we talked about cricket. we'll look back a rich and varied life. also tonight... oh, my god, i'm about to cry! the moment of truth, results day for tens of thousands of students, but big differences in the grades between england, wales and northern ireland. saudi arabia's controversial crown prince gets an official invite to the uk. a special report from pakistan after churches and christian homes are attacked following claims of a copy of the quran being desecrated. add more controversy over this high tackle from owen farrell. first band, then unbanned. and tonight on newsnight... what is life like in britain in 2023

if you have a disability? a human rights watch dog has accused the uk and irish governments of failing to tackle problems like welfare benefits. good evening. he made it look easy, the late—night television interview, and he made it an art. but now sir michael parkinson, a giant of british culture, has died at the age of 88. a big part of his success was the fact that his chat show was never an opportunity for him to show off, but for his guests to always take centre stage, allowing space to reveal a deeper truth about themselves. it's a humility borne of his humble roots, as the son of a yorkshire miner. michael parkinson's work — spanning almost seven decades — is a catalogue of memorable moments, including no less than four interviews with muhammad ali. one of the first with george michael after his arrest in los angeles for lewd behaviour. and his chat with madonna,

whom he finally convinced to appear on his show after a 20—year wait. our media and arts correspondent, david sillito, has the story now of a remarkable life. don't you get fed up of each other? oh, yes, yes. i call him golden balls, you know, now. - did you ever say, "you dirty rat?" never. jimmy cagney. orson welles. jimmy stewart. these were distant, mysterious screen gods until parkinson brought them into your living room. the fact is that you're a crowd puller and frazier�*s not, is he? why is that? well, number one, he's ugly. his interviews with muhammad ali were unmissable. he has no rhythm, no footwork, no class. he cannot talk. and who told him he could sing? but of all those 2,000 or so guests,

one always haunted him. i'm only remembered for one thing, i was attacked by a sodding emu. he's not aggresive! rod hull and emu rather punctured the suave tv persona. the show, with its relaxed, late—night style, was also a springboard. i hope i can get away with this, it's a beauty! it was a programme that could transform a career. it's a sort of substitute for tattoos, i'm frightened to get a tattoo. billy connolly appeared 15 times. what about the oyster that went to a discotheque and pulled a mussel? laughter. they became good friends. he says, i need somewhere to park my bike! laughter. you know her better as bette davis. for hollywood star bette davis there was almost a standing ovation forjust being on the show.

applause. thank you, thank you. the programme could in a moment swing from highbrow debate to risque flirtation... and occasionally some of the questions may have discomfited the interviewee. let's talk about nudity. helen mirren was less than impressed by this line of inquiry. do you find in fact that this, what could be best described as your equipment, in fact hinders you perhaps in that pursuit? meg ryan was also another frosty moment. in other words, if you were me, what would you do now? i'd just wrap it up! laughter. in the 1980s he was briefly part of the ill—fated gang of five who launched itv�*s new breakfast programme before returning to the bbc. he's a practising homeopath, as a matter of fact! _

there were moments, but it was now just one of many chat shows on an interview circuit... i am pretty sure - that's what he said! ..where everyone seemed to have something to sell. but there were still moments — for instance, this candid interview with george michael, talking about his arrest in america. i responded to, you know, a very handsome, tall, good—looking american cop, you know, they don't send columbo in there to do... but all this hollywood glamour was something of a contrast with his childhood. he was the son of a yorkshire miner. my generation was the first that actually challenged the assumption that if you're born into a mining family, you followed your dad's footsteps down to the pit. play forward. well played. the proud yorkshireman loved his cricket. not only was he a true friend, he was a dear friend. one of his school pals was dickie bird, who would go on to become one of cricket's best known umpires.

they spoke yesterday and said their goodbyes. i remember him for his, most of all, of course, for his friendship. he always had a smile on his face and every time we met, of course, we talked about cricket. and he loved cricket, and you know, his father had one ambition for him in life and that was to play for yorkshire. and at the end, it was his father's very yorkshire judgment that came to mind. just before he died, he said to me, he said, "you've done well and you've met some big stars." i said i had. he said, "you made a bob or two without breaking sweat." i admitted that was also true. "good lad," he said, "but think on". "it's not like playing for yorkshire, is it?" it wasn't. but once or twice, it got pretty damn close. goodnight. the broadcaster, sir

michael parkinson, who's died at the age of 88. on a—level results day, the proportion of students getting top marks in england, wales and northern ireland has fallen sharply from 12 months ago, but remains higher than pre—pandemic levels. thousands of other students have also received their t—level results, along with some as—level and btec level 3 grades. at a—level, 27.2% of all grades were marked at a* or a — that's down more than 9%on last year. but there are regional differences, with the biggest fall in england, where the proportion of top marks was 26.5%. in wales it was 34% and in northern ireland 37.5%. the university admissions service says across the uk, 79% of 18—year—olds gained a place at their first—choice university. our education editor, branwenjeffreys, reports now from hull. the relief...

thank god! time to breathe. after months of tension, it's hard to take it all in. and for some, a moment to cherish and celebrate. a ticket in their hand into adult life. i got a distinction star, distinction and distinction. it's a lot better than what i expected. leila excelled in her business btec. she has just started an apprenticeship in travel. that's actually good! i've checked ucas and i am in, so that's the next steps, really. for maxim, it's off to university with his btec and a—levels, just a grade lower than he hoped. for this girl, these were their first exams. she is on her way to study law. and today, dylan got his second chance. it was quite, like, scary, knowing there would be no leeway given. i waiting for your results, j that was quite terrifying.

i was expecting to a double distinction star, which i did. so i'm quite pleased with myself. these were resits, i got better than i did first time, so quite proud of myself for that. because it has shifted massively — it's a national thing. there are fewer top grades this year in england, but that was expected — no easier, of course, for those disappointed today. but for this college, it was more like a normal year. obviously you get the wobbles, you're always going to get the winners and losers, but overall, really happy the students have smashed it. the principal says universities were prepared, but employers need to understand, too. they need to meet more of them face—to—face and use that as their shortlisting process, rather than a desktop paper exercise. meet the people, discover what their personalities are like, look at their skills and resilience that they have learned from this. in belfast there was less of a bump down in grades. northern ireland, just like wales, uses as grades towards a—levels, and in ebbw vale, the celebration party was starting early.

this is rebecca from the university of hull, how can i help you today? we'll see what we can do for you today. how may i help you? clearing opened today for those who have missed out, connecting students with courses where places are available. many campuses are open this saturday, so they can look around before deciding. clearing here is busier than last year, so the advice is to be decisive. but it's also important not to panic because there are thousands of courses available across the uk. with housing shortages in some other cities, at hull, accommodation is part of their pitch to attract students. they are acutely aware of wanting the right campus, the right accommodation, bearing in mind the cost of living as well, and having a look at the right course in the right place at the right time for them. university isn't for everyone. many are heading to apprenticeships or to work.

either way, after the celebrations, they will sleep more soundly tonight. is itfairto is it fair to say that the effects and legacy of covid and the pandemic are laid to rest when it comes to exam results? hat are laid to rest when it comes to exam results?— are laid to rest when it comes to exam results? ., .., , , ., exam results? not completely. today, the results were _ exam results? not completely. today, the results were broadly _ exam results? not completely. today, the results were broadly as _ the results were broadly as expected, a step back either towards or to the level of overall grades of 2019 so on the surface it looks as though things are back to normal. but look beyond that and you will see the legacy of disrupted education that young people have been through in recent years. in top grades, a*, the gap between the north of england at the south—east is wider than 2019. the sutton trust charity warns that if you look at who is going to university, the gap between the best students and the most disadvantaged is at its widest for the last ten years. as you

return to exams and the normality of that for pupils, there is still a huge legacy behind. but if course, many face decisions do not. if you want more information about clearing, a—levels, btecs or t—levels, please go to our education page on the website where you can find a wealth of detail and we will update that and you can get advice over the coming weeks.— update that and you can get advice over the coming weeks. thank you for that, over the coming weeks. thank you for that. branwen — over the coming weeks. thank you for that, branwen jeffreys, _ over the coming weeks. thank you for that, branwen jeffreys, live _ over the coming weeks. thank you for that, branwen jeffreys, live in - that, branwenjeffreys, live in hull. five men have been convicted of a series of sexual offences against two women from rochdale, including rape and sexual activity with a child. the offences took place 20 years ago, after the two women were abused by a grooming gang who plied them with alcohol and drugs and sexually abused them. mohammed ghani, insar hussain, jahn ghani, ali kazmi and martin rhodes will all be sentenced at a later date. crown prince mohammed bin salman of saudi arabia has been invited

to britain for an official visit later this year. both countries want to deepen economic ties. it would be his first uk visit since the murder of the journalist kamal khashoggi at the saudi consulate in istanbul in 2018. the prince denies accusations he ordered the killing. our political correspondent, helen catt, is at westminster. a highly controversial trip, why is the government pushing this? rishi sunak and the government pushing this? i si sunak and mohammed bin salman spoke on the phone this afternoon and some of the content of the conversation offers an answer to that. this book about developing a trade and investment relationship, particularly in what they describe as cutting industries. saudi arabia is spending very big, trying to diversify the economy away from oil and investing heavily in sport in recent years in the uk once more trade. it is also one of the trade priority is to do a deal with a group of countries in the gulf of which saudi arabia is a member

although we are told the department for business and trade did not have any hand in this invitation. a minister i spoke to earlier has concerns about the human rights record in saudi arabia but said the reality is it is a major player on the government had to engage and this gave an opportunity for the uk to raise some of those issues. labour says needs to be and said rishi sunak would have to raise human rights issues on any visit but as you said, this will be controversial, there were those who do not see it this way and the liberal democrats have said this amounts to rolling out the red carpet for mohammed bin salman and sending a message that he can continue to act with impunity. helen, thank you. more than 60 people are presumed dead after a boat was found drifting near cape verde off the coast of west africa. most of the victims were migrants from senegal who'd been at sea for more than a month. it's thought they were aiming to travel to europe via the canary islands. its a route that s become more

popular in recent years, but is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous. and after a boat carrying migrants heading for britian sank in the english channel last week, four people have been detained. six of those on board died. in the last seven days alone, more than 2,000 people have tried to cross the channel in small boats. our correspondent, tom symonds, has the latest from calais. on wasteland close to dunkirk, the world's migrants continue to live in limbo. there's food, water, phone chargers, even lessons for the kids provided by aid agencies. but these tracks lead to the coast, to the small boats, to britain. karim, who asked not to be identified, paid people—smugglers 2000 euros for a place on the boat which then sank. he said they promised him they're going to send him to uk in good boat. in a good boat? did they say what a good boat was? translation: big boat, 10 metres, 15 metres. i

but in the end, it was three metres or four metres. and how many people were on that boat? they put 70 people on the boat, but there was no space and they left ten people behind. karim was one of them. two friends stayed on board. he thinks they're dead. but 22—year—old idris survived. translation: there were far too many passengers. - the waves were very strong, and the boat split up. - some people fell into . the water and drowned. i never believed i would survive. i was fast losing the strengthl to swim, but i kept trying very hard to keep afloat. but when it comes to getting to britain, nothing has changed. will you try tonight? |translation: last night, | tried, | and my boat was cut by the police. and tonight, i don't know. in the uk, some ask is enough being done in france to stop the boats? we went to several beaches discreetly at night, hoping to see migrants leaving.

each time... bonjour, messieurs! ..we were immediately spotted by the police using night—vision gear. britain helps fund the officers and the equipment. teams in camouflage watched us from the shadows. a spotter plane flew overhead, and on the ground, they searched for the hiding places used by the traffickers. but the coast is more than 70 miles long, and the traffickers have become experts at moving people. there are plenty of signs of how this works. the people—smugglers hide their clients here in the dunes at night, trying to evade the police who are watching out for them. and they keep their boats here, here's one, an inflatable boat. and they try and rush to the beach atjust the right moment. the police, well, they try and slash the boats so they can't be used. the police are not a deterrent to migrants like jalla and her family. she says they're fleeing gun attacks in iraq. they have tiny children, but they're repeatedly trying to get on a boat.

you know that a boat sank last week. yeah, i know. what do you think about that? it's fate. if it happens, it happens? yeah. it's not dangerous for us. we come across so many difficulties in my country. this is better than shooting us, you know, shooting my kids in front of my house. that raw drive is why stopping the boats is perhaps the government's most daunting challenge. what is the government doing to achieve that aim? it has made using small boats across the channel illegal. it says people doing that passing through a safe country, their claim can be rejected and it also could be considered rwanda, but the courts are stopping that from happening. it does add up to a tough policy and the trend in small boat

crossings has come down a bit by 20%. that may be because the government has done a deal with albania which means there are fewer coming via that route but the government is a long way from meeting its target and critics say stopping the boats is only possible if you give the people in the boats and official, safe and legal route to come to britain and claim asylum. tom, thank you for that. more than 100 people have been arrested in a city in punjab province in pakistan after an angry mob burned churches and vandalised christian homes. the violence injaranwala was triggered by claims that two christian men had torn pages from a copy of the quran. those two men have now been arrested. our pakistan correspondent caroline davies has more from jaranwala. narrow streets with destruction at every turn. you can see the... enormous damage that has been done here.

this is jaranwala's christian quarter. yesterday, angry protesters stormed these homes, including sonam's. "we lost everything," she tells me. inside, blackened, overturned, smashed. she describes how her bed was thrown from the window and on her roof, how she heard an announcement from the mosque calling for people to come out to protest. translation: people came l to our houses with their sticks. we were scared and we ran. we had small kids. if they had gotten hurt, what would we have done? the protest was called after two christians were alleged to have ripped pages from the koran, writing obscenities on them. thousands gathered. it turned violent. churches around the city burnt, homes ransacked. when we first got here, people were in a real state of shock but now, quite clear that that is turning to anger. minorities, including christians, are protected by law in pakistan

but many we spoke to felt that not enough was done to stop this. translation: when protesters came here, they chanted slogans and i sawl the police leaving from the other side. then the protesters destroyed it all. the police argue they stopped the situation deteriorating. if we had charged or started fighting, it could have subsided but it would have swept all over the country and the most important thing, if we had killed any of the protesters, that would have created a ripple effect. the police have said they believe the violence was planned and arrested some individuals from two hardline religious parties. in stjohn�*s church, tears for what is lost and for how quickly their fragile peace was fractured. caroline davies, bbc news, jaranwala.

last year saw the lowest number of births in england and wales for two decades, according to the latest figures from the office for national statistics. there were 605,479 in 2022, compared with almost 730,000 in 2012. and just under a third were to non—uk—born mothers — up from 29% the previous year, with india the most common foreign country of origin, providing well over 17,000 births. let's take a look at some of the day's other top stories now. the statutory body that examines potential miscarriages ofjustice in england says it will review the way it handled the case of andrew malkinson. he spent 17 years in jail for a rape he didn't commit, and twice applied for his case to be referred for appeal by the criminal cases review commission, but was turned down. police say further tests are needed to establish the cause of death of a 10—year—old girl found dead at a house in woking last week.

bbc news understands three people known to sara sharif booked one—way tickets to pakistan the day before her body was discovered. more than 4,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in tenerife as firefighters struggle to contain a wildfire. it broke out in a national park in the south of the largest of the canary islands, blanketing large areas with smoke and ash. 200 water voles have been released into a restored nature reserve in the lake district. they were once commonplace in the uk but were wiped out by predators and a loss of habitat. now conservationists are hoping to reintroduce the species to the area. the governing body of rugby union says it will appeal against the decision to overturn a red card given to the england captain, owen farrell. he was sent off for a high tackle against wales last weekend, but an independent disciplinary panel has now ruled the red card was wrong. here's ben croucher.

this is the tackle felt around the rugby world. but on tuesday, an independent panel said the red card against owen farrell was incorrect and cleared him to continue playing. today, world rugby, the sport's governing body, says it will appeal that decision. with this in mind, he's not been selected this weekend. we thought this had been concluded on tuesday afternoon and i'm really disappointed and bemused that this is now going into next, our next test week as well. so it's frustrating. as ever, we will continue to respect the process and respect the decision. farrell's father, andy, head coach of ireland, is unimpressed with how the case has been handled. what i probably would say at this moment in time that the circus that's gone around all of this is absolutely disgusting, in my opinion. disgusting. it's a huge thump coming in. the dizzying consequences of repeated head traumas is causing the sport to stop and take note. world rugby insists player welfare is its number one priority.

the former wales international alex popham was diagnosed with early onset dementia at the age of a0. that's not a good look for parents who are looking to send their kids to rugby practice and showing it's allowing things or tackles like that to go ahead. the kids are going to be watching it and they think a pro rugby player like owen farrell can get away with it, that's what they're going to do. brain injury charity headway has told the bbc the handling of farrell's case is an embarrassment for the sport. an independent committee will meet next week to decide farrell's fate. the outcome is likely to have implications notjust on england but for the sport itself. ben croucher, bbc news. anticipation continues to build ahead of sunday's women's world cup final between england and spain. the lionesses' historic 3—1 win against australia in their semi—final yesterday was the most watched game of the tournament so far, with a peak tv audience of more than seven million.

our sports editor dan roan has more from sydney. this is how it feels to be world cup finalists. england's lionesses celebrating just minutes after becoming the country's first senior team to achieve the feat since 1966. their sensational victory over co—hosts australia... it's russo! ..on an unforgettable night in sydney propelling the european champions to the sport's greatest stage after losing in the semifinals at the last two world cups. i don't think we can even put into words after the history that we have in world cups. i think, after winning the euros last year as well, all the talk before the tournament that we were missing players, we had to adapt a lot, and we've proved everyone wrong and got all the way to the final. and now, you know, we're 90 minutes away from creating history. despite being shown on a midweek morning, a uk audience of more than seven million people watched live tv coverage of the match, raising fa hopes that this can build on the legacy of the team's euros triumph last year, further

boosting the game in terms of profile and participation. it's an incredible moment for everybody in the game, everybody that's here now, but also everybody that's put in years and years and years of work. we saw from last summer the growth has been astronomical. we want to give every young girl the opportunity to play the game, but also we want to give every young talented girl the opportunity to fulfil dreams and ambitions. so we still know that we've got a lot to do. here at their tranquil beach—side training base in terrigal, england have been enjoying a rare day of relaxation after their exploits in sydney. these players have already proven themselves at major tournaments, but the significance of sunday's final will surpass anything they've experienced — this, the biggest game of their lives. meanwhile, the fa had said any approaches for england manager sarina wiegman would be rejected and said she could do anything she wanted to do in football, when pressed on whether she could want a takeover from men's

boss gareth southgate. she has built a brilliant culture, she is incredibly calm, that translates through to the players, and she's a brilliant tactician as well. opponents spain who had been based in new zealand but today trained in sydney will be supported at the final by members of the country's royal family. but it's been confirmed that fa president prince william won't be making the trip down under, the governing body denying today that they were disappointed. no, not at all, we've always known he wouldn't be able to attend, sadly, because of his diary. but he's been a brilliant supporter of the team throughout, he came to see the team before we left, and he's absolutely been sending messages of support throughout. and all england fans, whether here or watching on thousands of miles away back home, will be united in their desire to see the team deliver one more time when it matters most. dan roan, bbc news, sydney. it will be a corker. caulking whether or not?

depends on how you look at it. but a real thunderous outlook on the way. for some bats. for others, waking up to tomorrow morning. a bit of everything there, thunderstorms, sunny spells, humid, warm, too. here is thejet stream. sunny spells, humid, warm, too. here is the jet stream. multiple areas of low pressure forming and the storms are starting to develop towards the south. this is what it looks like now, here is the weather front. shower sweep into the south—west of the country during friday morning about sunshine for the lake district, for western parts of scotland. to the south we have done post. apps will struggle because areas could be large. gusty winds, torrential rain leading to some flash flooding in places. strong winds in northern parts of wales but in western and northern scotland,

sunshine, cloudy skies on the north sea coast. all sorts of weather happening there on friday, really difficult to summarise in such a short space of time. 23 in london, 19 in glasgow. now friday night, a developing area of low pressure here with the risk of gale force winds across the south—west and look at all of that rain moving northwards. that takes us into saturday. still some rain around but eventually a brighter day with sunny spells, still the risk of strong winds around some of these coasts. 21 in aberdeen, belfast, about 2k in london. sunday is looking much quieter, a decent day but a few showers in the north. that's it. more analysis of the day's top stories on newsnight, which is getting underway on bbc two. but the news continues here on bbc one, as we join our colleagues for the news where you are. bye for now.