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    England and Man City ace Raheem Sterling to guest edit BBC Radio 4’s Today programme

    ENGLAND and Man City footie ace Raheem Sterling is to guest edit BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.The flying winger, made an MBE this summer for his racial equality work, is one of seven personalities to take over the show in the week after Christmas.
    England and Man City footie ace Raheem Sterling is to guest edit BBC Radio 4’s Today programmeCredit: Getty
    Raheem, 26, is expected to dedicate his edition to subjects he is passionate about, including helping disadvantaged youngsters.
    Today editor Owenna Griffiths said: “Each year the guest editors bring novel ideas, surprising perspectives and, on occasion, a little sparkle to the programme.
    “This year is no exception and I’m thrilled these guests have agreed to spend time with us to help illuminate and make sense of the world we live in”.
    The flagship news and current affairs programme has been running for 64 years.
    Previous guest editors have included actress Angelina Jolie, Prof Stephen Hawking and teenage climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg.
    Sterling’s show will air between December 27 and January 3.
    Last week, the Sky Blues star launched a foundation to aid education and social mobility for youngsters in Britain and Jamaica.

    Raheem, 26, is expected to dedicate his edition to subjects he is passionate about, including helping disadvantaged youngsters
    The flagship news and current affairs programme has been running for 64 years
    Raheem Sterling announced as newest ambassador for mental wellness app Headspace
    We pay for your stories!Do you have a story for The Sun news desk? More

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    Singer Sam Fender admits ‘I’m really hungover’ as he appears on BBC Breakfast in his Newcastle tracksuit

    SINGER Sam Fender enjoyed a bonkers album launch and Newcastle takeover double party on Thursday night.And then the diehard Toon fan had viewers in hysterics after admitting ‘I’m really hungover’ as he appeared on BBC Breakfast.
    Sam Fender appeared on BBC Breakfast ‘really, really hungover’Credit: BBC
    He was at St James’ Park to celebrate the takeover and the end of Mike AshleyCredit: Instagram / @sam_fender
    Johnny Davis, Fender’s saxophonist, got up on a statue to play at the stadiumCredit: Instagram / @sam_fender
    Fender’s new record Seventeen Going Under came out at midnight on Friday morning.
    But that was just hours after his beloved Magpies confirmed Mike Ashley’s 14-year tenure as owner was over.
    The Sports Direct tycoon sold the club to a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium for £300million.
    And after recording for Jools Holland, Fender, his band and management headed to St James’ Park to join in the celebrations.
    His saxophonist Johnny ‘Blue Hat’ Davis got up on one of the statues and serenaded the gathered thousands as the team enjoyed plenty of free beers from his local fans before heading to The Strawberry pub right next to the stadium.
    With the album dropping at midnight, Fender was already booked for a TV interview on BBC Breakfast to plug it.

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    So the squad were driven back to Manchester late last night, with Fender FaceTiming Toon hero Alan Shearer on the way.
    And he somehow managed to get in front of the cameras by 9am – albeit slightly worse for wear.
    Still wearing his retro tracksuit top, Fender said: “My saxophone player Johnny got on the statue and started playing Local Hero and 5,000 Geordies just started singing along because Ashley is out.
    “Everyone I’ve seen, I did about a thousand selfies, proper mobbed.
    “Everyone was absolutely class and they gave us a lot of cans and I’m really hungover… I’m really, really hungover.
    “But these things happen don’t they.”
    The presenter replied: “Appreciate your honesty on that, Sam,” before asking if this ‘feels like a massive moment for the club’.
    Fender quipped: “Yeah, I feel like I’m on talkSPORT!”
    But he had the presence of mind to recognise the significant human rights issues arising from the Saudi takeover.
    The 27-year-old added: “It’s obviously quite a contentious situation.
    “But I’m really happy for the fans, the city and what could come of it, economically, for our town.
    “It’s a bittersweet moment – we are chuffed but there is a lot of stuff in question that we probably need some transparency on.”
    ‘AUTHENTICALLY GEORDIE’
    Asked finally if he is feeling alright, he managed to get out: “Aye, we’re good. All good. I’m good.”
    The Beeb also had to apologise after he said ‘c**p’ live on air.
    And fans watching on at home were loving the interview.
    Newcastle duo Ant and Dec tweeted: “Brilliant!! Good lad. @samfendermusic On the telly in his Toon tracksuit.”
    Niall Horan commented: “Go on Sammy Fender.”
    One said: “I’m surprised Fender even made it given the scenes on his Instagram last night.”
    Another replied: “Sam Fender live on BBC Breakfast sat in his NUFC jumper, hungover, necking the water at every opportunity, after a night on the lash in Newcastle belting out Local Hero with thousands of NUFC fans. Amazing.”
    A third added: “Absolutely crying and loving the Sam Fender interview on BBC Breakfast – understandable that he’s hungover after the Newcastle takeover.”
    One wrote: “Thoughts and prayers to Sam Fender who, after the NUFC takeover, spent the night caning it in the Strawberry before his big BBC interview on today’s album launch. The most authentically Geordie hangover I can possibly imagine.”
    And a final user cleverly joked: “Looks like he’s been on a three-day Fender.”
    They ended up in The Strawberry pub next to the ground before the long drive to Manchester
    Ant and Dec cheered on their fellow Magpies fan on the telly
    The presenters had to apologise after he said ‘c**p’ just after 9amCredit: BBC
    The new album Seventeen Going Under dropped at midnightCredit: Getty More

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    BBC face losing London Marathon TV coverage after 40 YEARS as race director holds talks with rival channels

    THE BBC could lose the rights to broadcast the London Marathon after four decades of coverage.New contract terms have yet to be agreed for next year between marathon bosses and the TV channel, who have televised the event live since its inception in 1981.
    London Marathon race director Hugh Brasher is in talks over a new TV dealCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    The existing deal was signed in 2018 but will expire after Sunday’s race along the streets of London.
    It comes after the corporation chose not to extend its £3million deal with UK Athletics for live track-and-field events.
    The BBC was also outbid by Channel 4 this month for shared coverage with Amazon Prime for the final of the US Open which saw qualifier Emma Raducanu crowned a major champion.
    Race director Hugh Brasher expects a decision to be made by the end of this year and he said: “This is one of the crown jewels of British sport.
    “There is the FA Cup, there is the Grand National, the Boat Race, Wimbledon tennis, and the London Marathon.
    “All the other events have been around for over 150 years. The London Marathon is 40 years.

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    “It’s incredible what we’ve become in that time, and we do not take that in any way lightly.
    “It is fair to say we are talking to other terrestrial broadcasters. It is likely an announcement will be made this year.
    “What has been proven is that it inspires people because it’s accessible to everybody. And the more that people can see that – that is why it is so important this event is seen on terrestrial TV.
    “We’ve had the most amazing partnership with the BBC. In 2020 the London Marathon was up for a BAFTA, eight-and-a-half hours of coverage from around the world.
    “We want that incredible coverage to continue. And it will continue. We have a duty as an organiser to make sure it does.”
    More than 40,000 runners will take to the streets of London and about 40,000 will cover 26.2miles remotely on their own course, making it the biggest marathon race in history.
    85 year old Eileen Noble braves torrential rain to become oldest woman to complete 2020 London Marathon More

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    BBC and ITV announce heavyweight line-ups for England’s Euro 2020 final against Italy – but which one will you watch?

    THE BBC and ITV line-ups are out for Sunday’s Euro 2020 final and the heavyweight stars have secured their starting spots in the team.England take on Italy at Wembley with an 8pm kick-off at the home of football.
    Gary Lineker will present coverage of England’s first major final for 55 years on BBC OneCredit: Reuters
    Ex-Arsenal pair Ian Wright and Lee Dixon will be together for ITV – with the former defender co-commentatingCredit: ITV
    And both broadcasters will have live coverage of the Three Lions’ biggest match in 55 years on terrestrial telly.
    For the Beeb, Gary Lineker is in the host’s chair with fellow legends Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard providing punditry.
    The commentary team is the first-choice pairing of Guy Mowbray supported by Jermaine Jenas.
    Gabby Logan will be the pitchside reporter with Alex Scott and Jurgen Klinsmann while Kelly Somers will conduct the interviews.
    The programme starts on BBC One and the iPlayer at 6.20pm with 100 minutes of pre-match build-up.
    ITV start their show ten minutes later as blockbuster trio Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Gary Neville join Mark Pougatch in the Wembley studio.
    Sam Matterface and Lee Dixon will call the game with the microphones from the gantry – with added in-game insight from Neville and Emma Hayes.
    Seema Jaswal fulfils the Logan role on ITV as Hayes and Ashley Cole give their thoughts before kick-off.

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    How the top pundits of the two channels stack up against each other

    The BBC had England’s Euros opener against Croatia before ITV showed the games against Scotland and Czech Republic.
    Lineker and Co had the rights for the wins over Germany and Ukraine with more than 50million views across the two matches.
    But it was the Pougatch party on Wednesday as a record-breaking 27.6m tuned in for the Denmark semi-final, with Harry Kane’s extra-time rebound securing the Three Lions’ spot in the final.
    ⚽Get ALL of the latest England news and updates from Euro 2020
    Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand will be in the studio with Jurgen Klinsmann offering insight pitchsideCredit: pixel8000
    England fans will be hoping for more scenes like this – regardless of whether they choose BBC r ITVCredit: Getty

    Watch BBC studio go wild and Rio Ferdinand jump with joy with Gary Lineker after England’s win over Germany at Euro 2020 More

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    England’s thumping Euro 2020 victory over Ukraine watched by more than 20 million people on BBC in new 2021 TV record

    A RECORD-BREAKING 20.9million tuned in to BBC One to watch England’s 4-0 thumping of Ukraine.That means the Euro 2020 quarter-final is the UK’s new most-watched TV show of 2021.
    More than 20million tuned in to watch England dispatch Ukraine in the Euro 2020 quarter-finalsCredit: The Sun
    Gary Lineker was on presenting duties for the Match of the Day programmeCredit: BBC
    The 20.9m peak pips the 20.6m from Tuesday – when the Three Lions booked their spot in the last eight by beating Germany.
    And the figure means the BBC One broadcast had a whopping 81.8 per cent share of the audience on Saturday evening.
    On top of that, a further 5.2m live streams of the drama in Rome were watched through the BBC Sport website and the iPlayer.
    That took the overall viewing number to around 26.1m.
    The Beeb confirmed the average for the Ukraine win was 19.8m over the course of the 90-minute goal-fest.
    But that was still some way off the near 25million who watched England lose to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-final.
    Harry Kane scored twice in Rome with Harry Maguire heading home emphatically before Jordan Henderson wrapped up the scoring with his first England goal.
    Gary Lineker was joined in the Match of the Day studio by fellow Three Lions greats Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand, with the quartet coming in for plenty of praise for their coverage.
    Host Lineker wrote on Twitter: “I sense this record will be beaten again soon.”

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    How the top pundits of the two channels stack up against each other

    ITV have the broadcast rights for Wednesday’s semi-final at Wembley with the likes of Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright on punditry duties.
    In magnanimous fashion, Lineker added: “It’s time to pass the baton to @itvfootball. Good luck to @markpougatch and the team.
    “I’m sure you’ll do your customary excellent job. Take us to the final.”
    The BBC will show the first semi-final as Spain take on Italy on Tuesday.
    Harry Maguire thumped in a bullet header to make it 2-0 just after half-timeCredit: AP
    Jordan Henderson grabbed his first England goal when he headed in from a cornerCredit: AP

    Inside Kate Ferdinand’s incredible England football viewing party with massive screen More

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    England’s epic Euro 2020 win vs Germany watched by more than 27m people on BBC to make it most-viewed show of the year

    ENGLAND’S sensational Euro 2020 win over Germany is the most-watched TV show of the year.A staggering 20million tuned in to catch the famous victory with a further 6.5m live streams online taking the total viewing figure beyond 27m.
    More than 27million people tuned in to watch England beat Germany on TuesdayCredit: Getty
    BBC One showed the game live with Gary Lineker joined by Alan Shearer, Jurgen Klinsmann and Rio Ferdinand at WembleyCredit: pixel8000
    Fans across the nation got in front of the screen to witness Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane fire the Three Lions past the old enemy and into the last eight.
    Millions more were crammed into fan parks and pubs with a further 45,000 inside the stadium.
    A peak audience of 20.6m for BBC One’s live coverage means the Beeb overtake ITV for the UK No1 in 2021.
    The BBC held the record when 11.6m watched England vs Croatia but ITV smashed that figure with 18.4m catching the 0-0 draw with Scotland.
    And with the BBC showing Saturday night’s quarter-final against Ukraine in Rome, the public broadcaster will be confident of breaking the viewing figures once again.
    There is a chance of topping the 27.5m who dialled in for England’s 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia, the biggest TV audience since the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.
    Match of the Day host Gary Lineker was in the presenter’s seat on Tuesday evening alongside pundits Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand and Jurgen Klinsmann.
    The English trio went bananas when Sterling tucked in to put England in front at Wembley while German legend Klinsmann showed his class, taking the defeat in magnanimous manner.

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    More viewing data has just been received and the BBC can confirm that a massive 6.5m live streams were received across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online. A new BBC iPlayer live viewing record has also been set after the match received 5.6m streams. All adds up to 27 million + 🤯— Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) June 30, 2021

    The English pundits went crazy when Raheem Sterling fired the Three Lions in front
    How the top pundits of the two channels stack up against each other

    Lineker revealed the online numbers with the 6.5m iPlayer streams another new record.
    He tweeted: “More viewing data has just been received and the BBC can confirm that a massive 6.5m live streams were received across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online.
    “A new BBC iPlayer live viewing record has also been set after the match received 5.6m streams. All adds up to 27 million+.”
    Before yesterday’s brilliant scenes at Wembley, the BBC had just one of the seven most-watches games of the tournament as ITV bossed the numbers.
    Mark Pougatch and Co’s matches included England vs Czech Republic (14.6m), Belgium vs Portugal (10m) and Italy vs Wales (10m).
    And ITV also bagged all 14 goals of Monday’s footballing bonanza as Spain beat Croatia 5-3 and Switzerland knocked France out on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
    Harry Kane headed in England’s second goal to ease the nerves for the final five minutesCredit: AFP
    There were scenes like this one at Boxpark Croydon across the countryCredit: PA
    A further 45,000 were inside Wembley to catch the drama liveCredit: Reuters

    Watch BBC studio go wild and Rio Ferdinand jump with joy with Gary Lineker after England’s win over Germany at Euro 2020 More

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    ITV beating BBC with six of top seven Euro 2020 audiences as tens of millions tune in for England games

    ITV are beating BBC in the battle of the Euro 2020 broadcasters with a staggering SIX of the top seven most-watched games.Incredibly, just ONE game shown on the Beeb – England’s tournament opener against Croatia – breaks into the top seven in terms of largest peak audiences.
    ITV boast six of the top seven audiences at Euro 2020 thanks to showing two England group gamesCredit: AP
    The 1-0 victory saw 11.6million viewers tune in – the third-highest on the list.
    But that figure pales in comparison to England’s 0-0 draw with Scotland which saw a whopping 19.9m fans turn over to ITV.
    England’s 1-0 win over Czech Republic saw a peak audience of 14.6m viewers – good for No2 on the list.
    And Monday night’s penalty-shootout thriller between France and Switzerland on ITV ranks No4 with 11.3m – just 300,000 fewer than England’s win over Croatia.
    Belgium’s last 16 win over Portugal – also on ITV – completes the top five, with 10.5m fans tuning in.
    ITV also saw the sixth and seventh-highest viewerships on the list, with 10m for Italy vs Wales and 9.5m for France vs Germany respectively.
    Overall, ITV are averaging 5m viewers per game, with the BBC marginally trailing on 4.6m.
    The BBC also trail their rivals in the excitement stakes, with 75 of the tournament’s 118 goals shown on ITV.

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    SEVEN MOST-WATCHED EURO 2020 GAMES
    England vs Scotland – 19.9m (ITV)
    England vs Czech Republic – 14.6m (ITV)
    England vs Croatia – 11.6m (BBC)
    France vs Switzerland – 11.3m (ITV)
    Belgium vs Portugal – 10.5m (ITV)
    Italy vs Wales – 10m (ITV)
    France vs Germany – 9.5m (ITV)

    Among them ITV had all 14 goals from Monday evening’s thrilling double-header – Spain’s 5-3 extra-time win over Croatia and the 3-3 draw between France and Switzerland, won by the Swiss on penalties.
    BBC are likely to crack the top five, if not push the ITV’s England vs Scotland game on Tuesday night as the Three Lions face Germany.
    Gareth Southgate’s men continue their quest for a first tournament win since the 1966 World Cup with the draw now wide open.
    With Holland out of the running, England’s route to the final – should they beat Germany – looks considerably easier.
    The Three Lions would face one of Ukraine or Sweden in the quarter-finals and either Denmark or Czech Republic in the semis.
    And with France and Portugal – winners of the last two major tournaments – now out of the running, their toughest potential opponents in the final look to be Belgium and Spain.
    ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
    England fans gather ahead of massive Euro 2020 match against Germany More

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    Bungling BBC tried to book World Cup hero Gordon Banks for a show even though he died two years ago

    THE BBC scored an own-goal by trying to book 1966 World Cup hero Gordon Banks for a show — even though he died two years ago.An assistant producer asked an agent if the goalkeeping legend could advise children’s TV presenters for a “fun penalty shootout”.
    The BBC wanted to book World Cup winner Gordon Banks for an appearanceCredit: Gerry Cranham
    But Banks died aged 81 in February 2019.
    The staffer, who we are not naming, wrote in an email: “We are really keen to check Gordon’s availability.
    “We thought he would be a great fit. Would you mind letting me know if Gordon is potentially available?”
    Gordon’s 1966 England team-mate George Cohen said: “The BBC need to up their game.”
    The BBC have issued an apology for their errorCredit: Daily Mirror
    And Tory MP Pauline Latham added: “It would only take basic research.”
    Gordon was wanted to give tips to hosts Joe Tasker and Harpz Kaur for the CBBC show Saturday Mash Up!
    Joe Tasker and Harpz Kaur present Saturday Mash Up

    The BBC said: “We are sorry if this caused upset.”
    Stoke and Leicester ace Banks played in every game of the World Cup triumph and is famed for an incredible save against Pele in the 1970 tournament.
    In 1972 a car crash blinded his right eye.
    Gordon Banks pulls off the ‘Save of the Century’ from a Pele header at the 1970 World Cup finals More