed with the eu, following months of negotiations. in a video posted on twitter, boris johnson held up the draft document — which is thought to be around 500 pages long — and urged people to read it later today. i have a small present for anyone who may be looking for something to read in that sleepy post—christmas lunch moment. and here it is. tidings, glad tidings of greatjoy,

because this is a deal. a deal to give certainty to business and travellers and all investors in our country from the ist of january. he deal with our friends and partners in the eu. thousands of lorry drivers stranded at the port of dover may have to spend christmas in their cabs. an extra 800 military personnel are being deployed to help clear the backlog. crossings to france will continue over the festive period, but all drivers are required to test negative for coronavirus before being allowed into france. driving home for christmas. well, some of the middle east. ford drivers tested and covid broke free. lorries finally on their way. but many drivers still left behind here at manston airfield and are desperate to get home. france, because france making new low when it's simple to come back to europe. the lorries are still stacked up on the motorway and darted around the county. more gridlock in dover too.

he christmas this town will not forget about things are improving. they're boosting testing capacity. these average firefighters. they arrived to lend a hand. the key thing is making sure we get the testing going properly. what that means is that we are achieving the through points that will keep the ferry is full. we are not hitting those levels yet. until then we can't make an estimate of how long it is going to take. the lorries keep on coming. the port is now working through christmas day to try to clear the backlog on this crucial trade route. emma simpson, bbc news, dover. churches across the uk will be holding scaled back christmas celebrations today. the archbishop of canterbury has said elderly and vulnerable churchgoers should consider the risks and not feel obliged to go to church. even for those that do go, services will feel very different and many will be broadcast online. harry farley reports. the darkness is deep. yet, light penetrates the darkness.

a homily to an empty building. midnight mass at westminster cathedral last night was streamed online, but members of the public were not allowed to attend. earlier, cardinal vincent nichols had presided at an afternoon service with strict social distancing in place. but cathedral staff feared the popular midnight mass service would attract crowds and moved the service online. at the vatican later today, pope francis will deliver his christmas message indoors, not from the balcony of st peter's. and here at westminster cathedral, cardinal nichols said the crisis was a crossroads in our history. have we not seen in these months of difficulty, they're marked by countless acts of random kindness, quiet heroism, selfless service, remarkable community efforts, all directed to those most in need? later today, the archbishop

of canterbury is expected to say that the darkness of this year will not overcome the light of christ's birth. that service, like this one in westminster, will be broadcast online. across the country thousands will, for the first time today, tune in to christmas celebrations being live streamed from their local church, rather than attending in person. for those here at westminster cathedral, despite the distance, chairs and limited numbers, it was a moment of solace at the end of a difficult year. harry farley, bbc news at westminster cathedral. the uk's biggest testing lab has been hit by an outbreak of coronavirus. a number of scientists at the lighthouse laboratory in milton keynes are believed to have been affected, along with admin and warehouse staff. the lab, which is being asked to process about 70,000 tests a day, say it follows covid secure work procedures. more than 1,000 people are being evacuated from a holiday park, after heavy rain and flooding.

police and firefighters have been working through the night to rescue those stranded at the billing aquadrome in northampton. two leisure centres have been turned into emergency accommodation. there are more than 100 flood warnings in place across parts of england and wales. the queen is expected to focus on the effects of the pandemic in her christmas broadcast this afternoon. for the first time in more than 30 years, she and the duke of edinburgh are spending the festive period at windsor, instead of sandringham. 0ur royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, has more. christmas 2020, a quiet day at home. this was the queen with members of her family at windsor castle just over two weeks ago, before the tier 4 covid restrictions were announced. there will be no family gatherings at the castle today. instead, the queen will spend christmas day at windsor castle with the duke of edinburgh and a small group of staff. it'll be the first time

she's spent christmas at the castle since the 1980s. back then, the castle was where the family gathered every year for christmas. but for the past 30 years or so, they've spent christmas at sandringham. those plans were abandoned several weeks ago. so there will be no visits to church for morning service, though the queen will probably attend a private moment of worship inside the castle. one thing that will take place as normal, the queen's christmas broadcast, which at the end of such a difficult year, will have an added significance. no details have been made public in advance, but the broadcast will be an opportunity for the queen to offer a message of thanks and reassurance, just as she did back in april during the first wave of the pandemic. we should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. we will be with our friends again. we will be with our families again. we will meet again. but for now, i send my thanks

and warmest good wishes to all. the queen's christmas broadcast will be transmitted on radio and television and online. nicholas witchell, bbc news. the first concert to be held inside notre dame cathedral in paris since it was partially destroyed by a fire last year, has been broadcast on french television. there was no audience for the performance, which was recorded earlier this month. the socially distanced singers wore hard hats and boiler suits, because the gothic cathedral is still a construction site. they performed works by mozart and schubert, as well as light—hearted pieces includingjingle bells. # 0h, # oh, what fun it is to ride in a one—horse open sleigh. #jingle bells, one—horse open sleigh. # jingle bells, jingle one—horse open sleigh. #jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.

that's got to cheer you up on christmas morning. i am aware that lots of you will be not having the christmas you planned. but as ever on breakfast, we are here. what a year it's been for captain sir tom moore, and here at breakfast, we've been with him every step of the way. john maguire has been to catch up with him, to find out about his christmas plans. it's been a year like no otherfor all of us. but for captain sir tom moore, 2020 has seen him catapulted from his back garden to worldwide adoration, and to a specially convened ceremony where he was knighted by her majesty the queen. december‘s always a time to look forward, but also back to boyhood christmases during the 1920s. you got up at six o'clock in the morning to see what father christmas

had left overnight. when we were small boys, or small children, we didn't get a stocking, we got a pillowcase. you knew there'd be an orange at the bottom of it somewhere. but not a lump of coal? no! and later, as a young officer in the british army during the second world war. all the officers gave the all the other ranks their christmas lunch. we served them their christmas lunch. and that was a happy occasion, with a little a bit of relaxation and some drink, which hadn't been readily available for some time. but that was a very good day. one of the main objectives of the captain tom foundation is to tackle loneliness, which can be especially cruel at christmas.

for people who don't have a family who can come and knock on the door, it must be a very lonely time. and, of course, how are they going to have a christmas lunch if there's only one of you? so i do hope that everyone will have more than one person to have the christmas lunch. but you would, of course, expect some of his famous optimism. we've always had all the family around us, and we've all had a lovely christmas lunch with turkey and all the little bits that go with it. and that's always been a joy for the parents, and for the children. this year, of course, with things as they are, things can't be quite the same for everyone, but things will get better and next

year we'll be all right. he's spending the festive season not walking, but hopefully relaxing, having been invited to barbados. i had a bucket list, and one of the items on that list was barbados. and this is going to come through. barbados has very kindly taken barbados off my bucket list. and what's next on that — do we know? what's the next plan on your bucket list? the next one is on the route 66 across america with bentley. well, let's hope you get that one soon as well. so as he works his way down the list, let's hope captain sir tom gets his kicks in the new year. john maguire, bbc news, bedfordshire.

lovely to hear from lovely to hearfrom him on lovely to hear from him on christmas morning. we'd love to see how you are celebrating christmas today. lots of you have changed the plans. waking up on your own for the first time. you can email us your pictures at bbcbrea kfast@bbc. co. uk or tweet using the hashtag bbcbreakfast. we will show some of those later. the weather, i was that going to be? susanis the weather, i was that going to be? susan isjoining the weather, i was that going to be? susan is joining me. the weather, i was that going to be? susan isjoining me. happy christmas. happy christmas to you as well, louise. the weather today is pretty quiet. even the weather is taking a day off. it has turned very frosty through the small hours with light winds and clear skies. a lot of dry weather to come through the day. we are battening down the hatches because tomorrow looks like a livelier affair with this troublemaker waiting up here close to iceland. this is storm bella.

here we are under this nice area of high pressure for a christmas day. a lot of fine weather. a few showers in eastern england. we could see some flakes of snow. that is the best chance for anything white this christmas day. further west, best chance for anything white this christmas day. furtherwest, perhaps a few spots of rain in wales and the south—west of england. more persistent rain in the north—west of scotland. take a cloud through the afternoon for scotland and northern ireland. the warmest spot is up to 7 degrees, five further south. chile are in the south—east ahead of the cloud syncing south across the uk. patchy rain. the cloud making for a milder started to boxing day. temperatures above freezing. this rain are putting into western scotla nd rain are putting into western scotland is going to really stick around through boxing day. the total are going to mount up and we could locally see some flooding. generally more cloud around across england and wales. a few showers across southern counties. heavier rain for northern

england. the biggest difference in the way things feel, temperatures in double figures to the south. we barely scrape four or five today. this is the first sign of storm bella protein. this rain is going to bella protein. this rain is going to be heavy overnight boxing day night into sunday. flooding is a risk across england and wales because the ground is saturated. but the wind is the really big deal. gusting widely at 50 to 60 mph across england and wales. towards the south coast a real battering. gusts of up to 80 mph. strong enough to cause damage and destruction. the only good thing, if you can say anything good about this rain, is it will pull afterwards the continent pretty quickly through sunday morning. some sunshine will follow. behind it, colder air and north—westerly wind. you can see white of they're on the map behind me. showers for northern and western exposures. and notjust across the hills, but lower line ground as well. chile on sunday. top

temperatures of two or three degrees for scotland and northern ireland. 0n for scotland and northern ireland. on monday, if you are hoping for something white in your christmas period as we go into the start of next week, the chance of wintry showers are pushing further south. we stay on the chillier side as we go through the week ahead. perfect excuse go through the week ahead. perfect excuse to get that christmas jumper owed louise. and i love yours, by the way. people are going out for christmas today. it is going to be bracing, isn't it? it is going to be bracing, isn't it? it is going to be pretty chilly. tomorrow will be more challenging because the wind looks really dangerous tomorrow. i am not liking the look of the boxing day chart. today, hopefully, even though it is chilly, they should be some songs for most of us. thank you. we've met so many inspiring people this year, and someone who has really captured our hearts is former rugby league star rob burrow. he was diagnosed with motor neurone

disease just days before christmas last year, and he's spoken out to help others living with the condition. twelve months on he tells us, in his own words, why this christmas means more to him than any other. hello, my name is rob burrow. i used to play rugby for leeds rhinos. over the last year you might have seen me sharing my story of living with motor neurone disease. it was december last year when i was diagnosed. there is no cure. you know, i'm not going to give in. you know, i'm determined to live. i'm not giving in until my last breath. a few weeks after my diagnosis, ifound comfort in my new team—mates, doddie weir and stephen darby, two other former sportsmen also

fighting this disease. rob, i know one of the things that you want to do is you want your children to remember how you speak. you think when your voice is gone... obviously, the area affecting me is my voice and the muscles around the throat. so i'm pretty keen to become a voice. unfortunately, there'll be a day when i can't really speak. this is nothing like my voice was, but hopefully, through lots of interviews and audio, you know, i can tell the kids off — i still do that, you know — and tell them i love them, you know. now, rob, this your chance. any voice, accent you want. this is your time to be scottish! not scottish, no! broad yorkshire, like i am, yeah. 2020 has been tough for everyone.

in the spring, the country went into lockdown, which brought new challenges. so, i've not left the house for over two weeks now. i like being at home with my family. it gives me a chance to spend some quiet time with them. as the summer went on, my voice got worse and my body became weaker. but my mind remained, and still remains, so strong. that will never change. look at that boy. he's so good. yeah. isn't he great? how important is it for you to make memories for them, and make memories

for the kids now? i have a wonderful family. my wife, lindsay, is my rock and my three young children, and all i want to do now is to help otherfamilies going through the same as me. you know, this has never been about rob. this is about raising awareness for other people that have this horrible, horrible disease. i've been proud of everything that all us family's done, but what rob's achieved. but i've never felt as proud as i do now. wow! the rugby community is also a huge part of my life. my make kev ran seven marathons in seven days

to raise awareness of mnd. he's mad. i'm so grateful and would have done the same for him. he raised millions and hopefully, this will go a long way towards finding a cure. that bit's the hard bit. that's why you're doing it. yeah. it's now christmas, my favourite time of the year. 2020 has taught me that life is precious and not to take things for granted. this daddy, this is the best card. it's got no pictures on, it's got some money inside it. i'm looking forward to seeing the kids open their presents on christmas day, and the smiles on theirfaces. i may have lost my voice, but technology now helps me to speak.

i can still talk to my family in my broad yorkshire accent, and wish them a very merry christmas. we would just like to thank you for all your support over the last 12 months, since my dad was diagnosed with mnd. we wish you a very, merry, happy new year and hopefully, you have a wonderful, great christmas. daddy has a little message for you. i would just like to wish you a happy christmas to all of my friends, family and everyone watching bbc breakfast. thank you for all of your support. sending you all best wishes for the new year. love from rob. merry christmas! what a wonderful message from rob and his two little girls. happy christmas to you, rob and everybody else as well. joe biden will bring many changes

to the white house when he replaces donald trump as us president — including the number of animals. mr trump was the first us president in more than a century not to have a pet of any kind. barbara plett usher reports. it's been a while since pets had the run of the white house lawn. sonny and bo make way for major and champ, the beloved dogs ofjoe biden. say, champ, do you want to play golf? well, where's the golf club? they'lljoin the ranks of white house animal celebrities, a long tradition of not always typical presidential pets. such as rebecca the raccoon in the coolidge white house. and billy 0possum for herbert hoover. teddy roosevelt, in particular, stands out as an animal lover. his white house was practically a zoo. donald trump stands out as that rare presidential breed uncomfortable with dogs. feels a little phony. phony to me. in a category of her own

is pushinka, a cold war gift from the soviet union. historians ponder whether that factored intojohn kennedy's caution during the cuban missile crisis over russian nuclear weapons. if somebody gives you a puppy, it's hard to wrap your mind around the idea of that person being evil or that person lacking humanity or, you know, wanting to drop a nuclear bomb on that person. so... so that averted, i don't know, world war three? yeah, it's quite possible that pushinka is the reason that we're sitting here talking in my backyard right now! whatever the political drama, pets have been a president's best friend, but also helped them connect with the american people. if you see the president walking his dog or rolling around on the ground playing with his puppy, then it reminds you of what you do and makes him more likeable in a way thatjust watching the president speak behind a podium isn't going to do. dogs are the most common. but what else would animal lovers like to see in the white house? you know, ithink it'd be fun to see a monkey.

how about a hedgehog? or maybe a cat? i haven't seen a cat in the white house in a while. the last cat—in—chief was socks. but there will be another one or so, or so biden says. the president—elect has promised to unify america in these partisan times. maybe he can at least bring dog and cat people together. barbara platt usher, bbc news, washington. you are watching breakfast. good morning. if you want to get in touch, please do. lots of you will be waking up somewhere you weren't expecting to, or with different plans for today. tell us how you are celibate in christmas and send us a picture. we will show some later. thank you for watching today and the last year, which has been tough for all of us. stay with us, headlines coming up.

hello, this is breakfast with louise minchin. hgppy happy christmas to you all. thank you for watching. we have lots of treats for you on the programme and the news as well.

a post—brexit trade deal was agreed yesterday, but it's been four—and—a—half years since the uk voted to leave the european union. in that time there's been two changes of prime minister, two general elections, and more votes in parliament than anyone cares to remember. here's a quick recap of how we got here — and a warning this report has flashing images. the british people have spoken and the answer is we are out. the country require special leadership. brexit means brexit. i general election. you are joking, not another one! sign up every cannot see any way at all that the conservatives can get to the 326 mark and we feel it is clear that it is going to be a hung parliament.

mark and we feel it is clear that it is going to be a hung parliamentlj believe is going to be a hung parliament.” believe our best days lie ahead of us. believe our best days lie ahead of us. order! the noes have it, the noes have it, the noes have it. flexible extension. do not waste this time. i have accepted. suspend parliament. unlawful. we will post this legislation. the prime minister said last month that he would rather die ina said last month that he would rather die in a ditch then ask for another brexit delay and the european council president accepted a three month extension. we will go out with her biggest campaign this party has ever mounted. nine years to find our nhs. little bit patronising. boris johnson's deal is unacceptable. are

exit poll is suggesting that there will be a conservative majority. we don't give up. i wish you well. the ayes have it. royal assent, don't give up. i wish you well. the ayes have it. royalassent, european union withdrawal agreement at 2020. the uk is now in a transition period. there is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting eu rules on competition policy. to ensure a level playing field... bets negotiate, get a deal and move on. i think the situation at the moment is very tricky.

the conditions have to be fair. the clock is no longer taking. we have completed the biggest trade deal yet between the uk and the eu. we will have more on that at seven o'clock. so many things to look forward to here on breakfast including how we are all celebrating christmas today. right now,... let's take a look back at key events of the year for the royal family — in review 2020: the royal year, presented by daniela relph. a year like no other during her long reign. a masked monarch in covid times. this is a strange, frustrating and often distressing experience. an heir to the throne, locked down with coronavirus. a thank you from the cambridge

family, who stepped up, while others isolated. but for the sussexes, a step back, as they withdrew from royal duty. the queen's year started with the regular routine of royal engagements. a visit to m15 headquarters in february. but everything was about to change. here, she thanked staff for keeping us safe. unaware that the biggest danger this year would be a health emergency that locked down the uk and changed the way the queen lived and worked. with lockdown imminent in march, she moved out of london. the queen came to windsor, and spent the first lockdown behind the castle walls with members of the royal household. the duke of edinburghjoined her. and, from here, she worked as a monarch in isolation. but that didn't mean she was out of sight. indeed, her contribution to the national mood was seen as significant and meaningful.

none more so than her address to the country during the first weeks of lockdown, back in april. i am speaking to you at what i know is an increasingly challenging time. it was a deeply personal message, from the longest serving head of state in the world, during an exceptional moment in her reign. together, we are tackling this disease, and i want to reassure you that, if we remain united and resolute, then we will be able to overcome it. i hope in years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. these who come after us will say that the britons of this generation were as strong as any. that the attributes of self—discipline, of quiet, good—humoured resolve, and of fellow feeling,

still characterise this country. the pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future. it included praise for the sacrifices being made and ended with cautious optimism. we should take comfort that, while we may have much still to endure, better days will return. we will be with our friends again, we will be with our families again, we will meet again. but, for now, i send my thanks and warmest good wishes to all. the public duties that meant the queen had now gone digital. but engagements were mostly online — this one, from princess anne, to thank carers. i am very glad to be able to join you today. i think we all recognise that we all know carers, somewhere. and maybe we have stopped and wondered how on earth we can help. and her online meetings with the military brought a few surprises.

lam the i am the pilot of the jamaican bobsleigh team. gosh! what a very dangerous job! it can be quite dangerous. so, how do you train? pushing a car, up and down the street. in the gym i suppose that is one way to say it. that is definitely one way to train, ma'am! there were some engagements, though, that did happen in person. albeit at a social distance. on a perfect summer's day injuly, within the grounds of windsor castle, the queen knighted captain sir tom moore. a special honour for his remarkable fundraising efforts during lockdown. it was the queen's first face—to—face engagement with a member of the public since march. to meet the queen was more than anyone could expect.

i never could have imagined that i would get so close to the queen. and to get such a kind message from her. that was really outstanding. the lockdown did mean that we were occasionally shown some more personal images of the queen's family life. this the first photo we saw of her, during her isolation at windsor, at 94, still riding in the castle grounds. with her there was the duke of edinburgh who had marked his 99th birthday injune. and then, a family wedding. smaller and more distant than the usual grand royal affairs. princess beatrice got married in july. the wedding dress was lent to her from the queen's archive of dresses and altered to fit her grand—daughter. and, from a new marriage to one that has endured over decades. a 73rd wedding anniversary for the queen and duke in november. including a card from their great—grandchildren, princes george, louis and princess charlotte. for the prince of wales, the run—up to lockdown had been busy.

here in newquay on march 6th, he was still shaking hands. but a few days later in london, the protocol had changed. but it was sometimes hard to rememberfor someone whose life is a constant round of meeting people. in his 70s, his covid risk was high. and, on the 25th of march, clarence house announced that he had tested positive and was isolating at birk hall, his home on the balmoral estate in scotland. his symptoms were mild, and a few days later he shared his thoughts video message. as you all know, this is a strange, frustrating and often distressing experience. where the presence of family and friends is no longer possible. and the normal structures of life are suddenly removed. at such an unprecedented and anxious time in all our lives, my wife and i are thinking particularly of all those who have lost their loved ones in such a very difficult

and abnormal circumstances, and all those having to endure sickness, isolation and loneliness. byjune, some in—person engagements had resumed. this one at the gloucestershire royal hospital had the look of a military parade, with staff and royals keeping their distance. it allowed the prince and the duchess of cornwall to show their gratitude. just to have a chance of seeing people who have been doing so much literally on the front line, and having to endure an awful lot of stress and strain, in their wonderful way, how they do it, i don't know. and doing everything in the most effective way. before the global pandemic took hold, there was a family crisis to deal with. the duke and duchess of sussex returned to public life in london injanuary after several weeks in canada. while away, there had been some soul—searching. the life they seemed to be building

in the uk was about to be set aside. harry and meghan had chosen windsor as their home. they had made a breakfrom living and working alongside the duke and duchess of cambridge everyone assumed that they would base themselves here, and carve out a public role together. but they were clearly unhappy and wanted something different. and that was a life away from royal duty. going it alone, the duke and the sussex announce they are stepping back as senior royals. even the queen wasn't told before they broke the news tonight. there was clear unhappiness and issues to resolve. on monday 13th january, just under a week later, the queen led a meeting at her sandringham estate in norfolk with prince charles, prince william and prince harry. at five o'clock that day came news confirming the departure of harry and meghan from royal duties. with the queen accepting their desire for more independence. let's go straight to sandringham and talk to our royal

correspondent daniela relph, who has some latest developments for us. daniela? yes, huw, we havejust had a statement released on behalf of her majesty the queen, from buckingham palace. the details were laid out in the following days. there would now be no public funding for harry and meghan. they got to keep their titles. they agreed not to use his or her royal as they wear no longer full—time working royals. they would continue to uphold the values of the queen, and this would all be reviewed after a 12—month trial period. with the change now confirmed, harry chose a private dinner for his sentabale charity, to speak publicly for the first time about his decision. i want you to hear the truth from me. as much as i can share. not as a prince or a duke, but as harry. the same person that many of you have watched grow up over the last 35 years. but now with a clearer perspective. the uk is my home. and a place that i love.

that will never change. i have grown up feeling supported from so many of you, and i watched as you welcomed meghan with open arms, as you saw me find the love, the happiness, that i had hoped for all my life. speaking personally, he explained exactly how he felt. what i want to make clear is, we are not walking away. and we certainly aren't walking away from you. our hope was to continue serving the queen, the commonwealth and my military associations, but without public funding. unfortunately, that wasn't possible. i have accepted this, knowing that it doesn't change who i am or what i am. or how committed i am. but i hope that helps you understand what it had come to. that i would step my family back from all that i have ever known to take a step forward

into what i hope can be a more peaceful life. cheering before their departure there were a few last royal engagements to undertake. some together, others individually. to mark international women's day, meghan visited a school in east london, where she sent a message to men. so, ijust encourage and empower each of you to really stand in your truth, to stand for what is right, and to respect each other, to continue to value and appreciate the women in your lives. and also set the example for some men who are not seeing it that same way, right? you have mothers, sisters, girlfriends, friends in your life, protect them. make sure that they are feeling valued and safe. the response to the speech came with a little bit of teenage cheek. applause she really is beautiful, innit?!

laughter and then, the final farewell. at westminster abbey for commonwealth day in march. it was formal, traditional, led by the queen. all the things they were leaving behind. they sat close to the duke and duchess of cambridge. but there was barely any communication between this once close family unit. these had been a difficult few weeks for everyone, and perhaps it showed. as harry and meghan left the abbey, did they feel regret or relief? they were about to embark on a new life for themselves, away from the constraints of royal duty. coming up, the cambridges lead the way in lockdown engagements, and more on harry and meghan‘s new life in america.

for the cambridges, lockdown allowed for some valuable family time. and, like so many around the country, they were enthusiastic participants in the thursday clap for the nhs. and like so many families, this year has presented many challenges. the cambridge family split lockdown between their home in norfolk, and here at kensington palace. despite the restrictions, we have seen a lot of them. with the queen in her 90s and the prince of wales in his 70s, it was the cambridges in their 30s who often stepped up. but first the duke of cambridge recovered from his own bout of covid. he didn't reveal details at the time, but it is believed he tested positive in april and self—isolated. in those early weeks of lockdown, their royal engagements went online. and they focused on thanking key workers. laughter that is a strong look! these pupils at school in lancashire were the children

of front line workers. i am catherine, and this is william, next to me. are you holding up pictures of your mummies and daddies? yes. this is a picture of my mum, and she works for the nhs. she is a health visitor. and i am really proud of her. and in the couple's first interview during lockdown, they again spoke of their gratitude. the nhs workers, front line workers, are used to dealing, sadly, with very sad situations, death and things like that, but i think the scale and speed of what's going on in hospitals, bearing in mind the isolation, a lot of these patients are dying with no family members around them, and i think for the nhs front line workers, that is very difficult. because they are there, right next to the bedside and dealing with patients who are in a critical condition, and i think they take away that pain, and sometimes that fear, and loneliness that these patients have to go through. they are the ones who absorb

that and then take that home to their families. i think it is going to dramatically change how we all value and see our front line workers. and i think that is one of the main lessons we can take from this. they do an extraordinaryjob. it goes unrecognised daily and now, i think all of us as a nation, can see how hard they work and how vital their workers. i'm just going to pick up the first ball. there were lighter moments too. some royal bingo callers for the residents of shire hall care home in cardiff. one little duck, number two. laughter eight and seven, 87. six and two, tickety boo. yay! you won the bingo. hello, joe. a few weeks later william and catherine visited the care home in person. when asked if their bingo calling was any good, the answer from residentjoan

was direct and not broadcastable! you said i didn't do a very good job! bleep! laughter excellent! speaking truth to royalty wasn't a problem here! wearing masks, but back to royal engagements, lockdown eased, here at a mosque in east london. and just around the corner came a visit to one of brick lane's famous bagel shops. it was a chance to get stuck in. so you like brussels sprouts to? catherine and william have also focused on their own interests this year. for the duchess, that are supporting families caring for the under—fives. a survey she launched looking at the early years experience generated more than half a million responses. and her royal duties will be built around this area. the pandemic has reminded usjust how much we value living in a world where people care for one another.

and the importance of feeling connected to the people around us. and it is these connections, these relationships, that are founded in the earliest years of our lives. a photographic collection of our lockdown experience was an initiative also launched by the duchess. supported by the national portrait gallery. de hold still exhibition was moving, funny and sad. the duke of cambridge, prince william, welcome to our podcast. the podcast with former footballer peter transports some laughter. recorded at kensington palace before restrictions were brought in, at that point on the table william was as relaxed as we have seen them, the talk was of stag dos, football and mental health. mcrobbie talk about physical fitness, mental health. mcrobbie talk about physicalfitness, going to mental health. mcrobbie talk about physical fitness, going to the gym, i'm talking about mental fitness, it is kind of the same thing, we all

have mental health and need to stay mentally fit. to round it all off, a ta keaway mentally fit. to round it all off, a takeaway curry. but his work on the environment was the big project of the year for william. he launched the year for william. he launched the earth shock alongside sir david attenborough, looking for solutions to the biggest environmental challenges. it is the biggest global environmental prize it has ever been. it is a huge, ambitious target by the positivity and finding ways to do this is better than saying it is all doom and gloom and is all going to paris. we have to harness oui’ going to paris. we have to harness our ingenuity and ability to invent. as prince george, princess jallet and prince louis it was a chance to meet sir david and give him a grilling. hello, david attenborough, what animal do you think will come extinct next? let's hope that there will not be any because there are lots of things we can do when

animals are reduced to the danger of extinction, we can protect them. there has been another public outing for the cambridge children. in a year that has devastated theatre and the arts, mum and dad took george, charlotte and louis to pantomime at the london palladium. a slightly tentative red carpet experience for some, but one that allowed the family to show their support for the industry and the front line workers whojoined them in industry and the front line workers who joined them in the audience. for the duchess of cornwall, royal duties this year included watching the work of detection dogs at their training centre in milton keynes. trials are under way to determine

whether these dogs can identify people carrying the covid—19 virus. this is bbc 5live. camilla stepped into the radio edit as chair for the emma barnett show on bbc radio 5 live. clarence house became a radio studio for the day. the focus was on the causes that matter to her. including domestic violence and the dangers lockdown posed to abuse victims. you are there, you cannot get out, you probably have children there, that is the worst thing, you probably feel that you cannot leave because you must take the children. you probably have got a telephone but you cannot get to it. whether go? she focused on herjoy at being reunited with her grandchildren and how her husband's fitness help him beat covid. and it was the prince of wales and the duchess of cornwall who led the country's remembrance in

may, marking 75 years since ve day. at 11 o'clock they led the national tributes at the balmoral war memorial in scotland. this was the start of a unique year of remembrance, with all major events cancelled. something recognised by the queen in her ve day address. instead, we remember from the queen in her ve day address. instead, we rememberfrom our homes and doorsteps. but our streets are not empty, they are filled with the love and care that we have for each other. and, when i look at our country today, and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, i say, with pride, that we are still a nation of those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen, that we recognise. in august, the vj day commemorations were centred on the national memorial arboretum in staffordshire. carefully choreographed for the veterans who

served with this sometimes forgotten army ina served with this sometimes forgotten army in a brutal campaign. thousands lost their lives in the jungles of south—east asia, and japanese prisoner of war camps. it was the prince of wales who spoke of their courage. today, india's hallowed place, and in the presence of of those gathered here or in their homes, wherever they may be, let us affirm that they and the surviving vetera ns a re affirm that they and the surviving veterans are not forgotten. rather, you are respected, thanked and cherished with all our hearts, and for all time. in november, remembrance sunday had a distinctly different view. in whitehall, the vetera ns different view. in whitehall, the veterans were few, the massed band socially distanced and the streets

empty of the public who come to pay their respects. at 11 o'clock, the queen took her place on the balcony, and watched as the prince of wales and watched as the prince of wales and other senior members of the royal family stood at the cenotaph for minute silence. —— the two—minute silence. big ben bongs. wreaths were laid, including one on behalf of the queen. for the march past, there were just 25 veterans, but despite the limitations, somehow, remembrance in 2020, the yearin somehow, remembrance in 2020, the year in which there has been so much loss and personal sacrifice, felt just as poignant. away from royal

duties, the duke and of sussex are 110w duties, the duke and of sussex are now building their life in california, with a new home and lucrative netflix deal. during lockdown they have done work in the community and supported organisations hit hard by covid. 0n a personal level, during this time, meghan also revealed she had had a miscarriage, an experience she described as an unbearable grief. in the coming year, they will launch a new charity foundation named after their son, archie. he new charity foundation named after theirson, archie. he had new charity foundation named after their son, archie. he had a first birthday this year and they give us a rare glimpse of him. the conversation we have had quite a bit in calls over the last few weeks, with a black lives matter movement... the couple have taken pa rt movement... the couple have taken part ina movement... the couple have taken part in a number of online discussions alongside issues of race, and social justice. discussions alongside issues of race, and socialjustice. this one with young leaders from the queens commonwealth trust where harry and

meghan retain roles as president and vice president. in a us election year labourcampaign to vice president. in a us election year labour campaign to get people to vote, something meghan discussed with the feminist activist gloria steinem. people forget how hard women like you have fortress to be where we are right now. if you don't vote, you don't exist. we will see and hear more of harry and meghan going forward. in the next few months we will learn if they are moved away from royal duty is made permanent, a decision, ultimately, for the queen, and, permanent, a decision, ultimately, forthe queen, and, like permanent, a decision, ultimately, for the queen, and, like all of us, the royal family hopes for a better 2021. carefully managed and socially distanced is what this was. a rare sight this year. the royal family, altogether, at windsor castle, the queen at its heart, with no prince andrew, no prince harry. this is the

royal family as we are likely to see it in the years ahead.

good morning, welcome to breakfast. happy christmas! on an exceptional christmas day and the end of an extraordinary year, these are our headlines. a deal on brexit — the prime minister shows off the 500 page agreement in a social media video, and recommends it as post—christmas lunch reading. an extra 800 military personnel are deployed in kent to help clear the backlog of lorries waiting to cross to france. a message of hope from captain sir tom, as he reflects on a christmas when millions are separated from loves ones. this year, of course, with things as they are, it can't be quite the same for everyone.

but things will get better, and next year we'll be all right. rugby star rob burrow looks back on a year living with motor neurone disease. the tale of two young lads supporting their local hospital and how we surprised them with a new celebrity supporter. good morning. it has turned chilly overnight. it is officially a white christmas. maybe be no snow where you are but we have seen a light fall here in hemming beer in lincolnshire. that, in the eyes of the uk met office, officially makes 2020 a white christmas. let's see what is coming up christmas. let's see what is coming up where you are in a little while. good morning, it's friday 25th of december — christmas day — and for many of us it's very different to what we're used to. coming up, we've got heart—warming stories, a catch up with some old friends

of the programme, and plenty of festive cheer. first, our main story. after the uk and european union secured a brexit trade deal, politicians, diplomats and businesses will begin examining the details. mps here are expected to vote on the agreement on wednesday. 0ur political correspondent, helen catt, has more. it's little wonder that he looked so pleased. this was a big moment, a deal done after nine months of talks and years of divisive debate. i'm very pleased to tell you this afternoon that we have completed the biggest trade deal yet, worth £660 billion a year, a comprehensive canada style free trade deal between the uk and the eu. in the eu the tone was more muted, but they, too, say they got a good deal in the end. so we have finally

found an agreement. it was a long and winding road, but we have got a good deal to show for it. it is fair, it is a balanced deal and it is the right and responsible thing to do for both sides. three, two, one... the uk left the eu back injanuary, but nothing really changed as we've been in a transition period ever since. this deal sets out how the uk will trade and cooperate on security from next friday, when it ends. on wednesday, mps and peers will be called back from the christmas break to debate it. between now and then, the hundreds of pages that make up the deal will be carefully pored over by many. labour has said it will back it, as, it says, the only alternative to no deal. when this deal comes before parliament, labour will accept it and vote for it. but let me be absolutely clear and say directly to the government, up against no deal, we accept this deal, but the consequences of it are yours, and yours alone, and we will hold you to

account for it. even with this agreement things are going to change. freedom of movement will end after next thursday. trading with the eu won't be as easy as it was. what this deal will do is avoid more significant disruption and prevent customs taxes being put on goods. the deal that was never certain to happen has now been done. unwrapping what's in it, well, that's just about to start. helen catt, bbc news, westminster. last night, the prime minister gave us a first glimpse of the final brexit document. that will be closely examined over the coming days. let's speak to our correspondent, helena wilkinson. he gave some insight into this tome last night? yes, he did. this was a christmas eve message from downing

street recorded by the prime minister. it is the first time we have set our eyes on that crucial document. it is a dense document. 500 pages long. that is the meat of it. along with 1000 further cases which are annexes and further footnotes. but the prime minister, in his message yesterday, suggested that if anyone wants to have some post—christmas lunch reading today, then he would recommend it. he waved it around as he was giving that a video message yesterday. let's hear what he has to say.” have a small present for anyone who may be looking for something to read in that sleepy post—christmas lunch moment, and here it is. tidings, glad tidings of great joy, because this is a deal, a deal to give certainty to business and travellers and all investors in our country,

from the ist ofjanuary, a deal with out from the ist ofjanuary, a deal with our friends and partners in the eu. so, louise, it is a long, complicated document, and we are all waiting for that document to come out. mps, as helen mentioned, they are going to be voting on that next week. so they will be wanting to look at the details in that document. just one other thing the prime minister mentioned in his video. he touched on the fact that this is a very different christmas for all of us because of the virus. but he talked in that video message of there being hope, and that hoping the vaccine which should get us out of it. helen, thank you very much. there will be people pouring through those 500 pages. thank you. thousands of lorry drivers face spending christmas day in their cabs near dover. an extra 800 military personnel are being deployed to help clear the backlog of lorries waiting to cross the channel. emma simpson has more.

driving home for christmas. well, some of them at least. the drivers tested and covid—free. lorries finally on their way. but many drivers are still left behind here at manston airfield and desperate to get home. france, because france make new law when it's simple to come back to europe. the lorries are still stacked up on the motorway and dotted around the county. more gridlock in dover too. a christmas this town will not forget, but things are improving. they're boosting testing capacity. these firefighters arrived to lend a hand. the key thing is making sure we get the testing going properly. what that means is that we are achieving the through points that will keep the ferries full. we are not hitting those levels yet. until then, we can't make

an estimate of how long it is going to take. the lorries keep on coming. the port is now working through christmas day to try to clear the backlog on this crucial trade route. emma simpson, bbc news, dover. churches across the uk will be holding scaled back christmas celebrations today. the archbishop of canterbury has said elderly and vulnerable churchgoers should consider the risks and not feel obliged to go to church. even for those that do go, services will feel very different and many will be broadcast online. harry farley reports. the darkness is deep. yet, light penetrates the darkness. a homily to an empty building. midnight mass at westminster cathedral last night was streamed online, but members of the public were not allowed to attend. earlier, cardinal vincent nichols had presided at an afternoon service with strict social distancing in place.

but cathedral staff feared the popular midnight mass service would attract crowds and moved the service online. at the vatican later today, pope francis will deliver his christmas message indoors, not from the balcony of st peter's. and here at westminster cathedral, cardinal nichols said the crisis was a crossroads in our history. have we not seen in these months of difficulty, they're marked by countless acts of random kindness, quiet heroism, selfless service, remarkable community efforts, all directed to those most in need? later today, the archbishop of canterbury is expected to say that the darkness of this year will not overcome the light of christ's birth. that service, like this one in westminster, will be broadcast online. across the country thousands will, for the first time today, tune in to christmas celebrations being live streamed from their local church, rather than attending in person. for those here at westminster

cathedral, despite the distance, chairs and limited numbers, it was a moment of solace at the end of a difficult year. harry farley, bbc news at westminster cathedral. the uk's biggest testing lab has been hit by an outbreak of coronavirus. a number of scientists at the lighthouse laboratory in milton keynes, are believed to have been affected along with admin and warehouse staff. the lab, which is being asked to process about 70,000 tests a day, say it follows covid secure work procedures. more than 1,000 people are being evacuated from a holiday park after heavy rain and flooding. police and firefighters have been working through the night to rescue those stranded at the billing aquadrome in northampton. two leisure centres have been turned into emergency accommodation.there are more than 100 flood warnings in place across parts of england and wales. we will have the weather in a few

moments. the queen will use her christmas speech to reflect on the hardships of the pandemic. she is spending the festive period at windsor, for the first time in more than 30 years. the royal family usually heads to sandringham, but restrictions mean they won't visit each other this year. the queen's speech will be broadcast at 3pm on bbc one. there's no doubt that christmas day will be very different this year, and with rising infections in england, wales and northern ireland, celebrations are having to be a lot smaller. so let's take a look at the situation across the uk. one in every 85 people in england has the virus, according to the latest figures. london has the highest percentage of people testing positive at more than 2%. in wales, the virus is infecting one in 60 people — a sharp increase.

infection levels are also up in northern ireland, with one in 180 people testing positive. scotland is the only nation not to have an increase. one in 140 people there have the virus which is a drop in positive tests. let's put this all in context now, from those who know best about keeping safe during the festive period. we're joined by our breakfast gp, dr nighat arif, and chief medical officer at the london ambulance service, dr fenella wrigley. thank you so much forjoining us on christmas day. where shall we even start? let's start with that feeling, i know lots of people are waking up with their plans changed, perhaps along for the first time at christmas. it's tough for everyone, isn't it? good morning. good morning. let's face it, this is not where we wanted to be. even if you don't celebrated as a religious holiday, it is a national holiday and we are used to getting families

together, we are used to seeing our loved ones and ourfriends, having the camaraderie because it is cold and it is horrible, we don't get to do the things we want to do because the days are shorter. actually, this is the time we are used to spending in close proximity to everybody, our nearest and dearest, but we can't do that because the nature of the situation is we are in a pandemic. colbert spreads rapidly onto close contact. therefore we have got to be able to follow the rules as much as possible. —— covid—19. the word disappointment is when i have heard throughout the week. i was equally disappointed. for the first time in many years i'm not working on christmas day! i was having to change my plans and get around what we are going to do now. we are in buckinghamshire. that means no family and friends can come around. but we do have a good day, a sunny day, planned. so we can still see somebody outside. add a social

distance. we still keep —— need to keep washing those hands and drive down the virus. those numbers are really grim. they are getting higher and higher. today can make people feel a little bit more lonely as well. what is your advice to people who may be feeling like that today? a lot of people are finding this is not the christmas day plan. they are lonely. also, usually you would go and see your family lonely. also, usually you would go and see yourfamily and lonely. also, usually you would go and see your family and friends. evenif and see your family and friends. even if you hadn't planned to be lonely, you are. my tips to those who are on their own today, firstly, i'm so sorry that you are on your own, because it is really tough. but actually, make it a day when you can do whatever you want. so spend the christmas how you want to do it. if you want to stay in your gym jams all day, do it. if you want to eat what you want to eat, do that. it's really important to keep reaching out. where you would have opened christmas presents together, well, use apps likes zoom etc. watch the

queen's christmas speech. make sure you are still staying connected. go out for a walk. go out for a run if you possibly can, to get that movement and, to get that serotonin moving as well. and actually, it is only 2a hours. i keep saying to people. it is really tough. but it is 2a hours and then we are through it. we can get through it together. there are lots of services out there you can still reach out to. if you're particularly having a really dark day, text showed 28 52, 58, somebody will provide you with mental health support. if you are finding you a really lonely on your own, there is age uk, british grass, salvation army, the amount of services up and running is endless. —— the british red cross. the nhs is still here. we are still looking after people. we need to be able to

let you know that we are here. come and speak to us. we will support you. tell us a little bit about what we know about this new variant as well? that seems to have changed things in many ways. yeah, the variant has come about because we know that viruses do change. from what i understand so far, it is one spike. coronavirus has lots of different spikes. corona being crowned. 0ne different spikes. corona being crowned. one of the spikes has changed. to me as a clinician, i'm not worried about it at the minute. viruses change all the time. look at the flu virus. every year the flu virus changes. i'm not panicking. i'm telling my patients, please don't panic. the vaccination manufacturers and the pfizer company have reassured us that the vaccine, which is the light at the end of the tunnel, that will still be effective for the coronavirus that we are having. we are still going to be rolling out that vaccine and people

should not be deterred, particularly from bame communities who have lots of misgivings around the virus. we had buckinghamshire are continuing to roll it out. please, please take that up. we need that vaccination to form herd immunity. let's face it, we don't want this sort of christmas next year, do we? stay with us for a couple of minutes. of course. we can speak to the chief medical officer ad london ambulance service. thank you forjoining us. thank you for all your hard work on behalf of everybody who has been working for the nhs has well over the past year. tell us what the situation is like at the moment? how are you coping? thank you and happy christmas to everybody. so this is a very different christmas for everybody, including everybody working in the nhs. i'd like to start by extending my nhs. i'd like to start by extending e nhs. i'd like to start by extending my huge thanks to everybody, staff and volunteers in the london ambulance service, who are just

working tirelessly. what we have seen over the last week to ten days isa seen over the last week to ten days is a significant increase in 999 calls coming into the london ambulance service. we normally see around 5500. we are seeing about 7500. so what we really need is everybody to observe the government guidelines around social distancing, protecting themselves. and calling 999 and life—threatening emergencies. and using our fantastic 111 service for advice unless urgent things. just to reiterate, you are available there if people need to dial 999? we absolutely are. the nhs is open. so for patients with chest pain, signs of a stroke, who have collapsed, we absolutely want them to ring 999. the nhs is safe and we will be taking them to a hospital where they will be looked after by the expert in the hospital. but for

patients who have got a sore throat, ora patients who have got a sore throat, or a bit of patients who have got a sore throat, ora bit ofa patients who have got a sore throat, or a bit of a calf and are able to carry on with their day—to—day activities, albeit feeling a little bit under the weather, 111 will be able to provide good advice. you may not be able to say but that increasing the number of calls, do you know how many of them are coronavirus related? so, london ambulance service does not test for the coronavirus, but we are seeing a significant number of patients who are ringing with symptoms that would suggest they may have covid—19. so the community transmission, we know, is on the increase. that is why the washing of hands, wearing of masks, keeping socially distanced at this time, which is really hard during christmas, but it's really important. of course, it is a massive impact on all of your staff but how are they coping? our staff, like all of the nhs, are working really hard. they are all here on

christmas day, right across the nhs, to look after patients. they are an absolute inspiration to everybody. just one question before we go, we have been speaking to you over these many months, a little bit of reflection, it's been really tough, hasn't it? yeah, it has. it has changed the face of general practice, it has changed how we interact with people, how we communicate with people. we are talking via screens. we are using different things. you have to be really clear what you mean when you say something. that is the nature of the beast but we have adapted really well. we have learned how to cope with the meetings we have had. i have been on every week trying to grapple with technology with you guys, grapple with technology with you guys, so i know it's been a real struggle. but actually, do you know what? in some ways a lot of my patients have been really understanding. they understand the pressures that my colleagues and the nhs and the 111 services, dealing

the testing service, valuably wants to get a test, it is 119 if you need one over the holiday period. —— if anybody wants to get a test. they are anybody wants to get a test. they a re really anybody wants to get a test. they are really understanding and accommodating. we need to carry on doing that. communities have come together. we have managed to support oui’ together. we have managed to support our local businesses as much as possible. we have tried to check in on our neighbours. we have tried to make sure that person who has not come out for a fourth —— a few days, make sure they are ok. that's amazing. it is the spirit of community. that makes me feel very happy as a gp because that is the whole point. although we are physically distanced from each other, that we are still checking in. and! other, that we are still checking in. and i commend all the viewers and the british public for helping us. and the british public for helping us. we know that we can drive the number down and that only comes from is playing our part. i've never actually met you in person. have we? i feel like we have actually met you in person. have we? ifeel like we have become... we have, we've met! 0ver

ifeel like we have become... we have, we've met! over the past nine months we have become friends. it's been wonderful. thank you for being a friend of mine, a friend of the programme, you been brilliant. doctor fenella, good luck in the next few days. thank you very much. i love the jumper. next few days. thank you very much. i love thejumper. iforgot next few days. thank you very much. i love the jumper. i forgot to tell her that. she will ever make. that's where she will have heard me. snow has fallen in parts of eastern england, with the met office declaring it officially a white christmas! mark in hessle, near hull, was up bright and early and sent us this picture. if you're waking up to snow on christmas day, get in touch. tweet us at bbc breakfast or email us bbcbrea kfast@bbc. co. uk this is a difficult time for so many people. might be feeling lonely, waking up in different circumstances. waking up in different ci rcu msta nces. lots waking up in different circumstances. lots of you have been sending in your christmas pictures already. we appreciate them. we will show some later. here's susan with a look at this morning's weather. white christmas, it's official? it's amazing. weather watchers to thank

as well. some images coming in already. this is lincolnshire. you mightn‘t expect to see this as a white christmas. there is still green grass. but behind me, you will need wants flake of snow falling on christmas day for the met office to officially declare it a white christmas. we are sitting on a lump of cold air. an area of high pressure allowing a widespread frost to develop overnight. it is the little showers chasing down off the north sea that have brought these white seems to the likes of hull. we could see more snow here through the course of the day today. they will tend to drift off shore this afternoon. the west are more likely to be rain. it is rain on the cards for the north west of scotland as we head into the coming hours. it will get milder here though through the day, as the cloud piles in. a chilly story across england and wales. 0vernight and into boxing day it turns milderfor all of 0vernight and into boxing day it turns milder for all of us. 0vernight and into boxing day it turns milderfor all of us. the cloud spread across the uk. rain to the south, heavy downpours getting into western scotland by the end of

the night. a frost free start to boxing day. boxing day will bring some troubles, particularly later on. we have got some heavy rain to come from western scotland. significant totals. the risk of flooding. more cloud for england and wales. hopefully some brightness. some patchy rain towards the south coast, heavy downpours across the west of england. temperatures in double figures. boxing day night into sunday things look troublesome. here is storm bella. no rest of the weather world. strong winds, possibly more critically heavy rain for england and wales. 100 flood warnings in place across england. 0ver heavy rain on saturday night. the winds potentially damaging up to 5060 -- the winds potentially damaging up to 5060 —— up to 50 mph. that is going to have some impact. the only positive about the rain is it looks like it would clear off towards the continent quite quickly on a sunday

morning and clearer skies will follow. they should be some sunshine. but a north—westerly wind. that is white on the chart once again. if you missed out on your snow fixed today, it is not all over yet. showers in the north and west on sunday are likely to be wintry, not just over on sunday are likely to be wintry, notjust over higher brand but even in low lying areas as well. to the south it looks like we will see some sunshine on sunday, but monday at the moment there is a slight signal we will see some wintry showers crossing england and wales through the day, particularly central england, perhaps getting a covering of snow as we move into the start of what promises to be a pretty chilly week ahead. that is the way things are shaping up today and in the coming days. susan, thank you. see you later. over this year, we've followed the story of paul harvey, a former music teacher who has dementia and, at the age of 80, topped the charts with an improvised piece using four musical notes. he had one wish for this christmas — to play alongside the bbc philharmonic. breakfast‘s graham satchell takes us

through how it happened. what a year it has been for paul harvey. he has reached the top 40, raised huge amounts of money for dementia charities at his music has broughtjoy to dementia charities at his music has brought joy to millions dementia charities at his music has broughtjoy to millions around the world. some amazing, amazing things have happened. and it's, you know, i've had to wait till 80 odd before it all happens, but it's ok. that's fine by me. f natural. a. d. b natural. it all started when paul's son nick gave his dad four nodes and asked him to make up a tune. ——

notes. paul has dementia. music helps to bring him back to life. this video went viral around the world. it was picked up by broadcasting house, who got the bbc philharmonic to provide a full orchestral arrangement. it's been an incredible, magical, wonderful, unbelievable time. i'm still pinching myself of what dad has achieved. he is helping me to understand that if you live with dementia you don't have to be defined by your illness. people are defining dad as a musician and as a composer. defining dad as a musician and as a composer. and also, is a lovely

person. it's been great, for the whole family it's just person. it's been great, for the whole family it'sjust been person. it's been great, for the whole family it's just been a wonderful, wonderful time. yeah, whole family it's just been a wonderful, wonderfultime. yeah, i'm really proud of you, dad. paul's story has had a remarkable impact. in scotland sir tom hunter saw paul on this programme and decided to do this. my wife marion and i would like to help you by donating £1 million from the hunter foundation to help put a light into trying to release people from alzheimer's. some things never change. and of the things that never change are a father's love for his son. and a son's love for his father. so please, take good care.” son's love for his father. so please, take good care. i will. thank you so much. i don't know what

to say. thank you. as well as raising money for charity, paul's a tune was also recognised by possibly the greatest living composer of musical theatre. mr harvey, this is a stephen sondheim. and ijust wanted to thank you so much for the compliments you gave me, and also thank you for that lovely tune you invented. which i can't wait to steal! wow! thank you. wow! dear, oh dear, oh dear. i didn't think there was any more surprises. a great man himself. the great man himself. wow! tell him, for him, he can have that a tune with pleasure. any else i charge for it, but, you know...

wow! 0h, charge for it, but, you know... wow! oh, my goodness. 0h, charge for it, but, you know... wow! oh, my goodness. oh, dear! that's wonderful. that is deeply wonderful. thank you so much for doing that. i clapped on the second bar. finally, a specialtreat. in salford the bbc philharmonic 0rchestra. in sussex, paul ready at the piano. paul has achieved so much this year. but he had one final christmas wish. to play his tune with the philharmonic. so now, the first ever live performance of four notes, paul's tune. music.

applause absolutely lovely. lovely to hear that music again and to see him playing. gosh, some extraordinary things have happened. many of us will be

spending christmas apart from our families this year, and the queen is no exception. she usually travels to sandringham for the festive period. instead she and the duke of edinburgh will have a much quieter — and smaller — christmas at windsor. 0ur royal correspondent daniela relph is there. this is quite a change christmas for so many others, the royal family included. good morning. good morning, and merry christmas. no exception for the royals this year. they asked that having the same kind of christmas so many of us are having, they are at the castle at windsor and there is a team of staff supporting the queen and duke of edinburgh but essentially they are having a christmas apart from their widerfamily. normally having a christmas apart from their wider family. normally royal christmases are a grand affair, at the sandringham estate in norfolk with all of the senior royals in attendance, a gift exchange on christmas eve, then a church service with many members of the public better watch the royal family go to church, then christmas lunch. that will not be happening this year. it

is going to be what buckingham palace have called a quiet christmas, just the duke of edinburgh and the queen at windsor castle. the one element in the royal christmas that will remain is a moment of worship for the queen. she isa moment of worship for the queen. she is a deeply religious woman and she would want to have that as part of her christmas day. they haven't given any details other than that it will be out of sight, and there is a small, intimate private chapel within the borders of windsor castle. it may be that arrangements have been made for her to go there today to privately worship. daniela, thank you very much. the queen speech is at 3pm today. daniela relph, thank you very much. you probably already know what you're having for christmas dinner. you have probably started making it, good morning if you are, by the way. but what's on the menu if you're spending christmas day alone in the middle of the ocean? 70—year old frank rothwell is currently taking on the biggest challenge of his life. he's rowing across the

atlantic ocean as he aims to become the oldest person to complete the task. here's how he was feeling before setting off. i have been looking for a challenge. something that is worthwhile doing. for ages. and i couldn't find anything actually difficult enough. in training, i have been doing 70 miles in two days. and you can't walk 70 miles in two days. and you are rowing, half a tonne of boat, and in the darkest moments of the darkest night, the thing that is going to be motivating me is thinking about my grandchildren. ho—ho! who built the christmas tree? i will be wearing my father christmas suit. myjacket and hat and beard. and i will be playing the part, rowing along in the mid—atla ntic.

in the sunshine. for my christmas dinner, i will have something freeze—dried. i mix it with boiling water, for seven minutes, and then give it a quick stir, and then, there we are. the biggest challenge is going to be missing my wife, jude. we have been married 50 years. we were childhood sweethearts. we got married as teenagers. and she is my best mate. that must have been one of the last hugs they had. we are joined by frank and his wife, judith, who is at home in 0ldham. lovely to see you, judith. we cannot see frank but we can hear from you, judith. we cannot see frank but we can hearfrom him. frank, how are you doing? a very difficult night last night. sound breaks up. we cannot hear you

terribly well but we can hear that you are there. and dude, how are you doing? is i'm doing ok. christmas day with a difference. —— jude. it is difficult to hear him. how has it been? communication has been good, two or three times a day by satellite phone. which is very good, to be in communication all the time. we will return to him in a second. but first, judith, what is your message for frank on christmas day? enjoy his dried food for christmas dinner! we will try frank again. what are your plans for today? presumably some more rowing. the

wind is in the wrong direction for rowing. and it is a bit of a distance. i will be having christmas dinner. have you got some christmas presents on board ? dinner. have you got some christmas presents on board? ho ho, yes! but it has to be as light as possible, we have had lots of cards. that is what i have got today. we cannot hear you terribly well but we can hear you terribly well but we can hear that you are there, which is so nice. judith, did you give any presence given that he cannot take very much on board? he has a few little bits the urban but obviously

the weight of the boat is the main thing so he had christmas dinner before he went. and all of his christmas presents with him.” before he went. and all of his christmas presents with him. i know that you have been a once before at christmas, judith, it has got to be pretty tough for you. it is tough, missing frank, but he is doing it for a worthy cause, which is alzheimer's research uk. it is a challenge that i admire him for, he can do it, and i'm looking forward to meeting him in february, in antigua. fingers crossed that you can get there, at least. yes, that will be another challenge, getting there. what is the weather for you, brag? today, it is as windy as it has been so far. i've just like to

thank the thousands of people who have donated to help alzheimer's research uk. and the thing is, to hang on. frank, listen, we heard you saying thanks, best of luck. you said conditions are tough, well done, frank, best of luck with the rest of that. and, judith, i hope you have a nice christmas day, have you have a nice christmas day, have you got some nice plans?” you have a nice christmas day, have you got some nice plans? i will be staying with my daughter, susan, but will not be seeing my grandchildren, but obviously with the restrictions, it is harder than ever this year for everybody stop so, i willjust be in the queue with everybody else, really. we are all in the same boat,

except frank! let's hope that next year isa except frank! let's hope that next year is a better year for everybody. couldn't agree more, judith. frank, if you can hear us, lovely to hear from you. frank isn't the only person spending christmas on the high seas. pip hare is currently in the middle of an around—the—world race. she's taking a well deserved break to speak to us from the southern ocean. where are you? hello, merry christmas, i am where are you? hello, merry christmas, iam in where are you? hello, merry christmas, i am in tas —— where are you? hello, merry christmas, iam in tas —— in where are you? hello, merry christmas, i am in tas —— in the southern ocean just south of tasmania on my way to new zealand. is the wind a good thing for you, presumably? it is pretty much always windy down here. i am getting to the end of the day here, night falling

in about three hours, and i have had today one of the best sailing days that i have had out here so far, sunshine, gale force winds in the right direction and my boat has been flying, one of the best days ever. how amazing to have that on christmas day. tell us about your boat, you are all alone, aren't you? yes it is a single—handed nonstop sailing race around the world. all of the boats are 60 foot long, going at about 30—35 mph, with a sail area of 600 square metres and we have to manoeuvre it on our own. absolutely incredible what you and frank are doing. have you got some christmas presents to open, still?” doing. have you got some christmas presents to open, still? i have got one left! i didn't know i had any,

but, yes, this one, i had to think carefully about which one i was going to open. this is from neil and maggie. here we go. the box and some bubble wrap around something. chocolate covered cocoa beans. i have not had coffee or chocolate for 47 days, i'm going to be bouncing around the walls, amazing! that is very exciting. you have not had much rest. how much sleep do you get?l minimum ofabout rest. how much sleep do you get?l minimum of about four hours in a 24 period but it could be more than that. but the main thing is that i do not sleep for longer than 30 minutes at a time, because 30

minutes at a time, because 30 minutes is about the longest i can sleep four, before getting up and making sure that everything is ok. amazing staff. i'm glad that what a lovely present. don't eat them all at once all you will not sleep at all, will you? i won't, for a week! thank you very much, pip hare and frank rothwell. people are up to some amazing adventures. and susan can tell us all about the christmas weather. we have seen some snow showers coming into eastern england. you need one the flake of snow to be recorded anywhere between christmas on and boxing day for it to be declared a white christmas. but across some parts of the uk, we have

great pictures coming in from our weather watchers, you are with us all year round and you're up early this christmas. you can see that on the car windscreen. it is quite icy for some parts of the uk this morning as well. even if you have not had snow showers, there will be some water on the ground after all of the recent rain and for parts of central and eastern england that means the risk of ice first thing. high pressure is with us, which has allowed that widespread frost to develop. a few more of those wintry showers possible for eastern counties today. they will tend to pull off into the north sea later. the odd spot of rain mostly towards the west under this cloud across wales and the south—west. chilly for england and wales. after a frosty start, it starts to get milder across scotland and northern ireland as the cloud piles in. pretty persistent rain across western scotland, with this whole weather front sliding south into the small

hours of boxing day, making for a milder start to tomorrow. the rain across western scotland tomorrow doesn't look great. it will be pretty persistent and heavy. the risk of some flooding here. quite strong winds across the board on boxing day. showers for the south coast of england, perhaps some heavy rain getting into northern england later in the day and more cloud around, but it will be milder across england and wales with temperatures hitting double figures. it is this little lot causing problems heading into boxing day night and sunday. this is storm bella. really windy on boxing day night into sunday, the rain causing problems for them on top of all the rain we have already had, with 100 flood warnings in force across england alone, and the wind widely gusting up to 60 miles per hour in land and 80 mph along the south coast, strong enough to

cause damage and disruption. there is some of that rain swinging towards the continent into the early hours of sunday. thankfully, that very wet weather, shortly, sunshine for sunday afternoon but some showers as well, and if you missed out on the snow pics today, with a chilly north—westerly winds from the end of the weekend, there is a chance of some snowfall, and even down onto lower ground, notjust across the hills, and on monday, the chance of something whiter falling across england and wales. so we're not done without that risk of seeing some snow in the forecast. thank you for bringing some news that it really is a white christmas for some. if you have pictures, please send them in. christmas day isn't a holiday for everyone — there are plenty of you going to work to keep essential services running. we can speak now to captain alice duncan, who is operating the cross—solent ferry service between the isle of wight and mainland uk.

good morning to you. do you celebrate christmas while doing the crossings? good morning, yes, we do. everyone on board today is a volunteer, here by choice and the atmosphere is quite festive, so we have plenty of chocolate and music and stuff in the rest room downstairs, so it is a good day. there may have been some dancing in the newsroom here today as well, socially distance! what about other people, passengers and things? luckily, for today, the isle of wight is still in tier1 and southampton in tier 2, so this will probably the last chance some families have to connect for christmas, for a while, so i expect all of the passengers will be in quite good spirits, and we will be transporting key workers to start shifting hospitals, and a little bit of freight to keep the island supplied. i love the fact that you're all volunteers. you have done

this before, haven't you?” you're all volunteers. you have done this before, haven't you? i think this before, haven't you? i think this is my fourth christmas that i have worked with red funnel. you have worked with red funnel. you have lots to do to keep everyone safe. what are your main job have lots to do to keep everyone safe. what are your mainjob is? have lots to do to keep everyone safe. what are your main job is? my crew will bejoining safe. what are your main job is? my crew will be joining me safe. what are your main job is? my crew will bejoining me in ten minutes, i'm the first one on board. we will have a meeting and discuss the plan for today, start up the engines and navigation equipment and do tests and checks and then start loading vehicles and passengers. and bring people home for christmas. when do you get to celebrate christmas? refinish about 3pm, we will then check on our other ships, making sure that they are all safe and then with southampton being in tier 2, we and then with southampton being in tier2, we can and then with southampton being in tier 2, we can go on and have a quiet christmas at home with our families. listen, best of luck, and thank you, working today christmas, alice duncan, take care. merry

christmas. thank you to all of you sending in pictures of how you're spending christmas day. we can look some of them now. this message came from the yeoman warder, who's on duty at the tower of london this morning. paul has had a tough year. he is spending christmas with his dog, haven't got the name of the dog, look at the dog wearing the reindeer a ntlers, look at the dog wearing the reindeer antlers, brilliant! albert and pip are getting some sleep ahead of the festivities with their owner, dale. i knew we would get some animal pictures. this is harry, ready for christmas with his owner, thomas. and a photo of these lovely presents from her mum and friends in germany for some would normally be with them but is having to stay in london this year. thank you so much for all of those photos. do keep sending them

in. we will try to get through a few more later. thank you as well all of you for your messages to me and eve ryo ne you for your messages to me and everyone here at bbc breakfast. we really appreciate them on this christmas day, in strange times. you can e—mail us, picture messages as well, and tweet using the hashtag, #bbcbreakfast, well, and tweet using the hashtag, #bbcbrea kfast, tell us well, and tweet using the hashtag, #bbcbreakfast, tell us how you are celebrating today as well. we've heard this morning that it's absolutely freezing out there — so spare a thought for 11—year—old max, who has spent the night camping in his back garden. he's been doing it since march to raise money for his local hospice in honour of his friend, who gave him a tent not long before he died. max is still camping and he's even decorated the tent for christmas. let's take a look. christmassy music

what a few months it has been. we can speak to max and his mum rachel. ididn't i didn't realise that you were actually inside the tent. is it cold? it is freezing! my goodness, what was it like spending christmas eve in your tent, max? it was, it was exciting but a bit irritating. because normally, you sneak up on your parents, and then, you can't. they were sneak —— they were safely

locked up inside. rachel, tell us about how this all started. it has been incredible. we had some neighbours who live just across the road. sue, sadly, died a couple of yea rs road. sue, sadly, died a couple of years ago from cancer. and last year rick got ill and at christmas time he knew he was not going to get better from this one. so he gave max the tent and told him to have an adventure. and that is what he is doing. the north devon hospice help rick to die at home and help care for him and when lockdown came it was realised that all of the fundraising was cancelled, all of the shops were closed, so he decided to set up a just giving page to raise funds for the north devon hospice and he is still out there, now. max, tell us what luxuries you have in the tent. in the last couple

of months, the weather has changed. i have got some nice sleeping bags. some comfy mats and some blankets. do you get cold at night?” some comfy mats and some blankets. do you get cold at night? i got quite cold last night. but then i woke up and just got out of the tent, straightaway. how long do you think this is going to go on for, max, debbie sleeping in a tent for so many months. —— to be sleeping.” will definitely do one year, then after that i will decide if i will do longer, or not. he is going to do a year? what do you think of this?! it started off with a few days and when he first asked, it was march and we said no because it was too

cold, then we caved in after a couple of days, then he wanted to do a week. we thought if he was cold he would come in and the longer he goes on the harder it is for me to say no. he has raised so much money, enough to fund three nurses for a year, so for me to say that he has to come injust year, so for me to say that he has to come in just because year, so for me to say that he has to come injust because i don't want to come injust because i don't want to put a coat on to say good night seems a little bit churlish, but i would like it to stop at the end of the year and not go on. she doesn't, she says she doesn't like me being out here, she actually loves it. being alone, with wine everywhere! the secrets are all coming out! i will leave it there before the boy says anything else! max and rachel, the tent looks wonderful. best of luck, well done, you have done an amazing thing. thank you. thank you. merry christmas. merry christmas.

goodness me, what a day. she's been dubbed the scottish captain tom moore after raising hundreds of thousands of pounds climbing her stairs during lockdown, but what does 2021 hold for margaret payne? the 91—year—old has two replacement knees but isn't ruling out more challenges in the new year. isla todd has been to meet her. she's the super stair—climbing granny who has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity. at the beginning of lockdown, margaret payne started climbing the stairs in her she clambered up 2400 feet. the same height as the scottish mountain, suilven. looking back at 2020, margaret tells us about her experience. well, a bit boring, and my knees do ache. and they definitely ache more than they used to, so i thought, perhaps it's silly, because they are quite old now. and they might wear out.

and i don't think, act my age, they want to give me new ones! she has raised a staggering £436,000, including gift aid, which was divided between four charities, the nhs and nhs highlands, the rnli, and highland hospice. this came at the perfect time. everything had gone into lockdown. we were struggling. all of ourfundraising had stopped, and then up popped margaret, climbing the stairs. and itjust gave everything a boost. not only her fundraising, £170,000 so far, and still more trickling in, butjust the whole morale of the organisation, to see somebody working so hard on our behalf. but what's next for margaret? will she put up her feet a well—deserved rest, or does 2021 hold the potential for another mountainous challenge? it's just an idea. i think this has been a full year, and i need a bit of thinking time! i just don't know. i don't think i'd do

it on stairs again. i might do it walking round the garden. i would either do it in the spring, we have lots and lots of spring bulbs, or probablyjune, earlyjuly. i think they are the two best times. no matter what this 91—year—old chooses to do, no doubt she will inspire others to follow in her footsteps. isla todd, bbc news. some people have done some impressive challenges this year. stay with us. still to come, the schoolboy who running the final two kilometres, for his best friend. that's coming up shortly.

good morning, welcome to breakfast on an exceptional christmas day and the end of an extraordinary year — these are our headlines. a deal on brexit — the prime minister shows off the 500 page agreement in a social media video and recommends it as post—christmas lunch reading. an extra 800 military personnel are deployed in kent to help clear the backlog of lorries waiting to cross to france. a message of hope from captain sir tom as he reflects on a christmas when millions are separated from loves ones. this year, of course, with things as they are, it can't be quiet the same

for everyone. but things will get better, and next year, we'll be all right. rugby star rob burrow looks back on a year living with motor neurone disease. and freddie runs his 100 kilometre all in aid of the royal manchester children's hospital. are you ready freddie? good morning a real mixture to come out there today, frosty for some, snowy any a few spots and sunshine for many, but for all it is looking wet and windy tomorrow, more coming up injust a few minutes. good morning, it's friday 25th of december — christmas day — and for many of us it's very different to what we're used to. coming up, we've got heart—warming stories, a catch up with some old friends of the programme, and plenty of festive cheer. first, our main story. after the uk and european union

secured a brexit trade deal — politicians, diplomats and businesses will begin examining the details. mps here are expected to vote on the agreement on wednesday. our political correspondent, helen catt has more. it's little wonder that he looked so pleased. this was a big moment. a deal done, after nine months of talks and years of divisive debate. i'm very pleased to tell you this afternoon that we have completed the biggest trade deal yet, worth £660 billion a year, a comprehensive canada—style free trade deal, between the uk and the eu. in the eu, the tone was more muted, but they too say they got a good deal in the end. so we have finally found an agreement. it was a long and winding road, but we have got a good deal to show for it. it is fair, it is a balanced deal, and it is the right and responsible thing to do for both sides.

3, 2, 1... the uk left the eu back injanuary, but nothing really changed as we've been in a transition period ever since. this deal sets out how the uk will trade and co—operate op security from next friday when that ends. on wednesday, mps and peers will be called back from the christmas break to debate it. between now and then, the hundreds of pages that make up the deal will be carefully pored over by many. labour has said it will back it as it says the only alternative to no—deal. when this deal comes before parliament, labour will accept it, and vote for it. but let me be absolutely clear, and say directly to the government, up against no—deal, we accept this deal. but the consequences of it are yours and yours alone, and we will hold you to account for it. even with this agreement, things are going to change. freedom of movement will end after next thursday. trading with the eu won't be as easy as it was. what this deal will do is avoid more

significant disruption and prevent customs taxes being put on goods. the deal that was never certain to happen has now been done. unwrapping what is in it, well, that's just about to start. helen catt, bbc news, westminster. last night, the prime minister gave us a first glimpse of the final brexit document that will be closely examined over the coming days. let's speak to our correspondent helena wilkinson. helena, what more can you tell us? it is quite a tome isn't it. yes, it is, and louise, it is the document everyone's waiting to get their hands on, and to read, because this will have the details of the deal what was compromised by both sides following that announcement yesterday between the uk and the eu, so, mps in this country of course, those in the eu will be wanting to

look at the detail incredibly closely. we haven't had that released yet but in a christmas message by the prime ministerfrom downing street, released last night, he talked about the, the deal itself, and also while he was talking, he waved round a draft copy of that deal, the first time we've actually been able to see it for ourselves. it is 1500 pages long, 500 pages of which is the meat of it, and then you have another 1,000 pages which contains annexes and foot notes, so it will is going to ta ke foot notes, so it will is going to take whoever reads it hours and hours to read it. let us have a listen to what the prime minister has to say. i have a small present for anyone who may be looking for something to read in that sleepy post christmas lunch moment. and here it is. tidings, glad tidings of

greatjoy, because this is a deal, a deal to give certainty to business and dave lee travis hers and investors in our country from the first of january, and investors in our country from the first ofjanuary, and a deal with our friends and partners in the eu. —— travellers. our friends and partners in the eu. -- travellers. the fact that the prime minister is saying there it is something we might want to read after christmas lunch suggests it may be released today at some point, but again we haven't had confirmation of when, also in that video, borisjohnson talked about how this christmas is very different of course from what we had all hoped and what we expected and he talked in that video, as well, about hope, about the vaccine being a way out for us and also he said the sacrifices that we are all making this christmas, by not seeing family, by not seeing friends, means that thing also be better next christmas. helena, thank you for bringing us right up—to—date with that and people will go through that

document line by line. thousands of lorry drivers face spending christmas day in their cabs near dover. an extra 800 military personnel are being deployed to help clear the backlog of lorries waiting to cross the channel. our correspondent frankie mccamley is in the port of dover for us this morning — how busy is it? are they moving, morning. good morning louise and merry christmas from the port of dover and for many, many of us this isn't christmas we hoped we would have, sat at home but spare a thought for these drivers who have been stuck, some of them four nightses here, queueing to try and get on the ferries going across the channel to france. if you look behind me you will be able to see we have movement. some of these lorries are moving, they are slowly but surely being loaded on to ferries this morning to make their way across the channel. now port staff have been working through christmas, throughout the night, to try and get this moving, to try and see those

scene, all of the lorries you can see will have tested negative for coronavirus and to get those tests there has been a huge wait in store. last night, around 800 troops were drafted here, to try and speed up that process, and that seems to be the case, because just over here, as we head into central dover, a lot of the roads seem to have cleared. but there is still a big backlog, there are thousands of hauliers still parked up at manston airport, still parked up at manston airport, still parked up at manston airport, still parked up along the m20 this morning. there is still a long wait in store for only of them. i don't wa nt to in store for only of them. i don't want to be the bearer of bad news on christmas but some of these lorry drivers will not be making it home in time for christmas, and it is going to be some time before things here get back to some kind of normality louise. thank you bringing us normality louise. thank you bringing us up—to—date. thank you bringing us up—to—date. churches across the uk will be holding scaled back christmas celebrations today. the archbishop of canterbury has said elderly and vulnerable churchgoers should consider

the risks and not feel obliged to go to church. even for those that do go, services will feel very different and many will be broadcast online. harry farley reports. (tx next) the darkness is deep, yet light penetrates this darkness. a homily to an empty building. midnight mass at westminster cathedral last night was streamed online, but members of the public were not allowed to attend. earlier, cardinalvincent nicholls presided at a afternoon service with strict social distancing in place. but staff feared the popular midnight mass service would attract crowds and moved it online. the pope will deliver his message indoors not from the balcony, and here at westminster cathedral, cardinal nicholls said the crisis was a crossroads in our history. have we not seen in these

months of difficulty, marked by cou ntless months of difficulty, marked by countless acts of random kindness, quiet heroism, selfless service, remarkable community efforts, all directed to those most in need. later today, the archbishop of canterbury is expected to say the darkness of this year will not ove rco m e darkness of this year will not overcome the darkness of christ's birth. that service like this one in westminster will be broadcast online. across the country thousands will, for the first time today, tune in to christmas celebrations being live streamed from their local church rather than in person. for those here at westminster cathedral, despite the december ta nsed those here at westminster cathedral, despite the december tansed chairs it was a moment of solace at the end ofa it was a moment of solace at the end of a difficult year. —— digs tansed. the uk's biggest testing lab has been hit by an outbreak of coronavirus. a number of scientists at the lighthouse laboratory inmilton keynes, are believed to have been affected along

in milton keynes, are believed to have been affected along with admin and warehouse staff. the lab, which is being asked to process about 70,000 tests a day, say it follows covid secure work procedures. the queen will use her christmas speech to reflect on the hardships of the pandemic. she is spending the festive period at windsor, for the first time in more than 30 years. the royal family usually heads to sandringham, but restrictions mean they won't visit each other this year. the queen's speech will be broadcast at 3pm on bbc one. the first concert to be held inside notre dame cathedral in paris since it was partially destroyed by a fire last year, has been broadcast on french television. there was no audience for the performance, which was recorded earlier this month. the socially—distanced singers wore hard hats and boiler suits because the gothic cathedral is still a construction site — they performed works by mozart and schubert, as well as light—hearted pieces includingjingle bells. (tx next)

#oh # oh what fun it is to ride # oh what fun it is to ride #ina # oh what fun it is to ride # ina one # oh what fun it is to ride # in a one horse open sleigh # in a one horse open sleigh #jingle bells, #jingle bells, #jingle bells, #jingle bell #jingle bell #jingle bell #jingle all the #jingle bell # jingle all the way # jingle all the way #oh # jingle all the way # oh what fun it is to ride # oh what fun it is to ride #ina # oh what fun it is to ride # ina one what a year it's been for captain sir tom moore, and here at breakfast, we've been with him every step of the way. john maguire has been to catch up with him, and find out about his christmas plans. it's been a year like no otherfor all of us. but for captain sir tom moore, 2020 has seen his catapulted from his back garden to worldwide adoration, and to a specially convened ceremony where he was knighted by her majesty the queen. december‘s always a time to look

forward, but also back, to boyhood christmases during the 1920s. you got up at 6.00 in the morning to see what father christmas has left overnight. when we were small boys, or small children, we didn't get a stocking, we got a pillow case. you knew that there would be an orange at the bottom of it, somewhere. not a lump of coal? no. he laughs. later, as a young officer in the british army, during the second world war... all the officers gave the, all the other ranks their christmas lunch. we served them their christmas lunch and that was a happy occasion, with a little bit of relaxation,

and some drinks which hadn't been and some drinks, which hadn't been really available for some time, but that was a very good day. one of the main objectives of the captain tom foundation is to tackle loneliness, which can be especially cruel at christmas. for people who don't have a family, who can come and knock on the door, it must be a very, very lonely time, and of course, how are they going to have a christmas lunch if there is only one of you? so i do hope that everyone will have more than one person to have a christmas lunch. but you would, of course, expect some of his famous optimism. we've always had all the family round us, and we've all had the lovely christmas lunch, with turkey and all the little bits that go with it,

and that's always been a joy, and for the children. this year, of course, with things as they are, it can't be quite the same for everyone, but things will get better, and next year, we'll be all right. he is spending the festive season not walking, but hopefully relaxing,. having been invited to barbados. i have a bucket list and one of the items on that list was barbados and this has come through. barbados has very kindly said i can tick barbados off my bucket list. what is next on there, do we know? what is the next plan on your bucket list? the next one is on the route 66 across america, with a bentley. wow, let's hope you

get that one soon. so as he works his way down the list let's hope captain sir tom get his kicks in the new year. john maguire, bbc news, bedfordshire. snow has fallen in place of eastern england with the met office saying it is officially a white christmas. let us talk about that with susan who is looking all this morning weather, officially a white christmas, how do you judge it? the thing i should have done, the biggest problem, is why did i not ta ke biggest problem, is why did i not take a punt on this, we could be getting a pay out. but actually, statistically it is more likely to snow at easter in the uk than it is at christmas. as you were saying,

there is specific requirements for there is specific requirements for the met office to call it a white christmas, that is just one flake of snow falling in a designated spot during the hours of midnight on christmas day and midnight on boxing day and that makes a white christmas so not quite the scenes we get in the american films, sadly. what about the weather? the weather today, apart from the few spots that have seen a white christmas is cold, so it has really got that wintry feel, and as there is ice out there because we have seen the frost becoming widespread overnights. today, though, it looking settled, it isa today, though, it looking settled, it is a largely dry story as promised and it is thanks to this area of high pressure, we have had the showers just chasing down the north sea coast, the high pressure will bump those off into the north sea in the coming hours so they will thin out, i think as we go through the morning. towards the west, enough cloud to give us a few showers for the south—west of england and wales but they are more likely to be of rain here with that

bit of warmth from the irish sea. and then we have a weather front coming in to the far north—west, for scotland, western scotland, it is looking pretty wet as the day pans out. generally increasing cloud across scotland and northern ireland, here are milder spots with temperatures of six or seven, four or five further north. a crisp wintry feeling in the afternoon. through the evening and overnight the cloud comes south. a frost—free beginning overall to boxing day, as the cloud sees the temperatures staying up higher than the night just gone. more rain on the way for western scotland, this time heavier and more persistent, a risk of localised flooding here, breezy across the uk throughout on saturday, some showers for the south coast, heavier rain getting into northern england through the afternoon. generally, ithink northern england through the afternoon. generally, i think more cloud around, but milder, double figures to the south on boxing day. but it is overnight boxing day and into sunday that we have trouble

brewing, the name of the trouble is bella, this deep area of low pressure here, heavy rain surging into england and wales where we have significant issues with flooding, another 50 millimetres of rain and strong potentially damaging and disruptive winds, peaking overnight saturday, strongest along the south coast, gusting up to 80mph but widely 40 or 50mph. the uk's under there somewhere first thing on sunday, the rain slips off into the continent, the sun becomes more widespread. actually, as sunday goes on, we should see quite a lot of dry weather for central anne and eastern areas. it will feel chilly and you can tell that by the fact the showers behind me are turning the up white. there is know potentially in the forecast for parts of scotland, northern ireland, northern england maybe parts of wales too on sunday, as we pick up a north—westerly breeze and temperatures just two or three to the north of the uk, six or seven further south, the chance of snow showers perhaps further south

on monday. so we are not out of the white scenario just yet. thank you. merry christmas to you. they say that your friends are there when you need them most — and when ten—year—old hughie was diagnosed with leukaemia early this year — his best friend, freddie wanted to do something special to support him. we've been following him as he runs two kilometres everyday — reporterjosh parry is at freddie's school near burnley to see him off as he completes his challenge. morning. merry christmas. good morning. well, it is the perfect conditions for a run this morning or soiam conditions for a run this morning or so i am told. i wouldn't know, but somebody who does know about that is freddie here. over the christmas period, well while everyone else has been overeating, drinking a few too many sherries he has been running two kilometres a day for 50 days, it is in aid of the royal manchester children's christmas hospital who is

treating his best mate hughie for leukaemia. let us see what happened when they met one of their heroes. ready, freddie, run. if you think santa claus is clocking up if you think santa claus is clocking up the miles this christmas, meet freddie. the nine—year—old who has ran freddie. the nine—year—old who has ra n two freddie. the nine—year—old who has ran two kilometres a day for the last 49 days. and today, he is running his 100th before he has even had his christmas dinner and it is all to raise funds for the hospital treating his best friend hughie for leukaemia. it's amazing, like. he's just doing such a greatjob and i just, i couldn't thank him any more. with the help of his favourite players from burnley fc, he has ran on the hallowed ground of turf moor and smashed his original £1,000 fundraising target. and now, the boys are set to meet another of their heroes. they just boys are set to meet another of their heroes. theyjust don't know it yet. instead, they think they are involved in a boring bbc breakfast

meeting. now you are tv stars shall we say, you have to be on your best behaviour and we need to make sure that there is some rules you want you to follow, is that all right. so iam going you to follow, is that all right. so i am going to see now, i think you can hear me, my boss is going to join now, he isjust there, i think you have something on your camera. well, well, well. who have we got here? who is that with you hughie. this is my sister trixie.” here? who is that with you hughie. this is my sister trixie. i have been told you have raised nearly £50,000. yes. well, over 50, because there's been other fundraising, £50,000. yes. well, over 50, because there's been otherfundraising, and, yeah, while freddie has raised over 50 and there has been other fundraising which has taken it about 80. what? what! that, well, that is

amazing, because, i know as well, personally, manchester children's hospital, my brother has cancer and all the nurses, and the doctors and the staff there looked after him, and they are fantastic aren't they. yes. you can't even put into words how great the people there are, can you. they're amazing, yeah. all the doctors, consultants, nurses, everybody there, they are amazing. so, here's what i'm saying. let's try and get some more funds for your amazing cause, we will get on my twitter and instagram. i have a few followers so we will get some stuff on there, and a couple of links and get some followers to hopefully go on. when all this is over and it's safe to do so are you up for coming up safe to do so are you up for coming up confidence turf with me? yes. we'll do that any day. where do you usually sit? i normally sit in the

jimmy mac. freddie sits somewhere else. i usually go in jimmy mac. we will speak to the club. jordan. what? going to have rah drink in miners'. of course we will have a drink in miners‘ miners'. of course we will have a drink in miners' and a pie? we will have a pie and pint in miners stumble down to turf, i mean walk. we will go to the game together, and then we'll have a walk back down to miners, as soon as all this is over, we'll go on. that would be amazing. aml we'll go on. that would be amazing. am i invited. of course you are. what were your best bit on i'm a celebrity. it must have been so scary, me personally i love snakes. do you? i love snake, i would have been fine in that. look, thanks so

much for speaking to us today. it was a pleasure to meet you all. freddie you have been doing amazing work for your best mate and hughie, people said to me when i i were in there, you're dead brave and all this, you're proper brave, like actual proper, really proper real life brave, so it's a pleasure. is your brother all right now? yes, he's good. he's been, he got the five years all clear about 18 months ago, two years, and he's good now. he's bought himself a house and he lives with his girlfriend and stuff. that's good. right. keep up the great work. let's get some stuff out on my socials and we'll see you soon. if that doesn't bring you a smile on christmas day, i don't know what will. freddie then is about to set

off on his 100th kilometre, big question first, has the big man been, has father christmas been? yes, but i have only opened one present. that is some restraint. i am sure the rest of them will be very well deserved. tell me freddie, what was it like when hughie told you that he was poorly, what went through your head?” you that he was poorly, what went through your head? i was like i think ament i'm going to have to do something to raise money to help him get through it. you decided that would be running 100 kilometres. yes. and how are you feeling, are you tired, are your legs tired? my legs are a bit tired but i'm going to get through it and keep going. are you ready and raring to go. yes. shall we get you started then. we have a very special guest here who is going to start off freddie on his last run. just bring you over here, introduce you to him now. it is hughie, now hughie you have a big job today. you are going to set freddie off on his run. are you ready. ready, freddie go!

cheering and there we go, freddie is off on his final run, his, will be his one hundredth kilometre all in raid of the royal manchester's child ren's hospital who are doing a greatjob helping hughie get better everybody the nurse, the consultant, the doctors they are all amazing, they just, they are the best, they are so amazing, the people in there, they are going through so much, and they couldn't do anything, anything else to help us. and hughie, what is it like, having a friend who is as special as freddie is who is doing this for you? it's, it's really amazing, because you just know that

you're being support and even though you're being support and even though you are stuck at home and you are not allowed to go out in these times you're still getting supported. you have a very big decision to make, originally, you and freddie, you wa nted originally, you and freddie, you wanted to raise £1,000, so farjust had a look now and you have raised 56,000 so farfor the had a look now and you have raised 56,000 so far for the royal manchester children's hospital, 56,000 so far for the royal manchester child ren's hospital, how is that going to be spent?” manchester child ren's hospital, how is that going to be spent? i would like to buy some things for the ward iam being like to buy some things for the ward i am being treated and elsewhere in the hospital, so i would like to buy a fresh orange juice machine the hospital, so i would like to buy a fresh orangejuice machine because it is really nutritional and healthy, and a slushy machine because a lot of the kids get sore mouths, and the ward manager said it would be really good to get a slushy machine and get fresh fruit deliveries on the ward. as well as special friend deliveries on the ward. as well as specialfriend in freddie you have a new special friend jordan north.

what was that like meeting him? amazing, i didn't even know, my mum and dad didn't tell me it was a great surprise. and do you think when he is on his run today, going through his freddie's mind is going to be happy place, happy place turf moor, happy place? yeah, definitely. do you think that will keep him going? yes. we will catch up with freddie as he finishes his final run of the day but i know in the meantime i am going to get right into father christmas because next christmas i want a friend like freddie. do you know what, i think we all do, he was absolutely lovely to see them josh, pass on my thanks and congratulations to them as well. thank you so much. he probably can't hear me, gosh, what a lovely story, especially on christmas morning for all of us. this this is breakfast. it is christmas day, thank you for joining us. coming up in the next half an hour we will be talking to a gours is one of millions working today. stay with us.

it isa it is a christmas day like no other ina yearlike it is a christmas day like no other in a year like no other. we've met so many inspiring people this year, and someone who has really captured our hearts is former rugby league star rob burrow. he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease just days before christmas last year, and he's spoken out to help others living with the condition. 12 months on he tells us, in his own words, why this christmas means more to him than any other.

hello, my name is rob burrow. i used to play rugby for leeds rhinos. over the last year you might have seen me sharing my story of living with motor neurone disease. it was december last year when i was diagnosed. there is no cure. you know, i'm not going to give in. you know, i've too many reasons to live. i'm not giving in until my last breath. a few weeks after my diagnosis, ifound comfort in my new team—mates, doddie weir and stephen darby, two other former sportsmen also fighting this disease. rob, i know one of the things that you want to do is you want your children to remember how you speak. you think when your voice is gone... obviously, the area affecting me is my voice and the muscles around the throat.

so i'm pretty keen to record my voice. unfortunately, there'll be a day when i can't really speak. this is nothing like my voice was, but hopefully, through lots of interviews and audio, you know, i can tell the kids off — i still do that, you know — and tell them i love them, you know. now, rob, this your chance. any voice, accent, you want. this is your time to be scottish! not scottish, no! broad yorkshire, like i am, yeah. 2020 has been tough for everyone. in the spring, the country went into lockdown, which brought new challenges. so, i've not left the house for over two weeks now.

i like being at home with my family. it gives me a chance to spend some quality time with them. as the summer went on, my voice got worse and my body became weaker. but my mind remained, and still remains, so strong. that will never change. look at that boy. he's so good. yeah. isn't he great? how important is it for you to make memories for them, and make memories for the kids now? it is driving me on every day, but more so now. i have a wonderful family.

my wife, lindsay, is my rock and my three young children, and all i want to do now is to help otherfamilies going through the same as me. you know, this has never been about rob. this is about raising awareness for other people that have this horrible, horrible disease. i've been proud of everything that all us family's done, but what rob's achieved. but i've never felt as proud as i do now. wow! the rugby community is also a huge part of my life. my make kev ran seven marathons in seven days to raise awareness of mnd. he's mad! i'm so grateful and would have done the same for him. he raised millions and hopefully, this will go a long way towards finding a cure. that bit's the hard bit.

that's why you're doing it. yeah. it's now christmas, my favourite time of the year. 2020 has taught me that life is precious and not to take things for granted. daddy, this is the best card. it's got no pictures on, it's got some money inside it. i'm now looking forward to seeing the kids open their presents on christmas day, and the smiles on theirfaces. i may have lost my voice, but technology now helps me to speak. i can still talk to my family in my broad yorkshire accent, and wish them a very merry christmas. we would just like to thank you for all your support over the last 12 months, since my dad was diagnosed with mnd.

we wish you a very, merry, happy new year and hopefully, you have a wonderful, great christmas. daddy has a little message for you. i would just like to wish a happy christmas to all of my friends, family and everyone watching bbc breakfast. thank you for all of your support. sending you all best wishes for the new year. love from rob. merry christmas! our very merry christmas to rob and to his gorgeous daughters. it is wonderful to be able to hear from him in his own words, as well. many of us will be spending christmas apart from our families this year, and the queen is no exception. she usually travels to sandringham for the festive period, instead she and the duke of edinburgh will have a much quieter — and smaller — christmas at windsor. our royal correspondent daniela relph is there.

so many of us have different christmas plans this christmas day, and the queen and the royal family are no exception. good morning and merry christmas, louise. the plans for the royals‘ christmas were made at the beginning of december. it is very much a scaled down royal christmas. the same for them as it is for so many of us. of course there‘s the castle of and the team of people supporting the queen and duke of edinburgh, but they will be spending christmas quietly, as it been put, at windsor castle, away from their widerfamily. been put, at windsor castle, away from their wider family. normally royal christmas would mean going to sandringham, having the wider royal family with a queen and duke of edinburgh. normally a church service christmas morning, where hundreds of members of the public gather to see the royals, as they walk to and from church. that will not be happening this year. it is going to be a private christmas. totally out of sight for the queen, here. there is

one element of the royal christmas that will remain and that is worship for the queen. she is a very religious woman, that element has been retained but it will be private. they have a small chapel within the walls of windsor castle and it may be that arrangements have been made for her to go there, but we have been told that she will be worshipping privately today. daniela, thank you very much for that. earlier we saw nine year old freddie, set off on his final run — in aid of royal manchester children‘s hospital where his best friend hughie is being treated. josh parry is with him now. here they are on the 100 kilometre, and a very special guest to finish off the run, hughie himself. applause

reddy, well done. that was incredibly fast stop you caught us all by surprise, how do you feel? very tired. i have something that mightjust very tired. i have something that might just boost your spirits. very tired. i have something that mightjust boost your spirits. i check the total before we came on air. when we went on air it was 56,000 pounds, and now it is over £70,000 for the manchester children‘s hospital and it is all for your best mate, hughie. did you hear that, hughie? that is absolutely amazing. thank you to everyone who has donated. that is unbelievable. wow, that has pretty much made christmas day for hughie, andi much made christmas day for hughie, and i think we can guarantee that both hughie and freddie are on the nice list this year! we can speak to

sarah, ready‘s mum. how does it feel watching this because tree must be so proud. it is amazing. he set out to raise £1000. and 70,000? that is incredible. going to such an important place, the royal manchester children's hospital helps so many families go through such tough times. so proud that he has done something that can help so many people, yes. and freddie and hughie, can you come over here? it is very rare that you get this chance. you are live on bbc one, both of you, i wa nt to are live on bbc one, both of you, i want to get your christmas message, if you look right at keighley and give the christmas message to all of the staff at the royal manchester children‘s hospital. the staff at the royal manchester children's hospital. just keep positive, everyone, and get over your illness, and you will soon be

out of there. hughie, what would you like to say? good morning to everyone in the hospital, i hope you have a great christmas day and as reddy said, stay positive, and you will soon be much better. —— as freddie said. that is a great message for everyone. stay positive. there you go. thank you, josh, thank you freddie. it has been absolutely wonderful to see that on christmas morning, as well, of all mornings. to all of you watching reflecting on tough times, i know that you have been enormously generous in recent months supporting all of the people we are followed on bbc breakfast, so a big thank you from all of us as well. for parents of children admitted to great ormond street hospital, it can be a very stressful period at the best of times, never mind in the middle

of a global pandemic. we have heard a bit of insight from hughie as well, there, haven‘t we? but staff at the hospital are trying their best to make christmas a special time. we‘ll speak to one of the nurses on shift today shortly, but first here is a christmas message from ten—year—old adriana. hello, my name is adriana, and i'm going to be spending christmas and new year at gosh, and i have been diagnosed with anl since august. and i would like to say a big thank you to the doctors and nurses who have been helping me. i hope you all are having a good time and have a merry christmas. bye! and let‘s speak to annie wootten, a junior sister working at great ormond street this morning. thank you so much under behalf of eve ryo ne thank you so much under behalf of everyone you are working for, and christmas day. do you make it a

special day for everyone? how do you make it special? i love working christmas. it is always good fun. the children were so excited this morning to see that father christmas had found them even though they were not at home. they all wake up with a big sack at the end of their beds. we have the christmas music blaring as well, which helps! father christmas has had his work cut out with all the plans changing. how many people are in the ward? presumably parents are not allowed to come and see them, they are only allowed one visitor? that has been very difficult, only having the one carer rule, but the amount of children that we try to get out for home leave for the dayjust children that we try to get out for home leave for the day just to children that we try to get out for home leave for the dayjust to make their day just home leave for the dayjust to make their dayjust a little bit more special, we do really try. do you

have a special christmas lunch, how does it work? we do, we offer everybody christmas dinner. all of the parents and families get given a special food parcel from all of us. between the nursing staff, we just bring in so much food. so much food, there is too much! it sounds wonderful. how has it been for you? these are tough times to be working, especially where you are working.” can only really speak on behalf of eve ryo ne can only really speak on behalf of everyone i work with but i have been so incredibly proud of all of them, for the work that they put in, all of this year. it has all been really different. we‘ve all had to adapt a lot of change. but we have been carrying on, and cancer services have been carrying on as normal, which i am really proud of, so... do you get to celebrate christmas yourself or is this part of the celebration? this is part of it.

everyone who comes onto the ward, we say happy christmas to everyone, people have got funny things in their hair, i‘m lucky enough to be able to spend christmas with a lot of people, so i feel privileged today. what is your message for eve ryo ne today. what is your message for everyone there on the ward today?” hope that between the nursing staff, the porters, the domestic staff, we can help make what would be a stressful situation a little bit better on christmas day, and i hope they all have a really happy day. you have got a christmas album playing? is we have a christmas radio station all round the clock. i think the patients are getting a bit frustrated with our dance moves, to be honest. i would ask you to show them, but i don‘t know what you think about that! wonderful to speak to you, thank you, annie, for

cheering everyone else up, and for your hard work over the past few months as well. a happy christmas to you. hgppy happy christmas! we've had so many christmas messages this morning, it has been wonderful. over this year, we‘ve followed the story of paul harvey, a former music teacher who has dementia and, at the age of 80, topped the charts with an improvised piece using four musical notes. he had one wish for this christmas — to play alongside the bbc philharmonic. breakfast‘s graham satchell takes us through how it happened. what a year it has been for paul harvey. he has reached the top 40, raised huge amounts of money for dementia charities and his music has broughtjoy to millions around the world. some amazing, amazing things have happened. and it‘s, you know, i‘ve

had to wait till 80—odd before it all happens, but it‘s ok. that‘s fine by me. f natural. a. d. b natural. it all started when paul‘s son nick gave his dad four notes and asked him to make up a tune. paul has dementia. music helps to bring him back to life. this video went viral around the world. it was picked up by radio 4‘s broadcasting house, who got the bbc philharmonic to provide a full orchestral arrangement.

music swells and builds it's been an incredible, magical, wonderful, unbelievable time. i'm still pinching myself at what dad has achieved. he is helping people understand that if you live with dementia you don't have to be defined by your illness. people are defining dad as a musician and as a composer and also, as a lovely person. it's been great, for the whole family. it's just been a wonderful, wonderful time. yeah, i'm really proud of you, dad. paul‘s story has had a remarkable impact. in scotland, businessman and philanthropist sir tom hunter saw paul on this programme and decided to do this. my wife marion and i would like to

help you by donating £1 million from the hunter foundation to help put a light into trying to release people from alzheimer's. some things never change. and the things that never change are a father's love for his son. and a son's love for his father. so please, take good care. i will. thank you so much. i don‘t know what to say. thank you. as well as raising money for charity, paul‘s tune was also recognised by possibly the greatest living composer of musical theatre. mr harvey, this is stephen sondheim. and ijust wanted to thank you so much for the compliments you gave me, and also thank you for that lovely tune you invented, which i can't wait to steal!

wow! thank you. wow! dear, oh dear, oh dear. i didn‘t think there were any more surprises. the great man himself. the great man himself! wow! tell him, for him, he can have that tune with pleasure. anyone else i‘d charge for it, but, you know... wow! oh, my goodness. oh, dear! that‘s wonderful. that is deeply wonderful. thank you so much for doing that. so i clap on the second bar. finally, a special treat. in salford, the bbc‘s philharmonic orchestra. in sussex, paul ready at the piano. paul has achieved so much this year. but he had one final christmas wish.

to play his tune with the philharmonic. so now, the first ever live performance of four notes, paul‘s tune. music plays

applause

well done, paul. what a beautiful piece of music for christmas day. you‘ve been sending us your pictures of how you‘re spending christmas day today. these dogs look glorious, spending christmas with their owners in manchester. and this is ruthless, clearly looking forward to the big day. so many of you have sent in photos. before we go, i must tell you, we have seen freddie and hughie with their fundraising efforts. theirfundraising page with their fundraising efforts. their fundraising page is just with their fundraising efforts. theirfundraising page isjust short of £95,000. at six a and when we wa nt of £95,000. at six a and when we want on air, it was just under 60,000, and that is down to you, the bbc breakfast viewing family. thank

you for your support. have a very happy christmas. take care. see you soon. merry christmas. this is what is in hello. even the weather is taking it fairly easy this christmas day. a chilly start but a fine day for the majority, with light winds. it will remain feeling cold, even with some sunshine. the reason it is pretty quiet for today is this area of high pressure here. we might see a few showers coming into eastern regions of england today, and later, the westerly winds will pick up across scotland and northern ireland. so, more cloud arriving,

and there will be some rain for western scotland and for parts of northern ireland to come in the afternoon. as the cloud comes in, temperatures will come up in these areas. overnight and into boxing day, we see a weather front sliding south across the uk, an early frost in the south—east before the cloud descends. not much rain, as it gets into the south of the uk. but then another spell of heavy rain approaching western scotland by the end of the night. all of the cloud will make for a much milder start on boxing day. the wind, picking up all the while on boxing day, the rain fairly relentless across western scotland, as it only slowly starts to sink southwards. england and wales will be dry for most of the day but some heavier showers are possible for northern england, but a much milder day. take a look at this, on boxing day night, this is storm bella sinking down across the uk, very heavy rain, a risk of flooding and the wind is the biggest issue. for the south coast we are looking at gusts of up to 80mph. widely inland, 50—60mph, which is strong enough to do some damage and cause some disruption.

and with saturated ground, yet more heavy rainfall will mean quite a significant risk of flooding across many parts of england and wales on sunday. things clear up quite nicely in the afternoon, but towards the north and west, we will be getting a lot of showers on a chilly north—westerly wind, and we could see some snow even on lower ground. temperatures around 5—7. staying chilly as we look ahead into the coming week. a chance of some snow showers further south across the uk on monday.

this is bbc news. i‘m tim willcox. our top stories... eu ambassadors are due to receive a christmas day briefing on the historic post—brexit free trade deal clinched by the eu and britain. chile, mexico and costa rica begin vaccinating thousands an extra 800 military personnel are deployed near the english port of dover to help clear the backlog of lorries waiting to cross into france. and christmas in the castle — queen elizabeth and prince philip break tradition by spending the holiday period at windsor. and nearly two years after ten cathedral was ravaged by fire, the first concert is held in its remains. —— after