branwen jeffreys, bbc news, birkenhead.bbc news, superfan david whiteley celebrates how an unassuming band of designers and factory workers in leicestershire created the toys which were to define a generation. archive: the princess has been captured... there's one. set for stun. our heroes are threatened by an imperial troop transporter. will the mighty force of the millennium falcon be enough to smash darth vader? will luke be able to save the princess? only you can decide. look for the new palitoy star wars models in toy shops now. ominous voice: but hurry! the 19705. film—maker george lucas is about to launch a visionary new film that will revolutionise cinema. this is not that story. this story is actually about this place. i'm david whiteley and i'm a massive star wars fan. and growing up, the toys were as much a part of my childhood as the films. they became the must—have toys of a generation, and what was once bought with pocket money now sells for thousands of pounds. but it almost didn't happen. back in the day, as

in birkenhead, the couege to young people. in birkenhead, the college principal is not impressed.t came too late. they're going to unleash a different set of problems now. this won't be the silver bullet to cure the ills that have been developed. we will have a different set of problems and anxiety. this thing is a mess that didn't have to be. stef and other stu d e nts didn't have to be. stef and other students downgraded face a dilemma — live with the decision they have made or renew the battle for their first choice. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. our political correspondent vicki young is at westminster. this feels like a humiliating u—turn from the government? yes, throughout this pandemic the government has had to respond to changing situations, to unprecedented situations, sometimes the evidence changes and they change their minds. but this does feel like a screeching u—turn, because as soon as exams were cancelled, they had months to prepare for it. that is the government and the regulator. the fact there wasn't even an appeals process agreed upon tells you that there has bee

when i first met this ship, she was a funnel sticking up out of the water in birkenhead, covered in rustng her, pumping out 80 tonnes of gunk from the inside of her double bottom. she's staggeringly important. these landing craft are what makes d—day work. and until you see one and you stand on this one, and then you realise there were 800 just like this, only then can you really understand the scale of d—day. in 19114, it took three months to build her and at a cost then of £28,000. restoring her has taken much longer and cost nearly £5 million. all restored to her former glory. tell us what you think? gosh, look at that! but for this d—day veteran, it is now a wonder to behold. mickjennings was 18 years old on d—day, one of the crew of the same type of landing craft that stormed the normandy beaches. i'll be honest — i was a little bit scared. it's only until something goes bang and you realise like a shell has dropped on the sand, that, you know, they weren't doing that for fun. mick didn't know whether he'd survive that day. and now, nearly 95 years old, he didn't think he would be r

steph has lost a place at cambridge, first from her family in birkenhead to go to uni.cher grades should stand. and we have to work extra hard for where we are and we still haven't got anything out of it. i know obviously my grades are still very good, but i've still missed out on brilliant opportunities. out of anyone in this, we should just be trusting the teachers. now, five days after a—level results, teacher estimates will replace lower grades. a change made, only after huge pressure. an apology finally to students from the regulator. i'd like to say sorry, we have recognised the difficulty that young people have faced coping with the receipts of grades that they were unable to understand the basis on which they had been awarded. and i would like to say sorry for that and we are now taking steps to put that right. universities had closed some courses, they'd been told not to offer to too many. now the limit on places in england, lifted. incredibly sorry for all those students who have been through this and we are removing those caps on every single university in th

in birkenhead, the college principal is not impressed. for some students it came too late.h a different set of problems now. this won't be the silver bullet to cure the ills that have been developed. we will have a different set of problems and anxiety. this thing is a mess that didn't have to be. stef and other students downgraded face a dilemma — live with the decision they have made or renew the battle for theirfirst choice. joining me now is georgia vickers, an a—level student who was studying biology as a private candidate and whose result was downgraded from a b to an e. presumably that is changed by talk us presumably that is changed by talk us through the difficulties of getting this that it has. as a private candidate rather than coming from school. it is brought an entirely new set of problems, it is difficult for anyone to get the grades they deserve but i had to fightjust to grades they deserve but i had to fight just to get grades they deserve but i had to fightjust to get any grade, let alone the one that was then downgraded. yet taken to other eight levels yo

this is a primary school on the whitchurch estate in birkenhead which is open all year round during termad teacher agrees with the children's commissioner that schools should be the last to close and says it should be up to schools to make the decision on whether it is safe to open. we know the cases in the area so open. we know the cases in the area soi open. we know the cases in the area so i think it would be really helpful if it was done on an individual basis by authorities so we could monitor our own areas and then put things in place and action things from that. there are concerns about how much we can reopen society without a resurgence of coronavirus. this leaves a question obit schools are reopening. some scientists say the risk of transmission amongst primary school children is relatively low but there was concern about secondary schools opening. the evidence is still not certain but it looks like older teenagers can transmitjust as looks like older teenagers can transmit just as well as adults. so the risk then is that big schools, comprehensives, universities, colleges, link

her dignity back stuff when i first met this year, she was a final sticking out of the water in birkenheadoes cleaning her, pumping out 80 tons of gunk from her double bottom. she is staggeringly important. these landing craft are what make dd work. and until you see one and you stand on this one, and you realise there we re on this one, and you realise there were 800 just like this, only then can you understand the scale of d—day was that in 19114 it took three months to build her and it a cost than of £28,000. restoring her has taken much longer. and costs nearly £5 million. restored to her former glory. tell us what you think? gosh, look at that! but for this d-day n, it is now a wonder to behold. —— vetera n. it is now a wonder to behold. —— veteran. mickjennings was 18 years old on d—day, one of the crew of the same type of landing craft that stormed the normandy beaches. i'll be honest. i was a little bit scared. it's only until something goes bang then you realise like a sheu goes bang then you realise like a shell has dropped on the sand, you know, they weren't doing that for fun.