tonight at ten... ambulance waiting times and delays hit a record high. long queues outside hospitals — last week more than 11,000 people in england were waiting in ambulances outside a&e. we come in in the morning at nine o'clock and we're queueing then, and there was no bed space at nine

in the morning. you see a time come up on the call and it's hours ago and you think, oh, gosh, what are we going to turn up to, and they're in a really bad state. we'll be asking how difficult it will be to reduce ambulance delays. also on the programme tonight... the royal visit to boston overshadowed after prince william's godmother challenged a black british charity campaigner about where she really came from. no one sees what's happening behind closed doors. now adding to the strain — prince harry and meghan give the first glimpse of their documentary, out next week. i had to do everything i could to protect my family. extraordinary scenes in qatar _ protect my family. extraordinary scenes in qatar as _ protect my family. extraordinary scenes in qatar as japan - protect my family. extraordinary scenes in qatar as japan beat. protect my family. extraordinary i scenes in qatar as japan beat spain though both go through and germany crashed out of the cup despite beating costa rica.— crashed out of the cup despite beating costa rica. and former rugby league player rob burrow is to read

the cbeebies bedtime story using a voice computer. and coming up on the bbc news channel... controversial refereeing decisions, lots of goals, and elimination for massive teams. we have a full round—up of all the drama from the world cup in qatar. good evening. long ambulance queues and delays outside a&e once you finally arrive at hospital and yet more cues inside as paramedics wait to hand patients over. that's what happened to thousands of people last week as ambulance weights hit their worst level on record. 0ne week as ambulance weights hit their worst level on record. one in seven ambulances in england queued for over an hour outside hospitals to handover patients to a&e. the target is 15 minutes and that's the highest figure since records began in 2010.

one of the hold—ups is that more than 13,000 beds a day are occupied by people who are medically fit to be discharged but don't have anywhere suitable to go stop our health editor hugh pym spent the day with the south central ambulance service. here is his report. radio: a 53-year-old female, she's saying, "help me." - we think she might have abdominal pains but the call handlers are struggling to understand her, so we'll see when we get there. joe and nick are on their way to a patient in milton keynes. ambulance service. diana is in severe pain and has been vomiting, possibly linked to an earlier operation. it's a category two call — a serious condition requiring urgent assessment. we'll take good care of you, all right? she needs to get to a&e. we need to find some space for you. but inside the city's hospital there a queue building up. paramedics are having to wait to hand over patients.

it's a familiar scene forjoe and nick as they move diana into the emergency department. what's happening, joe? so i've just spoken to the nurses. they know we are here and they've asked us just to wait in the queue until they have space available. so until then we don't know what's going on. a&e is crowded because beds are hard to find in the hospital. waits like this are part of everyday life for patients and paramedics. we come in in the morning at nine o'clock and we were queueing then, and there was no bed space at nine in the morning, and that's the start of a normal weekday. you'll hear calls going out for assistance for other crews and you can't get to them and that's the frustrating bit, when you can't get back out and help colleagues. it does get tricky when you see . a time come up on the call and it's hours ago, and you're thinking, - oh, gosh, what are we going to turn up to and they're in a really bad state, but we do try our best i to get everyone. obviously when your person -

is in need you want them to get the help they can and obviously they do get the help _ but the wait time is kind i of a massive contribution. i think we're tired most of the time. you know, you come to work tired, you go home tired and you do it all again the next day, but you know, you keep smiling and wejust keep going. it is what it is. so if the front crew go into a, happy days, and then you can take this patient, my patient, the next patient, who hopefully probably this will be for. joe, who is a senior paramedic, is helping speed things up. he allocates one crew to look after a few patients, allowing others to take new call—outs. november alpha 332 receiving. control to alpha november 332, thank you, just sending you to a category two. after a half—hour waitjoe and nick handed over their patient. it should have taken just 15 minutes. the aim where possible is to patients treated at home — better for them and it eases pressure on hospitals. george, lovely to meet you. my name isjoe, this is nick. george, who is 83, has a temperature and back pain and feels shaky.

ijust need to pop some stickers on your wrists and ankles and on and around the left side of your chest. joe does tests and diagnoses a chest infection which needs an antibiotic and a steroid. to get a prescription requires a call to a local gp surgery. phone message: thank. you for holding, we are very busy at the moment. please continue to hold and your call will be answered as soon as possible. sometimes there's a priority line to call, but not today. so i'm having to call the normal number, which all i'm getting back is user busy, so it means we have to wait a little while until we get through to the receptionist, so we're a bit stuck at the moment with doing that. that wait to sort out the medication with the gp added nearly an hour to what the call might have taken. it may be unusual, but it certainly means delays getting the crew back on the road. looking ahead, how difficult will things be this winter? very serious. i think this winter is going to cause all sorts of issues. we will continue to work tirelessly as a system with all our partners

to see what else we can do. back out withjoe, he's nearing the end of his shift. before i came into the service, and when i was growing up, i don't think i quite realised that delays would even be a thing, really. we're an emergency service — we should be there to attend emergencies. but ultimately do you still love the job and the challenges? yeah, i do, i couldn't imagine doing anotherjob. hugh pym, bbc news, milton keynes. 0ur health correspondent catherine burns is here and we hear there from the ambulance crews and their experiences. it does tell a wider picture of what's happening at hospitals? picture of what's happening at hospitals?_ picture of what's happening at hositals? ~ , , , hospitals? absolutely, the best way to think about _ hospitals? absolutely, the best way to think about this _ hospitals? absolutely, the best way to think about this is _ hospitals? absolutely, the best way to think about this is to _ hospitals? absolutely, the best way to think about this is to imagine - to think about this is to imagine ambulances as the beginning of a journey through the nhs system, so let's start with those record high numbers from last week. 11,000 patients in ambulances in england waiting outside of hospitals. really, imagine it, basically they

were stuck outside the front door of a&e because they were just too busy to let the men. 0nce a&e because they were just too busy to let the men. once they were inside the weights are not over. —— the waits are not over. last month 150,000 patients were waiting longer than the target to be admitted to the ward. generally that was down to struggles to finding them beds which is linked to blockages elsewhere in the system because what we find at the system because what we find at the minute is more than half of patients in hospitals in england who were well enough to go home stay in hospital because of problems getting the care they need when they leave, so you can see the ambulances are a really good way of looking at the pressures across the whole of the system. pressures across the whole of the s stem. �* ., , ., , system. and the worry about these dela s is system. and the worry about these delays is that _ system. and the worry about these delays is that people _ system. and the worry about these delays is that people could - system. and the worry about these delays is that people could end - system. and the worry about these delays is that people could end up| delays is that people could end up dying? delays is that people could end up d in.? �* , delays is that people could end up d in: ? ~ , , , delays is that people could end up dying? absolutely, there is growing concern about _ dying? absolutely, there is growing concern about this. _ dying? absolutely, there is growing concern about this. at _ dying? absolutely, there is growing concern about this. at the - dying? absolutely, there is growing concern about this. at the moment| dying? absolutely, there is growing i concern about this. at the moment in england and wales we are generally seeing several hundred more people dying every week than we would normally expect and that is being linked to the situation in emergency

care. , ' if z: z: care. somewhere between 901,500 excess deaths _ care. somewhere between 901,500 excess deaths compared _ care. somewhere between 901,500 excess deaths compared to - care. somewhere between 901,500 excess deaths compared to the - care. somewhere between 901,500 excess deaths compared to the five | excess deaths compared to the five year average. we are not quite sure what _ year average. we are not quite sure what causes _ year average. we are not quite sure what causes that but we believe the problems— what causes that but we believe the problems with accessing emergency care is probably contributing to a quarter— care is probably contributing to a quarter or a third of this.- quarter or a third of this. other things are _ quarter or a third of this. other things are linked to _ quarter or a third of this. other things are linked to these - quarter or a third of this. other. things are linked to these higher numbers, not least covid, we are frailer because of it had during the pandemic people were waiting longer to get the help they need so it's really hard to see how many of those extra deaths are being linked to those problems that hospital doors but we can be certain this is killing some people. how can they go about reducing the queues? the government _ about reducing the queues? tue: government says about reducing the queues? tte: government says it about reducing the queues? t'te: government says it has about reducing the queues? tte:

government says it has a long—term plan for emergency care, that will come out in the new year. this winter it's come out in the new year. this winter its spending £500 million in england to unblock the system. the prime ministers that he wants to sit down soon with nhs bosses to talk through these issues for sale what i want to make sure it's the extra funding we are putting on is actually going to make a difference on the ground improve the quality of care people get, make sure they get that care as quickly as possible. we've put the money and, now we need to see the results and that's what i'll focus on delivering. there are no quick fixes here and this is just the start of winter. let's not forget we are expecting some health workers to walk out on strike in the coming weeks. catherine burns, thank you. if you have experienced very long waits for an ambulance or at a&e and you want to tell if your story, do get in touch as part of our focus on the nhs under pressure. you can e—mail us... a black british charity campaigner who was repeatedly asked at a royal reception where she was "really" from by a senior figure in the royal household, has described her experience as "abuse". ngozi fulani was questioned about her background by lady susan hussey — prince william's godmother and the late queen's lady—in—waiting — at buckingham palace on tuesday. it comes as the duke and duchess of sussex prepare to release their documentary next

week, in which they say is the inside story of why they stepped away from royal duties. 0ur royal correspondent sarah campbell reports. i'm very clear. no matter how uncomfortable it is for other people to accept, i'm very clear that i experienced racism in an environment that i should have felt safe in, and we need to address that. ngozi fulani was invited along with 300 other guests to a reception at buckingham palace, highlighting the issue of violence against women. here she is, seen being warmly greeted by the queen consort, was to take my locs and move it out of the way. no conversation at first, and then she says, "i just want to see your name badge".

ms fulani, born in britain, then says she was repeatedly and aggressively questioned. "i'm from here, i was born here." "yeah, but where are you really from ? " "i'm really from here." yeah, but, ok, so i can see that this is going to be a bit of a challenge. she said, "what's your nationality?" and i said, "lady, i was born here, i'm british." to queen elizabeth for six decades. for the hurt caused. the award he founded

for environmental innovations. netflix released the first look at its six—part series starring to the streaming giant... back as senior royals. county lines involve organised criminal groups using phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas. the latest figures suggest a large rise in the number of children being trafficked and used for organised crime. 0ur correspondentjeremy cooke

and producer claire kendall have spent months with edge north east — an organisation in newcastle that saves and rescues children groomed by criminal gangs — to see the devastating effect it has on young people and their families. two teenagers have died after being stabbed just a mile apart... this is a story of children caught up in a world of violence and tragedy. he's my little boy and i can't protect him and he's out there. it's breaking the family apart. it's the story of one organisation battling to reach kids in the gravest danger. as long as they can line their own pockets with money, they don't care who they use. it ruins these young people's lives. fighting to save children from criminal gangs. if we let our guard down fora minute, somebodyj is going to come in and grab them. county lines is all about drug dealing, organised crime gangs

using children to move cocaine, crack, whatever, all over the country. years ago you just wouldn't think about using a kid to run drugs, but now they don't care who they use. it is heartbreaking. i'm really worried now. we've been given exclusive access to edge north east, a small team with one clear mission — to save children from the gangs. what time did she last text you? about midnight. how old is she? 15. right now, it's lorna dealing with an immediate crisis — a missing teenage girl. she is vulnerable, isn't she? she's very vulnerable. this is where it gets serious. i'm scared i'm going to lose her. lose her to the gangs, to exploitation, to being sent on trains, buses, any transportation to anywhere in the country. that's what happened to nicole. i think at the point i realised i wasn't going to get anything, it was too late. i was already well and truly in it and doing it and there was no choice in it.

there was no, i can decide when i was going to do it or where i was going to do it. they were telling me i was doing it. if i wasn't doing it, i would pay for it and i would know about it. that's all that's left, really, the memory of him. another sad street memorial to another young life lost. reports this week from across the country of more stabbings, more deaths. i feel absolutely gutted. we need more... more people out there on the streets to help these kids. to get them to understand and to teach them and to get them back on track. it's no way to live. it sounds odd, but for some young people, being arrested can be a turning point — an opportunity for youth workers to make first contact. there are ten cells along this corridor set aside for what they call juveniles — for children. and behind this door is a young person who's in police custody. like others on the edge team,

lorna's own life experience, her own troubled youth can help make vital connections. if you were in custody, you were talking to your younger self, what would you say? oh, i'm getting a bit emotional. that someone did care. and that my life didn't have to be like that. sorry... the government says that thousands of county lines have been dismantled. it's becoming a priority for many police forces. some of these organisations are massive. they are so geared up to recruiting these young people with vulnerabilities, and not only is it about the drugs and the violence, it's about the life—ruining effect. so if they're listening, they are not safe. northumbria police will absolutely pursue them and will getjustice. edge is all about keeping kids safe. helping the families, too.

like this mum we'll call sarah. worried sick about her missing teenage son. do you know where he is now? no, i don't. and that's the worrying part, not knowing if he is alive or dead. it's not his kind of choice. if somebody says to him, right, i want you here, there or at this time, that time, he has to be there or else there's repercussions on the family. imagine it was your child. what's it doing to you? killing us. it's really, really hard. he's my little boy and i can't protect him and he is out there. it's breaking the family apart. for chris, a check—in at the beach with jason. i'm not going to allow anyone to cast you adrift either. keeping him on track. small steps are massively important. long—term support. the situations where i've either been arrested and i've been in a holding cell, they've called my dad and my dad's not turned up. they've called my social worker

and my social worker's off work, so he ain't coming. without even having to ask, chris hasjust turned up. if you wanted to say something to chris, what would you say to him? thank you, innit, for being a father, an uncle figure, big brother, friend, best friend. i can't lie. thank you, you've helped. these children need all the help they can get. for nicole, it's still hard to believe what the gangs do to children — what they did to her. i don't have words for them. you know? i couldn't think of anything worse than what i wish on them people, to be fair, because it's so self—centred of them to know that they're young, naive kids that don't, genuinely at that age, don't know any better. with intervention with ongoing support, young lives can be turned around. but mum sarah is still waiting for her son to come home. he's already been missing more than 50 times this year. and tonight, he's still out there, somewhere. jeremy cooke, bbc news, newcastle.

that report was produced by claire kendall and steve fylde who have spent months following that story. for details of organisations that offer advice and support with county lines and modern—day slavery, you can go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline. now a look at some other stories making the news today. house prices have seen their biggest monthly fall for nearly two and a half years, according to the nationwide building society. their data showed the cost of a home dropped by 1.4% in november, with the average house price now £273,000. nationwide said fall—out from the mini budget and interest rates on new mortgages had played a part. the clothing companyjoules has been bought by next. the compa ny�*s founder.

the company's founder. 19 of its 124 stores will close and 133 jobs will be cut but most staff will be able to remain in a deal worth over £14 million. a pilot scheme to report what happens in some family courts have powers such as ordering children to be taken into care. the 12 month pilot will take place in leeds, cardiff and carlow. the identity of families involved will not be reportable. it's been a night of high drama in qatar. there was more drama asjapan of high drama in qatar. there was more drama as japan beat spain at though both do go through to the knockout rounds. nesta mcgregor was watching and sent us this report. starting the group tonight in fourth, germany were trying to avoid going home at the group stage for only the third time but for the

second world cup running, the first order of business was to beat costa rica then hope other results went their way. there's less than a minute on the club and the germans threatened. shortly after they did a little more than that.— little more than that. comes the cross and that _ little more than that. comes the cross and that is _ little more than that. comes the cross and that is 1-0! _ little more than that. comes the cross and that is 1-0! a - cross and that is 1-0! a dominant first half performance from - cross and that is 1-0! a dominant - first half performance from germany. the same could have been expected for the second 45 minutes. costa rica didn't get that memo. if drawing level created a crescendo, well, when they took the lead, the noise was deafening. a game full of drama then took another turn. germany levelling then taking the lead. in the end of the win required but it wasn't enough. instead of tickets to the knockout stages they will be booking seats for the flight home. the reason the win proved to be of no significance, by beating

spain, japan top the group as both regress to the last 16. qatar 2022 promised to be a world cup like no other. on and off the field. that is proving to be the case. remember, germany went out at the group stage in russia four years ago. that has been repeated tonight, four times winners of this trophy but found to are calling for changes to the team and the management. of course not the only shock today because belgium, the second ranked team in the tournament are also out. morocco and croatia progressing. this stadium is in the middle of a desert. what we witnessed tonight some fans might wish it was a mirage. definitely not a good night for germany. but it was a night of history for one woman as she becomes the first female referee to take charge of a men's world cup game. stephanie frappart, from france, led a team of three women,

as germany were knocked out of the world cup. 0ur sports correspondent laura scott reports. after years of climbing the refereeing ranks, tonight came a significant step forfemale officials, as stephanie frappart became the first woman to take charge of a men's world cup match, flanked by two female assistant referees. before the tournament, frappart told me she was ready for the opportunity and the scrutiny. the men's world cup is the most important competition in the world, not only in football, so we know that there is a lot of expectations. there was always pressure, there are always pressure in the matches and also when you are women, you are more pressured. but how confident did she feel that this milestone was coming in qatar, a country criticised for its record on women's rights? it's not me who decided this world cup. when you are selected for the world cup, how can you say that you are not going? we know that there is some difficulties there for the women, but i think and i hope this world cup will help them.

it's an all female officiating team. an unfamiliar stage but familiar formalities. with those done, it was time to blow the whistle and blaze a trail. her goal? to go unnoticed and let the high—stakes clash between germany and costa rica provide the drama. much of frappart�*s historic night went without a hitch, before a late glitch in her earpiece meant she lost contact with the video assisted referees, who played their part in an action—packed match. after a night of fluctuating fortunes and more than 100 minutes played, frappart called time on a memorable moment in world cup history in more ways than one. laura scott, bbc news. there was a stunning performance from england on the first day of the first test against pakistan in rawalpindi. they ended the day on 506-4, the rawalpindi. they ended the day on

506—4, the first time 500 runs have been scored on the first day of a test match. four players each managed to clock up a century, also a record. joe wilson reports. rawalpindi. after 17 years of waiting, one day of record—breaking. england began with ben duckett�*s touches. and the crashes from zak crawley�*s bat. "welcome, england", read the sign. well, they were delighted to be there. crawley with the first century. on your feet in the dressing room — and why sit down? the runs, the records, the celebrations kept coming. key factors — helpful conditions, england's bold ambition and some questionable fielding. duckett made 107, then it was 0llie pope's chance. another fluently forceful innings, another 100. yeah, him too. yet the most dismissive batting only came now. harry brook hit one over for 24 on his way to a century. four hundred—makers on the first day of a test match, 506 runs — astonishing records.

england are back in pakistan but playing as they've never done before. joe wilson, bbc news. the bedtime story on the bbc children's channel cbeebies has had many guest readers. now the former rugby league player rob burrow, who has motor neurone disease, is taking on the accolade. rob has recorded a story using a computerised voice machine which is controlled by his eyes, and recreates the words in his own yorkshire accent. he said he's excited and honoured to be taking part. graham satchell reports. rob burrow with his family at the cbeebies studio. he is here to record a bedtime story, with a little help from his daughter, maia. dad, remember, big smile. five, four, three, two, one. action! voice over: cbeebies bedtime story. hello, i'm rob.

i can't use my voice in the way that maybe you can, which is why i use this computer to talk for me. it's called an eye gaze. i use my eyes to gaze or look at the words and it speaks for me. it's like magic. watching at home in sunderland, lucy, and her mum, jo. lucy has cerebral palsy and also uses a computer to help her communicate. i used to play rugby as myjob, but something happened that made my world go upside down. but i was brave and didn't give up. rob is reading a book called tilda tries again. it tells the story of a little girl whose world unexpectedly turns upside—down. tilda sees a ladybird stuck on its back. then the ladybird tried again. and again... ..and again... ..until, at last, it flew free. tilda thought about this. the ladybird hadn't given up,

so neither would she. lucy used her device to tell us what she thought. i feel happy rob used eye gaze while reading cbeebies' bedtime story. lucy's grown up watching. the bedtime story and never until now has she seen herself represented in that way. - it helps to generate awareness. i think it helps to generate a real understanding about the technological advancements that we have seen, and the real benefit that that is bringing for disabled people. wasn't tilda brave? even though at times things felt a little topsy—turvy and she wanted to give up, she didn't. she just kept on trying. night—night. if you want to see robert reed his cbeebies bedtime story, you can see it in full this weekend.

time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. good evening. the 1st of december is the first day of the meteorological winter and a perfect time to look back at the autumn. what do the statistics show? whenever you see blue it shows that it has been more rain than normal. it has been a particularly wet autumn for most of us and also a particularly warm autumn. in fact, us and also a particularly warm autumn. infact, the us and also a particularly warm autumn. in fact, the third warmest autumn. in fact, the third warmest autumn one record. it keeps us on course for 2022 potentially being the warmest year on record, the only thing that could prevent that would be a very cold december. december certainly started on a cold note where we kept fog all day long. parts of welsh are only getting to three degrees and three tonight that fog continues to affect parts of the east country, wales, the east midlands. very murky conditions, quite poor if you had to