Pair guilty over stolen Matisse

1 November 2012 Last updated at 09:11 GMT The Caracas museum realised the original was missing in 2003 Two people have pleaded guilty to trying to sell a $3m (£1.8m) Henri Matisse painting stolen from a museum in Venezuela nearly 10 years ago.

The pair were caught in an FBI undercover operation at a Miami hotel in July.

Pedro Antonio Marcuello Guzman, 46, faces 10 years in jail for conspiracy to transport and sell stolen property, while Maria Martha Elisa Ornelas Lazo, 50, faces five years.

The pair will be sentenced in January.

The 1925 painting Odalisque in Red Pants had been hanging in the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art.

Replaced with forgery

The painting depicts a bare-chested woman sitting cross-legged on the floor wearing a pair of scarlet trousers.

In 2003 the museum discovered the original artwork had been replaced with a forgery after an art collector reported it was being offered for sale in New York.

A court heard Mr Guzman, from Miami, was negotiating the sale and transportation of the Matisse for approximately $740,000 (£458,000) from Mexico by Ms Ornelas Lazo.

The pair were arrested when the painting was handed over to undercover FBI agents posing as buyers in Miami.

The FBI's National Stolen Art File database lists five other missing Matisse works, including a collection of 62 sketches.

His works were also among those stolen from a museum in Rotterdam in October. Thieves also stole paintings by Monet and Picasso.

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Academy to exhibit Australian art

1 November 2012 Last updated at 14:38 GMT Sidney Nolan is famous for his series of paintings depicting outlaw Ned Kelly The Royal Academy has revealed details of a major exhibition of Australian art it will host next year.

Billed as the first of its kind in the UK in more than half a century, Australia will bring together around 180 paintings, photographs and prints.

Impressionists, Early Modernists, 20th Century painters and Aboriginal artists will all be represented in London.

Organised with the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, the exhibition runs from 21 September to 8 December.

Albert Namatjira, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Arthur Streeton and Sidney Nolan will be among some of the Australian household names whose work will be featured.

According to the Academy, it will "consider the tensions both real and imagined between the landscape as a source of production, enjoyment, relaxation and inspiration [and] as a place loaded with mystery and danger".

The Australia exhibition will follow such other high-profile events as a major survey of Manet's portraiture and a look at Mexican art between 1910 and 1940.

There will also be an exhibition dedicated to architect Richard Rogers, creator of such internationally landmarks as the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Millennium Dome.

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Winehouse wedding dress stolen

By Steve Holden
Newsbeat entertainment reporter The dress Amy Winehouse wore when she married ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil has been stolen, a spokesman has confirmed.

It was taken while being kept in storage at the singer's former home in north London.

Another dress, worn by Amy Winehouse on an episode of Later... with Jools Holland, is also missing.

The Metropolitan Police say they have yet to receive a formal allegation about the thefts.

Catalogued

After the singer's death in July 2011, all her possessions were catalogued and placed in storage at her house in Camden.

Over the course of the last year, those possessions have been moved elsewhere.

Amy Winehouse's former home in Camden is now empty

The dresses are not thought to have been taken as a result of any break-in at the property.

The house is now empty and ready to be sold but still has round the clock security.

The dresses were among items earmarked for a fundraising event in New York early next year.

Other items are to be auctioned at a similar event in central London this month to raise money for the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

The charity was set up by Amy's father Mitch Winehouse.

A spokesman said: "People need to know they are not supposed to be out there on the market and they should not try to buy them.

"The dress Amy wore on the cover of Back To Black sold for £40,000 last year and the money went to the foundation, and another dress sold for £30,000 so the wedding dress could have raised as much as £100,000."

The star died in July 2011 of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27.

A verdict of misadventure was recorded after the inquest heard the singer had 416mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Amy Winehouse married Blake Fielder-Civil in 2007 but they divorced in 2009

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Skyfall is best Bond opening ever

29 October 2012 Last updated at 17:11 GMT Skyfall is Daniel Craig's third Bond outing, with two more on the cards New James Bond movie Skyfall has had the biggest Bond opening weekend of all time, according to figures from film company Sony Pictures.

It took £20.1m following its release on Friday making it the biggest UK opening of 2012 so far and the third biggest UK opening of all time.

However Skyfall failed to smash the record set by last year's Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2.

The final film in the wizard franchise, in 3D, took £23m in its first weekend.

It is also just behind Toy Story 3, which took £21.2m in its opening weekend according to Screen Daily, although the animation also benefited from four days of previews.

Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the 23rd 007 movie, said: "We are absolutely overwhelmed with the reaction to Skyfall this weekend. It is particularly thrilling as the UK is home to James Bond and it being the 50th anniversary year."

James Bond is the longest-running film franchise in history.

Co-starring Dame Judi Dench and Javier Bardem, it opened in 587 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, while US fans will get to see the film from 9 November.

Skyfall marked director Sam Mendes' Bond debut, but sees Daniel Craig back in the role of the spy for a third time, following the success of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

He has signed up to return as 007 in two more Bond films.

Last week it was revealed in The Hollywood Reporter that one of Skyfall's co-writers, John Logan, had begun work on a two-part original Bond story, not based on the work of the series' original author Ian Fleming.

Logan has previously worked on Martin Scorsese films Hugo and The Aviator and Ridley Scott's Gladiator.

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Stage shows explore darkest fears

31 October 2012 Last updated at 03:09 GMT By Tim Masters Entertainment and arts correspondent, BBC News Rocky Horror writer Richard O'Brien reveals his top tips for a good horror story

The auditorium goes dark. Night black. Silence. A chair scrapes. Nervous laughter.

A disembodied voice speaks of murder, meat-hooks and maggots. Unseen things drop from above.

The screaming starts...

It's a Thursday night at the Soho Theatre, where the show Terror 2012: All in the Mind is reaching its climax - with the lights out.

The annual festival of horror, now in its ninth season, consists of four short plays linked by cabaret hosts Sarah-Louise Young and Desmond O'Connor.

Terror 2012: (left) Sarah-Louise Young and Desmond O'Connor host while (right) Shaun Stone gets it in the neck from Victoria Lennox in the play Representation

The playful pair probe audiences' phobias, sing with a Ouija board and perform a gory twist on Fifty Shades of Grey. It's all for over-18s only.

As Halloween brings its annual offering of theatrical shows around London that promise to chill the blood, what exactly is the secret of getting stage horror right?

Continue reading the main story

In the original Grand-Guignol, they would judge the success of an evening by how many people threw up”

End Quote Sarah-Louise Young "Anything to do with frightening people is like rehearsing comedy - until you get your audience you don't know if it works or not," explains Young.

The Terror 2012 show is largely inspired by the Parisian Theatre du Grand-Guignol, which staged horror shows from the late 19th Century until its post-war decline in the 1960s.

"In the original Grand-Guignol, they would judge the success of an evening by how many people threw up or had to leave - we haven't had too many people do that," says Young.

"You've got to remember that not so long ago people went to see public executions as entertainment. We think we live in the most violent times, but when you look back to the penny dreadfuls and the dime novels we've always been interested in horror and gore."

Continue reading the main story

Lack of control. Most of my nightmares are when you scream and no sound comes out or you run and you can't move. Powerlessness comes into all horror.

The actress and singer reveals that one play - about a real murder case in Ukraine - was dropped from the Terror 2012 show at a late stage.

Its use of internet footage of people reacting to the video of a killing was, she says, "a line that we couldn't cross... people would have probably walked out."

John Gregor as the head lighthouse-keeper George Roper and Abi Blears as Vicky in Drowning Rock

A Gothic ghostly tale of the sea is the Halloween offering at the Camden People's Theatre.

Drowning Rock, written and directed by Matthew Wood, is inspired by shipwreck stories, Cornish legends and HP Lovecraft's 1931 novella The Shadow Over Innsmouth.

"We are aiming for a slow build of atmospheric horror, " explains Wood. "We're not taking a hack and slash, Saw-film approach. It's much more in the vein of classic ghost story-telling."

The show is by Cyclopean Productions, a theatre company based in Surrey dedicated to new writing in a Gothic vein.

Set on the desolate lighthouse at Drowning Rock, the production makes the most of its intimate theatre setting.

"We rely on a number of technical effects, but the main element is the power of suggestion," Wood says.

"We had one girl who had to close her eyes through half of it, so that's always a good reaction."

The playwright's starting point was the true story of the disappearance of three keepers from the Flannan Isle Lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides in 1900.

Continue reading the main story

The imagination is a powerful thing and what scares me tends to be "the night after" - once you've seen something scary and then it gets under your skin and your imagination starts playing with it.

But as well as the work of American author HP Lovecraft (1890-1937), Wood also notes the influence of the film Jaws.

"I think Jaws is one of those films that really gets into the collective unconscious. It is a primal fear of having something beneath you, hunting you. We are out of our depth in the sea.

"I was trying to create that sense of dark things lurking in the corners of the known world."

Kate Quinn and Alicia Bennett in Theatre of the Damned's The Horror! The Horror! at Wilton's Music Hall

How does Drowning Rock get its 15+ age recommendation? "There's no bad language or graphic violence," explains Wood. "But we were very conscious that we weren't writing a show that was child-friendly.

"The themes in Lovecraft are quite dark."

More gore is on offer at the London Horror Festival which mostly takes place at Camden's Etcetera Theatre.

Billed as "a three-week celebration of horror in the performing arts", it includes plays, comedy, puppetry and even a lecture on the history of the Grand-Guignol.

The programme includes Theatre of the Damned's immersive, Victorian promenade show The Horror! The Horror! at Wilton's Music Hall.

"The secret to good horror on stage is that it has be good drama," says Stewart Pringle, the festival's producer.

"You can't just throw blood and guts at the audience because they'll get bored. You've got to give them something real, and you've got to give them characters they care about."

Pringle compares watching a horror show to a rollercoaster ride.

"Audiences know that their heart rate is going to go up. They know that they can expect surprises.

"The great thing about horror is that it can go anywhere. The dead can come back to life. Things that a normal play just doesn't have in its palette can happen in horror."

Terror 2012: All in the Mind is at Soho Theatre until 3 November. Drowning Rock is at Camden People's Theatre until 4 November. The London Horror Festival runs at the Etcetera Theatre, Camden and Wilton's Music Hall, Tower Hamlets until 7 November.

Video interview and additional reporting by Rachel Curtis.

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Pop on a budget: Introducing Ria Ritchie

31 October 2012 Last updated at 08:21 GMT By Mark Savage BBC News entertainment reporter Ria Ritchie studied alongside Ed Sheeran at the British Academy of Music After being spotted by Plan B, Ria Ritchie is popping up on national radio before she has even secured a recording contract. The pop singer tells the BBC about her unconventional rise to fame.

It's a sentence to make your heart sink like a shoe in a yoghurt. "With over 10 million views and 35k subscribers, Ria Ritchie is nothing short of a YouTube phenomenon."

Justin Bieber walking into a revolving door is a YouTube phenomenon. This surprised kitten is a YouTube phenomenon. Alarmingly, even the Peanut Butter Jelly song is a YouTube phenomenon.

There are hundreds of bedroom-based singers racking up page views on YouTube who will never trouble the charts.

The difference for Ria Ritchie is that Brit award-winner Plan B stumbled across her YouTube channel and got in touch.

The rapper was searching for Duffy's single Warwick Avenue, as he had just hired the video's director, Daniel Wolfe, to film the promo for his next single.

"He was on a tour bus on the way to Southampton," explains Ritchie, "and my cover of Warwick Avenue was listed down the side.

"He clicked on that, and then he clicked on my channel to see if I'd written anything - and that's what made him get in touch with me."

Plan B achieved mainstream success with The Defamation of Strickland Banks

Minutes later, an email zinged into Ritchie's inbox. It began, rather humbly, with the sentence: "Hello, my name is Ben Drew, although you might know me as Plan B."

"He said he thought I had a lot of potential and he'd like to help me out," Ritchie says.

A week later, she carried her guitar into his rehearsal rooms in Hackney.

"All he said was 'teach my band your song', and then he walked out," she recalls.

"After we'd finished playing it, he just said how good he thought it sounded. A week after that we started writing songs together."

Those songs have yet to see the light of day, but Ritchie has been making waves nonetheless.

Earlier this summer she duetted with dreamstep producers Disclosure on the club hit Control, which earned her a first play on Radio 1, while her new single Something About You has been heavily featured on sister station 1Xtra.

Not bad for a singer with no recording contract.

"I paid for the Something About You video myself," she confesses. "It cost about £1,500. Normally, you're lucky to get a video for ten grand."

The money came from a publishing deal with EMI, which Ritchie has been "spending carefully" for the last two years.

"It's all about cutting corners as much as you can," she says.

For example, the canary yellow vintage Triumph convertible which features in the video was arranged through her brother's best friend, whose father owns a classic car showroom.

"Favours and friends, that's all it is" she says brightly.

University drop-out

Ritchie was born 25 years ago in Lowestoft, Suffolk, best known as the birthplace of cartoon rock buffoons The Darkness.

"A lot of people slate it," she says, "but it's just a nice seaside town."

She is the youngest sibling in a close-knit family. One of her brothers is hotly-tipped actor Reece Ritchie, currently filming his first lead role in Desert Dancer with Slumdog Millionaire's Frieda Pinto.

"My nan keeps scrapbooks of our achievements," she says. "We've got one each".

And, while the siblings get competitive over page counts and twitter followers, they are hugely supportive of one another.

The singer's brother Reece (right) starred in BBC series White Heat

Without the intervention of her eldest brother Ross, Ria might never have pursued music, having initially enrolled to study sports science at university.

"I went to my first lecture, on muscle biopsy or something, and I wasn't interested in it," she says. "All I was doing was sitting in my room and playing guitar."

After 10 days, Ross came to visit and realised his sister wasn't happy.

"We went for something to eat and he said, 'why don't we just go? You should do music, that's obviously what you want.'

"So I went back to my little room in halls and packed up my whole life and put it in his car and went. I didn't even say goodbye to anyone."

Fortuitously, an email arrived the next day inviting her to audition for music college. Her tutor later put her forward for the British Academy of Music, alongside another of his pupils - Ed Sheeran.

If it seems like a fairytale, it's only because time is compressed in the retelling.

"I'm chomping at the bit," laughs the singer, five years after uploading her first YouTube clip. "It's had a natural momentum, though. I'm happy with how things are going and I don't want to jinx it."

The chunky piano chords and 1990s drum loops that propel Something About You have earned Ritchie comparisons with fellow pop star Katy B.

Despite her independent success, Ritchie is still hoping for a record deal

But while Katy B's Mercury-nominated album rose from the underground dubstep scene, Ritchie admits her song was inspired by Ce Ce Peniston's club classic Finally.

Writing sessions for her debut album are continuing with Plan B; Craze and Hoax, who co-wrote Heaven and Next To Me for Emeli Sande; and The Nexus.

The latter, who were responsible Lana Del Rey's National Anthem, are fronted by former Fame Academy winner David Sneddon.

"He was telling me he enjoyed doing the Fame Academy thing," she says, "but they were telling him what kind of songs to write. Now, he just loves being able to write what he wants."

Sneddon has proved a useful foil for the up-and-coming singer. "Because he can sing really high - so if he hits a note, I can usually do it as well."

I wonder if Ritchie ever considered pursuing the TV talent show route herself. "I did," she laughs. "I went in for X Factor years ago.

"I don't know if a lot of people know this, but you have to have about four auditions before you even get seen by the main judges. I got to the fourth round and, basically, they sat me down and they wanted a story, a sob story.

"I didn't know what to say. My mum and dad are really supportive? I hurt my toe once? They sent me a letter after that chat and said they didn't think I was suitable.

"It was a knock back, definitely. But then I got that email from Plan B."

Something About You is out now. Ria plans to release her debut album in 2013.

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Mel B granted restraining order

1 November 2012 Last updated at 08:35 GMT Mel B was a guest judge on the current series of X Factor in the UK. Former Spice Girl Mel B has been granted a restraining order against a well-known Australian photographer who she claimed threatened her and put her life at risk.

Melanie Brown alleged that Jamie Fawcett endangered her while she was in a kayak on Sydney Harbour last week.

The singer currently lives in Sydney where she is a judge on X Factor Australia.

The order will remain until 22 November when the case returns to court.

Lawyers for Mr Fawcett, Australia's self-styled Prince of Paparazzi, agreed not to "loiter" within 50 metres (160 feet) of Ms Brown and not contact her.

Roland Day told the Australian Associated Press that his client agreed to the orders on the understanding "that he is still able to be a photographer and do his job".

Ms Brown was known by her fans as Scary Spice when she was a member of the Spice Girls during the 1990s.

The band reunited earlier this year to launch the West End musical Viva Forever! - based on their hit songs.

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When is a spoiler not a spoiler?

30 October 2012 Last updated at 05:04 GMT By Tim Masters Entertainment and arts correspondent, BBC News Spoiler alert: Rust and Bone stars Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts talk to Tim Masters about their roles in the film

Some reviews of French film Rust and Bone have been accused of giving too much away. As this and new 007 adventure Skyfall hit cinemas, how easily can film-goers avoid the dreaded spoiler?

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read further if you do not wish to know about the plot of Rust and Bone.

When Rust and Bone was unveiled at the Cannes film festival in May many reviewers chose to reveal its central plot twist, pointing out that it happened early in the film.

Not all readers were happy though, with some venting their frustration online.

Now Rust and Bone, which won the top prize at the recent BFI London Film Festival, is about to open in the UK. It stars Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard as Stephanie, a killer-whale trainer who is involved in a catastrophic workplace accident.

Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts) and Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) in Rust and Bone

She awakes in hospital to find her legs amputated below the knee. The story goes on to explore her relationship with Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), a bouncer she met before the accident during a fracas at a nightclub.

The UK trailer for Rust and Bone gives little away about the fate of Stephanie, while the French version offers a glimpse of Cotillard's missing limbs.

Ahead of the film's UK release, director Jacques Audiard and screenwriter Thomas Bidegain are realistic about how much audiences have already picked up before seeing the film.

"I think the audience knows but it is important for them not to see [Cotillard without her legs] in advance," Bidegain says.

"The interest is in having a huge star losing her legs," adds Audiard, whose previous film was the Oscar-nominated prison drama A Prophet.

Continue reading the main story

I remember seeing Blade Runner in 1983 as a teenager and literally knowing nothing about it, other than it had Harrison Ford in it, and was science fiction.”

End Quote Andrew Collins Radio Times film editor "If the actress is unknown and you cut her legs off it is like a working accident. When Marion Cotillard loses her legs it's like an industrial accident."

According to Radio Times film editor Andrew Collins, reviews should, as a general rule, steer clear of any plot point that isn't clearly signposted in the film's trailer.

"The trailer is ambiguous," Collins says of Rust and Bone. "It hints that the killer whale has something to do with Cotillard's character's accident, but it does not give away the nature of the injury.

"Even talking about it in vague terms risks drawing attention to it. I knew exactly what happens because I'm the type of person who reads everything before a film, and can't stop myself. It didn't ruin it for me, as the scenes connected to the accident and the outcome are so powerful it's not the surprise element that's vital."

But how much should audiences know in advance before they see a film?

"As little as possible," advises Collins. "Although it's getting harder and harder to avoid the hype."

He adds: "I remember seeing Blade Runner in 1983 as a teenager and literally knowing nothing about it, other than it had Harrison Ford in it, and was science fiction. Can you imagine replicating that kind of glorious innocence in today's networked world?"

When the new James Bond film Skyfall was first screened to journalists two weeks before its UK release, attendees were asked not to give away any major plot points.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall

Most reviews have held back on revealing the big twists.

"We're delighted that they've been very respectful to the audience in letting them discover the secrets of the story themselves," Bond producer Barbara Broccoli tells the BBC. "We're very appreciative."

"When you come up with an idea for a story you have to assume that the secret will be kept," says Skyfall writer Robert Wade. "In the end it would fall apart if everyone knew."

Co-writer Neal Purvis adds: "The surprises will come out I'm sure."

Indeed, Skyfall's biggest secrets have been posted online, but are concealed behind layers of spoiler warnings.

So when does a big twist, such as the famous one in M Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense (1999), become fair game for open discussion?

"A twist should stay a twist," says Collins. "There may be someone out there who has not yet seen The Sixth Sense. Let them enjoy the twist.

"I like The Sixth Sense very much, but once you know the twist, and have seen it for the second time, knowing the twist, the film's like a spent match: of no further use.

He adds: "It's fine to discuss films in forums, as these are specialist environments for fans. But in mixed company, you should always check that everybody has seen a film before discussing it. That's basic social etiquette."

Collins admits, though, that in the age of social media, avoiding spoilers is almost impossible.

"I often record TV shows and watch them 24 hours later, due to build-up on my PVR, and if I'm daft enough to use Twitter in those 24 hours, it's my own fault if I find out, say, who was voted off the Great British Bake Off.

"It's the responsibility of the individual in that case. Twitter and other sites are forums for discussion, often live, so you either join in, or you keep well away!"

One writer who knows all about shock twists is David Nicholls, author of bestseller One Day.

Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham in Great Expectations

As well as adapting One Day for the screen last year, he has also penned the new version of the Dickens classic novel Great Expectations.

Directed by Mike Newell, the film stars Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch and is out at the end of November.

Great Expectations contains the famous revelation about the true identity of Pip's benefactor. Nicholls admits that even having read the novel around 25 times, he is still surprised by the second revelation about Estella's parents.

"There is this other ingenious twist, but the novel doesn't rely on that at all," he tells the BBC. "For me the strength of the novel is in the human relationships."

But does he talk now about the plot twist of One Day? "I still don't mention it unless it's mentioned. When I answer questions at book events if people give it away there's always some hissing and some booing!"

"I feel sorry for people who read a lot of novels," says Andrew Collins. "They must always know the ending to films. I never made it to the end of Atonement, so I was pretty smug when we got to the ending of that film and I was, presumably, one of the few people in there who didn't see that coming."

Rust and Bone is released in cinemas on 2 November. Great Expectations is out on 30 November. Skyfall is out now.

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Starr arrested in Savile inquiry

2 November 2012 Last updated at 04:26 GMT Police carried out a search of Freddie Starr's house while he was being questioned

Entertainer Freddie Starr has been arrested in the police inquiry into sex abuse claims against Jimmy Savile.

Mr Starr was arrested in Warwickshire by Operation Yewtree officers on suspicion of sexual offences and bailed after a number of hours of questioning.

He has denied claims he groped a girl of 14 while in a room with Savile.

Meanwhile, an independent review into BBC Newsnight's dropping of a programme about the allegations against Savile will report later this month.

Operation Yewtree is a Scotland Yard criminal inquiry into sexual abuse claims.

The Metropolitan Police said officers arrested a man in his 60s, from Warwickshire, at 17:45 GMT in connection with the investigation.

Police said the individual fell under the strand of the investigation termed "Savile and others".

Mr Starr was released on bail between 01:00 and 01:30 GMT on Friday. Scotland Yard has not said when he was bailed until.

On Sunday, ex-pop star Gary Glitter was arrested and bailed after being questioned as part of the inquiry.

Glitter, 68, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was arrested at home and questioned at a London police station before being released on bail until mid-December.

Editorial decision

The independent review by ex-Sky News boss Nick Pollard will seek to establish whether there were any "failings" in the decision to drop the Newsnight investigation.

The Pollard Review, will also look at the BBC's handling of material which might have been of interest to the police, which will report to the BBC Executive Board.

There has been speculation that the programme was dropped because the BBC was already planning to run more favourable programmes in tribute to the former BBC presenter, who died in October 2011. The BBC has repeatedly denied such claims.

Continue reading the main story Operation Yewtree: Scotland Yard criminal investigation into sexual abuse claimsBBC investigation into management failures over the dropping of Savile Newsnight reportBBC investigation into culture and practices during Savile's career and current policies BBC investigation into handling of past sexual harassment claims Department of Health investigation into Savile's appointment to Broadmoor "taskforce" and his activities at Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Leeds General InfirmaryDirector of Public Prosecutions review into decisions not to prosecute Savile in 2009BBC director general George Entwistle said he was launching the inquiry to shake off the "clouds of suspicion".

Outlining terms of reference on Thursday, a statement on behalf of the review said: "It will establish whether there were any failings in the BBC management of the Newsnight investigation relating to allegations of sexual abuse of children by Jimmy Savile, including the broadcast of tribute programmes on the BBC.

"This will encompass the BBC's handling of material derived from the investigation that could have been of interest to the police or relevant authorities and whether any inappropriate managerial pressure or consideration may have influenced the decision of the editor of Newsnight."

It said the review will examine the editorial decision on the Newsnight investigation and a blog dated 2 October posted by the programme's editor which was changed by the BBC on 22 October 2012.

In the original blog, Newsnight editor Peter Rippon explained the editorial reasons behind his decision to axe the report. He said it was "totally untrue" he had been ordered to do it by bosses as part of a BBC cover-up.

In a correction to the blog, the BBC called it "inaccurate or incomplete in some respects".

Mr Rippon has stepped aside from his role for the duration of the inquiry.

The review's statement said interviews with relevant people will be conducted with support of a barrister, and interviewees are allowed a lawyer.

The review has asked BBC staff for documents and was electronically searching archived documents from relevant people.

Participation in the review, which has already begun, is voluntary.

Police believe Savile could have abused as many as 300 people over a 40-year-period.

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Alt-J album claims Mercury Prize

2 November 2012 Last updated at 02:37 GMT By Sarah Jane Griffiths Entertainment reporter, BBC News Alt-J accept their Mercury Prize on stage - Courtesy Channel 4

Indie rock band Alt-J have been named winners of this year's prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize, with their debut album An Awesome Wave.

An early favourite with bookmakers, the band's album beat rapper Plan B, The Maccabees, Richard Hawley, Django Django, Jessie Ware and Field Music.

BBC Sound of 2012 winner Michael Kiwanuka, Ben Howard, Lianne La Havas, Roller Trio and Sam Lee also lost out.

Alt-J thanked their parents for helping them to win the £20,000 prize.

"We might just thank everyone in team Alt-J who has ever made a difference to us. And our parents... thanks for not making us get jobs!" said the band as they accepted their award.

The four-piece, who met at university in Leeds in 2007 but are now based in Cambridge, said the award would probably give them "a level of security".

Alt-J: "This is more of an album not just a collection of songs thrown together"

"The Mercury Awards puts us in the hall of fame for sure, because it's such a well respected award," said frontman Joe Newman backstage.

Alt-J also rubbished the idea of the so-called 'Mercury curse', a term coined after previous winners such as Speech Debelle failed to live up to the hype.

"This kind of curse isn't dependent on whether you win the Mercury. It's dependent on the material that you have after you win the Mercury," said Newman.

"We feel as a group we have a real strong set of songs, future songs. It's about the artist."

The band revealed they would be celebrating by getting drunk.

However they did add they would spend some of the prize money taking their parents out for a slap-up meal, after their families had watched the awards on TV while hosting their own Mercury-themed parties.

Revamped awards

Each of the 12 nominated acts performed live at this year's ceremony, in its new home, the Roundhouse in north London.

Both La Havas and Ware said they were happy just to be nominated

Plan B, real name Ben Drew, opened the show with the title track from his nominated album Ill Manors, which is the soundtrack to the film he wrote, directed and starred in.

He performed from the top of a new-look double-decker stage in the Camden venue, the same spot where The Maccabees later brought the show to a close with a high energy rendition of Pelican.

BBC 6 Music presenter Lauren Laverne replaced longtime host Jools Holland as coverage of the event moved from BBC Two to Channel 4.

Radio 1's new Breakfast Show host Nick Grimshaw fronted the backstage coverage.

Other standout performances came from La Havas, who silenced the room, and Ware who like many of the nominees said they were happy just to be nominated.

Most have already enjoyed a sales boost while the act behind this year's 'token jazz album', Roller Trio, said they received a host of new bookings and got a new agent the day after being nominated.

HMV's Gennaro Castaldo predicted Alt-J's win could result in a "five or sixfold" increase in sales.

Django Django showcased specially designed matching shirts

Last week, fellow nominees Django Django, who met at art college in Edinburgh, won Q magazine's best new act award.

However they admitted they were a little nervous as the Mercury's evening kicked off.

"It feels a bit like we're all about to get married. To each other," said Django drummer and producer Dave Maclean.

He had designed the band's matching shirts especially for the event, but afterwards insisted there were no hard feelings and they were glad Alt-J had won as it was "a good album".

Albums as 'art'

Last year PJ Harvey became the first act to win the Mercury Prize twice, when her album Let England Shake took the prize.

This year bookmakers William Hill had reported a late surge of betting for Sheffield troubadour Hawley, who received his second nomination for Standing at the Sky's Edge.

He said the Mercury Prize, which has faced criticism for becoming too predictable, was "massively important" as it celebrated the album as "an art form".

"It's a thing in culture that we're losing," he explained on the red carpet, likening buying MP3s to "buying a bucket of steam".

Hawley said it was "massively important" to celebrate the album "as an art form"

"An album is a sequential series of musical events that elicits an emotional response - all you need to do is give it your time."

Hawley continued: "I'm the oldest guy nominated here and I like the album as something that you engage with, it gives you so much.

"Our relationship with music has changed so massively in such a short space of time. Music is something we need, it's not a luxury."

Recent figures from Music Week show that sales of artist albums are down by 15.3% year on year, while single sales are rising.

However this year's winners Alt-J are also proud to call their debut record "an album-y album", designed to be listened to in its entirety.

"That's why we were so happy to be nominated for the Mercury, because we're album people I think," said the band's keyboard player Gus Unger-Hamilton.

"I'm not saying we made the album thinking, 'this is going to win a mercury', but just 'I hope people appreciate this as a single body of work'."

However, as An Awesome Wave was five years in the making, fans may have to wait a while for the follow up.

"We didn't rush anything, we were patient and we took our time," explained Newman.

"That's certainly something that we're going to consider for our second album. You can't rush creativity, and you can't rush working with a group of guys."

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Will Ferguson wins Giller Prize

31 October 2012 Last updated at 10:38 GMT Ferguson raised a toast to the written word during his acceptance speech Humorist and travel writer Will Ferguson has won the Giller Prize - Canada's most prestigious and lucrative literary award.

The author won the 50,000 Canadian dollar (£31,000) prize for his novel 419, about a woman who becomes embroiled in a Nigerian email scam.

The judges, which included Irish writer Roddy Doyle, praised Ferguson for being a "master at dialogue and suspense".

Past recipients have included Booker-winner Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro.

Last year's Giller Prize was won by Booker-shortlisted Esi Edugyan for her novel Half-Blood Blues.

Better known for his travel writing and comedy, Ferguson has won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for humour writing three times.

419 is a dark novel that focuses on a woman searching for the culprits behind her father's death.

"Will Ferguson's 419 points in the direction of something entirely new: the Global Novel," the judges said.

"It is a novel emotionally and physically at home in the poverty of Lagos and in the day-to-day of North America.

"It is tempting to put 419 in some easy genre category, but that would only serve to deny its accomplishment and its genius."

Reflecting his Scottish heritage by wearing a kilt to the awards ceremony in Toronto, Ferguson pulled out a flask during his acceptance speech and raised a toast to the written word.

"I'd like to thank my long-suffering editor for supporting my possibly ill-advised shift to fiction," he said, going on to reassure the audience he had something on beneath his kilt.

The author is likely to see sales increase for his novel in a post-awards boost known in Canada as "the Giller effect".

Ferguson's book beat four other shortlisted titles: The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler, Inside by Alix Ohlin, Ru by Kim Thuy and Whirl Away Russell Wangersky.

This year's jury read some 140 books submitted for the prize, set up in 1994 in memory of Canadian literary journalist Doris Giller.

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Jimmy Savile's £4m estate frozen

1 November 2012 Last updated at 13:11 GMT Jimmy Savile's estate is worth about £4m and is handled by NatWest bank The estate of television presenter Jimmy Savile has been frozen in response to the sex abuse claims made against him, NatWest bank says.

The bank, which is acting as the late DJ's executor, said: "Given the claims raised, distribution of the estate has been put on hold."

Savile's estate is thought to be worth about £4m.

Lawyers representing alleged victims welcomed the decision. They are planning to sue for damages.

The Financial Times reports that it has obtained a copy of Savile's will, which left his savings and other assets to 26 separate beneficiaries.

Written in 2006, the FT reports, it instructs that £20,000 in cash was to be shared between 20 of his friends, family and neighbours. It says a further £600,000 was to be put into a trust fund, with the interest shared between eight people.

The remainder, just under £3.7m before expenses, was to be held by NatWest on behalf of the Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust, the newspaper said.

Continue reading the main story Operation Yewtree: Scotland Yard criminal investigation into sexual abuse claims against Savile and others linked to the presenterBBC investigation led by former Sky News head Nick Pollard into management failures over the dropping of Newsnight report about SavileBBC investigation led by former Appeal Court judge Dame Janet Smith into corporation's culture and practices during Savile's career and current child protection and whistle-blowing policies BBC investigation led by Dinah Rose QC into handling of past sexual harassment claims Department of Health investigation into its own conduct in appointing Savile to lead a "taskforce" overseeing management of high security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor in 1998 and probes into Savile's activities at Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Leeds General InfirmaryDirector of Public Prosecutions review into decisions by the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute Savile in 2009Alan Collins, from law firm Pannone which is representing some of the victims, said: "This is good news for those victims of Savile who are taking legal action, as it means that they will be able to pursue claims against the estate.

"If NatWest had not put the estate on hold, it would have meant legal action against Savile's estate to prevent the assets from being distributed amongst the beneficiaries of his will."

He added that the firm was also "actively pursuing inquiries" into Savile's overseas assets, which it believed were administered in Guernsey.

Lawyer Liz Dux, who is also representing victims, said in order to win damages the onus would be on the victims to prove their case.

"They have to prove on the balance of probabilities ... what happened to them and that will be forensically tested, there will be independent psychiatric reports for all of them and they will have to give evidence and satisfy the court that they're telling the truth," she said.

Meanwhile, an MP has said Savile's victims should be allowed to give anonymous evidence to the various inquiries being carried out into the allegations of sex abuse.

Lib Dem John Hemming said he was concerned about the effect of the investigations on those who had suffered.

Lawyer Liz Dux: "The victims are not motivated by compensation"

He has tabled a Commons motion, which says while important that there is no cover up, those affected should be allowed to "feel supported and achieve closure given that Jimmy Savile will not be prosecuted".

Police believe the former BBC presenter and DJ, who died last year aged 84, could have abused as many as 300 people over a 40-year-period.

They have described Savile as a "predatory sex offender".

He is alleged to have carried out abuse on BBC premises, as well as at a number of other institutions such as the high security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary.

The former BBC TV presenter and DJ, who was knighted in 1996, had been a household name since he presented the first edition of Top Of The Pops in 1964.

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BBC to close India channels

1 November 2012 Last updated at 12:28 GMT CBeebies will no longer be available after the end of November BBC Worldwide has announced the closure of two of its non-news channels in India, BBC Entertainment and CBeebies.

The two channels would be discontinued at the end of November, it said in a press statement.

It cited the delays in digitisation and the need for channel operators to pay hefty fees to cable platforms as reasons for taking them off air.

It said that it would consider re-launching the non-news channels if the situation changed.

The BBC said many of its programmes were available on other channels, both terrestrial and cable, as well as digitally and on its YouTube channel, and would continue to be seen in India.

It added: "We believe India is an exciting market and in the event of changes in the options available to us we would certainly consider re-launching our non-News channels in the market."

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Tom Daley launches diving show

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AUDIO: How to pray for a parking space

It is All Saints' Day today, or All Hallows.

The Rev Richard Coles, who written a book called the Lives of the Improbable Saints, outlined the roles of some of the less famous saints.

Talking to Sarah Montague he described how to pray to the patron saint of car parking, Mother Cabrini: "Mother Cabrini, Mother Cabrini, please find a space for my parking machiney."

Get in touch with Today via email , Twitter or Facebook or text us on 84844.

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Arts Council England to axe jobs

31 October 2012 Last updated at 14:39 GMT All aspects of the arts will be affected by the restructure Arts Council England (ACE) is to axe 118 jobs - some 21% of its workforce - as part of a major restructure.

ACE said the move was in response to the government's requirement, made as part of its funding agreement, to reduce administrative costs by 2015.

Chief executive Alan Davey said the savings "had been challenging to achieve given our already pared down structure".

The changes will come into effect from 1 July 2013.

Overall, staff numbers will be reduced from 560 to 442 full-time posts.

ACE had been told to cut its administration costs by 50% as part of the 2010 government spending review, which will see its overall annual budget drop from £449 million to £349 million by 2015.

The cuts will be accompanied by a regional restructuring that will see the closure of offices and merging of regions.

There will be five Arts Council areas - covering London, the south east, south west, Midlands and the north - instead of the current nine.

Major offices will be located in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol.

Mr Davey warned the changes would mean the Arts Council would "do less" but said the organisation would still be effective.

"We are protecting the relationship management and the artistic and cultural expertise we know our colleagues in the sector value, but we must be pragmatic," he said in a statement.

Last month, it was announced that TV exec Sir Peter Bazalgette would replace Dame Liz Forgan as the chairman of the organisation from February next year.

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Briton wins $50,000 photo prize

2 November 2012 Last updated at 07:09 GMT Longhurst, 50, won the prize for her Other Spaces (l) and The Refusal (r) series A Briton has been named the winner of the Grange Prize, a Canadian award that recognises the best in international contemporary photography.

Jo Longhurst, from Essex, beat three others to the $50,000 (£31,000) prize, one of few determined by a public vote.

The Royal College of Art graduate won on the strength of two bodies of work, Other Spaces and The Refusal.

The first comprises striking portraits of elite gymnasts, while the second contains pictures of whippet show dogs.

Longhurst, who has exhibited extensively across the UK and Europe, received her prize at a ceremony held at the Art Gallery of Ontario on Thursday.

The other finalists - fellow Brit Jason Evans, Emmanuelle Leonard from Montreal and Annie MacDonell from Toronto - each received $5,000 (£3,100) for the research, creation and production of new work.

Voting began 10 weeks ago online and in person at Canada House in London and the Art Gallery of Ontario, where exhibits of all the nominated photographers' work are on display until 6 January.

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Foster to receive lifetime award

2 November 2012 Last updated at 09:10 GMT Foster won Oscars for her roles in The Accused and Silence of the Lambs Silence of the Lambs actress Jodie Foster is to receive the Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the Golden Globes next year.

Organisers said the Oscar-winner would be honoured for her 40-year career as an actress, director and film producer.

"Her ambition, exuberance and grace have helped pave the way for budding artists in this business," said the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

She will be presented with the award at a ceremony on 13 January.

"Jodie is a multifaceted woman that has achieved immeasurable amounts of success and will continue to do so in her career," HFPA president Aida Takla-O'Reilly said in a statement.

"She's truly one of a kind."

Foster, 49, began her career in television commercials at the age of three and by the age of 10, had appeared in a string of TV shows.

She found international fame in 1976 for her Oscar-nominated performance as teenage prostitute Iris in Taxi Driver, and roles as Tallulah in Bugsy Malone and the lead in Freaky Friday.

She has since appeared in more than 40 movies, winning best actress Oscars for her role as a rape victim in 1988 film The Accused and as the FBI agent Clarice Starling in 1991's The Silence of The Lambs.

The actress also branched out into directing, with projects including Little Man Tate in 1991 and last year's The Beaver, starring Mel Gibson.

She also produces for both film and television through her production company, Egg Pictures.

Previous winners of the Cecil B DeMille Award - named for the famed director of The Ten Commandments and The Greatest Show on Earth - include Robert DeNiro, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Al Pacino and Morgan Freeman, who was awarded the honour earlier this year.

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Fans divided over Star Wars news

31 October 2012 Last updated at 12:15 GMT By Neil Smith Entertainment reporter, BBC News George Lucas (centre) pictured with Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill (right) and other Star Wars regulars in 1997 The Disney studio's announcement that it is to continue the Star Wars saga following its $4.05 billion (£2.5bn) purchase of George Lucas's Lucasfilm company is the talk of Hollywood, and beyond.

Given the beloved, cherished and iconic status of the original Star Wars trilogy, with its robots, space battles and lightsabre duels, that is only to be expected.

Some fans are up in arms at the 'House of Mouse' getting its hands on a series that left such an indelible mark on their collective imaginations.

"Disney own too much already," complained one BBC News website reader, while another predicted the deal would leave "the biggest film franchise in the world totally ruined".

Yet scepticism is sure to be tempered by the accepted knowledge that the Star Wars prequels Lucas made between 1999 and 2005 were irrefutably inferior to their illustrious predecessors.

"To be fair, I was saying Lucasfilm was a Mickey Mouse outfit back in 1999," joked comedian Simon Pegg on Twitter, though in a subsequent posting he suggested it was "actually good news for Star Wars fans".

The acquisition of Lucasfilm is clearly a statement of intent from a studio that already has animation powerhouse Pixar and comic book giant Marvel under its roof.

George Lucas signs away his Star Wars empire to Disney's Robert Iger

Yet the studio's record when it comes to science-fiction is patchy at best, as evidenced earlier this year by the big-budget disappointment that was $250 million (£155m) Martian epic John Carter.

"Looking forward to seeing what exciting new Star Wars adventures will be cooked up by the dream factory that brought us Mars Needs Moms!" tweeted Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, referring to another Disney-backed letdown with a fantastical theme.

Lucas has hardly been consistent either when it comes to his famous creation. As recently as 2008, he had ruled out the possibility of the series continuing.

"I've left pretty explicit instructions for there not to be any more features," he told the UK's Total Film magazine. "There will definitely be no Episodes VII-IX."

In a statement released this week, though, the 68-year-old sings a different tune, claiming he had "always believed that Star Wars could live beyond" him.

"For the past 35 years," he said, "one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next."

Nine-movie cycle

You do not need to be a Jedi knight to know that the original Star Wars trilogy - released between 1977 and 1983 - was envisioned by Lucas as the central chunk of a nine-movie cycle.

This notion was reinforced by a caption - added after the first film's initial release - declaring it to be 'Episode IV' in an evolving saga.

1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi picked up the action, following the fortunes of young hero Luke Skywalker, cocky pilot Han Solo and the feisty Princess Leia as they battled against the nefarious Emperor and his masked henchman Darth Vader.

The result was a global phenomenon that, according to tracking website Box Office Mojo, has grossed $3.3 billion (£2bn) worldwide once figures have been adjusted for inflation.

For Star Wars fans, though, alarm bells began to ring when Lucas announced he was releasing "special editions" of the original films that would incorporate new footage and correct old flaws.

The results left many devotees unimpressed, not least by what they saw as an unjustified tinkering in material that was fine the way it was.

In the original Star Wars, for example, Harrison Ford's Han Solo dealt with alien adversary Greedo by blasting him with a laser pistol concealed beneath a table.

In the special edition a laser bolt was added to create the impression that Greedo shot first, turning what had been a pre-emptive strike on Solo's part into an act of self-defence.

Qualms about Lucas rewriting history did not stop the special editions of Wars, Empire and Jedi performing strongly at the international box office.

Not only that, but they also stoked anticipation for the next chapter in the saga - a trilogy of Star Wars prequels that would trace the early life of Darth Vader and how he "turned to the dark side".

The Phantom Menace, aka Episode I, took the world by storm in 1999 and went on to become the most successful film released that year.

Already, though, there was a groundswell of dissatisfaction, with many expressing concerns over the film's characters, story and extensive use of special effects.

On a more serious note, it was also suggested that the film's supporting characters - alien comic relief Jar Jar Binks for example, or Tatooine slave owner Watto - drew on unflattering ethnic stereotypes.

Variety's Todd McCarthy was among the dissenters, bemoaning a film that was "neither captivating nor transporting" and lacked "any emotional pull".

The casting of Hayden Christensen as the young Darth Vader in 2002's Episode II - Attack of the Clones gave acolytes another target for their opprobrium.

And while 2005's Episode III - Revenge of the Sith was generally regarded as a partial return to form, the trilogy as a whole has come to be seen as a missed opportunity.

The Phantom Menace marked Lucas's return to the Star Wars universe

Since that movie's release, Star Wars activity has been largely limited to The Clone Wars animated TV series and a 3D re-issue of The Phantom Menace.

This has not stopped Disney from announcing a continuation of the saga, to begin in 2015 with an "episode seven" that will be followed in due course by eighth and ninth instalments.

According to Lucas, who will act as creative consultant on the new movies, the deal will allow Star Wars to "live on and flourish for many generations to come".

Having been burned once before, fans of the series may well prefer to reserve judgement and approach with caution.

Having played the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the three prequels, though, Ewan McGregor is among those prepared to take a more optimistic view.

"Disney have bought Lucasfilm and are planning on releasing Star Wars ep 7 in 2015!!" the actor tweeted on Tuesday.

"Congrats George and best of luck with whatever is next. Wonder if they will need any Obi-Wan Hologram action?"

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Reading and Leeds add more stages

By Greg Cochrane
Newsbeat music reporter Kasabian headlined last year's Reading and Leeds festival Reading and Leeds festivals may add up to three new stages, with organisers saying they want to "add more music" to the event in 2013.

The increase in entertainment could see the number of stages in the arenas increase from six to eight or nine.

The crowd capacity of the events will not be increased.

"Within those additional two or three stages there will be a lot more diversity of music," said organiser Melvin Benn.

Festival changes

"We're changing the arena at Reading and Leeds quite significantly.

"I've got quite a strong buzz and feeling in myself in the changes that I'm making there. I'm still formulating the ideas.

"There will quite a bit more dance music, quite a bit more other bits and pieces."

Reading and Leeds will take place between 23-25 August in 2013.

"Reading and Leeds are going to be going out on sale before Christmas, but we'll have the full [set] on sale in March next year where we announce most of the bill," said Benn.

"I'm looking at probably announcing certainly one of the headliners before Christmas."

This year 87,000 fans at Reading's Richfield Avenue site and 75,000 at Leeds' Bramham Park saw performances from headliners Foo Fighters, The Cure and Kasabian.

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Springsteen set for Sandy benefit

1 November 2012 Last updated at 16:09 GMT Bruce Springsteen had to postpone a concert in New York state on Tuesday due to flight cancellations Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi are to perform at a benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Sandy on Friday.

The rock stars are natives of New Jersey, which was one of the areas hardest hit by the storm.

They will be joined by other stars including Billy Joel, Sting and Christina Aguilera on the live one-hour telethon to be broadcast on NBC.

Money raised from Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together will go to the American Red Cross relief efforts.

Hosted by Today show presenter Matt Lauer, the concert will be recorded from NBC's New York studios at Rockefeller Plaza.

It will be broadcast live across NBC's other cable networks including Bravo, CNBC, E!, Syfy and USA at 20:00 EST (00:00 GMT) and tape-delayed on the west coast.

The commercial-free telethon will also be streamed live on NBC's website.

Making the announcement on his morning programme, Lauer added more acts would be announced on Friday.

President Barack Obama visited New Jersey on Wednesday to see the worst affected areas after the storm hit on Monday.

More than 70 people were killed in the US, while some 20,000 people remain trapped in their homes by sewage-contaminated floodwater.

NBC organised a similar benefit after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 which raised $50m (£31m) for the Red Cross.

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VIDEO: Rihanna 'wanted song in two days'

Calvin Harris has revealed that Rihanna asked him to work on her new album but that he could not create the track within the two day deadline he was given.

Harris' new album 18 Months features collaborations with the likes of Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal, Ayah, Nicky Romero and Dillon Francis.

He also revealed that he would like to work with Emeli Sande but says the singer is too busy.

The DJ, singer and producer was speaking to Newsbeat's Nesta McGregor.

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VIDEO: Access all arias: Royal Opera House

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DJ Danny Baker 'hosts last show'

1 November 2012 Last updated at 21:12 GMT Baker returned to radio last year after receiving treatment for cancer DJ Danny Baker has said he has hosted his last radio show for BBC London 94.9 after learning his daily programme was being axed.

The presenter hit out repeatedly at the BBC during his two-hour show, in which he called his bosses "weasels".

At the end of his show he said: "That's your lot. We don't want to leave but we're being told to by people we've never met who don't listen to [us]."

The BBC said Baker's show was due to finish at the end of the year.

A spokeswoman said she was not able to confirm whether Thursday's show was indeed the 55-year-old's last. The DJ's agent was also unable to confirm his departure.

A BBC spokeswoman said Baker would not be presenting the show on Friday.

"Danny's decided to take a day off. Gary Crowley will be standing in for him tomorrow," she said.

Baker's dramatic "exit" followed a series of tweets in which he revealed his show had been cancelled.

"Just been told the BBC London Show - the Treehouse - is to be shut down," he tweeted. "Saves BBC money apparently."

Earlier on Thursday, the BBC said Baker would be leaving his afternoon show "at the end of the year" and that he was "still very much part" of the corporation.

"We're currently in discussions with him about options for a weekly programme," its statement continued.

Baker quickly rejected this suggestion, saying he had not heard "a single word" about a new show.

The dispute appears to have no bearing on the presenter's other role as host of a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 5 live.

"As you may have heard, this show has been cancelled by the BBC," said Baker at the start of his Thursday programme, saying it had been "an honour and a privilege" to present it.

Throughout the programme he repeatedly said it would be his last show for the station where he has been a fixture since 2001, and that its cancellation had been motivated by financial considerations.

"This is the best show I'll ever do, but that is apparently not the point - it's about kowtowing to the reams of middle management," he said.

In a second statement issued after the show, the BBC insisted the decision had not been "driven by savings".

"All stations from time to time refresh their schedules and this is no different," the statement continued.

Broadcaster Stephen Fry, actor Rob Brydon and comedian Ross Noble were among those to criticise the BBC's decision.

The dispute follows the DJ's return to broadcasting last year after taking time off to receive treatment for cancer.

BBC London's listener numbers have been falling in recent years - according to Rajar, the station had 374,000 weekly listeners in the last quarter up to September.

It is a drop of 186,000 compared with the third quarter ratings for September 2010.

The station's main rival, LBC 97.3, stood at 927,000 weekly listeners last quarter.

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Disney buys firm behind Star Wars

31 October 2012 Last updated at 11:22 GMT George Lucas signs away his Star Wars empire to Disney's Robert Iger

Disney is buying Lucasfilm, the company behind the Star Wars films, from its chairman and founder George Lucas for $4.05bn (£2.5bn).

Mr Lucas said: "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of film-makers."

In a statement announcing the purchase, Disney said it planned to release a new Star Wars film, episode seven, in 2015.

That will be followed by episodes eight and nine and then one new movie every two or three years, the company said.

The last Star Wars film was 2005's Revenge of the Sith, and Disney said it believed there was "substantial pent-up demand".

Continue reading the main story

Some fans are up in arms at the 'House of Mouse' getting its hands on a series that left such an indelible mark on their collective imaginations. ”

End Quote Neil Smith Arts reporter, BBC News James Burns, founder of fansite Jedi News in the UK, said: "It is fantastic that we are going to be seeing more Star Wars films as George Lucas has said many times that there wouldn't be any more."

Disney will pay about half in cash and half in stock, issuing 40 million Disney shares in the transaction.

The deal follows Disney's acquisitions of Pixar studios for $7.4bn in 2006 and Marvel comics for $4.2bn in 2009.

"Our valuation of Lucasfilm is roughly comparable to the value we placed on Marvel when we announced that acquisition in 2009," Disney said, adding that the valuation was almost entirely driven by the Star Wars franchise.

Transition

George Lucas launched Lucasfilm in 1971 and the first Star Wars film was released in 1977.

"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," Mr Lucas said.

"I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime."

Mr Lucas will continue as a creative consultant.

Kathleen Kennedy, currently co-chairman of Lucasfilm, will become president of the firm and will be the executive producer on the new Star Wars films.

She worked on the Jurassic Park and Back to the Future franchises and co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg.

When the later Star Wars films were released in the 1990s and 2000s, although they did well at the box office, they were generally not well-received by fans.

But Josh Dickey, film editor at Variety magazine in LA, said that Disney was a "great fit" to update Star Wars.

"They're so good at branding and brands. They're so good at working with existing intellectual property and making it resonate with fans and marketing it very well," he told BBC World Service radio.

"They're not as good at creating original content, except for their Pixar division.

"I think if you bring together the minds from Pixar [and] the minds from Disney, the news that Disney is going to reboot Star Wars was a lot more exciting to fans than just 'there's gonna be another Star Wars'."

Jedi fans "really, really excited"

Surprise

Lucasfilm is also the production company behind the Indiana Jones franchise, and fantasy films Willow and Labyrinth.

Michael Corty, analyst at Morning Star, said Disney's deal was clearly part of a pattern in buying new franchises.

"Pixar was the first big one, then Marvel, and now this one here," he said.

"Because Lucas is private, I would assume most investors would be surprised."

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VIDEO: Morpurgo hints at new pigeon story

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Cumberbatch 'lands Epstein role'

1 November 2012 Last updated at 09:59 GMT Cumberbatch (l) is four years older than Epstein (r) was when he died Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is to play Brian Epstein in a new film about the Beatles' legendary manager, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Paul McGuigan, who has directed the 36-year-old in four episodes of the BBC's Sherlock Holmes update, will call the shots on the proposed biopic.

Epstein was instrumental in the rise of the Fab Four only to die at the age of 32 at the height of their success.

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks is one of the film's three producers.

The film has been described as the story of "the man who threw the biggest party of the 1960s but ultimately forgot to invite himself".

Dubbed "the fifth Beatle" by John Lennon, Epstein managed Gerry and the Pacemakers and Cilla Black as well as The Beatles.

In 2010, the year a special plaque was unveiled in his honour in central London, Black said he had been "instrumental in changing all our lives with his vision, generosity and dedication".

A closet homosexual who was addicted to gambling and drugs, Epstein died of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills in August 1967.

Cumberbatch recently appeared in BBC Two drama Parade's End and has two roles in Peter Jackson's upcoming Hobbit film trilogy.

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West End move for Curious play

1 November 2012 Last updated at 14:59 GMT Luke Treadaway (l) will once again play 15-year-old Christopher The National Theatre's critically-acclaimed staging of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is transferring to the West End.

Following its sell-out run at the National's Cottesloe Theatre it will open at the Apollo Theatre next March.

Luke Treadaway will once again play 15-year-old Christopher Boone, a maths genius with Asperger's Syndrome.

The play is based on the award-winning book by Mark Haddon.

It won the Whitbread book of the year in 2004 and has been embraced by both adult and child readers.

The book and play centre on Christopher and how he sets out to solve the mystery of the grisly death of his neighbour's dog.

Although a mathematical prodigy, his form of autism means he struggles with everyday situations.

The West End production will open on 1 March and is scheduled to run until 25 May. Tickets go on general sale on 23 November.

The show also stars Niamh Cusack, Matthew Barker and Sophie Duval.

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Gary Barlow to star in Miranda

1 November 2012 Last updated at 12:19 GMT Barlow will appear as himself in the BBC One sitcom Take That star Gary Barlow is to guest star in an episode of BBC One sitcom Miranda.

A BBC spokeswoman said the singer - who will appear as himself in the show - will "get friendly in an unexpected way" with comic actress Miranda Hart.

The scenes will be broadcast in the next series which begins at the end of the year.

The pair previously worked together in the summer for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Barlow is about to embark on a solo UK and Ireland tour later this month while continuing to judge on The X Factor.

Next week he is due to receive the Music Industry Trusts Award at a gala dinner to raise funds for the Brit Trust and Nordoff Robbins.

Hart is also currently promoting her first book, Is It Just Me?, which details her life's past awkward experiences.

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Songwriter Bill Dees dies aged 73

1 November 2012 Last updated at 10:52 GMT Johnny Cash (l), Loretta Lynn and Roy Orbison (r) all recorded songs written by Dees Bill Dees, the successful US songwriter who co-wrote Roy Orbison hit Oh, Pretty Woman, has died in Arkansas aged 73.

Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Gene Pitney were among other country music stars to record songs penned by the prolific Texas native.

Oh, Pretty Woman topped the charts in 1964 and went on to inspire the title of Julia Roberts' hit 1990 movie.

A memorial will take place on Saturday in Mountain Home, the northern Arkansas city where Dees died on 24 October.

Dees started out as a singer but enjoyed his most fruitful period as Orbison's friend, collaborator and bandmate.

Other Orbison singles Dees co-wrote included Born on the Wind, Walk On and It's Over, a number one hit in the UK.

Dees continued to write songs and perform following Orbison's 1984 death and released a solo album in 2002 called Saturday Night at the Movies.

In an online obituary posted by Kirby & Family Funeral Services, he was remembered as "a glass is half full kind of guy who... loved to play the guitar or piano and sing".

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VIDEO: Alt-J: Who are the Mercury winners?

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Alistair Cooke: My friends Bing and Chaplin

1 November 2012 Last updated at 00:23 GMT Among the 920 surviving recordings of Alistair Cooke's Letter from America are poignant and often personal tributes to the passing of showbusiness stars. Here, in the second of five slideshows featuring highlights from the collection, Cooke remembers his friend Bing Crosby, offers a eulogy to the trumpeter Louis Armstrong, and looks back at the life of the best man at his wedding - Charlie Chaplin.

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VIDEO: Ellen as Sofia Vergara & more news

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£4m secures French 'masterpiece'

1 November 2012 Last updated at 13:51 GMT Poussin's painting depicts a dying man being anointed with oil A Cambridge museum has raised the £4m needed to acquire a £14m painting described as a "national treasure".

Heritage Lottery Funding and public donations enabled the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Art Fund to secure Nicolas Poussin's Extreme Unction.

The 17th Century work was offered by the 11th Duke of Rutland's estate under a scheme allowing art to be given to museums in lieu of inheritance tax.

It will be on display at the Fitzwilliam from early December.

The painting, which depicts a dying man being anointed with oil in accordance with the rites of the early Roman church, has been displayed at the National Gallery in London for much of the fund-raising period, which began in mid-August.

'Dynamic campaign'

Under the terms of the government's Acceptance in Lieu scheme the full £3.9m had to be raised by early November.

A successful bid for £3,021,000 from the Heritage Lottery was bolstered by almost £1m in public donations.

The museum is planning a touring exhibition of the painting, together with talks and seminars, to museums and galleries around the country.

Dame Jenny Abramsky, chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), said: "We were impressed with the Fitzwilliam and Art Fund's dynamic fund-raising campaign and their desire to seize the moment and secure the painting on behalf of the nation."

Dr Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, which assists museums and galleries to purchase works of art, said public generosity together with the HLF grant and support from the National Gallery had helped to "safeguard this masterpiece and bring it into the public domain."

Acting director of the Fitzwilliam, David Scrase said the museum was "extremely grateful" and "absolutely thrilled".

"Now this masterpiece will be available to all, transforming our existing collections at the Fitzwilliam," he said.

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Opera singer killed in car crash

31 October 2012 Last updated at 17:16 GMT Robert Poulton began his professional career in the Glyndebourne chorus Robert Poulton, a baritone with the Glyndebourne Opera, has been killed in a car crash in Sussex.

The singer had been due on stage at the Theatre Royal in Norwich on Wednesday in Dvorak's Rusalka as part of the company's 2012 tour.

Glyndebourne said the performance had been cancelled out of respect to the singer's family and colleagues.

The company paid tribute to Poulton's "distinguished operatic career" and said he would be "enormously missed".

After studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio, the singer began his professional career in the Glyndebourne chorus and performed central roles both in its festival and tours.

His recent projects included La Traviata with Opera Holland Park and the Royal Opera House, Tosca with the Scottish Opera, and Aida at the Royal Albert Hall.

International appearances included engagements with Netherlands Opera, Opera Zuid and Salzburger Landestheater.

"It is testament to Robert's generous character and amazing musicianship that he had such a distinguished operatic career, not just at Glyndebourne but also at many of the leading international houses," said Glyndebourne's general director David Pickard.

Poulton's management company also paid tribute following his death on Tuesday, saying his "immense contribution to the opera world will not be forgotten".

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VIDEO: Churchill painting 'revealed soul'

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McKellen defends Hobbit 3D film

Interview Chi Chi Izundu, words Amelia Butterly
Newsbeat reporters Sir Ian McKellen, one of the stars of Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit, has defended the film after criticism from fans angry at how it looks in 3D.

The movie came under fire earlier this year after 10 minutes of unfinished footage was shown at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas.

Some people claimed it was uncinematic and "looked like a made-for-TV movie".

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It's not the sort of crude 3D that comes out of the screen. Rather it brings you into Middle Earth. You see round the corners. You see everything

Ian McKellen

But Ian McKellen, who plays the wizard Gandalf, thinks that audiences will be impressed by the film's visuals.

"I've seen enough of it to know it's going to be just as exciting as Lord of the Rings," he said.

"In fact in some senses it's more exciting because it's in three dimensions.

"It's not the sort of crude 3D that comes out of the screen. Rather it brings you into Middle Earth. You see round the corners. You see everything."

Peter Jackson said he wasn't surprised by the reaction in April after shooting the hobbit at a rate of 48 frames per second, compared with the industry standard of 24 frames.

'Jackson's pleased' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first of a prequel trilogy

Sir Ian McKellen also says it's not just him that is pleased with the way the film is turning out.

"It's not absolutely complete yet but Peter Jackson's very pleased with it," he said.

The first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, is due out in the UK on 14 December.

Along with Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Evangeline Lilly also star.

Orlando Bloom reprises his role as Legolas, while Elijah Wood will be back as Frodo.

The films act as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings series and the second part, The Desolation of Smaug, will be released in 2013.

There and Back Again, the final film, is due in 2014.

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