now it s time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i m stephen sackur. much has been said and written about covid 19 by politicians, scientists and healthcare professionals across the world. but what about the voices of those hit hard by the disease, the patients for whom it was very nearly a death sentence? my guest today is one of them the hugely successful writer and educator, michael rosen, whose covid memoir is dark, sad, uplifting and funny, all at once. how did he find the poetic in a pandemic? michael rosen, in your london home, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me, stephen. thank you. it s a great pleasure to have you, not least because i am very well aware that not so very long ago you went through a ghastly near death experience, thanks to covid 19. it clearly hasn t sapped your creative juices but why on earth did you want to revisit that dark period by writing about it? i think it s a matter of compulsion, stephen. i think for anybody who is in the arts, you
now on bbc news, it s hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i m stephen sackur. much has been said and written about covid 19 by politicians, scientists and healthcare professionals across the world. but what about the voices of those hit hard by the disease, the patients for whom it was very nearly a death sentence? my guest today is one of them the hugely successful writer and educator, michael rosen, whose covid memoir is dark, sad, uplifting and funny, all at once. how did he find the poetic in a pandemic? michael rosen, in your london home, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me, stephen. thank you. it s a great pleasure to have you, not least because i am very well aware that not so very long ago you went through a ghastly near death experience, thanks to covid 19. it clearly hasn t sapped your creative juices but why on earth did you want to revisit that dark period by writing about it? i think it s a matter of compulsion, stephen. i think for anybody who is in the arts,
now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i m stephen sackur. much has been said and written about covid 19. by politicians, scientists and healthcare professionals across the world. but what about the voices of those hit hard by the disease, the patients for whom it was very nearly a death sentence? i guessed today is one of them, a hugely successful writer and educator, michael rosen, whose three memoir is dark, sad, uplifting and funny, all at once. how does he find the poetic in a pandemic? michael rosen, in your london home, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me, stephen. thanks for having me, stephen. thank you. it is a great pleasure to have you, not least because i am very well aware that not so very long ago you went through a ghastly near death experience, thanks to covid i9. it clearly has not sucked your creative juices but why on earth would you want to revisit that dark period by writing about it? i revisit that dark period by writing about it?- revisi
let s start here in the uk, where chancellor rishi sunak has set out a £1 billion fund to help businesses hit by the rise in covid cases. pubs, restaurants and theatres have welcomed the new government grants. under the plans, hospitality and leisure firms can apply for grants of up to £6,000 per premises. but others, including beauty salons and nightclubs, say the package is merely scratching the surface. the national hair and beauty federation said, in response to the latest funding, that over 70% of salons are experiencing unprecedented cancellations which will have a huge impact on their turnover. it s also not clear whether they can apply for financial assistance. let s talk this through with lesley blair, chief executive of the british association of beauty therapy and cosmetology. a warm welcome to the programme. do you know yet whether you are able to access the billion pound funding? unfortunately not. by looking at it and quite in depth, i do believe we have nothi
make more deliveries in the uk? would it undermine plans to upscale british workers? it s ronaldo to the rescue once again. the manchester united striker caps off another astonishing champions league come back, this time to beat atalanta and it eases the pressure on the united manager. good morning. a cold start to the day today. for many of us it will be drier and sunnier than it was yesterday. having said that some showers coming in on a brisk north westerly wind with gales on the north sea coastline. all the details later in the programme. it s thursday, the 21st of october. our main story. pressure is growing on the government to re impose some covid restrictions in england, amid a surge in cases. it comes as the british medical association has accused ministers of being wilfully negligent. it says measures, such as compulsory face coverings and social distancing should be brought back in now, to protect the nhs as we head into the winter months. here s our political co