‘Firebomber killed 8 after row over lad’

A MAN firebombed a house killing eight people in a feud over his sister’s choice of boyfriend, it was claimed in court yesterday.

The 2002 blaze killed seven members of the same family including a six-month-old baby and four sisters under age 10.

Shahid Mohammed, 37, was extradited from Pakistan to face justice in Leeds crown court.

He denies eight counts of murder and a single count of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

Jurors were told petrol bombs were used and those upstairs at the house in Birkby, West Yorks, “had no chance to escape” the blaze, prosecutor Alistair Macdonald QC said.

The trial continues. For some viewers, the Christmas Day special of Downton Abbey was the worst present ever – because it was also the final episode of one of the most loved British series of all time.

A classic period drama with some legendary characters and some truly memorable scenes.

Who can forget Lady Sybil’s agonising death shortly after she had given birth? Or Matthew Crawley’s fatal car crash, which ruined an earlier Christmas Day for the show’s fans?

But the best thing was Dame Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess, who could steal a scene with one expression.

If I was in charge of the forthcoming movie, she would be on screen for every single minute. On paper a drama about a group of midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s didn’t seem like a Sunday night blockbuster.

But throw in a rock’n’roll sound track, quirky characters, gritty story lines, a fair few laughs and a little social history and seven years later you’ve got the highest rated returning drama on TV.

Call The Midwife has courted more controversy than you might expect from programme at the cosy end of weekend slot, tackling all manner of difficult subjects including abortion, racism, contraception, thalidomide and homophobia.

On a less controversial, but still important, note it also continues to recognise the importance of tea and cake to the British working day. This racy family drama set in the high-powered world of a Hampshire boatyard arrived on our screens six months after Eastenders debuted.

It was every bit as soapy as its BBC stablemate. At its launch there even was talk of it rivalling the glossy US soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty.

It was certainly every bit as melodramatic. It even caught the eye of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie who created an affectionate spoof set in the Uttoxeter leisure industry.

It might not have stood the test of time, but back in the late 80s it was a huge hit.

I still rate the long-running Tom Howard/jan Howard/ken Masters storyline as one of the most simmering love triangles ever seen on British TV.

This is not only my favourite screen adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, it also became one of the most momentous and memorable Sunday night dramas in TV history. The funny thing is the famous scene which turned Colin Firth into an international sex symbol was only added by the writer Andrew Davies in order to embarrass Firth’s uptight character Mr Darcy in front of Elizabeth Bennet. The rest is history, of course. The wet frock shirt became so iconic it was even referenced in Firth’s later films Love Actually and Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason. Alison Steadman stole the show though. Watching her play Mrs Bennet was like witnessing a book come to life. This Yorkshire-based series will be forever remembered for the sight of Christopher Timothy shoving his arm up a cow’s backside, but there was much more to it than that. There’s no way it would have lasted 12 years had there not been. Based on the novels of James Herriot (the pseudonym of real life vet Alf Wight), this show was all about the four Fs – fields, farmers, friendship and family. Timothy played Herriot, with Robert Hardy as his irascible partner Siegfried Farnon and Peter Davison as Siegfried’s often feckless younger brother Tristan. Channel 5 is now remaking the show. That’s good news if you’re a TV viewer. Less so if you’re a cow in Yorkshire. The moment Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) whipped his shirt off for a spot of impromptu scything in a field, the success of this remake was assured. It caused such a stir that scything enthusiasts were forced to point out that his technique was all wrong – as if the viewers cared about technique. But that should not be allowed to overshadow the rest of the five series, which also starred Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza, above. Poldark has the lot – drama, tragedy, comedy, controversy, stunning scenery. And let’s not forget the most important thing it has given us – a fresh understanding of the history of tin mining in 18th century Cornwall. Yet some people still claim the BBC no longer educates its viewers.

TRIAL Shahid Mohammed