good morning, welcome to breakfast with louise minchin and rogerjohnson. our headlines today: back in the eye of the storm — there are now more covid patents in england's hospitals than there were at the peak in spring. 1,500 military personnel will help secondary schools and colleges in england carry out mass testing from next week. good morning. boxing day onwards is supposed to be bumper in retail. but not this year. how are the high streets faring at the end of a roller—coaster year? in sport, a coronavirus outbreak in the manchester city squad forces the postponement of last night's premier league match with everton. it was called off just four hours before kick—off.

good morning. we have got a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow. quite a lot of ice around. slippery surfaces and the potential for a travel disruption. more details in ten minutes. good morning. it's tuesday, 29th december. our top story. hospitals in england are now treating more coronavirus patients than at any other point in the pandemic, as numbers surpass the peak that was seen in april. it once again shows the strain that the nhs is under, with the head of nhs england saying health workers are "back in the eye of the storm". keith doyle reports. health services across the uk are being stretched as they deal with increasing numbers of patients with covid. in london, accident and emergency departments are reporting intense pressure. in scotland, doctors say there is a danger that services will be overwhelmed. in wales, the situation

in hospitals is described as incredibly challenging. and in northern ireland, the health minister said the next few days is a crucial period. the stark messages show the impact the covid virus is having. i was on on christmas day and it was wall—to—wall covid, so we see patients who are coming in, who have covid symptoms, but we also see other patients coming in with other problems, who turn out to be covid positive. and, between that, there is a great deal of difficulty getting those patients through into wards. in england, the number of people being treated for the virus in hospital is over 20,000, higher than the previous peak of around 19,000 in april, although more testing is being done now than it was then. over 41,000 new cases were reported yesterday, a record, with 357 deaths. nhs providers said some trusts were reporting up to three times the number of covid patients than at the peak of the first wave.

the pressure is having a real effect. in many hospitals, the rising number of covid patients means staff are being redeployed and more routine operations and procedures are being postponed. sadly, it's inevitable that as the infections rise, the admissions rise, that, actually, we see disruption to our services. we are desperate, our members are desperate to keep that disruption as low as possible but unfortunately some of our elective and planned services will be disrupted, both in hospitals and in other settings as well. acknowledging the work that health workers are doing, the head of the nhs in england is giving a message to staff who he said have had a very tough year. by late spring, we think that, with vaccine supply continuing to come on stream, we will be able to offer all vulnerable people across this country this covid vaccination. and that perhaps provides the biggest chink of hope for the year ahead.

tomorrow, the tier levels in england will be reviewed. across the uk, health ministers have pleaded with people to stay home for new year's, sticking to the restrictions in place. the challenges for the health services over the next days and weeks are immense. keith doyle, bbc news. at ten past eight, we'll hear from two nhs staff about what it is like to work on the frontline. military personnel are to provide remote support to schools and colleges with coronavirus testing programmes, as they reopen in england from next week. 1,500 armed forces staff will form local response teams, providing telephone and online advice on setting up testing facilities. as spring term starts next week, secondary schools should look different, with full coronavirus testing facilities on site. but setting them up is a big task. so big, in fact, that some education leaders have said it's simply not

possible in such a short space of time. now the ministry of defence has announced it is stepping in to help with that effort. in total, 1500 armed forces personnel are being made available to support schools and colleges. they will form local response teams, providing advice on the testing process and the set—up of testing sites. it'll be mostly done remotely by phone or online meetings. but teams will also be on standby to provide help in person if needed. the majority of the tests will be carried out by the pupils themselves. the military has already assisted with other testing programmes around the country, including the mass lateral flow pilot in liverpool. these fresh resources are part of the government's plan to get children back in the classroom through a staggered start post—christmas, leaving schools time to get prepared. it says physical attendance has to be a priority. the teaching unions and some virus experts have called for a rethink

amid rising coronavirus cases, saying all pupils should stay at home to help prevent an even more difficult january. kathryn stanczyszyn, bbc news. president—electjoe biden says his team is not getting the co—operation it needs from the trump administration, as he prepares to move into the white house. mr biden was speaking after a briefing with national security and foreign policy aides. he criticised the department of defence for not providing key information to his team as it makes the transition to power. a defence spokesperson said the pentagon had been "com pletely tra ns pa re nt". from this week, people aged over 60 in russia will be offered the sputnik v vaccine, named after the soviet—era satellite. 700,000 doses have so far been released for domestic use. 68—year—old president putin is eligible for the vaccine, but hasn't yet had it. 0ur moscow correspondent, steve rosenberg, joins us now.

steve, what more do we know about this vaccine? good morning. russian scientists and russian officials have been trumpeting the effectiveness of sputnik v. you are all kinds of numbers being mentioned. 92% effective, 95% effective. vladimir putin said a few days ago it was 97% effective, despite the fact the vaccine was controversially registered in russia before clinical trials were complete. it comprises two different injections delivered three weeks apart. and because they are entirely different, that makes it quite challenging to produce the kind of quantities that russia would need. but this week the russian government said it hopes that by the spring 60% of the population will have been vaccinated, and it hopes that by then the outbreak will have been brought under control. steve,

thank you very much indeed, from a snowy moscow. hospital admissions for children with eating disorders in england have risen by almost a fifth in two years, according to new figures. nhs digital data for england shows more than 11,500 young people were given treatment in the last 12 months, up by 19% since 2018. doctors believe the increase is partly due to the mental health toll of the pandemic, with children being isolated from friends, spending more time on social media and no longer feeling in control of their future. the spanish health minister has said his country will set up a registry of people who've refused to be vaccinated against coronavirus and share it with other european union nations. salvador illa said vaccinations would not be mandatory, and the list of those who've refused to be inoculated would not be made public. about a third of all spaniards have said they won't take the vaccine, though that number has been falling in recent weeks. vinyl album sales in the uk are at their highest level since the early 1990s.

almost five million vinyl lps were purchased in 2020, up by 10% on last year, according to figures from the recording industry body bpi. the cancellation of live music events and an appetite for nostalgia during the pandemic, are thought to be behind the increase in sales. of course, many of us still have a vinyl lps knocking around in the cupboard! we have them in our house too. i might have bought a couple this year. they sound different. better. good morning. now the weather with sarah. more snow on the horizon. yes, more snow for some of us over the next couple of days. we have still got cold air at the moment. there will be some rain, some sleet, some snow as well. also a lot of ice. that can

cause disruption. not just as well. also a lot of ice. that can cause disruption. notjust this morning but for the next couple of days. we have got that were real wintry mix. it has been snowing in places overnight, particularly over high ground in scotland, parts of north—east england. a bit of rain around the coast. some snow further inland. this area will put across the midlands, towards wales. in the heaviest forests some of that snow could be down to lower levels. showers for pembrokeshire and the south—west. elsewhere, sunshine and showers. in northern scotland that they will fall as snow and quite persistent. through the afternoon we have got a northerly breeze drawing in these snow showers across the northern half of scotland. drier further south. northern ireland having quite a breezy day with some rain showers, sleet and snow. across england and wales later today, some sunshine but some wintry showers. heavy in the west as we are on the day. looking told once again tonight as those showers might ease away,

clearing skies and temperatures falling below freezing as we head towards tomorrow. back to you both. thank you. we know it's been a tough year for retailers, but what sort of a christmas have they had and were there any boxing day bargains on offer? nina is taking a look. it was busy where i live. i thought she looked different, roger. are you wearing something new? sadly not! it isa wearing something new? sadly not! it is a big time for retail. good morning. this time of year often described as the golden quarter, when retailers normally make a large proportion of their profits for the year. but it's not been a normal year. as we end it, non—essential retail is closed in tier 4 areas of england, covering around 40% of the population. in mainland scotland non—essential stores have been closed since boxing day. similar stories in wales and northern ireland. so for many there simply hasn't been the option to shop. 0n boxing day, traditionally a big

day for the retailers, the number of people visiting shops was down nearly 60% across the uk. some shoppers in tier 3 areas, where non—essential retail is allowed to open, like nottingham and leeds, did brave the shops. it looks quite busy there. but it was a different story in london, with the normally busy streets all but dead. this is a spooky, isn't it? so how much were people spending? according to one estimate, sales this christmas are expected to reach about £81; billion. a modest increase on last year. the biggest change — online sales were up a quarter. it is not just it is notjust how we shop, but what we have been buying that has changed. furniture retailers, for example, have struggled to keep up with demand for homeware. but a different story forfashion stores. that part of the retail sector has

been the hardest hit. not only are we not going anywhere, but actually, because we are not working in our offices, there is no real need for formal wear that perhaps we had. so the nature of the way we want to dress is changing. becoming much more loungewear driven, much more informal. people buy tops, not bottoms, because nobody sees their bottom. they are selling a lot of top but maybe not a lot of dresses. an interesting shift. and the tough christmas follows a tough year. some big names, like mothercare and dixons carphone, have already gone from our high streets. debenhams, currently in administration, might follow. 0ne estimate puts the total number of retailjob losses this year at over 230,000. there are some bargains to be had. john lewis, m&s, asos among those going to 50% and above. so, a crucial time. just how the big names have fared, we'll be finding that out over the next few weeks,

as retailers report on their christmas trading period, kicking off with the fashion retailer next. that will be on january 5th. next one of the first big retailers to pivot towards online really successfully. it will be interesting to see which retailers have done that and whether it is safe or not. for some, arcadia and debenhams, it is too late. i went out shopping with the kids yesterday because they got cash as presents this year. we went to a toy shop. it was magical. i have not been out shopping on the high street over christmas. you can't really replace that. it is a lovely thing to do. there will be lots of people this morning who can't do that because the shops are closed. i wonder about the logistics? how are they managing all of it? yes, and roger, you said you we re of it? yes, and roger, you said you were out in the trafford centre in manchester. it is managing foot fault when you are busy. that is what all retailers are trying to do but it is a tricky balancing act. a

big year ahead. thank you. let's take a look at today's papers. the challenges of getting children back to school after the christmas holidays, dominates many of the front pages this morning. the times reports the prime minister is under pressure to delay the return in england because of the high coronavirus infection rate. the guardian reports a split among some senior tories on how best to approach the return to school. according to the paper, the education secretary, gavin williamson, is reluctant to delay the face—to—face restart in england because of the potential impact on the summer exam timetable. the telegraph carries a warning from scientists that two million people need to be vaccinated a day in order to avoid a third peak of the virus. and most watched on the bbc news website is a collection of zoom fails, something we're probably all familiar with, after almost a year of video calls.

i wonder how many come from brea kfast? i wonder how many come from breakfast? we have done more than most, haven't we? we have spent a lot of time on video calls. some of oui’ lot of time on video calls. some of ourfamily and lot of time on video calls. some of our family and calls lot of time on video calls. some of ourfamily and calls on lot of time on video calls. some of our family and calls on christmas day didn't work. we later discovered it was operator error, if you know what i mean, after lunch and one glass of something too much. anyway... nina was talking about the toys. we a re anyway... nina was talking about the toys. we are going to talk this morning about diy and the upsurge in diy. this kind of combines both. it is from inside of the daily mail. this is a modest —looking wardrobe in the bedroom of a little girl called ella. it opens up into dire gun alley. she has got a harry potter street inside her wardrobe. her dad built it during lockdown. diy taken to a different level.

unbelievable. 1a by 5'. i am looking at this one, which caught my eye on the front of the daily telegraph. it inside, actually. don't throw away your christmas tree. i went very early this year with my tree. i went in november. that's very early! but if this is an interesting one. this isa if this is an interesting one. this is a new book saying that actually we can eat our christmas tree. i have never heard of this before. there are various recipes, including, for example, curing the fish with the pine needles. extraordinary. make yourself a cup of pine needle tea. it may taste delicious. 0ur christmas tree is now redundant. we gave up because the dog wrecked two sets of fairy lights. so in the end i said, that's it, no more. he is quite young. christmas is gone. it is he 0k? yes, he's fine. he is a

bit of a wrecker. this is the story ofa bit of a wrecker. this is the story of a guy in andover in hampshire. it is in the daily mirror. he is an oasis superfan. his name isjohn small bonds. he has got a window surveying business. he has called his firm wall of glass. he spent thousands and thousands and wants to be buried with a cardboard cutout of either liam or noel gallagher. this is about the loch ness monster. 2020 is about the loch ness monster. 2020 isa is about the loch ness monster. 2020 is a record for a likeness sightings. 13 sightings of the loch ness monster have been recorded in 2020, making it a year. regularly glimpses came despite fewer visitors. a mother and her daughter out for a stroll with the latest to report seeing the longnecked humpbacked creature. louise power, 38, and her mumjennifer got a

monster 20 minute view of messi near her home, and their neighbour reported seeing a 12 foot long beast injuly. louise said they saw something strange in the water less than half a mile away. a gift for the punt writers. just a final one. a pond in the headline. gran and buried. this is a family in leeds. the grandparents got to hug their grandchildren. they were dressed in inflatables. barbara and clive said it was the best six minutes of their year. they were able to hug the grandkids. lots of people will empathise with that having not been able to hug their grandparents or grandchildren this year. 20 past six. john is going to talk about the sport. of the sport is dominated by the news, isn't it?

as we have been talking about so much, yes. manchester city were due to play everton last night but the match was called off. yes, just four hours before kick—off the game was called off following three further positive tests in the squad. everton have asked the premier league why it was postponed so close to kick—off. the decision came hours before the match was due to take place. with fans allowed in at goodison park, one of the only top—flight clubs still allowed to permit fans at the moment, so they would have had 2000 there. a little bit of frustration. but i guess, as has been the way throughout this pandemic, safety has to come first. that is what will be behind the premier league's explanation when they offer it to everton in the coming days. when do they replay it? that is the big question. the season started somewhat later and it still got to finish. the euros have been

rescheduled for next summer. it is a congested fixture schedule around this period. when are they going to be able to re—play that game? and if it affects further matches to come, when are they going to be able to reschedule those? there's not a lot of slack in the system, it's fair to say. that will cause the premier league a few headaches a further matches have to be postponed in the coming days. back to last night. yes, just four hours before kick—off the game was called off following three further positive tests in the squad. it's the second premier league match to be postponed because of the virus, and doubts now hang over city's next game against chelsea on sunday, and their league cup semi against manchester united three days later. players gabrieljesus and kyle walker tested positive on christmas day. city said in a statement...

no ideas as to when that will reopen. league one side rochdale have been forced to suspend their next two games, doncaster their next three, with the football league also affected. two premier league matches did go ahead last night though. and despite a huge investment in their squad chelsea's indifferent form continues as they missed the chance to move into the top four. they drew 1—1 with aston villa at stamford bridge, 0livier giroud putting chelsea ahead. but villa grabbed a point when anwar el ghazi scored. that keeps villa fifth, just ahead of chelsea on goal difference. we played well.

tough opponent. i thought we deserved to win the game. didn't quite go for us. had some early chances, chances late on in the game. some really good play at times from us. so we're disappointed because they score with a chance when our man's down. i think there was a handball in the build—up. i thought we deserved to win the game. leicester are up to second after a 1—1 draw with crystal palace. wilfried zaha put palace in front, before harvey barnes rescued a point for leicester seven minutes from time. the draw leaves leicester three points behind leaders liverpool. one other football line to bring you, and tony pulis has been sacked as sheffield wednesday manager after ten matches in charge with the club second bottom of the championship. he has never been relegated with any of his teams but took over in november knowing he would have a difficultjob. wednesday have a six—point deduction for breaching spending rules. first—team coach neil thompson takes charge for the game at home to middlesbrough tonight.

there's been cricket overnight. india beat australia to level their test series at 1—1. they only needed to chase down a target of 70, losing just two wickets. and new zealand are on course to beat pakistan in the first of their two tests. both their openers made half centuries as they set the tourists a target of 373 runs. pakistan will resume on day five on 71 for three. two time champion gary anderson is through the fourth round of the world darts championship, after beating mensur suljovic 4—3. moment of the day at alexandra palace though came from dutchman dirk van duijvenbode. he hit a maximum checkout of 170 on his way to thrashing england's adam hunt 4—0. great debate rumbling in the football world at the moment. and finally, the footballing world has been congratulating

lionel messi recently, for breaking brazilian legend pele's record of 6113 goals for one club. well, everyone except pele's former club santos. they've published a detailed account explaining why, in their view, messi has not broken the record at all. they say pele's goals in friendlies count towards his total and, as a result, the record stands at 1,091 goals — meaning messi still has another 4118 to go. let the debate continue. meaning lionel messi is some way short. more than 400 goals short. that is a long way to go. a huge amount. are they protecting his reputation, massively, of course. count up how many messi has scored in friendlies, surely? is brazilian rivalry going on there? possibly. brazilian legend, argentinian legend. messi will have to go some if he is to catch that record. thank you very much.

time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london. i'm victoria hollins. a hospital in south east london which declared an "internal incident" yesterday because of the high number of covid patients say its continuing to monitor the situation. the queen elizabeth hospital in greenwich said it was a precuationary step and all patients were receiving the treatment they needed. some of london's high streets are to be given a share of £830 million as part of an england—wide regeneration project. among them are sutton high street, which was granted just over £11 million and the old kent road in southwark, which has been given just over £9.5 million. the government hopes the money will allow areas to evolve so they can attract more people to live, work and visit there. with some of london's most popular hotels near empty this festive period,

chefs at one hotel have been cooking for the homeless, using food that would otherwise have gone to waste. chefs at flemings hotel in mayfair have so far cooked up over 1,500 meals which have then been distributed to some of the capital's most vulnerable people. and its bosses say it'll continue. we need to make sure that we need to do something. this food is cooked in the same way as we would cook in our restaurant, it's the same ingredients. if they ask, i tell them, yes it's from a 5—star hotel in mayfair. they are sometimes quite surprised but they're often excited to have some really, good food. let's take a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube, there are part closures on three lines on the district, london 0verground and piccadilly line. 0n the trains... kings cross station is closed due to engineering works, with no services running. a reduced service is also running out of liverpool street and waterloo.

0n the roads... bishopsgate is closed heading into the city due to roadworks. now the weather with sara thornton. hello there and very good morning to you. another very chilly start this morning, temperatures overnight have fallen down to freezing, slightly below in some places. we've got a lot of cloud as well across london and the south—east to start us off, and some mist and fog patches here and there. a predominantly dry day to come, though. but there are a few showers around, most of those towards the west. if you catch one, it could be sleety. certainly it's going to be a cold day for all of us with a top temperature in mid—single figures at best. through the night tonight, we are dry and largely we will be clear, so it'll be another chilly start to your wednesday but it will be off to a dry start. as the day wears on, though, things will turn decidedly tricky and quite wintry. we have an area of rainjust pushing into the south—west through your wednesday.

as it meets the cold air above us, it could bring us some sleet and snow which will settle in some places. we already have an early met office weather warning for that. the timing, the placement will change. stay tuned for the latest forecast thoughts right here. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. now though it's back to roger and louise. bye for now. hello, this is breakfast with louise minchin and rogerjohnson. it's louise minchin and rogerjohnson. just coming up now on breakfast, a look back on the lives of the stars who died this year, in "review 2020: we remember". bond. james bond.

i'm just going to put some clothes on. 0h, don't go to any trouble on my account. do you expect me to talk? no, mr bond, i expect you to die! i had no awareness of that scale of reverence and pressure and what have you, and i found it a bit of a nightmare. my name is pussy galore. i must be dreaming. they weren't used to writing a woman who is the equal of a man. you have a very disarming nature! and it really did, i think, advance feminism. well, judging by the letters i got. isn't it customary to grant a condemned man his last request? you asked for this.

she wasn'tjust physical, she was also pretty well equipped. intellectually, she was as clever as a man. computers... she was very self—sufficient. you're full of surprises, contessa. so are you, mr bond. do you always arm yourself for a rendezvous? the lords in westerros are sheep. are you a sheep? no, you're a dragon. # lean on me, when you're not strong and i'll be your friend # i'll help you carry on for it won't be long # till i'm going to need someone to lean on... # ain't no sunshine when she's gone

# it's not warm when she's away # ain't no sunshine when she's gone # and she's always gone to long any time she goes away... # does an angel contemplate my fate? cheering and applause hello and welcome to this brand—new series of love island. # thoughts running through my head, and i feel the love is dead, # i'm loving angels instead.# cheering and applause bop bopa—a—lu

a whop bam boo, tutti—frutti! tutti—frutti! i wanted to sound different. we were tired of all that slow music. we wanted to boogie. # tutti—frutti! so what i did, i started singing tutti—frutti loud and just screaming! # bop bopa—a—lu a whop bam boo! # lucy! # baby, satisfy my heart. # you picked a fine time to leave me, lucy, with four hungry children and a crop in the field. # i've had some bad times, lived through some sad times, # but this time your hurt... my mum said it very well one day.

she said, "that boy never worked a day in his life. "all he ever did was sing." # i promised your dad not to do the things that you do. # now please don't think i'm weak. # now, papa, isure hope you understand. # islands in the stream, that is what we are, # no one in between, how can we be wrong? # sail away with me to another world, and we rely on each other # # from one lover to another...# # sailaway...#

and now, from norwich, it's the quiz of the week. i'm proud of the fact that i helped create a huge success. you don't buck success. hello and welcome to the sale of the century. but i don't want to be remembered just for sale of the century. as a straight man, you know how to throw the lines so the comic will have a good springboard to come back and make some humorous and witty response. and also, you know how to take a joke at your expense, cos the comedian, the straight man in the relationship is always put down. # i'm woman, hear me roar, in numbers to big to ignore, # and i know too much to go back and pretend. # oh, yes, i'm wise, but it's... # yes, i've paid the price,

but look how much i have gained. # yes, i can do anything, i am strong, i am invincible, i am woman. i didn't know what you could and couldn't do. but i was full of what orson welles called the confidence of ignorance. you know, it's like i don't know that i'm breaking rules because i don't know what the rules are.

we won't be there when you cross the road, so always use the... green cross code. i almost got the sack from the government because they thought that my image as darth vader would have a detrimental effect on my image as the green cross code man. you are part of the rebel alliance and a traitor. take her away. could you explain this to me? what? this, this stuff on my plate. it's your dinner. i know it's my dinner, but could you identify the various heaps? very well, listen, blackadder. i won't repeat this. put your underpants on your head and stick two pencils up your nose. # my boy lollipop, you make . —up, you're as sweet as candy...

# never ever leave me, because it would grieve me, my heart told me so. there's an old saying in my game, son. you can't put in what god's left out. you leave it to me, i'll watch you, i'll observe and if i think i can help, if i can see the big prize there, believe me, i won't waste any time. i need a holiday, a very long holiday. and i don't expect i shall return.

what? nothing. no, it'sjust i've never seen an elderly person with pink hair. except maybe on clowns. are you trying to be funny? no. i never try to be funny. you can ask anyone. my name's 0llie. what are you doing with your books? oh, i'm having a sort out. did you read in the papers about that lady librarian in ipswich last week. you mean he lady in a public library that said that the billy bunter stories were unfit for children? yes. that's her. you see, you have much less to do now that your prime minister. you no longer have a department of your own. everything you have always read in the press about how hard the prime minister has to work is a bit of a myth, really. put out by the press office as a matter of course, but if you think about it, what do you have to do? chair the cabinet?

two and a half hours a week. there must be more to it than that! of course, you'll have to read all the briefs and we will rush you from place to place shaking hands with people. other than that, there are lots of things people want you to do and do, and many things you can do, but very few things you have to do. after all, it's up to you. # ain't it a shame... evening all! grant!

mum. i heard you were back. i was going to give you a call. why didn't you? come on, give us a hug. get out of my pub! dame babs sounds nice, doesn't it? but my mum would like it to be dame barbara. she was a bit of a cocky snob, my mum, so it would be dame barbara. what would she be thinking now? my friend. oh, my dear friend. you won't ever leave me, will you? # goodies, goody—goody yum yum!# we are the goodies. yes, we know that. and we are going to do good to people. we had it tough. i used to have to get out

of a shoe box at midnight, lick the road clean, eat a couple of bits of gravel, work 23 hours a day in the mill for a penny every four years, and when we got home, dad used to slice us in half with a bread knife. hello, mrs rogers! hello! i must be in the wrong house! they can't get the fire brigade. he's not the messiah, he is a very naughty boy! now go away. who are you? i'm his mother, that's who! not only bad, but mad. trenchearous, vindictive, megalomaniac and vain.

you shot them with rubber bullets and gas. they were marching over there, the leaders were going to speak to you and before we even got there, you opened fire. there is not a single injustice in northern ireland today that justifies the taking of a single human life. today, we can take a collective breath and begin to blow away, let's hope, the cobwebs of the past. # give peace a chance...# dave, which british artist's work was featured on the cover of the 1989 telephone directory for the city of bradford? as i always say to my mate in the pub, go with the favourite, david hockney. bradford's favourite son, one of them anyway. david hockney is the right answer, dave. well done. good evening. this time tomorrow,

it'll all be over. will the grand national throw up yet another moment of drama to be written into the history of the greatest steeplechase of all? 6:30, monday, january 17, 1983. you're watching the first edition of bbc television's breakfast time. there's been a record glut of goals today. 151 in all. bobby charlton with the corner. jack! perfect goal! great tackle by charlton. came in like a brick wall and he's hurt, he got an elbow in the face. people try and compare us, and i used to say, you shouldn't compare us. i can stop other people playing, but i can't play. bobby can play. he's a creative player. but there's a place in the game for both types. nobby stiles in a movement which... i used to walk over the bridge of old trafford as a kid and imagine that the tannoy was going to announce that they were a player

short and ask me to play. to go down there and walk down there and become a player at manchester united is unbelievable. i have never seen nobby stiles like this before! that was a supreme save. trying to get there... oh, what a save! maradona! i couldn't reach it and shelton was already there, so i couldn't head it, so i did like that. i believe it is a craftiness. it is not cheating.

he won't need any of them! oh, you have to say, that is magnificent! played it boldly. that could be magical. i tried to be an observer, you get into trouble for that sometimes if you do not say the right things to the right people. thank you. 0n the 22, he switches it, he has richards outside him. williams, he will score! no bother!

# keep on running, keep on hiding # 0ne fine day i'm going to be the one # to make you understand, oh, yeah, i'm going to be your man. # i can see clearly now the rain has gone # i can see all obstacles in my way...#

i mean, i would not swap my era for now, even though i would be better off, that is for sure. i am fascinated with what they are doing technically. it is amazing. but it isn't quite what it was. singing in german.

i've kept a list of the insults against des 0'connor. number one, eric, i've just heard some good news. ernie, what good news? eric, des 0'connor has a sore throat. number two, des 0'connor is a self—made man. i think it is very nice of him to take the blame. # loneliness, alone you'll always... a lady came up to me at the stage door and said i'd love your show,

here's £5, can you send me your lp? i said you can get it at the shop, i asked at the shop for the des 0'connor lp and the guy said, are you kidding? # homeless... # moonlight sleeping... # homeless, homeless, moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake. # homeless, homeless, the moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake. # homeless, homeless, the moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake. # homeless, homeless, the moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake.

# he was looking for a soul to steal # he was way behind, looking for a deal. # everybody work that dinosaur. # we just haven't got a clue what to do. # just try a little wigwam, bam! come on, tommy, rock on. what do you mean, rock on? it is not a discotheque. it is not top of the tops, it is a seaside special. ijust saw david hamilton. it is no different, it is a seaside special. tommy, rock on.

now rock off! that is a lovely dress, scarlett, darling. will you be an angel, i need you to help me receive my guests. you do not want to be in gone with the wind is going to be the biggest bust in town. i would not think of contradicting my boss so i said, even so, i would like to be in it, i really would. i'm spartacus! i never thought of becoming a tycoon.

it gave me the chance to do movies i wanted to do, like i wanted to do spartacus, i wanted to do a movie about vikings. paths of glory. would you like me to suggest what you can do with that promotion? they were not easy, even though they were quite successful, # get on up, stay on the scene, like a sex machine. on my signal, open north—west section 17. wa kanda forever! i know what it means to see somebody who looks like you and play the hero and villain. it had any freedom to be both things.

why should i not be glad to contemplate the clouds clearing beyond the dormer window and the high tide reflected on the ceiling? there will be dying there will be dying, but there is no need to go into that. the poems flow from the hand unbidden and the hidden source is the watchful heart. the sun rises in spite of everything and the far cities are beautiful and bright. and i hear in a riot of sunlight, watching the day break and the clouds fly everything is going to be all right. # there will be bluebirds over the white cliffs of dover. this girl who would never have had the opportunity if she had not been singing. if my mother had not

put me on the stage. i know europe were getting well supplied, i want to go somewhere where there is not any entertainers so they said burma is the only place, you know. # roll out the barrel # roll out the barrel # we've got them on the run... # we'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, # but i know we'll meet again some sunny day!# cheering and applause. what a lovely way to look back and

celebrate peoples lives. some great people who have left us in 2020. good morning from bbc london, i'm victoria hollins. a hospital in south—east london which declared an "internal incident" yesterday because of the high number of covid patients, says its continuing to monitor the situation. the queen elizabeth hospital in greenwich said it was a precautionary step, and all patients were receiving the treatment they needed. some of london's high streets are to be given a share of £830 million as part of an england—wide regeneration project. among them are sutton high street, which was granted just over £11 million, and the old kent road in southwark, which has been given just over £9.5 million. the government hopes the money will allow areas to evolve so they can attract more people to live, work and visit there. with some of london's most popular hotels near empty this festive period, chefs at one hotel have been

cooking for the homeless, using food that would otherwise have gone to waste. chefs at flemings hotel in mayfair have so far cooked up over 1,500 meals, which have then been distributed to some of the capital's most vulnerable people. and its bosses say it'll continue. we need to make sure that we need to do something. this food is cooked in the same way as we would cook in our restaurant, it's the same ingredients. if they ask, i tell them, yes it's from a 5—star hotel in mayfair. they are sometimes quite surprised but they're often excited to have some really, good food. let's take a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube the district line has no service between turnham green and ealing broadway. the piccadilly line has no service between hammersmith and northfields or uxbridge. and london 0verground has no service between gospel oak and stratford. 0n the trains, kings cross station is closed due to engineering works, with no services running. a reduced service is also running out of liverpool street and waterloo.

0n the roads, the a13 has one lane closed coming into central london at the a406 north circular in beckton, due to emergency repairs. now the weather with sara thornton. hello there and very good morning to you. another very chilly start this morning, temperatures overnight have fallen down to freezing, slightly below in some places. we've got a lot of cloud as well across london and the south—east to start us off, and some mist and fog patches here and there. a predominantly dry data can, though. but there are a few shows around, most of those towards the west. if you catch one, it could be sleety. certainly it's going to be a cold day for all of us with a top temperature in mid—single figures at best. through the night tonight, we are dry and largely we will be clear, so it'll be another chilly start to your wednesday but it will be off to a dry start. as the day wears on, though, things will turn decidedly tricky and quite wintry. we have an area of rainjust

pushing into the south—west through your wednesday. as it meets the cold air above us, it could bring us some sleet and snow which will settle in some places. we already have an early met office weather warning for that. the timing, the placement will change. stay tuned for the latest forecast thoughts right here. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now.

good morning, welcome to breakfast with louise minchin and rogerjohnson. 0ur headlines today: back in the eye of the storm — there are now more covid patients in england's hospitals than there were at the peak in spring. 1,500 military personnel will help secondary schools and colleges in england carry out mass testing from next week. good morning.

we've got a wintry mix today. rain, sleet and snow. also some ice. slippery conditions underfoot. there could be further snow showers later. stay tuned for more details. good morning. it's tuesday, 29th december. our top story. hospitals in england are now treating more coronavirus patients than at any other point in the pandemic, as numbers surpass the peak that was seen in april. it once again shows the strain that the nhs is under, with the head of nhs england saying health workers are "back in the eye of the storm". keith doyle reports. health services across the uk are being stretched as they deal with increasing numbers of patients with covid. in london, accident and emergency departments are reporting intense pressure. in scotland, doctors say there is a danger that services will be overwhelmed. in wales, the situation in hospitals is described as incredibly challenging.

and in northern ireland, the health minister said the next few days is a crucial period. the stark messages show the impact the covid virus is having. things have been really challenging over the last few days. the best illustration for that is on christmas eve we had about 170 patients with covid—19 across our covid sites. today we have 272. a large increase. in england, the number of people being treated for the virus in hospital is over 20,000, higher than the previous peak of around 19,000 in april, although more testing is being done now than it was then. over 41,000 new cases were reported yesterday, a record, with 357 deaths. nhs providers said some trusts were reporting up to three times the number of covid patients than at the peak of the first wave. the pressure is having a real effect. in many hospitals, the rising number

of covid patients means staff are being redeployed and more routine operations and procedures are being postponed. sadly, it's inevitable that as the infections rise, the admissions rise, that, actually, we see disruption to other services. we are desperate, our members are desperate to keep that disruption as low as possible but unfortunately some of our elective and planned services will be disrupted, both in hospitals and in other settings as well. acknowledging the work that health workers are doing, the head of the nhs in england has given a message to staff who he said have had a very tough year. by late spring, we think that, with vaccine supply continuing to come on stream, we will be able to offer all vulnerable people across this country this covid vaccination. and that perhaps provides the biggest chink of hope for the year ahead. tomorrow, the tier levels in england will be reviewed. across the uk, health ministers have pleaded with people to stay home for new year's,

sticking to the restrictions in place. the challenges for the health services over the next days and weeks are immense. keith doyle, bbc news. military personnel are to provide remote support to schools and colleges with coronavirus testing programmes, as they reopen in england from next week. 1,500 armed forces staff will form local response teams, providing telephone and online advice on setting up testing facilities. kathryn stanczyszyn reports. as spring term starts next week, secondary schools should look different, with full coronavirus testing facilities on site. but setting them up is a big task. so big, in fact, that some education leaders have said it's simply not possible in such a short space of time. now the ministry of defence has announced it is stepping in to help with that effort. in total, 1500 armed forces personnel are being made available to support schools and colleges. they will form local response teams,

providing advice on the testing process and the set—up of testing sites. it'll be mostly done remotely by phone or online meetings. but teams will also be on standby to provide help in person if needed. the majority of the tests will be carried out by the pupils themselves. the military has already assisted with other testing programmes around the country, including the mass lateral flow pilot in liverpool. these fresh resources are part of the government's plan to get children back in the classroom through a staggered start post—christmas, giving schools time to get prepared. it says physical attendance has to be a priority. but teaching unions and some virus experts have called for a rethink amid rising coronavirus cases, saying all pupils should stay at home to help prevent an even more difficult january. kathryn stanczyszyn, bbc news. in the us, president—electjoe biden says his team is not getting the co—operation it needs from the trump administration, as he prepares to move

into the white house. mr biden was speaking after a briefing with national security and foreign policy aides. he criticised the department of defence for not providing key information to his team as it makes the transition to power. a defence spokesperson said the pentagon had been "com pletely tra ns pa re nt". from this week, people aged over 60 in russia will be offered the sputnik v vaccine — named after the soviet—era satellite. 700,000 doses have so far been released for domestic use. 68—year—old president putin is eligible for the vaccine, but hasn't yet had it. yesterday, russia's coronavirus death toll was revised to 186,000, more than three times higher than it had previously reported, making it the country with the third largest number of fatalities. hospital admissions for children with eating disorders in england have risen by almost a fifth in two years, according to new figures. nhs digital data for england shows more than 4,500 young people

were given treatment in the last 12 months, up by 19% since 2018. doctors believe the increase is partly due to the mental health toll of the pandemic, with children being isolated from friends, spending more time on social media and no longer feeling in control of their future. the spanish health minister has said his country will set up a registry of people who've refused to be vaccinated against coronavirus, and share it with other european union nations. salvador illa said vaccinations would not be mandatory, and the list of those who've refused to be inoculated would not be made public. about a third of all spaniards have said they won't take the vaccine, though that number has been falling in recent weeks. so there was snow around yesterday. there is still some around today. here's sarah with a look at this morning's weather. good morning. the weather has taken

a wintry tone in the last few days. snow yesterday. this morning this is what people will be waking up to. more snow in the forecast today and in the next few days. cold air in place, ice and snow is likely to bring some disruption. slippery surfaces underfoot. not everywhere will be seeing those wintry showers. this is where it is already been raining and snowing in the past few hours. rain, sleet and snow across parts of england, slipping into the midlands and parts of wales. the snow could be down to lower levels. rain showers in northern ireland turning to sleet and snow. for scotland, plenty of snow showers. particularly in the northern half of scotland. further south it is looking drier with some sunshine. clearer skies as we head through the end of the day across the southern half of scotland. showers in northern ireland and the east coast

of england. rain, sleet and some snow mixed in in the heavier bursts. heavy showers later today across parts of pembrokeshire down towards the south—west of england. fewer showers towards the south—east. mostly dry. most of those showers are easing the way through to night. temperatures falling like a stone. a cold start to your wednesday. more wintry showers on the way in the next few days. it really does feel quite different. thank you very much. just approaching ten past seven. the army will offer remote advice and telephone support on coronavirus testing in schools and colleges in england from next week. 1,500 military staff will be deployed to ensure that testing systems are up and running by the time pupils return. we're joined now by geoff barton from the association of school and college leaders, and nicola mason, who's a head teacher at a secondary school in burntwood in lichfield. morning both. thank you so much for joining us. very conscious year that

the time is ticking away. are you ready, nicola? do you feel ready? well, i was still on the phone at half past 11 last night to collea g u es half past 11 last night to colleagues trying to make sure we have things in place ready for pa rents to have things in place ready for parents to bring their children in and to reassure parents that we've got everything ready for the week after. at the moment we are not ready but we will be. do you feel you are getting enough information about what you will have to do when term starts? the information that we have got with regards to the testing programme was very late. so we had already broken up for the christmas break when we saw on the bbc app that testing was going to take place and the local authority team we work with in staffordshire had already got the lateral flow testing ready and in place to be phased in from the 4th of january. those plans have had to be shelved. now we are working on the national programme of lateral flow testing. things have

just come through to schools very late. it has certainly led to a lot of stress and a lot of panic over the christmas holidays to try to get people recruited, our community have been brilliant since we had press coverage. if we schedule a test block every 15 minutes between the 5th of january and the 8th of january, we still don't have enough tests to cover all of our children twice in that time, and the staff as well. jeff, nicola saying they will be ready. why are the unions are saying that schools should remain closed? well, i think there are two different issues going on. one is the second issue, which is scientists themselves, eminent scientist, appeared to be saying they're concerned about schools opening. that is what the unions have been responding to. in terms of

the testing, nicola has mapped it out. the day before christmas day we get the details, i was watching robertjenrick on get the details, i was watching robert jenrick on your programme that morning and he seemed to be saying these tests were pretty straightforward, you needed to grow, possibly three members of staff. before christmas eve it was said... how do you between christmas eve and the 4th of january how do you between christmas eve and the 4th ofjanuary get 13 additional staff? would you want a 13 additional staff in your school at a time when we are so worried about it? we know those tests are going to help keep more young people from being disrupted. it's a really good idea. but we are educationalists. we can support the government. it is good we will have members of the army. but for 3500 secondary schools fifth —— troops doing webinars isn't the government response we were looking for. what is it you would like to have in place in order to get people back and safely?m

like to have in place in order to get people back and safely? if we have a look at what happened with the pilot test, which corresponded talked about, in liverpool, for example. there was an example of a very important principle. these tests are important. let's use people from health and the armed forces to make sure logistically schools and colleges are able to deliver. that is a really good idea. we thought that is probably what would be rolled out about the pilots we re would be rolled out about the pilots were used to do that on a bigger scale. what would —— what that would then allow is the phased introduction of children. and for us not to be on the back foot in preventing something we haven't heard about a sense the day before christmas day —— christmas eve. those people calling for a delayed return are doing it on the principle we should get this testing right and listen to what the scientists are saying. and if the government minister says whatever the scientists say, we think young people should be in school, we have every right to say, can you tell us why you no better than the

scientists, please ? why you no better than the scientists, please? nicola, the issue of school is coming back and people being ready to come back to have them back, the testing being ready, which you have alluded to, how concerned are you about another interruption, potentially, to children's education? there are some who have exams next summer, there is a little bit of uncertainty surrounding does. not to mention the mental health issues children face. yeah, absolutely. we want our children in school, all teachers do. what we need to act on the data. we need to make sure it is safe for them and their families. need to make sure it is safe for them and theirfamilies. we do have some of our children who are currently shielding. and we need to have mechanisms in place to support them. some of the data that we know them. some of the data that we know the government are acting on, we are not privy to. we are relying on them feeding us that information in a prompt way, making sure that we can then do a really effective job in managing things like remote learning. so knowing that the

children, over two thirds of our children, over two thirds of our children and my school will be remote learning from the 5th of january. and to know that before we have got a chance to act on that, reassure pa rents have got a chance to act on that, reassure parents and children, make sure they've taken laptops home they need, if they don't have them, i just feel like we're not able to do the best job we just feel like we're not able to do the bestjob we can in the circumstances where we are not trusted with information to plan effectively. just out of interest, teachers are entitled to a christmas breakjust as teachers are entitled to a christmas break just as anyone teachers are entitled to a christmas breakjust as anyone else who might have a christmas break. but how much of your holiday time has been taken up of your holiday time has been taken up with trying to get ready for this? the leaders in my school have been working most of the holiday. so they've been doing things like template letters to make sure that pa rents a re template letters to make sure that parents are well informed, said taking —— setting up consent forms and processes online. last night we we re and processes online. last night we were working together to try to get a booking system for the testing so

that parents are able to book into do the test. when i say we will be ready, we would be ready to start a free testing, but whether we will be ready to roll out a testing programme that will test 1350 stu d e nts programme that will test 1350 students three days apart and a weekly programme for staff, i'm not sure we will be ready to be able to do all of that in the four days we have got. jeff barton, you are general secretary of the association of school and college leaders, we spoke to michael gove yesterday and i'm sure you saw what he said, that he was confident the staggered return to secondary schools would go ahead as planned. are they talking to the unions? what is going on at the moment? is there a sense things could change, or are they not going to change? i think one of the things i'm a little bit disappointed about, representing 21,000 school and couege representing 21,000 school and college leaders, is yesterday the only things i learned were from

briefings to the newspapers. i do think we could expect better. the people who i represent are the guardians of our schools and colleges, they are used to running things, they sold leadership. why would the gold might not want to talk to us about delivering an aim so talk to us about delivering an aim so positive? —— the government. gavin williamson said it is a cross government effort to make sure schools and colleges have the support, guidance and funding they need from the start of term. i suppose looking forward as well, what is the impact, the long—term impact, of this uncertainty on all those pupils who are trying to go back to school when they are able to? well, you have been referencing mental health concerns today. i think we are all concerned about mental health, the medal of adults as well as young people. i'm particularly concerned about those young people in gcse and a—level classes, some of whom have missed weeks and weeks of learning. what will the exams look like in the summer? and how can it possibly be

fair that summer? and how can it possibly be fairthat i, who summer? and how can it possibly be fair that i, who missed four weeks, i'm going to be judged alongside somebody who has missed no time at all? those are the kinds of questions we need answers to, reassure young people that finally all will be well. we appreciate your time today. jeff barton and nicola mason. thank you both for your time. when 2020 began, we had no idea that we'd end up spending more time at home. but staring at the same four walls inspired many of us to have a go at decorating and home improvements. whether you went in for a quick fix or a major makeover, it's certainly been a boom year for gardening and diy businesses, as our reporter simon browning has been finding out. rebuilding, refitting, swapping the old for new. lots of us have made changes to our homes in the last few months, and forjosh and his team of roof window fitters, they've had a bumper time of it. the last few months have been really good for us.

they haven't spent money on holidays, so they're spending it on home improvements. so, where they're working from home, they didn't need a home office before, we're finding that they're going up into the loft, boarding it out and really just making more space than what they had previously. it's meant businesses who manufacture and sell hardware, tools and parts, have seen an unexpected boom this year. it was a difficult start to the year, 30% drop in global sales. but since june, we've had unprecedented demand and we've got global growth of around 15% since then. for lots of us, the guidance was to stay at home and work from home if you could. but as we spent hours on end, in the same room, in the same chair, our mind started to wander. could i paint that, could i remove that? the opportunities seemed endless. so over here, this is where the shower unit was. and it actually took up such a large space. it's quite a family size shower. matt decided he'd have a go

at removing an old shower unit that was left by previous owners, at his new house. so we're rocking it back and forth, rocking it back and forth. and then literally, there's this huge explosion that sort of happened! i'm now holding on to this great big shard of glass, which is really highly dangerous. and there's glass literally everywhere. my love and enthusiasm for diy continues. i wouldn't say i'm great at it, but, erm, you know, i put up some dado rail. it's still there. just don't touch it. when b&q reopened during lockdown, we piled in to buy supplies. sister company screw fix also saw a huge surge. and after a difficult few years of trading, the group now expects a profit of £175 million. well, during the summer we saw a big uptake in outdoor products. a lot of people doing projects outside, whether that be painting their fences or using pressure washers, real uptake.

but right the way through, one of the biggest uptakes has been on power tools and hand tools, people getting equipped for those projects they need to do at home. and for maria, the store manager here in basingstoke, she's had to thumb her way through plenty of daft customer questions. a few days ago, i was asked, what's the difference between white and brilliant white paint? and it was quite funny. back to matt for one final look at how that bathroom is coming on. so, you know, if you go to wash your hands, it does move around a bit. and that's my, erm... well, it is called do—it—yourself. surely we're all allowed a little wobble as we learn? simon browning, bbc news. this not the best example, really. there is going to be a lot of patching up work, i would is going to be a lot of patching up work, iwould imagine. we're joined now by diy expert, jo behari. i'm judging people by my own dismal standards. what are the things you

have seen as the big sort of surge pastimes in diy over the last few months? i think outdoor activities, definitely. we had that absolutely booming summer. we were all at home, well, most of us were. there's been a lot of decking, outdoor garden rooms, converting sheds into offices, that sort of thing. that has been huge this year. offices, that sort of thing. that has been huge this yearlj offices, that sort of thing. that has been huge this year. i know a couple of people who have done outdoor shed conversions and what have you. but i suppose the thing is that it's about having the right tools. anybody who has ever tried diy will attest that you have to have the right tools to do the job, otherwise even a capable person can make a mess of it? absolutely. people don't understand how much the tool actually creates the job for you. i always say to people, don't buy the cheapest set of tools. if you do, you will end up failing and then you think you can't do diy, where it is in fact it isjust a

rubbish tool. having the right set of tools is crucial. and making sure, if you are about to embark on any diy projects, having a set of tools at home so you don't have to consta ntly tools at home so you don't have to constantly nip out to the shops. having them with you means you get the job done in a timely manner. we just saw you putting up a fence. when you are starting out a project, presumably planning is key, is it? absolutely. absolutely. planning is definitely key. i always say to people, do your homework, which sounds boring. look at online videos, there is a wealth of diy information. if you know what you are doing before you tackle a job then you will be more successful in thatjob. you will then you will be more successful in that job. you will know what to expect. and therefore, you will know where the pitfalls might be. you create success if you do your research. what is your go to tool? what is the one tool everybody should have? everybody should know how to use a drill. people are

petrified of using a drill. but i teach people how to do simple drilling projects. once they get over the hurdle of using that as a power tool, others become accessible to them. they can put pictures up, put shelving up. head opens a world of diy. don't be afraid of the power drill. i'm getting excited at this talk of power tools at 25 past seven! when you are putting up things at home, what are the things to look out for? going into electrics, presumably? yes. people are scared about trolling into pipework and electrics. there are little gadgets that you can try that are battery operated. they cost between £5 and ten p. they run across the wall and they beep if you hit an electrical cable or a water pipe. you can buy a tool to ensure that you know there is nothing behind the wall where you are going to drill into. the other thing you need to know when you are drilling into a wall is if it is a brick

wall, in which case you need masonry drill bits, or plasterboard, in which case you need wooden beds, make sure you're not hanging anything too heavy on a plasterboard wall. it will fall down because there is no way to do support it. if you have got a heavy flat screen tv or something hanging on a brick wall... this is showing my limited knowledge. lots of people will have had a go. if you succeed in something like this, actually there isa something like this, actually there is a great sense of satisfaction, isn't there? oh, it is a huge sense of accomplishment what you have achieved something. a lot of people don't use their hands very often. they are stuck in front of a computer screen doing zoom calls. actually getting out and can —— for creating something with your hands give you satisfaction. if you redecorate your living room, resend your deck outside, go and sit in that space, knowing that you have

created that. that gives you a sense of satisfaction. a friend of mine was so handy he bought himself a tool belt. i can only aspire to having one of them. thank you for your time. thank you very much indeed a very good luck to you if you are taking those projects on at home. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm victoria hollins. a hospital in south—east london which declared an "internal incident" yesterday because of the high number of covid patients, says its continuing to monitor the situation. the queen elizabeth hospital in greenwich said it was a precautionary step, and all patients were receiving the treatment they needed. some of london's high streets are to be given a share of £830 million as part of an england—wide regeneration project. among them are sutton high street, which was granted just over £11 million, and the old kent road

in southwark, which has been given just over £9.5 million. the government hopes the money will allow areas to evolve so they can attract more people to live, work and visit there. white—tailed eagles have been spotted in london for the first time in centuries after a reintroduction programme. forestry england and the roy dennis wildlife foundation began the project last year, releasing young eagles on the isle of wight. their progress has been tracked through satellite technology and bird watchers. some of them were seen flying over central london. a music in schools scheme backed by andrew lloyd weber has handed out more than 10,000 musical instruments to london children. founded in 2013, the music in secondary schools trust works with 14 disadvantaged schools in london and is expanding. the charity donates free classical instruments and lessons to pupils aged between 11 and 14.

let's take a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube, the district line has no service between turnham green and ealing broadway. the piccadilly line has no service between hammersmith and northfields or uxbridge. and london 0verground has no service between gospel oak and stratford 0n the trains, kings cross station is closed due to engineering works, with no services running. a reduced service is also running out of liverpool street and waterloo. now the weather with sara thornton. hello there and very good morning to you. another very chilly start this morning, temperatures overnight have fallen down to freezing, slightly below in some places. we've got a lot of cloud as well across london and the south—east to start us off, and some mist and fog patches here and there. a predominantly dry data can, though. but there are a few showers around, most of those towards the west. if you catch one, it could be sleety. certainly it's going to be a cold day for all of us with a top temperature in mid—single figures at best. through the night tonight, we are dry and largely we will be clear, so it'll be

another chilly start to your wednesday but it will be off to a dry start. as the day wears on, though, things will turn decidedly tricky and quite wintry. we have an area of rainjust pushing into the south—west through your wednesday. as it meets the cold air above us, it could bring us some sleet and snow which will settle in some places. we already have an early met office weather warning for that. the timing, the placement will change. stay tuned for the latest forecast thoughts right here. and as always there's more on our website including a round—up of london's transport stories this year by our transport correspondent tom edwards. just head to the usual place, bbc.co.uk/london. i'm back in an hour. bye for now. hello, this is breakfast with louise minchin and rogerjohnson. let's louise minchin and rogerjohnson. get you right u; the let's get you right up to date with the latest news atjust about 7:30am. the number of patients being treated

for covid in england's hospitals is now more than 20,000, higher than it was at the peak of cases during the spring. it comes as the head of nhs england said health workers are back in the "eye of the storm" as pressure mounts on services. health officials in wales and scotland have also said they are at risk of becoming overwhelmed. military personnel are to provide remote support to schools and colleges with coronavirus testing programmes, as they reopen in england from next week. 1,500 armed forces staff will form local response teams, providing telephone and online advice. students will swab themselves in the vast majority of cases, under the supervision of a staff member or volunteer who has been trained. president—electjoe biden says his team is not getting the co—operation it needs from the trump administration, as he prepares to move into the white house. mr biden was speaking after a briefing with national security and foreign policy aides. he criticised the department of defence for not providing key information to his team as it makes the transition to power.

a defence spokesperson said the pentagon had been "com pletely tra ns pa re nt". from this week, people aged over 60 in russia will be offered the sputnik v vaccine, named after the soviet—era satellite. 700,000 doses have so far been released for domestic use. 68—year—old president putin is eligible for the vaccine, but hasn't yet had it. yesterday, russia's coronavirus death toll was revised to 186,000, more than three times higher than it had previously reported, making it the country with the third—largest number of fatalities. hospital admissions for children with eating disorders in england have risen by almost a fifth in two years, according to new figures. nhs digital data for england shows more than 4,500 young people were given treatment in the last 12 months, up by 19% since 2018. doctors believe the increase is partly due to the mental health toll of the pandemic with children being isolated from friends,

spending more time on social media and no longer feeling in control of their future. the spanish health minister has said his country will set up a registry of people who've refused to be vaccinated against coronavirus and share it with other european union nations. salvador illa said vaccinations would not be mandatory, and the list of those who've refused to be inoculated would not be made public. about a third of all spaniards have said they won't take the vaccine, though that number has been falling in recent weeks. vinyl album sales in the uk are at their highest level since the early 1990s. almost 5 million vinyl lps were purchased in 2020, up by 10% on last year, according to figures from the recording industry body bpi. the cancellation of live music events and an appetite for nostalgia during the pandemic, are thought to be behind the increase in sales.

so, let's take you back a bit to april this year. captain tom moore decided to walk 100 laps of his garden to mark his 100th birthday and perhaps raise £1,000 for nhs charities. what happened next surpassed all expectations, captured the hearts of a nation, and even led to a knighthood. this special programme, presented by michael ball, looks back at that remarkable few weeks in "captain sir tom: we salute you."

captain sirtom captain sir tom moore will travel to be knighted by the queen. it'll be the first engagement to her majesty has carried out since march, the only honour awarded since the beginning of lockdown. the 100—year—old world war ii vetera n was the 100—year—old world war ii veteran was knighted by queen elizabeth for an extraordinary job well done. to me, the queen was more than anyone could expect. never, ever, ever did than anyone could expect. never, ever, everdidl than anyone could expect. never, ever, ever did i imagine i'd go so close to the queen and have such a nice message from her, it was outstanding, to me, it was outstanding.

tomorrow will be a good day, that is the way i've always looked at it. tomorrow will be a good day, that is the way i've always looked at itm we as the way i've always looked at itm weasa the way i've always looked at itm we as a country can show the same spirit of optimism and energy shown by captain tom moore that we will beat it, together we will come through this all the faster. beat it, together we will come through this all the fastenm beat it, together we will come through this all the faster. it is wonderful that everyone has been inspired by his story and determination, he is a one—man fundraising mission and god knows what the final total will be. every crisis needs a hero. and in 2020 in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic the uk found one, captain tom moore. hello, i'm michael ball

and this is the story of one man and his sheer determination to make a difference. in less than four weeks, captain tom moore raised over £32 million for nhs charities, found himself number one in the charts on his 100th birthday and received tens of thousands of birthday cards. captain time, we meet at last! where have you come from? i've been lurking at the bottom of your garden! how are you? how are you? marvellous to see you come out of the blue. a man who served his country during world war ii was doing his bit for the national effort to once more. lovely story coming up, 99—year—old war veteran

has decided to walk 100 lengths of his garden to raise money for the nhs. i've had some great service from the nhs, thinking of the nurses. if you walk 100 times, we will pay £1 for every length you do and i think i said let's raise money for charity and he said let's raise it for covid—19 for the nhs. they are doing a good job, carry on,

old boy! thank you from me and everybody and the nhs for everything you are doing. thank you, captain tom! we were talking earlier to tom moore, who was walking 100 lengths of his back garden before his 100th birthday on the 30th of april. and he hoped he would raise about £1000 and now we are up to £5,000. when we spoke to him and his lovely daughter hannah in the first half of the show, they just over hannah in the first half of the show, theyjust over £200,000. since we talked to him, another £45,000 has gone in to hisjustgiving page. let's make it £300,000, can we? can we do that? we then went back on bank holiday monday on bbc breakfast and the rest is charted in history and the rest is charted in history and we will never forget it, it's even hard for us to even rationalise

it and understand what truly happened because from then things we nt happened because from then things went crazy. huge congratulations, captain tom. you are absolutely brilliant. we love you. well done. congratulations on passing the million, you are an inspiration to us and to the millions of bbc breakfast viewers who have been supporting you as well. amazing. well done. what you've managed to do just shows how great humans are. the funds that you have managed to raise for the real heroes today is simply sensational.

you may have heard the name captain tom moore around the world... newscast in german he's the humble world war ii veteran who has captured the world's hearts. i know you must be absolutely exhausted, tom. no, i am not. iam. you are! remember, i'm a yorkshireman. hi, this is a message for captain tom moore, thank you so much for all of your efforts and how much money you've raised for the nhs. lots of love from everybody at the royal liverpool. thank you! thank you, captain tom, from the nhs!

in less than a fortnight since captain tom began his challenge, he'd become a global sensation. your generosity meant that on the morning he was due to complete his 100th lap, he'd raised more than £11 million. inches to go, there he is! congratulations! well done, absolutely amazing achievement. how do you feel this morning? fine. i am surrounded by the right sort of people, so, yes, ifeel fine and i hope you are all feeling fine, too. it is amazing, what i love also

is he is a 99—year—old veteran and he has been around a long time, knows everything and it's wonderful that everyone kind of is being inspired by his story and his determination. i think he is a one—man fund—raising machine and god know what the final total will be. good on him, i hope he keeps going. it's absolutely amazing that my super prince can say some things like that. so, how do you top that? you'd think that a message from a future king would be the icing on the cake. but, as he finished his walk, something happened on bbc breakfast that would mean that he and i would embark on an extraordinary musical journey together. we have got a special guest with us. we have got michael ball with us, who i know whose company you enjoy very much and michael wants to say thank you in his special way. morning, michael. good morning, naga and good morning, tom and hannah. i go to bed it's 10 million, i get up, it's 12 million.

what's going on? tom, it's an extraordinary achievement and i have been trying to think of a song that encapsulates what you're doing, how you're inspiring all of us and... i have one, i think. i'm sort of stealing it from the people of liverpool, but it seemed appropriate. is it ok if i sing it for you? michael, i suggest you go ahead and we all, tom included, will listen. # when you walk through a storm, hold your head up high... # and don't be afraid of the dark # at the end of the storm now # there's a golden sky # and the sweet silver song of the lark... sing it with me.

# when you walk through a storm, hold your head up high # and don't be afraid of the dark # at the end of the storm # there's a golden sky # and the sweet silver song of the lark. i need to say congratulations because you are the uk's official number one. that really is truly amazing, isn't it? also, this is another world record because the oldest person in the world to ever be number one. laughter that's lovely! it's hard to say what it is. it is so funny! it really is. that is a special something. # never walk alone #

i think on a personal note, and georgia can say it as well, he's been our hero since before we were born, we've always loved and cherished him, i've lived with him since i was three and she said she was born. he's been a vital part of a life, we had struggling moments when dad has been in hospital and so on and he's been a real rock in the family and it shows in interviews when you see him that he is a really good guy and i'm so glad we can share him with you. everyone's like, "aren't you captain tom moore's granddaughter?" like, yes. everyone is coming up to us. even though we had a social distance, it's been really fun, everyone coming in saying thank you for what we have done.

good morning, it's 8am and this is a very special breakfast with naga munchetty and charlie stayt. we are saying happy 100th birthday to captain tom moore. just three weeks ago, he set out to raise £1,000 for the nhs. almost £30 million later, he is celebrating with a special honourfrom the queen, as the captain becomes a colonel. i was always proud to be a duke of wellingtons and i still am. and i think if you get these, really, that's the icing on the cake. happy birthday, captain tom! happy birthday, captain tom. happy birthday to you! all sing: # happy birthday, captain tom, happy birthday to you! we can talk to the man himself.

on behalf of bbc breakfast and everyone who has celebrated your achievements across the uk, let me wish you a very happy 100th birthday. thank you very much. how does it feel? 100 years old today! it hardly feels any different than yesterday! i don't know what you're meant to feel like when you get to be 100, i've never been 100 before! i know i speak for the whole country when i say we wish you a very happy 100th birthday. your heroic efforts have lifted the spirits of the entire nation and you've now inspired the most incredible generosity, raising over £29 million, supporting the cause closest to all our hearts. it is so well—deserved. what you have done in bringing together a nation and inspiring so many in helping those that really need it most,

honestly, i am in awe of you. good morning and happy birthday, captain tom or should i say colonel? and now i can officially call you an honorary member of the england cricket team. radio: congratulations

on your 100th birthday. i'm one of the few people here who have seen hurricane and spitfires flying past in anger. fortunately today, they're all flying peacefully. it really is fantastic. and thank you very much. thank you. the pleasure is all ours, tom. all sing: # happy birthday to you # happy birthday to you, # happy birthday, captain tom, daddy, grandpa, # happy birthday to you!# applause

captain tom, we meet at last. where have you come from?! i've been lurking down the bottom of your garden! how are you, sir? i'm fine thank you, how are you? i'm really well. marvellous to see you. it is so lovely to see you, it really is. an absolute surprise, i'd never expect to see you out of the blue, and you just appeared from nowhere, thank you very much for coming, it is my greatest pleasure, i never ever expected to see you. it's been a long time coming, this. it has, hasn't it? since then. imean... it has been so amazing...that, i mean, before you and iwere singing... that song... and knowing just a few words

at the time, i never knew at all, and i didn't know all the words. i could never sing them in various order but never in the right order. laughs. now i think the whole world knows that song and all the words, thanks to you. no, thanks to you, sir. you're marvellous, and i can walk up and down here singing that little song to myself. is that what you do now? that's right, yes. can you believe we were the top of the charts? absolutely amazing, isn't it! i mean, you were top of the charts, i was coming along behind you. no, i'm afraid i have to disagree with you there, this was about you, this was absolutely about you. i've never actually asked you what the music is that you were inspired by when you are growing up, what you listened to and what you like to listen to now. i like to listen to the sort of music that you and i sang. that is the sort of pleasure i like,

country and western type of music. so doi! i always liked western films because the good one always wins. i mean, i don't like watching films where all the baddies come, and the baddies win. i don't believe in that. i think the good ones should always win. so if you were in a western, you'd be wearing a white hat? that's right, yes. but you do love ken dodd, don't you? yes. the voice of ken dodd. he was a great singer. what's that lovely song? # when you're smiling # the whole world smiles with you... that's exactly right! so, for you, what was the most surprising thing that has happened to you ? i think when we started here and we thought, well, if i walk up and down we might make £1,000. and we did. and, then, hannah had

an idea to go locally. and after that, it went boom! so quickly. it really did and that was a big surprise. so, day after day, the money kept coming in. and it was unbelievable. as it grew, it grew and it grew and it grew, and it went on until that magnificent figure in the end, wasn't it, for the national health s yeah. over 32 million! 32 million. that's a lot of money, isn't it? we never, ever anticipated that sort of money. i think you became almost a symbol and a focal point that people wanted to do their bit and they could do that through you. the thing that i always believe, when i said tomorrow's a good day, i think people, a lot of people, took on to that. and yes, it is because tomorrow

could be a good day. the fact it never comes is another story. laughter. you can't say that! laughter. you can't say that. tomorrow will be a better day! yes, but yes, tomorrow is a good day, it really is. one of the things that i think people admired, and why they listened to your message, is because you're from that generation that went through the biggest trauma in world history with world war ii. do you think there were lessons that you learnt during that time when you fought that related to today? i think one of the things that, we were comrades. throughout the war, wherever you came from, whatever part of life, you were all comrades and we remained comrades, and we were all friends together wherever you came from.

and i think that, where everybody, we are comrades in a battle against this nasty virus. the other thing i haven't heard anyone ask you about yet, and has always fascinated me, what do you think your late wife would have made of all of this? she would have thoroughly enjoyed it. but she probably... she was a rather shy person. she would have thoroughly enjoyed it but she would have stood back a little bit, and she'd stand behind me, that's why she would have enjoyed it, but quietly. yeah, yeah, she would have been very proud, i'm sure. yes, that's right. very, very proud. it is so well—deserved. what you have done in bringing together a nation and inspiring so many in helping those that really need it most, honestly, i'm in awe of you.

by now a national treasure, the work for captain tom continued. a visit from david beckham saw him honoured as leader of the lionhearts. captain sirtom, thank you for having me here today. i'm very excited about meeting you and it is a real pleasure for me to be down here to personally say thank you and also to present you with a little present from the england team. very kind of you and i'm delighted to receive that honour from you, especially from you, thank you very much indeed. a squad made up from the public who had helped during the year. then in december we reunited for a performance on the royal variety show. we'd hoped that tom was going to be able to be there live but restrictions meant he couldn't that he joined us virtually for the most emotional and powerful performance.

it was a thrill. i came across captain tom at a time when i needed him. i needed inspiration, i needed a light at the end of the tunnel. and i saw tom and i've been privileged to get to know him, as we all have, and he has provided that. he has shown us the strength, the dignity, the determination, the spirit that makes this country so special. he epitomises it and sir tom, i salute you and i thank you from the bottom of my heart. cheering and applause. and he's not slowed down with magazine covers and setting up his legacy, the captain tom foundation — a charity which aims to help the lonely and people with mental health problems. so tom, i think there is one last thing to do. i think we should sing a little bit of our song together, are you happy to do that? yes. both sing: # when you walk through a storm, # hold your head up high # and don't be afraid of the dark

# at the end of the storm # there's a golden sky # and the sweet silver song of the lark sir tom: # walk on, walk on, # with hope in your heart! sir tom along with original music: # and you'll never walk alone! # you'll never walk alone! all sing: # and you'll never walk alone # you'll never walk alone

sir tom: # you'll never walk alone #

good morning, welcome to breakfast with louise minchin and rogerjohnson. 0ur headlines today: this back in the eye of the storm — there are now more covid patients in england's hospitals than there were at the peak in spring. 1,500 military personnel will help secondary schools and colleges in england carry out mass testing from next week. good morning. boxing day onwards is supposed to be bumper in retail. but not this year. how are the high streets faring at the end of a rollercoaster year? everton ask the premier league for full disclosure of their reasons

to postpone their match with manchester city, following further positive coronavirus cases in the city squad. good morning. many of us are waking up to a wintry scene. we have got some frost, some ice and sub is not. it is a wintry mix of some rain, sleet and snow. more details shortly. and we're looking back at a year of incredible feats and even more incredible generosity on bbc breakfast. good morning. it's tuesday, 29th december. our top story. hospitals in england are now treating more coronavirus patients than at any other point in the pandemic, as numbers surpass the peak that was seen in april. it once again shows the strain that the nhs is under, with the head of nhs england saying health workers are "back in the eye of the storm". keith doyle reports.

health services across the uk are being stretched as they deal with increasing numbers of patients with covid. in london, accident and emergency departments are reporting intense pressure. in scotland, doctors say there is a danger that services will be overwhelmed. in wales, the situation in hospitals is described as incredibly challenging. and in northern ireland, the health minister said the next few days is a crucial period. the stark messages show the impact the covid virus is having. things have been really challenging over the last few days. the best illustration for that is on christmas eve we had about 170 patients with covid across our hospital sites. today we have around 242. so a very large increase has occurred. in england, the number of people being treated for the virus in hospital is over 20,000, higher than the previous peak of around 19,000 in april,

although more testing is being done now than it was then. over 41,000 new cases were reported yesterday, a record, with 357 deaths. nhs providers said some trusts were reporting up to three times the number of covid patients than at the peak of the first wave. the pressure is having a real effect. in many hospitals, the rising number of covid patients means staff are being redeployed and more routine operations and procedures are being postponed. sadly, it's inevitable that as the infections rise, the admissions rise, that, actually, we see disruption to our services. we are desperate, our members are desperate to keep that disruption as low as possible but unfortunately some of our elective and planned services will be disrupted, both in hospitals and in other settings as well. acknowledging the work that health workers are doing, the head of the nhs in england has given a message to staff who he said have had a very tough year. by late spring, we think that,

with vaccine supply continuing to come on stream, we will be able to offer all vulnerable people across this country this covid vaccination. and that perhaps provides the biggest chink of hope for the year ahead. tomorrow, the tier levels in england will be reviewed. across the uk, health ministers have pleaded with people to stay home for new year's, sticking to the restrictions in place. the challenges for the health services over the next days and weeks are immense. keith doyle, bbc news. military personnel are to provide remote support to schools and colleges with coronavirus testing programmes, as they reopen in england from next week. 1,500 armed forces staff will form local response teams, providing telephone and online advice on setting up testing facilities. kathryn stanczyszyn reports. as spring term starts next week, secondary schools should look different, with full coronavirus testing facilities on site. but setting them up is a big task.

so big, in fact, that some education leaders have said it's simply not possible in such a short space of time. now the ministry of defence has announced it is stepping in to help with that effort. in total, 1500 armed forces personnel are being made available to support schools and colleges. they will form local response teams, providing advice on the testing process and the set—up of testing sites. it'll be mostly done remotely by phone or online meetings. but teams will also be on standby to provide help in person if needed. the majority of the tests will be carried out by the pupils themselves. the military has already assisted with other testing programmes around the country, including the mass lateral flow pilot in liverpool. these fresh resources are part of the government's plan to get children back in the classroom through a staggered start post—christmas, giving schools time to get prepared. it says physical attendance has to be a priority. the teaching unions and some virus

experts have called for a rethink amid rising coronavirus cases, saying all pupils should stay at home to help prevent an even more difficult january. kathryn stanczyszyn, bbc news. from this week, people aged over 60 in russia will be offered the sputnik v vaccine — named after the soviet—era satellite. 700—thousand doses have so far been released for domestic use. 68—year—old president putin is eligible for the vaccine, but hasn't yet had it. earlier our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg explained how effective the jab is believed to be. good morning. russian scientists and russian officials have been trumpeting the effectiveness of sputnik v. you hear all kinds of numbers being mentioned, that it is 92% effective, 95% effective, vladimir putin a few days ago said it was up to 97% effective, and that's despite the fact that the vaccine was controversially registered in russia before phase three

clinical trials were complete. basically, the vaccine is made up of two entirely different injections delivered three weeks apart. because they are entirely different, that makes it quite challenging to produce the kind of quantities that russia would need. but this week the russian government said that it hopes that by the springs 60% of the population will have been vaccinated and it hopes that by then the outbreak will have been brought under control. hospital admissions for children with eating disorders in england have risen by almost a fifth in two years, according to new figures. nhs digital data for england shows more than 4,500 young people were given treatment in the last 12 months, up by 19% since 2018. doctors believe the increase is partly due to the mental health toll of the pandemic, with children being isolated from friends, spending more time on social media and no longer feeling in control of their future.

it is seven minutes past eight. there was a bit of snow around yesterday. and a little more sprinkled around in places today. that's right. good morning. some of us will see further snow today. not everywhere. a real mix. some rain, showers, sleepiness and snow. icy conditions first thing. that is going to be the theme for the next couple of days. it will stay cold. there could be some disruption to travel, some longerjourney times, for example, because of the wintry mix. this is where it has already been raining and snowing. heavy snow across parts of north and north—east england. that will push further south to the midlands. further areas of sleet and snow towards the northern part of scotland. frequent wintry showers. and south—west england as well. spells of rain, sleet and snow over high ground.

elsewhere, sunshine breaking through. scattered showers. temperatures in low to single figures. very brisk northerly wind blowing in these showers across parts of northern scotland, northern ireland. drierfor the parts of northern scotland, northern ireland. drier for the southern parts of northern scotland, northern ireland. drierfor the southern half of scotland. could be clearer skies for the north west of england as well. still some showers around the east coast of england towards pembrokeshire, the south—west of england as well. some heavy showers. into this evening and tonight, skies are clearing. it will be called once again. that sets us up for a cold, wintry feel for the rest of the week. back to both. thank you, sarah. as we've been hearing, pressure is mounting on the nhs, and the number of patients being treated for coronavirus in england's hospitals is now higher than at any other point during the pandemic. let's find out what it's like to work on the front line. we're joined now by chief nurse professor steve hams, and a&e doctor sonia adesara.

good morning to you both. thank you so much forjoining us on what is a difficult time for everybody. sonia, give us an idea of your work load at the moment, how is it? yeah, i think the moment, how is it? yeah, i think the hospitals are extremely busy. we have seen a massive rise in people coming in with covid over the past week. this is on top of an increase of the non—covert cases. also suffering with staff shortages. it is extremely difficult, it is extremely busy. 0ur hospital is full. you have got doctors and nurses coming in, having their leave cancelled, extra shifts, you got to be redeployed, long extra hours. it is an extremely serious situation. and i think the situation is untenable. if change doesn't happen

i think we are very close to becoming overwhelmed in the hospitals in london. right, 0k. just paint us the picture. are people able to get into a&e? where are they being put for example? yes, i think there is a difficult situation with capacity, with hospital beds. and i think with covid as well, we have to keep patients who haven't got covid separate. bed capacity is a massive problem. when you don't have any spare bed capacity you get a bad luck. that means that you can't, we are then struggling, a&e is full, then you get a backlog of ambulances who can't off—load their patients. so we are very near to close capacity. you have probably heard the stories over the weekend of long waits just to off—load patients into

hospital. that is quite concerning. well, very concerning. and steve, tell us the picture in gloucestershire? you are in tier 3. case rates not as high as where sonia is in london. how busy are you at the moment? yeah, thank you. sort ofa similar at the moment? yeah, thank you. sort of a similar position. we have had a 30% increase on the community transmission rate over the last week. we currently have more than 200 patients in hospital beds. during phase one of the virus we had 160. we have seen the exponential rise that sonia has been speaking about and we truly are in the eye of the storm. as sonia has described, i work alongside some of the most incredible nurses, doctors, therapists, domestics, were pulling out all of the stops to... it has

probably been one of the most challenging times in my nursing career challenging times in my nursing career but when i am most proud of. i read this morning you are leaving having patients brought to you now from areas where hospitals are struggling to cope, airlifted into areas like the southeast, is that correct? that's right. it is a tried and tested plan we have across the uk, when one area becomes deluged with a uk, when one area becomes deluged witha numberof uk, when one area becomes deluged with a number of poorly patients, they can be moved. i think it is just a signal of the pressure. of course, what we are really trying to do is ensure that we are hospitals that don'tjust care do is ensure that we are hospitals that don't just care for covid patients, but we are also really proud in gloucestershire that we carry on doing the cancer care, and some of the other elective care we have desperately tried to do in the la st have desperately tried to do in the last nine months, because the community expects us to deliver a whole range of hospital services. it is becoming increasingly

challenging. can i ask you about the same question? steve, i will start with you. how does what is happening now compared with —— compare with the previous fight back in april?m is slightly different. in the first wave in april we didn't entirely know what to expect. now we kind of do. but this virus seems to be one step ahead of us every time. and actually, when we get little gains and little wins, it is a real boost for us. we don't entirely know when this is going to end. i think we felt during april that there would be an end to this. but actually, we have seen this peak. we are now seeing a third peak. trying to keep our colleagues and our team is going during this time is incredibly difficult. i think it is fair to say that i, like many of my colleagues across the country, are becoming increasingly exhausted, but we are still here because we want to care

for our patients. we appreciate the fa ct for our patients. we appreciate the fact that you all are. sonia, the same question to you. how does this compare to what you saw in april? yeah. i think there are two key differences. 0ne difference is that in april we were mainlyjust dealing with covid cases and everything else we weren't really seeing into a&e. where is this time of the year, and i think because of the cold weather as well, we are seeing half to three quarters of the cases are covid—19 cases, but we also have cases that are not covid—19 related. we have to make sure they are safe. the other key that in spring it was a new virus. we didn't know what we were dealing with. and now actually we do know what we are dealing with. we do know what we are dealing with. we do know how to treat and manage patient that become seriously unwell with covid. we know how to maintain their oxygen levels and their blood. we know how to prevent and treat

complications. we are much better at treating covid. i think this is why it is so important to me that we don't end up in a situation where we are not able to provide care and treat everyone who needs it. so we need to make sure that our nhs doesn't become overwhelmed, because there are many people that will need hospital admission, will need treatment in hospital, but we can treatment in hospital, but we can treat them and we can keep them safe. we need to be able to be in that position, and i don't want to reach a situation where our hands become tight and we are... we reach crisis point and our hospitals become overwhelmed. sonia, you touched on this in your first answer, but in terms of, it's not just the capacity, it's not a finite capacity, is it? you only have a certain number of staff. you have

come off a run of night shifts. two of the six doctors on your team ever to going to self isolation. you immediately have a problem treating people, don't you? staff themselves are only human. yeah. staff have got covid. we argument as well. fortu nately, covid. we argument as well. fortunately, over the past weekend two doctors in our team of six had to isolate because they got covid. fortu nately, to isolate because they got covid. fortunately, more doctors came in at the last minute to do the night shifts. we have had extra staff coming in throughout the weekend, coming in throughout the weekend, coming in throughout the weekend, coming in under rest days, their christmas leave, to fill in those shortages. we can't continue like that. it is exhausting. and i think people are suffering with fatigue. tiredness, frustration and all these emotions that happen when you are

working really long hours. so we are doing all that we can. and we will continue to do all that we can to keep everyone safe and make sure that everyone is cared for. but i do think that if we continue with the current rate of admissions, we are very, very close to becoming overwhelmed. so we do need action now. we know that in the first wave a few days or a week's delay in action required, can lead to unnecessary death. we can't make that mistake again. sonia, just talk about the vaccine as well. we know that people are being vaccinated right now. when you think that might start making a difference on the number of people, for example, being admitted? can you see when that might happen? yes, they say it takes a few weeks. we have to see the vaccine rolled out in huge numbers. we do really need to accelerate the

vaccine roll—out. i understand how logistically it is extremely difficult. but if i was in charge that would be my number one priority right now. massively accelerate vaccine roll—out for vulnerable people, and also staff as well, to try to help with the staff shortages. and a question to both of you. steve, a relatively short answer, if you can. obviously we are approaching new year's eve. many people see the vaccine coming through and i think, you know what? we normally do something on new year's eve, let's do something, we will be ok. what would be your message to them? please, please follow the rules. hands, face and a spaceis follow the rules. hands, face and a space is our first line of defence against this awful virus. please follow the rules and help protect the nhs and protect and save lives. and sonia, i guess you would echo that? it's just and sonia, i guess you would echo

that? it'sjust a few months now. let's have a big christmas and new year because my party in the summer. well done. thank you so much. and thank you for your hard work as well. we all appreciated. the heroes of this whole situation. the nhs staff on the front line. even the most up—to—date prosthetic limbs can often be too heavy or hard for young children to use with ease. but now a group of engineering students have created a flexible device called the mitt. it slides on like a glove and has magnetic attachments for extra movement. there's now a campaign to give a mitt to every child under the age of nine who needs one in the uk. duncan kennedy reports. is it a christmas present? yes. inside the wrapping, inside the box, inside the bag... prosthetic hand! ..7—year—old phoebe is discovering something... awesome. ..that will change her life. it's a new type of prosthetic

limb called a mitt. for phoebe, who was born without a lower arm, its opening up a new world. from skipping to painting to blowing bubbles, everything now seems possible. you can hold a pen and that bit, you can actually hold a microphone, even though we don't have a microphone. itjust gives her so much more independence and so much more ability to be a lively 7—year—old and run around and do all the things she wants to do. for people who have lost their hand, they're looking for tools to do stuff. it was designed by nate macabuag and other students at imperial college london. they wanted to rethink existing rigid prosthetics and create something light and flexible. paper, books, phones, open it.

all attached by magnets, this is where technology meets clothing. we could potentially service millions of people around the world who haven't had anything before, and the impact that represents is mind—blowing. it's so unique, nate is now working with the douglas bader foundation to provide one mitt for every child in britain under nine. # somewhere over the rainbow... children like these, now using the device. but the douglas bader foundation says it needs the public‘s help to fund the project. so it has asked alex lewis to help. alex, who lost all four of his limbs through sepsis, says mitts, which cost around £1000, will transform the way children think about their disabilities. very comfy, like a slipper. it's all about trying to encourage inclusivity and we have had feedback

from kids who have gone into school wearing their mitt and other kids are saying, "my goodness, that's the coolest thing we've ever seen, we want one." now, i've never had an adult, ever, look at my prosthetic limb and say, "that's cool, i want one." children like phoebe may use a rigid prosthetic later, but for now, this is all about softness, affordability and freedom. duncan kennedy, bbc news in hampshire. lovely to see that excitement. thanks to all the families who sent in their homevideo of the mitt, for us to use as part of that piece. that's why we were able to see so much of it. 23 minutes past eight. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm victoria hollins. a hospital in south—east london, which declared an internal incident yesterday because of the high number of covid patients, says it's continuing to monitor the situation. the queen elizabeth hospital in greenwich said it was a precautionary step,

and all patients were receiving the treatment they needed. some of london's high streets are to be given a share of £830 million as part of an england—wide regeneration project. among them are sutton high street, which was granted just over £11 million, and the old kent road in southwark, which has been given just over £9.5 million. the government hopes the money will allow areas to evolve so they can attract more people to live, work and visit there. with some of london's most popular hotels near empty this festive period, chefs at one hotel have been cooking for the homeless, using food that would otherwise have gone to waste. using food that would otherwise have chefs at flemings hotel in mayfair have so far cooked up over 1,500 meals, which have then been distributed to some of the capital's most vulnerable people. and its bosses say it'll continue. the pandemic showed

that we need to do something. this food is cooked in the same way as we would cook in our restaurant, it's the same ingredients. if they ask, i tell them, yes it's from a 5—star hotel in mayfair. they are sometimes quite surprised but they're often excited to have some really, good food. let's take a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube, the district line has no service between turnham green and ealing broadway. the piccadilly line has no service between hammersmith and northfields or uxbridge. and london 0verground has no service between gospel oak and stratford 0n the trains, kings cross station is closed due to engineering works, with no services running. a reduced service is also running out of liverpool street and waterloo. now the weather with sara thornton. hello there and very good morning to you. another very chilly start this morning, temperatures overnight have fallen down to freezing, slightly below in some places. we've got a lot of cloud as well across london and the south—east to start us off, and some mist and fog patches here and there. but there are a few showers around,

most of those towards the west. if you catch one, it could be sleety. certainly it's going to be a cold day for all of us with a top temperature in mid—single figures at best. through the night tonight, we are dry and largely we will be clear, so it'll be another chilly start to your wednesday but it will be off to a dry start. as the day wears on, though, things will turn decidedly tricky and quite wintry. we have an area of rainjust pushing into the south—west through your wednesday. as it meets the cold air above us, it could bring us some sleet and snow which will settle in some places. we already have an early met office weather warning for that. the timing, the placement will change. stay tuned for the latest forecast thoughts right here. and as always, there's more on our website, including a round—up of london's transport stories this year by our transport correspondent tom edwards. just head to the usual place, bbc.co.uk/london.

i'm back at lunchtime. bye for now.

hello, this is breakfast with louise minchin and rogerjohnson. it is coming up to 8:30am, good morning to you. we've all needed a bit of escapism this year and a new bbc travel series provides just that, giving us a glimpse of ice carving in finland and tree climbing in cuba. last woman on earth sees comedian sarah pascoe learn about skilled trades and try her hand at some of the world's most dangerous jobs. let's take a look at her in action. the method i was using to get up the tree was what i would call desperation and clinging. you guys should talk about something interesting because this is very boring watching me inch up a tree. i found it so hard to get purchase with my feet and a lot of the time i was just gripping the tree, kept trying to use different muscles in my body to see if it would help nothing would help.

do it as you are comfortable, everything is fine with you. have you got six ropes in yourgroin? you were getting a little snappy at the top of the tree, i felt. really? do you want to go up a tree and see how you feel? i'm i just want a small rest. man shouts encouragement. cheering and applause. you all owe me four mojitos! each and every one of you! comedian sara pascoe joins us now. good morning and good to see you again. just tell us before we talk about that because it looks quite scary tell us about the concept behind the series. the idea was to find out about other countries and cultures but to find a unique way of learning about them rather than just

being a tourist, so the idea of the bbc had was to look atjobs and occupations because they are so enlightening in terms of the history ofa enlightening in terms of the history of a place and the economic side as well as peoples individual lives.|j mean, some of the amazing jobs you've done, one of the upcoming episodes, you try ice carving. we saw you climbing a tree but we didn't see the guy who did it for a job, who has something unique about his feet, doesn't he? because he was doing it on a daily basis for many yea rs, doing it on a daily basis for many years, his feet are kind of curved to fit up the tree and his family, him and his son, they both walked up the tree and just get it so i thought it was going to be very easy because you watch these very slim normal—looking mentoring and they said it's all about your core, and i said it's all about your core, and i said i've done yoga and be great at this and i really wasn't. and the idea behind it is you're looking at some of thesejobs idea behind it is you're looking at some of these jobs across the world

that one day are not going to be jobs any more, it is going to extinct. maybe. in this country know a lot about that because of technology changing and things but in cuba we were looking at how it is opening up to the world market so somejobs might opening up to the world market so some jobs might not opening up to the world market so somejobs might not need opening up to the world market so some jobs might not need to exist any more once they can just buy things from shops. in georgia, we looked at the modernisation and losing traditionaljobs. in finland, we we re losing traditionaljobs. in finland, we were looking how climate change is affecting jobs because so many jobs rely on snow and ice. it is a very different way of doing a travel series, a modern way, isuppose, but it isn't just series, a modern way, isuppose, but it isn'tjust going to summer, as you said before and standing back and observing, you are immersing yourself in it a little more. it is treading a line between being interested and obviously as you can see, some of it is quite funny as well, it treads the balance between

the two. tell us about reading for people in cuba, this is a job, isn't it? that was one of the jobs that was on the pitch document to get the documentary made. cuba is very proud of their literacy. so in the cigar factories, where people are rolling cigars all day, they didn't want to lose the opportunity for learning and bettering their minds that they have a person who stands at the front and reads to them from books. when we were there, she was reading from i guess a bit of a saucy love novel but, apparently, like, you know the very famous romeo and juliet cigars, they were called that because they were being read romeo and juliet while they were rolling the cigars. what a clever idea rather than having a bit of background music or a radio station, you are educating people as they work. who gets to choose the books?|j

think who gets to choose the books?” think it is quite democratic, people can decide and request their favourite bits and their favourite poems and when i was talking to people they all had their favourite things they liked to be read. occasionally they'd go, give us that one! you had a go on the sewing bee, you've been on telly quite a lot, the first episode in cuba went out the first episode in cuba went out the other day so how was the sewing bee for you? i loved it! they're such a lovely group of people and joe, who hosts it, is a friend from comedy, and the other sewers were far better than they had let me believe in the green room. everyone had been, no, i'm a beginner, and they were actually very good in comparison to me. is selling something that you do? no! not normally, but i'd like to be able to do it now, it is so useful. i'd never thought about how clothes got together, you know? and realising

how complicated it is and all the expertise made me appreciate them. hugely skilled. it is like talking about diy earlier, i suppose if you have the right tools, like the sewing machine, you can do it but actually you still need to have the skill. you have to spend a lot of time, ithink skill. you have to spend a lot of time, i think that is that thing. tools is one thing but knowing how to do things quickly, you have to do it over and over again until it comes naturally to you. tell us about the filming the other show as well because, last woman on earth, because presumably that was affected by what happened in the last nine months or so? we were in finland in march and we had just gone to visit father christmas and had a lovely day, and we had a polite message from the finnish government to say can you get out of the country, please, we will close the airports. because we'd been filming, you can be...i because we'd been filming, you can be... i suppose you are not but

you're not paying that much attention because you're in a bubble. we'd been out for two weeks and when we came back, there was no toilet paper. there was this serious thing, and it was like going back to a completely different situation, so, then, we got cut short and we we re so, then, we got cut short and we were supposed to go to other countries, we were supposed to go to south korea in may and we couldn't so the series is shorter. when things are more normal later next year, hopefully, fingers crossed, we can go back. so, what was the most difficult job, can go back. so, what was the most difficultjob, the one you would like to have? the most difficult job and the one i'd like to have, that is to make different ones. i'd quite like to be father christmas, actually. he was very, very zen and actually. he was very, very zen and a very positive and because he spends all day talking to children who may be on the cusp of not believing him or tricking him, he was very believing him or tricking him, he was very wise and open and loving,

actually, like buddha crossed with rupaul. so i very much like father christmas. the hardest job? anything, like being up the tree wasn't great, actually. anything that was too physical. i was always very overconfident i could do things, like with the ice carving and then i always turned out to be not as strong as i think i am. it is an interesting comparison and i'm sure father christmas has never been compared as a cross between the buddha and rupaul, that's fantastic! we talked about your amazing book shelves before, they are quite something. 0ne shelves before, they are quite something. one is red and one is not read as far as i remember? that is all read, and red is behind the camera, you can't see it. thank you very much, great to talk to you, sara. the next episode of last woman on earth is on bbc two on sunday at 9pm. it is 8:36am, let's catch up on all the sport. coronavirus having an

impact on the premier league? it has done, the postponement of the match between manchester city and everton and everton have asked for details about why it was postponed. worth pointing at manchester city had some positive players around christmas time but still managed to fill their fixture obligation on boxing day. the further positive cases meant they were not able to do so last night so i think everton, while saying they are frustrated because they could have had the opportunity tojoin because they could have had the opportunity to join liverpool at the top of the table, theyjust want details as to why the premier league have made that decision. manchester city will carry out further testing on their squad today to determine the severity of the outbreak after the premier league agreed to postpone last night's match just four hours before kick—off. it's the second premier league game to be called off because of several infections within a squad, doubts now hang over city's next game against chelsea on sunday and their league cup semi against manchester united three days later. players gabrieljesus and kyle walker had already tested

positive on christmas day. everton said they regretted the postponment and said in a statement... based on medical advice, the premier league says that is why the match was postponed. with leicester and chelsea both dropping points in pursuit of league leaders liverpool manchester united could move up to second if they beat wolves later. and, with marcus rashford a doubt, they could rely on the in form edinson cavani to start. definitely a starter. you don't... ..classify a player of that quality as anything else. we've got plenty of starters, more than 11 starters and that's the thing when you're at man united,

you should believe in yourself, trust yourself. i trust him, i trust my players and we've got good competition for places. and he'll probably start more games than he will not start. sheffield wednesday are looking for a new manager after sacking tony pulis. he only took over last month, and nowjust ten games in, the man who's never been relegated, won't get the chance to keep them up. they've already been hit with a six point point deduction for breaching spending rules and are second bottom of the championship. not what the aussie cricket fans will have hoped for from the boxing day test, a heavy defeat to india, in the second match which levels the series at one all, they only needed to chase down a target of 70. captain tim paine will be hoping star man steve smith comes good having madejust ten runs in the whole match, when the third test starts next week. someone like steve just hasn't been able to get in yet.

so, once he does, he will find a way, as he always has, and the rest of us will follow suit and need to improve, there's no doubt about that but these are not plans we are encountering for the first time. so, they go, steve smith is human after all! i think england will be taking note of that ahead of the ashes next year. thank you very much. it is 8:40am. are we going to look outside? there is a little bit of snow, not sure how fresh that is.” think it is fresh. it is fresh! i guess it has been snowing while we are at work. i don't remember seeing any snow on the way to work. it looks like a snow day with the grey skies as well. lots of people will be excited about that. there has been a bit of snow overnight, we we re been a bit of snow overnight, we were expecting it overnight but it arrived this morning. sarah, some of us saw into the early morning?

that's right, it has been snowing in salford over the past couple of hours and many of us had our waking up hours and many of us had our waking up to hours and many of us had our waking uptoa hours and many of us had our waking up to a dusting of snow particularly across parts of scotland, northern england, some western parts of england, some western parts of england as well and this is depicted in huddersfield. if few centimetres around in some spots. notjust if few centimetres around in some spots. not just the if few centimetres around in some spots. notjust the snow but iciness around as well so it is a cold start to the day to day, that theme staying with us for the next couple of days, there will be some ice and snow which could well lead to a bit of disruption to travel, journey time is going to take a little bit longer over the next few days with the wintry weather on the cards. not everywhere will see the snow but we are all in the cold air so the blue colours, cold air mass with us, the northerly direction. that mix pushes down through to the midlands into parts of england. that snow will

come down to low levels pushing into the south—west of england, more snow house packing and across the northern half of scotland, some rain showers in parts of northern ireland and the east coast of england as well so a real mix out there with rain, sleet and snow. into the evening, for most of us, those wintry showers is a waste of a lot of clear weather around overnight so temperatures will plummet. probably a few degrees either side of freezing first thing tomorrow morning, a cold, frosty and icy start to wednesday morning. through the day, there will be more sunshine than today, quite a lot of dry weather, still wintry showers, snow showers across northern scotland but our attention moves towards parts of south wales, south—west england, with this system bringing rain increasingly turning to sleet and snow going inland, particularly over higher ground. further east, most places staying dry through the day

on wednesday, still cold, 3—6 and into wednesday evening, this error of rain, sleet and snow pushes eastwards a cross of rain, sleet and snow pushes eastwards across southern england so the potential for a little eastwards across southern england so the potentialfor a little bit eastwards across southern england so the potential for a little bit of wintriness for london as we move through into thursday. thursday itself. to see this area of low pressure moving off towards the east, still drawing in those cold, northerly winds is a remix of some rain showers, sleet and snow across parts of scotland perhaps into northern england, east anglia seeing some wintriness on thursday as well. temperatures to chilly, around about 2-6 temperatures to chilly, around about 2—6 by this stage. heading towards the end of the week, we stick with that chilly theme, this is how the next five days are shaping up, cold, wintry showers around and watch out for some icy stretches as well. i'm loving watching the snow across the glass. it looks like it is melting and i'm not sure i've

noticed that before! thank you very much. we hope some people are entering the snow. there are probably real snowflakes behind that screen and we didn't realise it was snowing! take care as well of the snow. we know it's been a tough year for retailers, but what sort of a christmas have they had and were there any boxing day bargains on offer? nina is taking a look. and were people able to shop as well? yes. this period is described as the "golden quarter" — the time retailers make a large proportion of their profits for the year. but, of course, not this year. non—essential retail is closed in tier 4 areas of england, covering around 40% of the population. in mainland scotland nonessential stores have been closed since boxing day. similar stories in wales and n ireland. so for many there simply hasn't been the option to shop. what did that mean for the traditional boxing day sales? well, across the uk

the number of people visiting visiting shops was down 60%. some shoppers in england in tier 3 — where nonessential retail is allowed — like nottingham and leeds did brave the shops. but it was a different story in central london. what's interesting is that overall spend over christmas is up slightly. it's expected to reach about £84 billion. that's partly because online sales have leaped by a quarter. is it too soon to read in to any lockdown lessons in shopping? kate hardcastle is an independent retail expert and joins us from leeds. my favourite week of the month, so let's start shopping with the online shopping boom, it has cancelled the reduction in football so who are the losers in the game?

this is the place of the great retail restart where the organisations in retail who have been listening to consumers and growing their online presence, and by that i don't mean the ability to sell online, i mean the ability to build relationships through social media and have those conversations with their consumers online, they've been the real winners because they've been ready, even though they didn't even know it was coming, for a situation like the pandemic where we've had these on and off starts traditional looks and mortar. it doesn't necessarily mean the end of the high street. i think we will get a rejuvenated not as dependent on retail but a balance of activities. it has certainly been a shift to online and i don't see us going back. we have seen what is potentially about five years worth of growth in a matter of months. that means that the winners of this boxing day have been the online brands who have already got the influence with the consumers buying that way. who stands out to you in

that way. who stands out to you in that regard? i think we have the traditional brands that are moving quite quickly. we've heard both challenging stories from john lewis and marks & spencer this year but as pa rt and marks & spencer this year but as part of the remedy plans they've both said they will be investing in a lot more in terms of their website offers and you can already see that. when i look at brands already pure online players, definitely for youngerfashion online players, definitely for younger fashion oriented audiences, some of the sports brand and fast fashion brands have done particularly well but i think it is also the brands are quite niche and what is upbeat and all of this because we talk about the micro—businesses, small businesses where there is micro—manufacturing as well which means more local, closer to us, right on our doorsteps, i think that is the buoyancy there, which is quite exciting, we will see more vibrancy and mine between smaller and bigger

businesses. that is interesting, and often they support one another. we we re often they support one another. we were talking earlier about the boom in home decor, everybody looking around and saying, let's start with the diy. an increase in those cells but a reduction in smart wear for work so will we stick with those trends going in to 20 to anyone regardless of working from home? there is a lot more consideration from consumers, they are thinking about where they want to spend their money so spend is quite buoyant but we are considered in making our spending. a boost in terms of things like home—schooling equipment, office equipment and diy, and rejuvenating those new places to be, whereas actually elements like fashion, many people have had a look at their wardrobes, gone through it, donated to charity sales, and therefore they will not be buying items of clothing for holidays they can't go on and fashion items for events they can't attend. i think it

will be about considered fashion going forward. 0ne will be about considered fashion going forward. one of the exciting things to look out for is the rental market. a lot of new businesses are merging into the idea you can rent an item for a one—off occasion and send it back for a much lower price than you can buying it. thank you, kate. highlighting that we are spending more than last year but spending more than last year but spending ina spending more than last year but spending in a very different way. kate also sing some of the big brands like m&s and john lewis, asus, they've started sales of 50% and more so there are bargains to be had. thank you. twixmas you call it? best week of the year! tuesday! mince pies at 9am, perfect! that is a good idea! when sporting events were cancelled this year, many of us decided to set our own fitness goals to stay active and raise money for charity during the pandemic. 2020 became the year of the "fundraising heroes" who lifted our spirits and captured our hearts during

an incredibly challenging period. let's remind ourselves of some of their incredible achievements. lovely story coming up, 99—year—old war veteran has decided to walk 100 lengths of his back garden. he wants to raise money the nhs. i'll keep on going whilst people are still contributing to the national health service. captain tom. i know i speak for the whole country when i say we wish you a very happy 100th birthday. my granddaughter in england said when she rang, she said, gran, your generation is great, the things you can do. and i said, what can i do? i came away, thought about it, but it was the 95 that made it, the 95 days for 95 miles, for 95 years. my father was in the army.

when i was very young, he said get out and try skipping and look after yourself. my daughter, who was over from new zealand, said, why don't you do something with this? so we thought about it, and thought, well, i can go on climbing my stairs. andy who helped me like anything, so for the community, they will be happy as well. my father was facing a position of it being locked down because he had to self—isolate because he is at the age of 100, so his motivation was to keep himself busy and do something good for people in need. why i started was because i was shut

down and i didn't go by my gate. and then one day i said to my son in north wales, i'm fed up with this. do you think it would be all right if i went out and had a little walk? he said, certainly i do. he's continued to inspire me, to never give in, i will take one step at a time and maybe that isn't a finish line for me but i will keep on going. i want to remember the good times. i want him to make me laugh while i'm running, i want to try and get away from those dark moments. i am just trying to be a team—mate. i wanted to help you get through it. i found out there was about 50 days till christmas, so i decided to do two kilometre runs which would add up to 100 kilometres. ijust tried to need to help him to do something,

and tried to help him get through it because it's a really hard thing. it's amazing. he is doing such a greatjob and i couldn't thank him any more. freddie and huey were here on christmas day, amazing! there has been so many brilliant people out there raising money for charity. we'rejoined now by two runners, jo shallcross and ben blowes, who have both taken on remarkable challenges to fundraise for charity. do you know what, i was going to say what you'd done but i'll let you do that, let's start with you, jo, you clocked up an enormous amount of mileage. what did you do and why? back at the end of march i lost dad to covid and it was horrific at the time, i couldn't see him, then the funeral was awful and i just felt time, i couldn't see him, then the funeral was awful and ijust felt i needed to do something positive in what was a really negative experience. so dad was heavily

involved in a local charity, and he was involved for over 40 years, got an 0be for doing the charity work, soi an 0be for doing the charity work, so i decided that 40 days i would travel 40 miles by bike, running or walking. predominantly it was on my bike and! walking. predominantly it was on my bike and i was in the house because i was shielding because my asthma so a lot of it was on the turbo trader in the house looking at four walls and then i just in the house looking at four walls and then ijust blocked the experience and everyone got behind me and! experience and everyone got behind me and i raised money which was amazing. what is the estimate on how much you raised? short of £25,000. well done! absolutely brilliant. ben, tell us about what you did. you are still in the middle of it. still doing! i are still in the middle of it. still doing! lam are still in the middle of it. still doing! i am running a are still in the middle of it. still doing! lam running a marathon, 26.2 miles, every day in december. you say that, you are running every single day and also you are running in underfour hours, are you not? i'm trying to keep my average under

four hours, that is the target. a couple of them have been over four hours but a few have been under is so at the moment is about three hours 55 minutes and i only have three left so hopefully all under four hours. do you do the same route every day? how does it work?” four hours. do you do the same route every day? how does it work? i do a different route every day to try to break up the board and a little bit of running the same route so i plan the route myself and they are fairly local around where we live, the newmarket area. and why are you doing it? i am doing it to support a local charity to where we live. toms trust works with families, children who have brain tumours and their families, and they provide support for them, mental health support for the families and for the children going through this because the people who set up they lost their son to a brain tumour nine years ago and at the time they felt there wasn't a great deal of support. and i know the family and i made my

promise a few years ago i do something to help them. so here we are. and you've raised a lot of money, how much it so far? we set out with an ambitious target to raise £31,000 because i'm doing 31 marathons, and we have called this campaign 31 stars, each day i run for a different child, and we set out for £31,000 and i looked just before i came on here and we are on £114,000 which isjust incredible. that is absolutely great news and that has been some of the great things, being on bbc breakfast, we've talked to people during their challenges and the generosity of the british public is absolutely staggering, isn't it, jo? it really yea rs. staggering, isn't it, jo? it really years. what i found when i was doing my challenge is that so many people got behind me on the final day, loads of people undertook doing something active. so i had people joining me on their bike, people

going out for 40 minute walks, people going out for 40 minute runs, people going out for 40 minute runs, people biking outside the 40 miles, and it all contributed to everything, people got involved which was amazing. and you are in your address on the bike! yes, i blogged the experience every day which i have to say was probably the ha rd est which i have to say was probably the hardest thing of the whole challenge, writing something different each day, and then we had a thing called frock friday, because no one was getting dressed up any more! so we got dressed up on a friday so ijoined in on the bike. ben, tell us, this is not inconsiderable, 31 marathons, 31 days, how did you prepare for it? how do you keep going?” days, how did you prepare for it? how do you keep going? i prepared for it for about two years, if i'm honest, it's been at the back of my mind fora honest, it's been at the back of my mind for a while. i am a seasoned runner, i've been running competitively for the last 15 years and i've always had in the back of

my mind about trying to set the fastest time for the fastest 31 marathons in 31 days, so it has been a gruelling slog, and i had some tough days, and i've had some really good days. i am struggling at the moment with a bit of an injury. but like jo just moment with a bit of an injury. but like jojust said, we had seven people so far run their first marathon in december, which blows my mind. afriend marathon in december, which blows my mind. a friend who is running with me today, she is running her first marathon, which isjust amazing. for people to be doing these things because of something that i have set up because of something that i have set up is incredible and very humbling. ina word, up is incredible and very humbling. in a word, when you start today? 10am in newmarket. good luck! absolutely brilliant both of you and thank you much, well done, jo shallcross and ben blowes, thank you. that's all from us for today. breakfast is back tomorrow from 6 o'clock. until then, enjoy the rest of your day. goodbye.

you're watching bbc news at 9am with me, simon mccoy. the headlines: nhs england says health workers are back in the eye of the storm, as the number of coronavirus cases exceeds the peak that was seen in april. the military will provide remote support to schools and colleges in england with coronavirus testing, as they begin to re—open next week. the ftse100 is up this morning, as uk financial markets opened for the first time since the brexit deal was announced on christmas eve. vinyl album sales have risen to their highest level since the britpop era of the 1990s. almost 5 million lps have been bought this year. in halfan in half an hour, i will look back on a challenging yearfor in half an hour, i will look back on a challenging year for the in half an hour, i will look back on a challenging yearfor the royal family. for the queen in lockdown and the duke of —— you can do to

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