Hello, it’s Peter here and welcome to Thursday’s Levy Letter. I hope your day 
is going well! I hope you’ll be able to join me tonight on BBC1 at 6.30pm. 
Amongst my guests tonight, will be the playwright Alan Plater. Alan is making 
the journey from London for a special event, which is being held tonight at the 
Street Life Museum starting at 8.00pm. It’s the Lord Mayor’s annual celebrity 
Christmas carol service. As I say, it starts at 8.00pm at the Street Life 
museum, if you can get along. And amongst those doing the readings will be the 
singer Amy Black, also John Godber and his wife Jane Thornton. I’ll be there to 
do a reading as well and the evening will be hosted by BBC Radio Humberside’s 
Blair Jacobs. So that’s the Street Life museum tonight for the Christmas carol 
service starting at 8.00pm. 


New Parky

I see that Davina McCall has been proclaimed as the BBC’s new Michael 
Parkinson. The Big Brother host (she’s 38 by the way) was the first woman to 
host a peak-time chat show for the Corporation in a deal worth reputedly one 
million pounds a year. The series, which is going to be called Davina and is 
likely to go out at 8.00pm on Wednesdays, is the channel’s first venture after 
Parkinson defected to ITV last year in protest at plans to put his show on at 
10.00pm. It’ll also be the first peak-time chat show on a weekday since Terry 
Wogan finished fourteen years ago. So that’s a new show, Wednesday nights at 
8.00pm with Davina. The first time ever there has been a woman chat show host 
on BBC1 in a deal worth a million pounds.


Cheap Christmas

I see that according to the papers today that a bargain Christmas is on the 
cards for all of us as the shops are cutting prices to a four year low! Stores 
are competing for shoppers’ attention with three for two deals, one day sales 
and also with sales, which are knocking up to 50% off prices with special sales 
events. Competition between the major stores has never been sharper. Some items 
are on sale today cheaper than they were four years ago. Promotions have 
fuelled a 0.8% rise in sales volumes on the high street in November compared to 
a year ago. And just some examples here, one store is selling a 5.2 million 
pixel digital camera – this has been reduced from £199 to £99!! One store is 
selling an MP3 player that retails at £159, selling it at £79!! And so it goes 
on, so although it doesn’t feel like it, it may be a cheap Christmas! 


Spiked Drinks

I see that one young woman in four have had their drink spiked and only one in 
twenty says she feels safe on the streets. Fears over rape and alcohol fuelled 
violence are a fact of life for the modern female according to a new survey. It 
says that more than two thousand young women with an average age of 21 were 
interviewed. Perhaps the most startling finding was that 23% believed that 
ecstasy, amphetamine, date rape drugs or spirits had been secretly introduced 
into their drinks. It was also found most likely to happen in a night club, 
although this was also known to happen in pubs and at parties at friends’ 
houses. 56% of those believed to have been victims, said they could not 
remember what happened afterwards, whilst 2% said they had been raped and a 
further 2% said they had been sexually assaulted. Two thirds of them said they 
had no idea who had spiked their drinks. 80% of young women said they now keep 
hold of their drink on a night out, even when they go to the lavat!
 ory. That’s extraordinary isn’t it? One girl in four says that their drink has 
been spiked. 


Write To Me

Don’t forget if you want to drop me a line, you can get me direct at [EMAIL 
PROTECTED] And there’s a letter here. This one comes a little bit late, it 
should have been for the 7th December, yesterday. It comes from Maureen, “Would 
you please wish my daughter Jo a very happy birthday. She’ll be forty on the 
7th December and she’s the very best daughter a Mum could wish for. It would 
make her so happy to have a mention in the letter.” Maureen, thank you for that 
and to Jo, belated greetings for yesterday! A very happy fortieth birthday to 
you! 

There’s a note here that comes in from Nicola in Hedon, she says, “Do you think 
you could remember my birthday and give it a mention in the Levy Letter please. 
It’s on Sunday 11 December.” I’m going to do this one early, so I don’t forget 
this one! “I will be forty-three years young and this would cheer me up no 
end.” And Nicola, a very happy birthday for Sunday 11th December. Have a very 
good day!

And just a quick one here. This one comes from Pauline Holt, she says, “While 
I’m writing, I wonder if you could mention my sister and brother-in-law, who 
are over from America on holiday. They are staying with us until Thursday. They 
are Pamela and Peter Clarke and it would surprise them if they could have a 
hello and a mention in the next letter!” So Pauline, thank you very much indeed 
and hello to Pamela and Peter Clarke and a safe trip back to the States!


Well that’s it from me for today. Join me tonight for all the day’s news and 
Paul will have the forecast, all on BBC1 at 6.30pm. And look out for Friday’s 
Levy Letter round about the same time tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Peter


And for the latest news and more where you live, go to:
http://bbc.co.uk/humber and http://bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire

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