Breaking the News - Series 20
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Episode 1 - 15/10/21
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Today was the 200th show. Congratulations to all involved!
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This is our 200th show. A lot has happened since our first broadcast on 5th June 2015. Back then Brexit didn’t mean Brexit; Corona was just a beer and Furlough was something we only said when describing clouds.
A vegan food blogger from the Netherlands has won the World Porridge Making Championships. Miriam Groot, 25, who runs a blog called The Veggie Reporter, beat competitors from around the world. She submitted three entries to the competition and the third one was judged just right.
Wildlife expert Chris Packham is calling on the Royal Family to conserve nature on their estates and reintroduce animals like beavers and wild boar. The Balmoral Estate in Scotland is currently used for deer stalking and grouse shooting with very few trees and a boar hasn’t been seen there since Prince Edward last visited.
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he got through lockdown by rediscovering his love of cooking. Although he did say that it may have been better to have used a blow torch on his Crème brûlée, rather than giving it the hair dryer treatment.
A ballet dancer from the Borders village of Oxton has become principal dancer at The
Royal Swedish Ballet. Calum Lowden said he was "ecstatic" and "surprised" after being given the position; especially considering he’d applied for a role in cyber.
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Edinburgh Zoo has announced the birth of Scotland’s first porcupette or tiny baby porcupine. Small, occasionally active during daylight hours and notoriously spiky, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was delighted by the news.
Episode 2 - 22/10/21
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An ancient object thought to be the world's oldest map of the stars is to go on display at the British Museum. The Nebra Sky Disc is widely believed to be 3,600 years old, dating from the Bronze Age. Its blue-green patina is emblazoned with gold symbols representing the Sun, Moon, stars, solstices and David Attenborough’s home address.
Singer Don McLean has revealed how he cut short a gig so he could dig into a roast beef dinner in a Glasgow Hotel. The singer, who will be performing in the city again next year, is hoping for a better experience as last time they had a bevy, it got messy and the gravy was dry.
The Queen has declined a magazine's award of Oldie of the Year, saying "you are only as old as you feel". “That’s what I’ve been telling you all along” remarked an aggrieved Prince Andrew.
Round 3: People in the News – Person 2 – Brian Cox
The programme Succession has been described as a divine comedy of absolute power and dysfunction – bought to vivid life by a ferocious ensemble – or, as it used to be known, Today in Parliament.
Episode 3 - 29/10/21
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Rishi Sunak revealed his ‘pre-game routine’ before delivering the budget is to have a Twix and a can of sprite. The Chancellor was keen for others to join him in his now customary practice, so he handed out fizzy beverages to the British public before giving them two fingers.
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A new train operator says it wants to offer an alternative to cheap flights with a new London to Edinburgh service. From Thursday morning, Lumo began running on the East Coast mainline offering two services a day with fares starting from £15. Although the prices are considerably higher for those passengers wanting to travel inside the carriages.
Past chancellors would have resigned for revealing details of the budget before the official statement, the Commons Speaker has told MPs, expressing fury at the briefing of a slew of measures before they were officially announced on Wednesday. Former Speaker, John Bercow, agreed with Mr Hoyle claiming the announcements made outside of the house were bang out of Order! Order! Order!
An Italian man has pleaded guilty to all charges relating to a £26m series of burglaries that targeted the luxury homes of celebrities in west London. The man gained access to the homes by posing as a plumber and his defence team argued that he had only done so in order to search for his friend, Princess Peach.
Round 1: Headline News – Story 1 – Cop 26 & Strikes
Glasgow’s council leader, Susan Aitkin has said cleansing staff are “working round the clock” for the UN summit. And when they’ve finished that, they’ll start on the rest of the Tolbooth steeple.
Round 2: Public Opinion – Story 1 – Space Business Park
Promotional material released by the company claims the station will be a "mixed-use business park" in space and will host up to 10 people; it will include a “space hotel” and a Greggs.
Round 2: Public Opinion – Story 2 – Laughter Therapy in School
Emma Jennings, 51, a laughter yoga leader in Brighton was quoted as saying “The brilliant thing about laughter is that it doesn’t matter if you’re genuinely laughing, pretending to laugh has the same benefits.” Which explains how relaxed the audience are when they’ve finished a recording of Mrs Brown’s Boys.
Episode 4 - 05/11/21
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Sir Paul McCartney has launched a new campaign that aims to encourage people to eat less meat by partnering with The Wombles, the classic children’s TV characters originating in the 1970s. Pointy-nosed, furry and known for eating a variety of plants, fungi, and tree products, the former Beatle turns 80 next year.
An Italian villa is expected to claim the title of the world’s most expensive home when it goes to auction in January. Bidding for the Villa, in Rome, is expected to begin at £397 million. Other things you could spend £397 million on include 50+ private Caribbean islands, a fleet of Private Jets, or next year’s household heating bill in Braemar.
The Isle of Man Post Office has issued seven new stamps which chart the career of Bee Gee, Barry Gibb between 1969 and 2019. Sir Barry said to be featured on the stamps was a "wonderful surprise" and when he heard the news, he felt a light; a certain kind of light.
Ikea is to raise prices as the disruption to global supply chains is expected to last into next year. Customers are expected to voice their frustrations that the Scandinavian chain have finally figured out something easy to put up.
Round 1 – Headline News – Story Two: Nicola Sturgeon During COP26
Some pro-UK opponents have accused Sturgeon of pursuing a “divisive obsession” – a charge she denies as she doesn’t wear Calvin Klein perfume.
COP26 Special - 11/11/21 TV 12/11/21 Radio
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A new project aims to get a better idea of the number of walruses on Earth by counting them from space. Scientists need improved population data as they try to assess how this polar keystone species will be affected by climate change. A similar scheme involving Soay sheep was trialled off the west coast of Scotland’s uninhabited islands of St Kilda. Scientists were despatched in helicopters to gather the information, but not long after beginning, the counters had fallen asleep.
A Glasgow Royal Mail depot became the first Scottish site to introduce an all-electric fleet. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was at the Govan depot for the launch and welcomed the move. Royal Mail chief executive, Simon Thompson, was keen to show how the Company is striving to keep its emissions as low as it can, and said in terms of what’s possible, its teams are really pushing the envelope. This was evidenced a few moments later when they realised one of the vehicles hadn’t been plugged in.
Pupils will be recognised for their efforts to protect the environment in a new Duke of Edinburgh-style award. Proposals are currently being drawn up for the new scheme, along with potential straplines. The current front runner is, ‘Protect the environment - No sweat,’ but this will only be adopted if it becomes the Duke of York Awards.
Episode 6 - 19/11/21
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Taylor Swift made history with the release of "Red (Taylor's Version)" on Friday, breaking the record for the most-streamed album in a day by a female artist and the most-streamed female in a day ever on Spotify. It is also set to break records for the most money paid out by the streaming service as the plays should net the singer/songwriter just shy of thirty-seven pence.
Tesco’s festive TV ad featuring Santa Claus bearing a Covid vaccine passport has prompted more than 1,500 complaints. The large majority of complaints assert that the ad is coercive and encourages medical discrimination. Those in the anti-vaccination movement believe they have some sense of superiority having not been vaccinated - something that wasn’t lost on Santa who now has nearly 1500 more people on his ‘haughty list’.
Panini, the football sticker firm behind the playground craze of the 1970s and 80s, is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Bosses at the firm have thanked those well-wishers that have acknowledged the milestone by sending in cards. Although somewhat disappointingly, they have had several of the same ones and no shinies.
Round 2: Public Opinion – Story 1: Over 50% of us has lied about watching a TV Show
1,300 people took part in the poll, and a whopping 52 per cent of those admitted to pretending they had watched something when they hadn’t. The remaining 48 per cent were the more honest bunch, saying they didn’t embellish the truth when it came to what they watch on telly. Hmmm, the 48 per cent were the more honest bunch that didn’t embellish the truth… now where have I heard that before?
Episode 7 - 26/11/21
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A Scottish academic has devised a device that allows dogs to video call their owners simply by shaking a ball. The ball is fitted with an accelerometer which, when it senses movement, connects the call. A previous iteration included a rudimentary type of walkie-talkie, but this was quickly scrapped because whenever it was mentioned, the dog would fetch its lead.
Uber is making its first foray into the marijuana market, as Uber Eats users in Ontario, Canada will soon be able to order cannabis products on the app. The new app will maintain many of the original’s features, including the chance for users to rate their trip experience.
During a recent Party fundraiser, wealthy Tory doners splashed out £35,000 to feature alongside chancellor Rishi Sunak in a game of cricket and £22,000 for a karaoke session with Liz Truss. Other donors had signed up to play football with Boris Johnson, but were left disappointed when someone produced a ball.
Episode 8 - 03/12/21
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The heirs of Italian fashion house Gucci have criticised a new film for allegedly depicting members of the family as "hooligans". The misunderstanding may stem from something being misheard and they are adamant they were actually saying that the person wearing black was a banker.
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Walt Disney has elected a woman to become its chairman for the first time in the entertainment giant's 98-year history. Although some people are somewhat sceptical as former chairman, Bob Iger, was recently seen buying a spotty dress and hair bow.
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Story 2: Indy Ref 2 – The Campaign for a second Scottish Independence Referendum will be relaunched in Spring
After the SNP leader said that the election of Boris Johnson to Downing Street demonstrated the UK was “not a secure foundation on which Scotland can build a better future,” some people think the bridge between the two has been completely burned. Which will make a nice change for Mr Johnson, as they are usually cancelled.
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Episode 9 - 10/12/21
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The number of Omicron Covid cases in Scotland has risen and a concert by the pop band Steps at Glasgow's Hydro venue has been cited as one possible link. It’s not yet known exactly how many cases can be attributed to the gig, but it could be anything from 5, 6, 7, 8.
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A giant Christmas jumper has been created for a Tyrannosaurus Rex at London's Natural History Museum. The animatronic T.rex is sporting the festive knit, which has been made by a family-run firm in Leicester. Visitors to the attraction shouldn’t be scared by the giant dinosaur, as it’s essentially armless.
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Episode 10 - 17/12/21
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Elon Musk has been named Time magazine's 2021 Person of the Year. The Tesla CEO saw his company's market value soar to more than $1 trillion this year. Asked to comment on the award win, Mr Musk said that he was over the moon, so could he call them back later.
The 2024 Paris Olympics will break with tradition and hold the opening ceremony along the River Seine, with crowds of more than 600,000 expected. Something similar was trialled in Venice and was going perfectly, as people were happily cheering from the bridges and side streets, until they approached one bridge, and the mood suddenly changed.
A number of public artworks in the shape of pine cones have disappeared from the Gorbals in Glasgow. Police discovered nine of the 2ft (0.6m) copper bollards were missing after two were reported stolen. Officers are reviewing CCTV footage from the area and have told people to be on the lookout for giant squirrels.
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An album made up entirely of the squawks and tweets of endangered Australian birds has debuted in the top five of the country's Aria music charts. An impressive feat, as we knew they were musical, but who knew they could type.