8The Weekly News, January 1, 2011. Mark’s starry-eyed with his new show

by Bill Gibb ARK THOMPSON is M praying for some clear skies to kick off the year — otherwise his new telly show is going to be a bit of a struggle! He’s spending three nights next week gazing upwards for new BBC Emilia found out she was pregnant around the show Stargazing Live. time of filming Silent Witness. And if it’s cloudy, SILENT WITNESS — it’s going to lead to so bright, will be lying BBC1, Monday, January 3, 9pm Mark and his team very close to the planet relying on plan B. Uranus. “It’s stressful doing “There’s also the astronomy TV work, peak of a meteor Mixed emotions even if it’s shower and, finally, a pre-recorded, simply partial eclipse that can because you’re so be seen. reliant on clear skies,” “We’re trying to do for Emilia with admits Mark, a two things. One is to familiar face to viewers get people just to go from his regular out and look at the appearances on The night sky — and we’re autopsy scene One Show. also trying to show them what some of the wonders are and SILENT WITNESS star Emilia Fox has told Key events enthuse them to take of the angst she felt filming a distressing “So, the prospect of the next step. autopsy scene with a child — followed by doing it live is pretty “And you don’t need the delight of finding she was about to exciting to say the lots of fancy, expensive least. telescopes. become a mum herself, writes Bill Gibb. “I have been “Yes, that might help In the opening two-parter of the new series involved in astronomy but you can see stuff that kicks off this week, A Guilty Mind, her for many years and with the naked eye, pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander struggles I’ve learned to my pain with binoculars and mentally dealing with the investigation into the that the British basic telescopes. brutal death of a young girl. weather is, at the best, “Jonathan is unreliable. “A lot of the real involved because he’s a “We’ve been making pathologists we deal with keen amateur relationship with actor sure that we have some choose not to work with astronomer with three Jeremy Gilley, and baby back-up options, or do post-mortems on telescopes, although he Rose was born in including some children because of the doesn’t really know November. pre-recorded items. effect it has on them,” how to use the things. This is now the 14th “And we also have she reveals. series of the remarkably links to some of the Popularity Hard-hitting popular Silent Witness, world’s biggest with Emilia having been a telescopes, from which “So, I’m kind of “This is taken to quite regular alongside Tom we’ll be able to get live holding his hand as it an extreme level of how it Ward and William images if it all clouds were and guiding him affects Nikki, so I tried to Gaminara, as fellow over here.” through using them, think about it as pathologists Harry The three one-hour which will obviously be someone who doesn’t Cunningham and Leo episodes on BBC2 will good for others, too.” have children — although Dalton, since 2004. be hosted by Dr Brian The programmes I quite quickly found out “Every post-mortem we Cox with Dara O Briain should bring after that episode that I do, we have a proper in the studio and Mark astronomy to a new was pregnant. expert in the room with out in the field. audience and its “In a funny way, it had And he’ll have some popularity is a thrill for a doubly hard-hitting us, otherwise the point of the show would be celebrity support in the Mark, a keen amateur. effect because of how shape of Jonathan “I’ve been The One incredibly protective you ruined,” adds Emilia. “The models and Ross. Show’s astronomy feel over a child, “We picked this time presenter for about the anyone’s child.” prosthetics can make you feel squeamish but I think of year because there past year and a half The baby joy for Emilia are three key events,” and it’s been going was especially welcome it was the little girl that I worked with on A Guilty explains Mark. down really well with as she had suffered a “Jupiter, which most viewers,” adds Mark. STARGAZING LIVE — miscarriage a few years Mind, where I had to remind myself that she people will have seen “Being able to try to BBC2, Monday, January 3, 8pm back with husband Jared enthuse five million was going to be able to in the sky with the Harris, from whom she naked eye because it’s people is fantastic.” has now split. wash all the injuries off Top, Mark and, above, hosts Dr Brian Cox and Dara O Briain. She’s now in a afterwards.” BABS’ EXTRA-SPECIAL EASTENDERS GIFT BARBARA WINDSOR was thrilled when the cast of Do you have a c o m p l a i n t EastEnders gave her the bust of Queen Victoria from the Queen Vic pub as a leaving present, writes Ron McManus. against this newspaper? “They also gave me the Peggy Mitchell licence plate from above the door of the pub. It’s lovely, I’ll treasure both of them,” If you have a complaint about the editorial content in this said Barbara. newspaper which concerns i n a c c u r a c y or i n t r u s i o n and the The bust is the original that stood on the bar of the Queen Vic article directly affects you, then write to the editor with your for 25 years. complaint. Acopy of the bust was destroyed in the recent fire plot which If you remain dissatisfied then please contact the P r e s s led to the renovations of the soap’s boozer. C o m p l a i n t s C o m m i s s i o n , a self-regulatory body established No doubt Queen Victoria would not have been amused at the to uphold a Code of Practice, agreed by the industry, for all scenes witnessed by her statue — last year, the bust was used to newspapers in the UK. The PCC will then seek to resolve murder Archie Mitchell! your complaint quickly and amicably. The bust also went on tour a few months ago as part of a BBC exhibition celebrating 25 years of EastEnders and, for many T o c o n t a c t t h e C o m m i s s i o n : visitors, the highlight of their day out was having their photograph Halton House, 20/23 Holborn, London, EC1N 2JD taken with the bust. T e l : 0 2 0 7 8 3 1 0 0 2 2 Fax: 020 7831 0025 H e l p l i n e : 0845 600 2757 Barbara has been marking 60 years in show business by www.pcc.org.uk Barbara with Boris Johnson and the Queen Vic bust. starring in the panto Dick Whittington in Bristol.