who has died at the age of 93. just great, funny, giggly company to be with, but he took his work very seriously, and he was a fine actor on all levels, and i think he will be so, well, obviously he is so badly missed. sport now, and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. here is paul. what is going on today? perhaps unsurprisingly, we will start in birmingham. it s been nearly five years in the making, but the wait is almost over. the 2022 commonwealth games opening ceremony takes place this evening in birmingham. peaky blinders creator steven knight is producing the event, duran duran headlining. 0rganisers have given us a taster of what to expect at the alexander stadium. we are trying to tell a really big story and there is a big story to tell about this place. birmingham is an extraordinary place in the midlands, an extraordinary, pioneering place.
but across birmingham, projects like this one are benefiting from funding allocated to the host city. there s probably 8 10 cities around the uk that play it. we ve spent our money on some equipment, the facilities, our time. we re hoping to do a little tournament at the end, which will have refreshments, first aid. you know, we are trying to have a little bit of a party at the end. more than 5,000 athletes from 72 nations and territories will experience the best in brummie hospitality. world champion gymnastjoe fraser already knows it well. it s not very often you get an opportunity to do a major competition in your back garden. everyone s buying tickets, you know, everyone wants to support. but now, they re going to have the opportunity to see what i ve been doing and what i ve been grafting for my whole life. the commonwealth games is the first major in the uk since the covid pandemic. reason enough to be excited. can t remember the last time that birmingham hosted something as big