´óÏó´«Ã½

Here is what is coming up on Thursday's programme:

How much of a danger to the economy is high frequency trading? Ultra-fast trading is now thought to account for over 60 percent of trades on the US stock market and over a quarter of trades in the UK. The Treasury has commissioned an investigation into it amid concerns over "flash crashes". And ahead of a report by US regulators into a crash on the Dow Jones that saw the index fall by 700 points in minutes, we'll consider how significantly this kind of trading impacts the stability of financial markets.

Richard Watson will be investigating claims made by Baroness Warsi that the Conservatives lost "at least three seats" at the general election because of electoral fraud. Labour have called the allegations "unsubstantiated" and urged Lady Warsi to produce evidence. The Electoral Commission said police would need to investigate any claims.

And we have a beautiful film in which Tim Whewell follows a former British civil servant as he returns to the part of Nigeria he was responsible for at the time of independence 50 years ago. John Smith - one of the few surviving members of the last generation of British colonial officers who ruled the country before independence in 1960 - describes what his life was like looking after 1,000 square miles of the country. Read more about that here.

Do join Kirsty at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what we're planning for tonight:

David Miliband has announced he is to quit frontline politics after being pipped to Labour's leadership by his younger brother. The former foreign secretary has said he is not putting himself forward for a place in the shadow cabinet because it is the right decision for him, his family and for Labour.

Political editor Michael Crick will asking what this means for Ed Miliband, and looking at David Miliband's life in politics. We'll have reaction to the news from a senior Labour politician.

Meanwhile, Jeremy has been speaking to Ed Miliband about who he is, and what he stands for. Does he believe in God for instance?

Plus we'll be asking our focus group of ex-Labour voters what they feel about having the younger Miliband at the party's helm.

Also in the programme, veteran US investigative journalist Bob Woodward - of Watergate fame - will be speaking exclusively to Gavin about the contents of his new book, Obama's Wars, which depicts a US administration deeply divided over strategy in Afghanistan.

We'll also have a report from Science Editor Susan Watts on Dr Robert Trossel, who has been struck off by the GMC following a Newsnight investigation into his controversial stem cell treatments.

Join Jeremy and Gavin tonight at 2230 BST on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what we're planning for tonight's programme:

Ed Miliband delivered his maiden speech to the Labour party conference in Manchester earlier, telling delegates "I am ready to lead" and that a new generation was in charge of Labour with "different attitudes, different ideas, different ways of doing politics".

He concluded his speech saying: "We are the optimists and together we will change Britain."

Jeremy is in Manchester for us tonight with an audience of Labour members who'll give their views on the day's events.

David Grossman will give us his assessment of Ed's wide-ranging speech - did he manage to reassure those who think the wrong brother won the leadership contest?

And our Political editor Michael Crick will give us his analysis of where the Labour Party is now, nearly five months on from its election defeat .

Then back in London Gavin will be speaking to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, about his new book - a collection of essays that looks at how we build a new social and economic model out of the ashes of the financial crisis.

All this and more at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what we're planning for later:

David Miliband today issued a rallying call to the Labour conference, saying the party now had a "great leader" in his younger brother Ed. David - who was long considered favourite for the top job - insisted he would "be fine" after being beaten by just over 1% of the votes in the leadership battle.

So, ahead of Ed Miliband's keynote speech tomorrow, we'll be hosting a Labour Party conference special in Manchester with an audience of delegates.

Political editor Michael Crick will be assessing the mood of the conference, wondering what David Miliband is going to do, and how the shadow cabinet will shape up. David Grossman will be reporting on the party's strategy for cutting the deficit, and whether there will be a change of tack.

We'll be speaking to Unite's Tony Woodley, Spectator political editor Fraser Nelson and columnist Jenni Russell, among others.

Meanwhile, cult Taiwanese animators Apple Daily will be bringing us their take on the Labour leadership race.

Join Jeremy at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's Stephanie Flanders with news of what is coming up on Friday's programme:

The threat level to Great Britain from Irish-related terrorism has been raised from moderate to substantial. Home Secretary Theresa May said it meant an attack was a "strong possibility". It was the first time this threat level had been published, the Home Office confirmed. Tonight Liz Mackean investigates what's happened to prompt the raising of the threat level and we hope to speak to senior politicians and terror experts.

Then, on the day that Oliver Stone's sequel to Wall Street comes out in the US, we'll be considering the future of capitalism. In the film Gordon Gekko is back, only this time he feels bad about being so greedy. As we know the real life Gekkos have not had the same change of heart.

The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, was rather rude about bankers and capitalism generally in his speech to the Liberal Democrat conference earlier this week, but he's not the only one. Has the global financial crisis landed a mortal blow to the capitalist system? Ha-Joon Chang has written a provocative book claiming it has. Anatole Kaletsky thinks capitalism is poised to enjoy it's finest hour. We'll have both of them in the studio to debate.

And it's a night of firsts on Newsnight tonight. Not only am I getting my first turn in the presenter's chair, but Stephen Smith has the programme's first ever interview with Ken Dodd, "the comedian whose theme tune is happiness". I'll leave you to guess which of us will be using the word tottiflorious.

It's been a while since the master of the tickling stick appeared on television. Programme makers don't call him any more, and partly for that reason, he doesn't give interviews. But at 82, Ken Dodd is still packing them in at theatres up and down the country. He also, it turns out, watches Newsnight. He agreed to the interview because he thought we "needed a lesson in optimism". Prepare to be tickled. .

Join me at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's Emily with news of Thursday's Newsnight:

Things you never knew about a Miliband brother #4672...

Ed Miliband could do a Rubik's cube in one minute 20 seconds with just one hand when he was small. I can say that safe in the knowledge that voting for the Labour leadership is now closed and I will thus not be in danger of swaying votes amongst Rubik's devotees.

Tomorrow: David Miliband, Connect4 genius. We'll keep you posted.

Tonight, Michael Crick will be looking at the upbringing the Miliband brothers had - the legacy their father - radical Marxist Ralph Miliband - left upon them. And how their mother, Marion, another left-wing socialist, may actually have been the greater influence. To mangle a quote, to see one son enter mainstream politics could be considered a misfortune. To see two could seem like carelessness. .

Also this evening we'll be asking if councils could chose to outsource all their services - slashing their budgets and sacking thousands to meet the cuts required. Suffolk County Council will be the first to try it out, a council near you may quickly follow.

Mark Urban will have the latest from the UN as Obama and Ahmedinejad take to the stage.

And Tim Whewell will be looking at allegations of torture against a British citizen by the Bahraini government - his wife tells Newsnight that the Foreign Office could have done more to get him out.

Do join me at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Emily

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From earlier:

The Kremlin this week formally banned the sale of S-300 air defence missile systems to Iran, three months after new UN sanctions against the country.

So, as US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad both take to the podium today to address the UN General Assembly, we'll be taking a look at what appears to be mounting pressure on the Iranian government over its nuclear programme.

Also, with the new Labour leader set to be announced on Saturday, Newsnight Political editor Michael Crick will be looking at the influence Marxist academic Ralph Miliband had on his sons and leadership hopefuls, David and Ed.

Plus, we'll be asking whether moves by the Conservative-controlled Suffolk County Council to cut costs by 30% and outsource much of its services could become a new model of local government.

Further details later.

Pakistan has had a tough summer. First there were the devastating floods - the worst for nearly a century - which swept entire villages away and killed hundreds. Then there were those comments from David Cameron, who warned that Pakistan should avoid links with groups that "promote the export of terror". Then, on top of that, came the betting scam allegations against some of the country's cricketers.

So, on the final day of Pakistan's cricket tour of Britain, we'll be discussing whether the last few months' events have damaged the country's reputation, and what the effect they have had on Pakistan's relations with Britain.

We also have a powerful film from Peter Marshall on Briton Linda Carty, who is awaiting execution on death row in Texas. He speaks to the St Kitts-born grandmother and investigates why campaigners believe her 2002 trial was flawed. Read more about the story .

And, on the day equalities minister Lynne Featherstone delivered a keynote speech to the Lib Dem conference, Jacqui Long will be asking leading women - including editor of the Lady Rachel Johnson and writer and campaigner Natasha Walter - about what issues need to be tackled. We also hope to speak to Ms Featherstone about her plans.

Join Jeremy tonight at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what we are planning for tonight:

The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, has suggested that a tax on bankers' pay and profits could be introduced if banks continue to pay huge bonuses to their staff. Both he and Nick Clegg - the two most senior Liberal Democrats in the cabinet - have said the payments are offensive to taxpayers who bailed out the banking system.

Our Political editor Michael Crick will be bringing us the latest from Liverpool later, and Kirsty will be speaking live to Cabinet Minister Chris Huhne. (And you can pit your knowledge of the Lib Dems against Michael by playing the first of his )

Then our Diplomatic editor Mark Urban will be considering why there is an arms race going on in the Arab Gulf States. Is it because of the possibility of an Iranian nuclear threat, or the imminent withdrawal of US troops from Iraq?

And we'll be marking International Day of Peace with the founder of the Peace One Day movement Jeremy Gilley. We'll ask him how practical the idea is of one day a year free of conflict and what impact it can have.

Do join Kirsty and Jeremy at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's news of what's coming up in tonight's programme...

Kirsty Wark writes:
Liverpool is looking lovely. Tate Liverpool is across the dock - but the journalists of every species awaiting the deputy prime minister's big speech this afternoon here at the Liberal Democrat conference have been parked in a cavernous compound in the Echo Arena - consigned to the gloom and lit dimly only by their computer screens.

The Liberal Democrats on the other hand are all bright and expectant.

So what will Nick Clegg have in store in an address in which he's to argue it is better to be in half-power after more than half a century, than shouting from a distance? As if to emphasise his point, Nick Clegg will be dashing off tomorrow morning to attend the UN.

Tonight we'll have rapid and in depth reaction to the speech, and will be asking the Business Secretary Vince Cable about current policy issues and about the long range. If Nick Clegg, as expected, rules out an electoral pact - assuming the coalition lasts the five years - what will they be fighting over on the first morning of the election campaign?

From the web team in London:

Also in Liverpool tonight - and surely not to be missed - our Political editor Michael Crick will be unveiling Newsnight's 2010 party conference game (remember from last year? And from 2008?).

Later, our Diplomatic editor Mark Urban will be talking us through the handover of security in the Sangin district of Helmand from British to US forces, marking the end of their four-year mission in the area.

Is it a tactical withdrawal? Jeremy Paxman will be joined by representatives from the military and academia to debate if we're being bailed out by the US military.

And our Science editor Susan Watts will be considering how much we really need to worry about Nasa's solar flare warning and the possibility of all the lights going out.

Susan's been to visit a mobile satellite company and will be speaking to the European Space Agency.

Join us at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what we're planning for tonight's programme:

In a day steeped in religious symbolism, Pope Benedict XVI this afternoon became the first pontiff to step foot inside Lambeth Palace, where he met the Archbishop of Canterbury - the leader of the Anglican Church - on his own turf. And, in what is seen by many as another symbolic act of unity between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, the Pope will head to the Anglican Westminster Abbey later, where he and Dr Rowan Williams are due to give a joint blessing from the High Altar.

We'll be discussing the significance of today's events on the programme and asking what they say about the current ecumenical relationship.

We'll also have the latest on the arrest by counter-terrorism officers of five men, all street cleaners, on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack during pontiff's trip.

But before all that, we'll have an exclusive story from Richard Watson on party political funding. Find out more by watching later.

Join Gavin at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

"It's marvellous to know," remarked Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie at the papal reception in Holyrood, "that humour is alive and well in the Royal Family".

It was in response to the Duke of Edinburgh who, she later revealed, had asked her if she wore tartan knickers, one of the less choreographed exchanges of the day's events.

The day, as it happened, was bathed in sunlight and mellifluous harmony as crowds turned out to line parks in Glasgow and Edinburgh for the pontiff's visit. It was also the day that a minister asserted the new government would "defend people of faith" or, "dare I say" she added, "do God".

Is Baroness Warsi right to assert people of faith are more likely to do more for their communities? The humanists don't think so. We'll be talking to her tonight. And we'll be hearing Steve Smith's latest thoughts on Big Society

After the EU justice commissioner accused France of thinking the unthinkable in its expulsion of the Roma people we compare the fortunes of Roma here in Britain.

And Bernhard Schlink - author of best-selling novel The Reader (which became an Oscar-winning movie) - talks to us about guilt, forgiveness and what the Pope should do about wrongdoing within his own Church.

Join me, Emily, at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

From earlier:

Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in Britain saying he wants to "extend the hand of friendship" to the whole of the UK during his state visit. We will have the latest on the pontiff's trip - and will be assessing the reception he has so far received.

Meanwhile, we'll be reflecting on Baroness Warsi's speech to Church of England Bishops in Oxford last night in which she confirmed the coalition government "does God" - and described how she wanted church leaders to play a greater role in local communities.

The Conservative party chairman said the coalition would have a very different approach to Labour - referring to Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alistair Campbell's now famous quote which stated "we don't do God".

We'll also have the latest on Stephen Smith's project in Hastings, where he has taken over a roundabout to test the government's idea of a "big society". This week he will be reporting on the battle to cut red tape.

Here's what is coming up on tonight's programme:

The public sector is bracing itself ahead of the impending cuts expected to be announced by the coalition government in its Comprehensive Spending Review next month.

There are dire warnings from some about the consequences for the public services. But is it just special pleading by vested interests?

Tonight we hope to bring together representatives from across the public sector and a Treasury minister.

Ahead of the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI on these shores tomorrow, Jackie Long will be asking what British Catholics think about their church and its leader. The Archbishop of Birmingham - who'll be hosting the Papal Mass and the beatification of Cardinal Newman - will join us live.

Nine Iraqi soldiers were killed and six injured by a roadside bomb on the outskirts of Mosul today - just weeks after the US military ended its major combat role there. Iraq remains without a new government, months after the elections.

Tonight Kirsty Wark will be speaking to the former Prime Minister, Ayad Allawi, who leads the largest party in the Iraqi Parliament, about whether the military handover was premature and if - in fact - it was a good idea at all while there is a political vacuum in Iraq being filled by insurgency.

And following the discovery of lost TV footage from the 1950s and 60s featuring actors including Sir Sean Connery and Dame Maggie Smith, we'll be taking a rummage through the British Film Institute archives to try to work out if any of it is actually any good.

Join Kirsty at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what we're planning for tonight's programme:

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, has brushed off concerns that there may be a lack of interest in the Pope's visit. The archbishop's comments came after it emerged that thousands of tickets remained unsold for events during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, due to arrive in the UK on Thursday.

So what sort of welcome will the Pope receive in Britain, and is there really a sense of indifference to the Pontiff's arrival? We'll also ask to what extent Britain may be a more secular place than it was in 1982 when Pope John Paul II made the journey from Rome.

We'll have the latest on the public inquiry into the murder of loyalist prisoner Billy Wright. The report has concluded that serious failings by the prison service, not state collusion, led to his death. We'll have exclusive footage of former Maze prisoners, including one of Wright's killers, Christopher "Crip" McWilliams, who told Newsnight back in 2000 how he believed the prison authorities had "turned a blind eye" to the murder.

We'll also have the second of Tim Whewell's powerful films on private fostering in Britain. Ten years after the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie, he finds it is still easy for a child to be brought into the UK and grow up "invisible" to the authorities.

And finally, ahead of Battle of Britain Day tomorrow - a time when many Britons reflect on the Blitz and how it shaped the nation's identity - we will be exploring what impact the allied bombing of Germany had on the German national psyche.

Do join Jeremy at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what we have planned for tonight's programme:

We have a hard-hitting investigation from Tim Whewell into private fostering in Britain. He finds that poor regulation of the practice is leaving hundreds of children, many brought into the UK from abroad, vulnerable to abuse.

We follow the journey of one young Nigerian, Tunde Jaji, now 24, who was brought to London when he was five years old to live with a woman he called his "aunt" only to discover, years later, that they were not related.

Ministers tell Newsnight that they are looking at what more can be done to increase the numbers of privately-fostered children who are known to local authorities.

Also in the programme, Political editor Michael Crick will be reporting from the TUC conference in Manchester, where delegates have backed joint industrial action should what they call the coalition's "attacks" on jobs, pensions and public services go ahead. We will be asking what this means for the Labour leadership with David Miliband, who will be joining us fresh from the party's hustings.

And Matt Prodger will be asking whether we really live in noisier times after poet Ian McMillan's public call to reduce our noise footprint, made up of such things as the tinny beat emanating from iPod headphones, the repetitive thud of road drills, or what he terms the burglar alarm's "version of house music". We'll also be speaking to Ian McMillan about why he wants us all to live a quieter life.

Do join Jeremy at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what's happening on Friday's Newsnight:

Meet the voters: As the Labour leadership contest enters its final weeks, Liz Mackean reports from Bristol where the five hopefuls - Diane Abbott, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, David Miliband and Ed Miliband - meet a Newsnight focus group of 12 former Labour voters. We may find out more about which contender has the best chance to win back this key section of the electorate. ()

We'll also have the latest on protests in parts of the Middle East and Asia in response to an American church's plan - currently on hold - to burn Korans.

And we will hear from the US journalist Ted Koppel who controversially claims that the devastating attacks of 9/11 succeeded far beyond anything Osama bin Laden could possibly have hoped for and that "over the past nine years, the United States has blundered into the 9/11 snare with one overreaction after another".

We will also hear from the former speech writer to George W Bush, David Frum, who insists that the US did not overreact.

Do join Gavin at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what we're planning for tonight:

After a compelling debate in the House of Commons today, MPs backed calls for a fresh parliamentary investigation into allegations of phone hacking by journalists.

A number of the News of the World's former employees have claimed that hacking was rife when Downing Street's communications director, Andy Coulson, was editor of the paper. He has repeatedly denied that he was aware of the practice.

In the Commons, former Labour minister Chris Bryant led the demands for the investigation, saying he believed media reports about those targeted were "only the tip of the iceberg", and Labour's Tom Watson told MPs he believed parts of the media were out of control.

"They are untouchable, they laugh at the law, they sneer at Parliament, they have the power to hurt us and they do with gusto and precision," he said.
We'll be speaking live to deputy Lib Dem leader Simon Hughes, whose phone may have been hacked, and we'll be debating the power of the media with Tom Watson and former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie.

Also, Peter Marshall will be looking ahead to Pope Benedict XVI's visit next week, and will be asking what kind of man Joseph Ratzinger is. He has had unique access to Britain's only mass for a predominantly gay congregation.

And we will be discussing the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two programme Gareth Malone's Extraordinary School for Boys, in which the choirmaster turns teacher to try to re-engage boys who don't like school. Gareth will be joined in the studio by the school's head teacher, Chris Thurgood, and the former London deputy mayor and youth worker, Ray Lewis, to discuss the project.

Do join Gavin tonight at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what we're planning for tonight:

An investigation carried out by BP has blamed a "sequence of failures involving a number of different parties" for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The oil giant has acknowledged that it was partly to blame, but concluded other companies working on the well also bore some responsibility.

We will be asking what these failures mean for the future of the oil industry.

Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, will be speaking to us about his final programme of legislation before the Holyrood elections in May - a programme that doesn't include a referendum on independence.

We also have a film from Science editor Susan Watts on the search for the elusive "theory of everything". She will be asking how far scientists have got in the quest for the ultimate answer, and speaks to Professor Stephen Hawking as well as Eels frontman Mark Everett, who talks about the contribution of his physicist father, Hugh Everett III.

And, after a small US church said it would defy international condemnation and go ahead with plans to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11, we will be asking how far should people be allowed to go in the name of freedom of speech?

Do join Jeremy at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Retirement RIP - is life after work as we know it over? . Seven out of 10 say they think it won't be feasible for people to stop work then live on a pension for two to three decades.

So, as hundreds of thousands take to the streets of France to register anger at plans to overhaul pensions and raise the retirement age to 62, Economics editor Paul Mason will be explaining why the current model for retirement is almost certainly unsustainable.

Also in tonight's special programme, Stephen Smith will be asking why our view of old age, embodied by grumpy sitcom character Victor Meldrew, has become so entrenched in our psyche. Is it time to change our clichéd understanding of what getting older means?

Back in the studio we will be speaking to a variety of guests, old and young, about their expectations of life over the age of 60 and whether the baby boomers stole the future from younger generations.

Do join Jeremy at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Here's what is coming up in tonight's programme:

Home Secretary Theresa May today told Parliament it was "right" for the police to say they would examine any new evidence in the News of the World phone hacking case and the government would "await the outcome" of any further action.

Responding to an urgent question from Labour MP Tom Watson, she said the Metropolitan Police had indicated that "if there was further evidence, they would look at it".

Matt Prodger will be bringing us the latest on the story tonight.

MPs are to begin debating plans for a referendum on changing the way MPs are elected, as the Commons resumes business after the summer recess. They will debate a bill paving the way for a referendum on 5 May 2011 on changing to an alternative vote system.

The Tories oppose AV and some say the date will affect turnouts across the UK - it coincides with devolved elections. And although Labour back the poll, they have threatened to oppose the bill over proposals to change constituency sizes.

Tonight our Political editor Michael Crick will be explaining what AV is and where it might lead.

And we have a film from Peter Marshall about Pope Benedict XVI ahead of his UK visit later this month. Will the way he deals with paedophile priests be the measure by which his papacy is judged?

As a Cardinal Ratzinger held responsibility from 2001 for investigating the sexual abuse of minors by priests, so why did inquiries into serious abuse cases involving the former Archbishop of Vienna, the late Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, and Father Marcial Maciel, the Mexican founder of the conservative order the Legionaries of Christ, run aground?

Jeremy is back in the presenter's chair - do join him at 2230 on ´óÏó´«Ã½
Two.
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From earlier:
Plans for a referendum on changing the way MPs are elected will take centre stage when the House of Commons resumes business today after the summer recess.

MPs will debating a bill paving the way for a referendum on 5 May next year on changing to an alternative vote (AV) system.

The commitment to hold a referendum on replacing the current first-past-the-post electoral system with AV was a key part of the coalition deal signed by the Conservatives and Lib Dems in May.

But many Tory MPs oppose AV and some say the date will affect turnouts across the UK as it coincides with devolved elections. And although Labour backs the referendum, it has threatened to oppose the bill over proposals to change constituency sizes.

We'll have the latest on the debate later.

We also have a film from Peter Marshall looking ahead to the Pope's UK visit later this month.

Further details to come.

Here's Emily with news of what's happening on tonight's Newsnight:

On this evening's programme we have the FAT tax, Farage and the social history of the twin bed.

FAT TAX: The acronym is dubiously convenient - it actually stands for Financial Activities Tax, and the thought has been around since the first hint of financial crisis hit, if not before.

But Newsnight has seen a document circulated by the IMF which makes clear a hefty levy on either bank profits or transactions could really work.

Will anyone - in this post-crisis age of austerity - oppose it? And would a tax actually correct 'bad behaviour'?

Or is it just a way of raising much needed cash? Ecofin will be debating the merits next week in Brussels. But we're doing it here first.

Nigel Farage has confirmed he will stand once again as UKIP's leader, after the outgoing leader, Lord Pearson, recognised with a disarming level of humility that he was 'not much good at politics'.

Tonight we ask Mr Farage what direction for UKIP now, as the party kicks off the conference season in Torbay.

And Stephen Smith - who else - gives us the cultural history of the hotel twin bed.

Join me at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Emily

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From earlier:
Ahead of an emergency meeting by EU finance ministers next week, our Economics editor Paul Mason will be looking at banks and how much they are taxed by government.

Meanwhile Stephen Smith is considering the social history of the twin-bedded room.

More details later.

Here's what we have planned for tonight's programme:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told Israeli and Palestinian leaders they have the "opportunity to end" the Middle East conflict as a new round of direct talks get under way between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

But the push for a deal comes amid fresh violence in the West Bank and Diplomatic editor Mark Urban will be asking what the two sides can really achieve with Hamas not involved. He will also be analysing what the talks mean for Mr Obama ahead of mid-term elections in November. We will be speaking to Hamas, among others, about the talks.

Back in Britain, we will have the latest on Foreign Secretary William Hague, who has received "100%" support from Downing Street following speculation about his private life. And we'll be asking whether Professor Stephen Hawking is right to conclude that there is no place for God in theories of the creation of the Universe. He had previously argued belief in a creator was not incompatible with science, but in his new book, The Grand Design, he concludes the Big Bang was simply an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics.

Finally, Gavin Esler interviews one of Israel's most celebrated authors, David Grossman, who will be talking about his new book To the End of the Land - a portrayal of modern Israeli life.

Join Gavin tonight at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

In his long-awaited memoirs, the former Prime Minister Tony Blair has described his successor Gordon Brown as "maddening" and lacking "emotional intelligence".

Documenting the pair's tumultuous relationship in his book, A Journey, Mr Blair says that while his chancellor was "capable and brilliant", he had put him under "relentless" pressure.

David Grossman will be considering what the memoirs tell us about Mr Blair's premiership as well as Blair/Brown relations, and we will be discussing the book's contents in the studio with Alastair Campbell, Lord Prescott and Chris Mullin.

Mr Blair also said today that he believes he was an "idiot" for introducing the Freedom of Information Act. He claims that FoI is not used, for the most part, by "the people", but by journalists, and argues governments, in reality, need to be able to discuss issues "with a reasonable level of confidentiality". We'll be discussing the merits of the Act in the studio with guests including the FoI campaigner Heather Brooke.

Also in the programme, we'll have news of the resignation of William Hague's special adviser, our Diplomatic editor Mark Urban is in Washington to bring us the latest on President Barack Obama's talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

And finally we'll have the first broadcast interview with the outgoing chair of Ofsted, Zenna Atkins.

Join Gavin tonight at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.