last resort", according to health secretary, sajid javid. the president of south africa pays tribute to desmond tutu as "the spiritual father of our new nation". and the archbishop's daughter also spoke movingly at his funeral... we say, thank you, daddy, for the many ways you showed us love, for the many times you challenged us, for the many times you comforted us. today is officially the hottest new year's day on record — with temperatures reaching 16.2 degrees in st james�*s park in central london. the actor, comedian and movie legend mel brooks talks to the bbc�*s alan yentob about his life. that's in half an hour, here on bbc news. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. leading figures in the uk's battle against covid 19 are among more than 1,200 people to be recognised in the new year honours list. knighthoods have been given to the uk government's chief medical advisor professor chris whitty and his deputyjonathan van—tam, as well as the chief medical officers for wales and scotland. they're joined on the honours list by a host of well—known faces — including actors and sports stars — as well as people who have made extraordinary contributions in their fields and communities. lizo mzimba reports. their faces have become familiar to the public throughout the pandemic. now the chief medical officers for england, chris whitty... if lots of people are vaccinated, that reduces the risk of transmission in the community. ...for scotland, gregor smith, and for wales, frank atherton, have all been knighted. a knighthood, too, for england's deputy chief medical officer, jonathan van—tam. # wheels on fire...# in the entertainment world, joanna lumley says she is stunned to be made a dame... patsy stone — 47. both for her acting career... i'll sue! ..and for her campaigning work. when i saw that sentence saying dbe, i burst into tears. it was the most extraordinary shock. it was such a shock, i put my head in my hands and sobbed like a baby. then i thought, "how has this happened?" "is it a mistake?" i truly was completely thrown by it. i'm thrilled to bits. broadcaster trevor phillips has been knighted in recognition of his decades—long work on equality and human rights. james bond actor daniel craig has been made a cmg, the same honour held by the fictional spy. goodbye, old friend. two of our best—known soap stars, william roache and june brown, have both become obes for services to drama and charity. hello, jim. it's me, dorothy. spice girl mel b, a patron of women's aid, has been made an mbe for her work highlighting abusive behaviour. as the world watched on, another black life gone. and diversity star ashley banjo says he is humbled and proud to become an mbe for services to dance. black lives matter. most of those being honoured are not in the public eye, people like young fundraiser tobias weller who has raised over £150,000 through a series of walking and cycling challenges. i never thought in my wildest dreams that i would get - acknowledged by the queen. i am so excited i'm actually going to get to meet her! l 11—year—old tobias, who receives a british empire medal, is thought to be the youngest ever recipient of an honour. lizo mzimba, bbc news. lianne al—khaldi, from stafford, worked with a group of 35 women across her town sewing 3,500 items of protective equipment for nhs and care workers across the west midlands. she's been awarded a british empire medal. first of all, congratulations. thank ou ve first of all, congratulations. thank you very much- — first of all, congratulations. thank you very much- it _ first of all, congratulations. thank you very much. it is _ first of all, congratulations. thank you very much. it is a _ first of all, congratulations. thank you very much. it is a wonderful i you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, _ you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, tell _ you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, tell us _ you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, tell us how- you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, tell us how this i you very much. it is a wonderful. achievement, tell us how this came about? i achievement, tell us how this came about? . ., ., achievement, tell us how this came about? . . ., ., about? i received an e-mail with a letter attached _ about? i received an e-mail with a letter attached about _ about? i received an e-mail with a letter attached about whether - about? i received an e-mail with a letter attached about whether i - letter attached about whether i would like to accept and i responded with the answer, yes, please. congratulations, that is wonderful, and the work you did to earn it was great, tell us about that.— and the work you did to earn it was great, tell us about that. there was a call out on — great, tell us about that. there was a call out on facebook _ great, tell us about that. there was a call out on facebook to _ great, tell us about that. there was a call out on facebook to a - great, tell us about that. there was a call out on facebook to a group i great, tell us about that. there was a call out on facebook to a group of people sowing, to help nhs front line workers. i thought i was going to support this really good cause and it snowballed from there. it turned into a massive, massive operation, but at the time it didn't feel as big as it now is. you operation, but at the time it didn't feel as big as it now is.— feel as big as it now is. you forget so cuickl feel as big as it now is. you forget so quickly but _ feel as big as it now is. you forget so quickly but at _ feel as big as it now is. you forget so quickly but at the _ feel as big as it now is. you forget so quickly but at the time - feel as big as it now is. you forget so quickly but at the time there i feel as big as it now is. you forget i so quickly but at the time there was a real scramble and a struggle for protective equipment and so you and your 35 others stepped up to the plate and did your bit which is wonderful. mature everyone who received it is appreciative. you weren'tjust received it is appreciative. you weren't just at received it is appreciative. you weren'tjust at home dusting of the sewing machine with nothing else to do —— i'm sure everyone who received it is appreciative. you had a lot going on so this was a big commitment.— going on so this was a big commitment. , ., ., commitment. yes, i have four children of— commitment. yes, i have four children of various _ commitment. yes, i have four children of various ages. - commitment. yes, i have four children of various ages. it - commitment. yes, i have four| children of various ages. it was commitment. yes, i have four- children of various ages. it was an interesting learning curve for everyone and i also work full time, so in the evening and in my breaks from the laptop it would be at my sewing machine, and in the garden at one point. it is sewing machine, and in the garden at one oint. , , , , ,, one point. it is deeply impressive. did ou one point. it is deeply impressive. did you get _ one point. it is deeply impressive. did you get any — one point. it is deeply impressive. did you get any feedback - one point. it is deeply impressive. did you get any feedback from - one point. it is deeply impressive. did you get any feedback from the j did you get any feedback from the people you were supplying and helping? people you were supplying and helinu ? ., , people you were supplying and helina? ., , ., ., people you were supplying and heluin? ., , ., ., , , ., helping? lots of thanks because at that oint helping? lots of thanks because at that point everyone _ helping? lots of thanks because at that point everyone was _ helping? lots of thanks because at that point everyone was in - helping? lots of thanks because at that point everyone was in need i helping? lots of thanks because at that point everyone was in need of| that point everyone was in need of protective equipment because we were in the middle of a global pandemic and so it was all very much needed and so it was all very much needed and so it was all very much needed and so a lot of thank youse and we even got some cake which was lovely. to go with it now, are you demanding that yourfamily to go with it now, are you demanding that your family treat you differently now? laughter i'm still a mother.— differently now? laughter i'm still a mother. great to have ou on. i'm still a mother. great to have you on- we _ i'm still a mother. great to have you on. we appreciate _ i'm still a mother. great to have you on. we appreciate it. - i'm still a mother. great to have you on. we appreciate it. happyj i'm still a mother. great to have - you on. we appreciate it. happy new year. you on. we appreciate it. happy new year- thank — you on. we appreciate it. happy new year. thank you. _ well, staying with the new year honours and british cycling's golden couple are now sirjason and dame laura kenny, and there were also honours for tom daley and emma raducanu, among many, many others. 0ur sports correspondent andy swiss has all the details — his report contains flashing images. after a glittering 2021, britain's sports stars are once again taking the honours, led by the ultimate golden couple. jason kenny takes the title! at the tokyo games, jason kenny powered to a record seventh 0lympic title while laura kenny raced to her fifth. now the husband and wife receive a knighthood and damehood to cap an extraordinary year. 78 0lympians and paralympians have been honoured including tom daley. oh, yes, it's brilliant! he receives an 0be for his dramatic diving gold but also for services to lgbtq+ rights. being an 0be it feels like a responsibility to make the whole commonwealth a better place for lgbt people, for women, for people of colour, to make it a more inclusive and accepting environment where everybody can be anything they want, no matter where they come from. there is also an 0be for another tokyo hero. adam peaty is the double olympic champion! - after winning such an emphatic gold, peaty said this was more of a shock. an incredible surprise. it went to my mum's address and she rang me, like, "am i meant to know this?" so i opened it and itjust makes you feel an immense pride. there's an 0be for hannah mills who became the 0lympics' most successful female sailor, while there are mbes in bmx for gold medallist charlotte worthington and bethany shriever and also one for lauren price, the wales football international turned 0lympic boxing champion. i came home from camp and my nan said there was a letter for me. i didn't open it for a couple of days and didn't think anything of it. it was an mbe from the queen. does not get much better than that, does it? britain's successful paralympians are also recognised including a cbe for cyclistjody cundy, an 0be for kadeena cox — who helped to launch the queen's baton relay for this year's commonwealth games — and an mbe for swimmer maisie summers—newton, a double paralympic champion at just 19. without my mum and my grandad being a taxi service for me when i was a bit younger, coaches getting me to the games and then my friends around me, that support bubble that i have, without their support i would not have been here today. so i suppose it is for everyone, really, notjust me. yet another honour for the brightest new star of tennis. an mbe for the us open champion emma raducanu after what, for her, and for british sport, has been an unforgettable year. andy swiss, bbc news. separately from the main new year honours list, buckingham palace has announced that tony blair will receive a knighthood. the former prime minister will be appointed a knight companion of the most noble order of the garter — the oldest and most senior british order of chivalry. joining him, as the first black member of the order, is lady amos — who served in his cabinet. 0ur political correspondent chris mason gave us some background to the title of knight companion of the most noble order of the garter which has been awarded to tony blair. it is a kind of souped up, turbo—charged knighthood, and we get this waterfall of the alphabet on days like this, with the honours announcement, cbe, mbe, 0be, you name it, but then this additional category which is separate, in the direct gift of the queen. tony blair becoming a knight companion of the most noble order of the garter. this has existed since 1348 when edward iii was around. his idea was to have this assembly of aristocratic blokes to advise him, really, and since then it has moulded into something else. it is meant to mark the most distinguished public service. there are very few of them at any one time, a maximum of 2a, and you hold the title until you are dead. there are now 21 occupants, given the rise of tony blair and baroness amos. the way it works, each year they go to windsor castle for a shindig and they wear a lot of velvet and indeed some ostrich feathers and they proceed through a procession through windsor and they have lunch. it is the most senior title that can be offered by the queen. former prime minister tony blair having to wait 15 years almost, since standing down in 2007. his predecessorjohn major had to wait around eight years, so often people are kept waiting, although few as long as tony blair. chris mason, there. police have identified a 15—year—old boy who was stabbed to death in south london. zeyean amarblay lina was found in ashburton park in croydon on thursday evening, but was prononounced dead at the scene. another 15—year—old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder, but has since been released on bail. police say they're working around the clock to give zaian's family the answers they deserve. the latest headlines on bbc news... new year honours for leading figures in the battle against covid. professors chris whitty and jonathan van tam are knighted. drjenny harries and drjune raine are both made dames. further covid restrictions in england must be an "absolute last resort", according to health secretary, sajid javid. the south african president, cyril ramaphosa, has led tributes to archbishop desmond tutu at his state funeral in cape town — calling him a crusader for freedom and equality. sport now and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. new year. same old story for manchester city. as they left it late to beat arsenal, and extend their lead at the top of the premier league. they hung on until the third minute of stoppage time when rodri's winner earned pep guardiola's side an 11th straight win, as patrick gearey reports. early kick—off, new year's day, tired arsenal and manchester city supporters must hope their luck improves in 2022, but referees can't afford to be bleary eyed and soon stuart attwell had a decision to make, no arsenal penalty, and on reflection it was confirmed, not without question. arsenal did not well, no need, and bukayo saka extended the new year celebrations, only the manager missed out, he is in covid isolation, but in the second half came the hitch, a handful of silva's showed enough for a muggy penalty and thanks to mahrez and equaliser —— shirt enough for a manchester city penalty. somehow gabriel martinelli missed this and seconds later the other gabriel got himself sent off. arsenal's party was now a lock—out, could they stop city macro? rodri win it. for those who came from manchester, whether waking up for. patrick gearey, bbc news. to come here, this is a massive opportunity wood achievement for —— this is a massive achievement for us, and when i was with barcelona we played arsenal many times, but every time we came here, we were the best barcelona ever but we always struggled. they have got momentum back. today we were not ready because we were tired. two other games in the premier legaue today after leicester verses norwich was postponed. it is goalless at vicarage road between watford and tottenham. later on west ham go to crystal palace in the late game. liverpool go to chelsea tomorrow but manager jurgen klopp won't be with them. he's returned a suspected positive test for covid—19 and will miss the game. yesterday klopp said three players had tested positive for covid—19. a liverpool statement said there has been no further cases among the playing squad but three backroom staff have also returned suspected positive tests. assistant pep lijnders will take charge for the visit to stamford bridge. james wade is through to the semi—finals of the pdc world darts championship. the numberfour seed enjoyed a whitewash victory over mervyn king at london's alexandra palace. he'll face the winner of tonight's quarter final between defending champion gerwyn price and michael smith. twice former champion gary anderson is also through after beating luke humphries 5—2. he'll face second seed peter wright or callan rydz in the semi finals. emma raducanu was among the sports starts who received a new year's honour, but she's not ready to compete again after contracting covid—19 in the run—up to christmas. she's withdrawn from the first wta tournament of the season in melbourne, having only recently come out of isolation. she said it'd just come too soon. she'll keep practicing there and she's expected to play in sydney in the week before the australian open, which starts on the 17th. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. it is still goalless between watford and tottenham. further covid restrictions in england must be an "absolute last resort", the health secretary sajid javid has said. writing in the daily mail, mrjavid said the uk must look to "live alongside" coronavirus in 2022. but he warned there would be a big increase in the number of people needing nhs care in the next month. on friday uk daily covid cases reached another record high of almost 190,000. earlier i got a reaction on the health secretary's warning from chris hopson, chief executive of nhs providers, which represents hospitals, healthcare and ambulance services. if you look over each of the last five days we have had 1,000 more people with covid—19 in hospital compared to the day before, so you can see the number of hospitalisations beginning to rise. we're at 12,500 now which compares to 311,000 injanuary, this time last year, a year ago, but we need to remember how busy the nhs is with other care, so very busy accident and emergency care pathway, and we have those planned elective surgery cases which we can't delay any longer and we are going full pelt to extend the booster vaccine campaign. 0ur colleagues in social care have come under real pressure again. and then at the same time we have growing numbers of staff absences because of covid—19 so wherever you look, you have a care system under huge pressure, and clearly if the numbers of covid cases increase at the speed with which they are currently going up, that is obviously a concern, especially if it lasts for a long period of time. so, because of all those other factors, staff shortages, elective procedures, the fact that the numbers are not as high as they were this time last year, that still means the pressure is on the nhs right now? yeah, we need to stop just comparing the covid cases to one year ago and trying to use that as a proxy measure for the total pressure that the nhs is under. because if you look at january 2022, it is a very different situation to january 2021, so we know there are no where near as many urgent and emergency pathway patients back in a year ago compared to now. we know there are many more cases where we simply have to get through that planned surgery in a way we did not injanuary 2021. that's understood. i appreciate that. given that and the increasing numbers we are going to see, what do you make of the comments from sajid javid that new restrictions must be an absolute last resort? we have been clear about the position on restrictions which is that if the evidence shows that we are getting very significant numbers of people coming into hospital with covid then the government needs to be ready to introduce further restrictions at pace and what we are trying to balance this against is the fact that the vaccines have changed the rules of the game and if you go back 18 months, to be frank, restrictions on social contact were the only way that we could counter this disease. vaccines are now a very important line of defence and therefore the decision the government has to make about when to introduce those restrictions on social contact are different, so i absolutely recognise that the government needs to make a difficult decision, if it is going to reintroduce those restrictions, but if the number of hospitalisations keeps going up at the rate they are, you can see why they would need to change their mind. new customs rules on goods imported into the uk from the european union have come into force. there will be border checks, and importers will have to make a full customs declaration. the checks had been due to take affect six months ago but were delayed because businesses said they needed more time to prepare. a new law banning plastic packaging on most fruit and vegetables comes into effect in france today. cucumbers, lemons and oranges are among the 30 varieties banned from being wrapped in plastic. larger packs as well as chopped or processed fruit will be exempt. president emmanuel macron called the ban "a real revolution" and said it showed the country's commitment to phase out single use plastics by 2040. the archbishop of canterbury has urged people today not to despair when it comes to climate change. justin welby, who's head of the worldwide anglican communion, has used his new year's message to reflect on the challenges the issue creates — but also the work being done to help solve the problem. the funeral service for archbishop desmond tutu has taken place in cape town. the archbishop, who was a key figure in south africa's liberation struggle, chose to be buried in a simple wooden coffin. south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, described him as a crusader forjustice, as nomsa maseko reports. family, friends and politicians bidding farewell to a man who became one of the most important voices of the 20th century. this was a final sendoff for archbishop desmond tutu, following a week of events to honour him. speakers shared memories of the anglican priest who did all he could to expose and to heal the wounds of south africa's brutal past. many of the messages we received have said, "thank you for sharing him with the world." well, it actually is a two—way street. because we shared him with the world, you shared part of the love you held for him with us. south africa's president delivered the main eulogy. archbishop desmond tutu has been our moral compass, but he has also been our national conscience. it was during south africa's long and violent struggle against the country's brutal regime that he rose to prominence. we will be free! after the country became a democracy, he presided over the tumultuous reconciliation process. in accordance with his wishes, the archbishop will be aquamated — this is a greener alternative to cremation. his ashes will be interred beneath floor here at st george's cathedral. it is the end of an era — the last of south africa's well known freedom fighters leaves behind a difficult task for the leaders to rid the country of corruption and racial divisions, and to also forge the way forward in the spirit of the moral compass that many believe was the driving force to tutu's leadership. nomsa maseko, bbc news, cape town. today is officially the hottest new year's day on record. (oov)the met office say temperatures have reached 16.2 degrees the met office say temperatures have reached 16.2 degrees in stjames's park in central london. the previous record was set in bude, cornwall in 1916 when it reached 15.6c. they've also confirmed that scotland has just recorded its hottest new year's day temperature. achnagart hit 15.9c this morning — breaking the pervious record of 1a.5c at inverurie from 1992. let's get the lastest weather now with ben rich. good afternoon, the new year has started just as the old one ended, with some exceptionally mild air across the uk. through the rest of the afternoon, it stays very mild, stays very windy in places, and there'll be rain for some, but not for all. some rain pushing across the south east corner, some showery rain through northern ireland and scotland and for western scotland particularly, we'll see wind gusts of 60 to 70mph and maybe even a little stronger in the most exposed places. top temperatures, 13 to 16 degrees. quite extraordinary for the first day of january. through this evening and tonight, some of that rain hangs on across the south east. for a time, we will see more showery rain pushing its way in from the west overnight. some of that could be on the heavy side, a little bit cooler than last night across the northern half of the uk particularly. but temperatures still above where we'd expect them to be. and then tomorrow morning, some wet weather clearing eastwards, then some sunshine, and then we will see more showers or longer spells of rain racing in from the west through the day. it will be quite windy, not quite as windy as today in the far northwest and a little cooler, too, highs of nine to 13. this is bbc news. the headlines: new year honours for leading figures in the battle against covid. professors chris whitty and jonathan van tam are knighted. drjenny harries and drjune raine are both made dames. no, darling, you don't need those — i'm your mirror. how do i look? fabulous. it's absolutely fabulous forjoanna lumley who is made a dame... whilst the outgoing james bond — daniel craig — is made a cmg. in sport, husband and wife jason and laura kenny are made a knight and a dame for services to cycling. further covid restrictions in england must be an "absolute last resort", according to health secretary, sajid javid. the president of south africa pays tribute to desmond tutu as "the spiritual father of our new nation". and the archbishop's daughter also spoke movingly at his funeral: we say, thank you, daddy, for the many ways you showed us love, for the many times you challenged us, for the many times you comforted us. today is officially the hottest new year's day on record — with temperatures reaching 16.2 degrees in st james's park in central london. now on bbc news, mel brooks talks to alan yentob about his life. i know the word can be overused, but mel brooks is a legend — a movie legend, a musical legend and a comedy legend. 0scars, emmys, baftas, tonys, grammys — he's won them all many times over. # springtime for hitler and germany # deutschland is happy and gay...# # we're marching to a faster pace, look out # here comes the master race... mel brooks was fearless — he broke every rule. but he kept to the ones for lockdown, even telling his son, max, to go away. go home. i'm going, i'm going. love you. he's been locked in writing his autobiography and, after some persuasion, let me in to talk about it. alan, you flew on an aeroplane all the way from london. idid. to see me here in southern california. yes, and this pandemic, which, when max introduced you, 16 million people were watching that, so you are a bit of a hero. well, also, max, what are you going to do? you can't go to your lunches, you can't go to your office, you can't do your onstage stand—up with a lot of people. you're stuck. you're stuck with yourself in the living room, on the sofa, what are you going to do? i said, i don't know what i'm going to do, frankly. he said, no, you are going to write your memoir! and you did what you were told. idid. and you called it all about me. it is all about me. and it is a good title. it starts in brooklyn. i remember asking you about brooklyn and whether there were anyjews in brooklyn. and i said, "nothing butjews in brooklyn!" was there something special about being jewish in brooklyn at the time in new york? no, everybody was! every single human being in brooklyn was a jew at that point, so there was nothing special about it. it is quite ordinary, an ordinary thing to be. i went to manhattan and met all of these gentiles and it was frightening. i thought, my god, there are other people besidesjews in the world? your mother comes out as a bit of a heroine,