Anthony Minghella - A Huge Loss To The World Of Entertainment

The news of Anthony Minghella's death came as a huge shock yesterday. He was a magnificent film director, whose hit-rate was almost unrivalled by his British contemporaries. Amongst these contemporaries, perhaps only Richard Curtis and Ridley Scott can lay claim to having as big an influence on the industry as Minghella did.

Considering his credits as a writer/director only stretch to 5 films, he had a remarkable career which spanned mediums, genres and collaborators. His breakthrough film Truly, Madly, Deeply displayed a rare understanding of the human psyche (particularly the female psyche), and his follow-up The English Patient needs no introduction. I studied this great adaptation at University, and considering the complexity of the source material it's a testament to his genius that Minghella was able to construct such a lucid narrative. Apparently his methodology involved reading the book several times through, putting it on a shelf and retreating into isolation to work up the screenplay from memory. This approach, to me, was ground-breaking, and proved that in order for an adaptation to be successful it must have a sense of detachment from it's source.

I never met Minghella but I did attend a seminar given by his brother Dominic quite recently. Dominic, like his brother, was warm, intelligent, funny and generous, and I hope we will see more of his work in the future. But either way, the hole left by his more famous sibling is huge, and his death is a loss to us all.

BAFTAS Reaction

So, Atonement was the best film of the last year eh? Well, sorry chaps but I beg to differ. Call me hyper-cynical, but I propose that every single other nomination was actually a stronger contender for the award (There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, The Lives of Others and American Gangster are all excellent, engaging films, strong stories told with technical mastery). However, this is the British Academy awards and I suppose we have to expect a certain Uk-biase. This biase, however, was certainly not in evidence in other categories, with Atonement only receiving 2 awards out of 14 nominations. Surely something doesn't quite add up here? How can a film that has failed to win in 12 of the categories it was nominated then be crowned the 'best'? It's like giving someone a gold medal as a consolation prize. Nevermind, there were certainly some deserving winners amongst the pack - notably Daniel-Day Lewis (I pity anyone that finds themselves nominated in a category with him) and This Is England (which beat Atonement to Best British Film!).

The night was of course never going to be quite the self-congratulatory schmooze-fest it has been on previous occasssions, with Heath Ledger's recent death and the Hollywood Writer's Strike both providing stark reminders that this is an industry riddled with troubles. But still, you can always bank on 'Dickie' Attenborough to restore some pride - the old headmaster presented Anthony Hopkins with a well-deserved lifetime fellowship award, dropping a few prize names in the process (Charlie Chaplin, Laurence Olivier and Alfred Hitchcock are all previous recipients). The mention of these great auteurs reminded me of the way the film industry has changed in it's relatively young life. As proved last night, projects of passion from mavericks on the industry fringes are increasingly usurping the studio blockbusters in the hearts of audiences and critics alike. And this can only be a good thing.

Winner's List:

THE ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
ANTHONY HOPKINS

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
BARRY WILKINSON

BEST FILM
ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster

BEST BRITISH FILM
THIS IS ENGLAND – Mark Herbert/Shane Meadows

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
MATT GREENHALGH (Writer) – Control

DIRECTOR
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
JUNO – Diablo Cody

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Ronald Harwood

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann/Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

ANIMATED FILM
RATATOUILLE – Brad Bird

LEADING ACTOR
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – There Will Be Blood

LEADING ACTRESS
MARION COTILLARD – La Vie en Rose

SUPPORTING ACTOR
JAVIER BARDEM – No Country for Old Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
TILDA SWINTON – Michael Clayton

MUSIC
LA VIE EN ROSE – Christopher Gunning

CINEMATOGRAPHY
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Roger Deakins

EDITING
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Christopher Rouse

PRODUCTION DESIGN
ATONEMENT – Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer

COSTUME DESIGN
LA VIE EN ROSE – Marit Allen

SOUND
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/David Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE GOLDEN COMPASS – Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Wood

MAKE UP & HAIR
LA VIE EN ROSE – Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne

SHORT ANIMATION
THE PEARCE SISTERS – Jo Allen/Luis Cook

SHORT FILM
DOG ALTOGETHER – Diarmid Scrimshaw/Paddy Considine

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
SHIA LABEOUF

Del Toro To Direct Hobbit Adaptation

Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro appears to have been confirmed as the director of the two forthcoming films of The Hobbit. His entry on IMDB certainly leaves little doubt as to the fact he will be at the helm.

Whilst an undoubtedly hugely talented director, he has a tough act to follow, and he'll have a hard job convincing the army of Peter Jackson-worshippers that he is equal to the task. Jackson showed such a detailed and passionate understanding of The Lord of the Rings trilogy that he is seen by many as Tolkien's representative on (middle) earth. But, as Avram Grant has proven, you don't have to please the masses in order to get good results! Personally I think del Toro is a great choice, and it will be interesting to see someone else's interpretation. With his eye for the fantastical and his ability to create such rich on-screen atmosphere, del Toro is the outstanding candidate for the job, and New Line have shown great boldness in their decision.

The T-ruth Will Out

Initials-instead-of-a-name queen KT Tunstall has announced she's getting married to long term partner Luke Bullen. I'm hoping there will be a classic 'revelation of the middle name' moment during the wedding when the vicar asks "do you Luke Bullen take Kate Todger Tunstall as your lawfully...".

Don't know why I wrote this. It's utterly ridiculous.

Odeon Reports Record Year For UK Cinema

The UK Box Office is celebrating almost 8% growth in takings in 2007, as the popularity of cinema hits a record high in recent years. The news comes as thousands decided to ditch Christmas traditions and instead grab a film and a box of popcorn with family and friends this Boxing Day.

While one in ten planned a trip to the cinema over the Christmas period, the release of I Am Legend took over £2 million on Boxing Day alone – beating recent box office records for a UK opening on this day. ODEON itself welcomed 187,905 guests to its cinemas up and down the country on Boxing Day, a 60% increase on last year.

Likewise New Year revellers chose to nurse their hangovers with a film as the box office saw a growth of 25% compared to New Years Day 2006. With 111 cinemas nationwide, ODEON saw admissions increase by 10% over the two-week Christmas period with a total of 2.4 million opting for a trip to the cinema.

Rupert Gavin, CEO of ODEON and UCI Cinema Group, said: “This is the perfect way to end what has been an extremely strong year for UK cinema. The last weekend in July saw box office records smashed with the release of Transformers and The Simpsons Movie and now thanks to I Am Legend, Enchanted, Golden Compass, St.Trinian’s and Alvin and the Chipmunks we have had our the biggest Boxing Day and New Year’s Day box office.

“Likewise we’re ever optimistic about 2008, which helped by a number of hotly-anticipated films, is set to be another blockbuster year.”

A poll of over 1,200 ODEON film fanatics found that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Indiana Jones are set to be the must-see films of 2008, closely followed by family favourite Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the latest Batman instalment, The Dark Knight , and of course the imminent return of James Bond.

www.odeon.co.uk

Bono In Hot Water Over Africa Comments

Wannabe African-messiah Bono has attracted angry reactions to his statement that “Whenever you see Africans saying they don't want aid it's pretty clear it's not their sisters, brothers, cousins who are dying". Personally I don't see this as a hugely controversial thing to say, but it is nevertheless yet another example of why tactless celebrities shouldn't go wading into political dialogue they don't fully understand.

Essex-based charity A3 (African AIDS Action) representative Selasie responded: “I have lost my niece, sister-in-law and 47 other relatives to AIDS - my brother and sister and 54 other family members are HIV positive, so I find Bono’s comments naive and insulting. But as an Ethiopian I have witnessed with my own eyes how aid and western charities have created a dependency culture in Africa, fuelled wars and benefited corrupt dictators.”

I won't be the first blogger to say this, but Bono, please, please just shhhh.

Rhydian's Fans Up In Arms Over Dodgy Phoneline Claims

Welsh grannies everywhere are up in arms about last Saturday's x-factor final. The reason? Apparently phone lines were "constantly blocked", meaning that many who tried to vote for Rhydian (the 1-3 favourite) could not get through. According to the BBC website, several grannies tried phoning "over ten times" without success.

Whilst it's difficult to work up much genuine passion about this story, it does nevertheless seem to show that the days of rigged phone-ins and dodgy TV comps are far from over. Although to be honest, anyone who phones in 10 times to vote on the x-factor deserves everything they get.

Lloyd Webber To Star In Hollyoaks?!

Rumour has it that Picasso-faced musical-supremo Andrew Lloyd Webber is to appear in 3 Hollyoaks episodes, due to be broadcast in January.

I can just imagine the scene when Lloyd Webber woke up one morning thinking 'what is it I still have left to achieve? Ah yes! I may have produced a crap piece of TV (How to Solve a Problem Like Maria), but I haven't yet starred in a crap piece of TV. Agent, get Phil Redmond on the line!

MTV UK Searches For A New Presenter Using MySpace

MTV UK has partnered with MySpace to search for a brand new presenter to host MTV News. From today, anyone will be able to audition for the job of a lifetime simply by using their MySpace page.

Budding presenters can apply for the role by uploading video showreels onto the Random Report profile page: uk.myspace.com/randomreport, where MTV producers will be poised and ready to assess all applications.

By bagging one of the top showbiz jobs on TV, one lucky online auditionee will be plucked from obscurity to follow in the footsteps of ex-presenters Cat Deeley, Edith Bowman, Russell Brand, Alex Zane, Trevor Nelson and Kelly Brook – all of whom started their illustrious careers at the world-famous studios in Camden. Presenting daily bulletins across MTV ONE, MTV Hits, TMF, MTV Base and VH1, the successful candidate will also get the chance to travel the world and brush shoulders with A’ list stars such as Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent and Cameron Diaz. And as if that wasn’t enough, the new presenter will also be in line to present from the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 – being held in Liverpool next November.

To help potential candidates create the perfect showreel, MySpace has persuaded MTV News stars Trevor Nelson and Rickie Haywood-Williams to come up with some top tips. To view Trevor Nelson’s video blog simply log onto uk.myspace.com/randomreport and follow the links.

Top Tips on the perfect show-reel from MTV presenter Rickie Haywood-Williams:

1. Be Yourself. Let as much of your personality shine through as possible
2. Have a Laugh. Don’t take yourself too seriously
3. Know who your audience is. This helps with the way you convey information and carry yourself.
4. Practice, Practice, Practice. Use every opportunity to hone your skills.
5. Keep an eye on the competition. It keeps you on your toes
6. Look after your body – no one wants to watch or listen to a minger
7. Ignore No.6 – PARTY EVERY NIGHT LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW
8. Get hooked up with a celebrity to get into the showbiz pages
9. Never complain, never explain because this job ROCKS!

To audition

Just upload a video of yourself presenting to camera that is no longer than two minutes before December 21st.

MTV will then sift through all of the videos and invite the very best to London to audition for the fulltime position.

There’s no experience necessary, all that MTV ask is that you’re fun and won’t be fazed by interviewing some of the world’s biggest stars from the film, music and entertainment world.

Costa (formerly Whitbread) Book Awards Nominees Announced

Costa, the UK’s fastest-growing coffee shop chain, today announces the shortlists for the 2007 Costa Book Awards, in the First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book Award categories.

The Costa Book Awards recognise the most enjoyable books of the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.

Originally established in 1971 by Whitbread Plc, Costa, the UK's fastest-growing coffee shop chain, announced its takeover of the sponsorship of the UK's most prestigious book prize in 2006.

This year’s Costa Book Awards attracted 553 entries and included a record number of submissions in both the Novel and Children’s Book Award categories, with 150 and 138 entries respectively. Judges on this year’s panels (three per category) included actress and writer Helen Lederer; author and lyricist Polly Samson; writer and columnist, Danny Danziger; and broadcaster and journalist Julia Somerville.

Winners in the five categories, who each receive £5,000, will be announced on Thursday 3rd January 2008. The overall winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2007 will receive £25,000 and will be selected and announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony in central London on Tuesday 22nd January 2008.

Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won seven times by a novel, four times by a first novel, five times by a biography, five times by a collection of poetry and once by a children’s book. The 2006 Costa Book of the Year was won by Stef Penney for The Tenderness of Wolves.

To be eligible for the 2007 Costa Book Awards, books must have been first published in the UK or Ireland between 1 November 2006 and 31 October 2007.

For additional information please visit www.costabookawards.com.


COSTA BOOK AWARDS 2007 SHORTLISTS

2007 Costa Novel Award shortlist

- Neil Bartlett for Skin Lane (Serpent’s Tail)
- A.L. Kennedy for Day (Jonathan Cape)
- Rupert Thomson for Death of a Murderer (Bloomsbury)
- Rose Tremain for The Road Home (Chatto & Windus)

2007 Costa First Novel Award shortlist
- Tahmima Anam for A Golden Age (John Murray)
- Catherine O’Flynn for What Was Lost (Tindal Street Press)
- Nikita Lalwani for Gifted (Viking)
- Roma Tearne for Mosquito (HarperPress)

2007 Costa Biography Award shortlist
- Julie Kavanagh for Rudolf Nureyev (Fig Tree)
- Ben Macintyre for Agent ZigZag (Bloomsbury)
- Simon Sebag Montefiore for Young Stalin (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
- Michael Simkins for Fatty Batter (Ebury Press)

2007 Costa Poetry Award shortlist

-Ian Duhig for The Speed of Dark (Picador)
- John Fuller for The Space of Joy (Chatto & Windus)
- Daljit Nagra for Look We Have Coming to Dover! (Faber and Faber)
- Jean Sprackland for Tilt (Cape Poetry)

2007 Costa Children’s Book Award shortlist

- Ann Kelley for The Bower Bird (Luath Press Limited)
- Elizabeth Laird for Crusade (Macmillan Children’s Books)
- Meg Rosoff for What I Was (Puffin Books)
- Marcus Sedgwick for Blood Red Snow White (Orion Children’s Books)

Leona Lewis Breaks Record And Leaves Arctic Monkeys In The Cold

The record for the fastest-selling British debut album in chart history was confirmed by The Official Charts Company (OCC) on Sunday, as Leona Lewis trounced the Arctic Monkeys’ 2006 debut album.

The newly released Leona Lewis debut album “Spirit” (SyCo) sold over 375,000 copies in just seven days, surpassing the Nationwide Mercury Prize winners’ debut ”Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” (Domino) by over 12,000 units according to The Official Charts Company.

“Leona has secured her place in chart history in terms of debut albums” said OCC Marketing Manager, Darren Haynes. Leona still has some way to go before beating the fastest-selling album of all time, however.

“In 1997, ‘Be Here Now’ by Oasis sold 695,761 in its first three days of release and went on to sell over 813,000 copies in seven days” said Haynes.

“In the general fastest-selling albums list, Leona jumps straight in to the No.4 position, above ‘Intensive Care’ by Robbie Williams and just short of Dido’s 2003 album ‘Life For Rent’ confirmed OCC Marketing Manager, Darren Haynes.

THE FASTEST-SELLING DEBUT ALBUMS OF ALL TIME (© The Official Charts Company)

1. Spirit (2007) – Leona Lewis
2. Whatever People Say, That’s What I’m Not (2006) - Arctic Monkeys
3. Popstars (2001) - Hear'Say
4. Robson & Jerome (1995) - Robson & Jerome
5. G4 (2005) - G4

THE FASTEST-SELLING ALBUMS OF ALL TIME (© The Official Charts Company)

1. Be Here Now (1997) - Oasis
2. X&Y (2005) - Coldplay
3. Life For Rent (2003) - Dido
4. Spirit (2007) – Leona Lewis
5. Intensive Care (2005) - Robbie Williams
6. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006) - Arctic Monkeys
7. Rattle & Hum (1988) - U2
8. Bad (1987) - Michael Jackson
9. (What's The Story) Morning Glory (1995) - Oasis
10. Immaculate Collection (1990) - Madonna

Athlete Announce UK Tour Early 2008

Athlete will play the following dates in January/Febuary 2008:

January 2008

Thu 17 Exeter University 01392 263 518
Fri 18 Oxford Carling Academy 0844 477 2000
Sat 19 London Roundhouse 0870 389 1846
Sun 20 Cardiff University 029 2078 1458
Tue 22 Leicester University 0115 912 9000
Wed 23 Wolverhampton Civic 0870 320 7000
Thu 24 Warrington Parr Hall 01925 442 345
Fri 25 Hull University 01482 466 264
Sun 27 Aberdeen Music Hall 0870 169 0100
Mon 28 Sheffield Plug 0114 276 2676
Wed 30 Ipswich Regents Theatre 01473 433 100
Thu 31 Bath Pavilion 01225 486 976

February 2008

Fri 01 Reading Hexagon 0118 960 6060
Sun 03 Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall 01303 228 600
Mon 04 Brighton Dome 01273 709 709
Tue 05 Cambridge Corn Exchange 01223 357 851

24hr cc hotline 0871 2200 260 or buy online @ www.gigsandtours.com
AN SJM Concerts & Metropolis Music presentation by arrangement with 13 Artists
Tickets on sale 9am Friday 16th November.

The second single, ‘Tokyo’ from their top 5 album, ‘Beyond The Neighbourhood’ is out on November 19th.

The album was self produced and recorded at the bands own studio in South East London. Inspired by a journey travelling over Rainbow Bridge in to Tokyo, ‘Tokyo’ is a tail of hypocrisy and the human condition. Other tracks on the album centre around family and friends as well as environmental and social catastrophe. It's an album with big tunes, big ideas and a whopping great heart.

www.athlete.mu

Fatboy Slim Gives Up Ivor Novello Award For Charity

DJ and producer Fatboy Slim is auctioning off part of his Ivor Novello Award to raise money for charity.

The Brighton based musician - aka Norman Cook - has donated a tin of jelly beans, customised with smiley faces, to an auction being run by music website www.eq-mag.co.uk on behalf of Oxjam.

The auction is part of the charity’s Oxjam fundraiser, a month-long musical event that sees promoters around the country run gigs and club nights to raise cash for Oxfam. Norman has already played out in an Oxjam shop as part of the event.

Other items being auctioned off in the EQ/Oxjam Rave Auction include an exclusive Underworld triptych, hand-drawn by the band’s vocalist Karl Hyde, a screen print by legendary producer Andrew Weatherall, signed chromalin prints of album artwork from London club Fabric, signed CD and T-shirt from Dutch superstar DJ Tiesto, a CD wallet signed by Carl Cox, plus loads of other exclusive goodies and the chance to add your vocals to a forthcoming track.

And a certain Radio 1 DJ will also being donating the shirt (or shirts) off his own back in the coming days.

Visit www.eq-mag.co.uk to see all the items up for sale. And visit www.oxfam.org.uk/oxjam to find out more about Oxjam.

Leona Lewis Topples Mika As 2007’s Best-Seller

In a week that celebrates the 55th Anniversary of the Official Singles Chart (Wednesday 14th November), Leona Lewis’ ‘Bleeding Love’ has become the biggest selling single of 2007, according to The Official Charts Company (OCC).

According to OCC data, ‘Bleeding Love’ (SyCo) - the current Number One of three-weeks standing - has outsold 2007’s hitherto best-seller, Mika’s ‘Grace Kelly’ (Casablanca/Island) by over 10,000 units and still rising.

“Rihanna may have kept us dry throughout the English summer with her ‘Umbrella’ and a massive ten-week reign at Number One. Mika may have spent a five-week tenancy at Number One with ‘Grace Kelly’ but neither can match Leona’s recent sales performance” said OCC Marketing Manager, Darren Haynes.

Two weeks ago, Leona smashed the 2007 record for selling the most singles in a first week of release. This week she secures another chart feat by achieving the best-selling single of 2007. “There seems to be no stopping her” Haynes added.

A spokesperson for SyCo Music said “we are absolutely delighted once again for Leona. It’s been an incredible few weeks”.

2007 is proving to be a bumper year for singles sales. “Seven weeks before the end of the year and as a nation, we’ve already bought more singles than any other year of the 2000s” said OCC Marketing Manager, Darren Haynes.

The Best-selling Singles of 2007 (to chart week ending 10.11.07)

1. Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
2. Grace Kelly – Mika
3. Umbrella - Rihanna Ft Jay-Z
4. (I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles - Proclaimers/B Potter/A Pipkin
5. How To Save A Life - Fray
6. Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
7. The Way I Are – Timbaland Ft Keri Hilson
8. Beautiful Liar - Beyonce & Shakira
9. The Sweet Escape – Gwen Stefani Ft Akon
10. Beautiful Girls - Sean Kingston

Bond Slims Down...

Daniel Craig has vowed to slim-down for the next Bond film. As a huge Bond fan (I did my dissertation on the Bond movies at Uni - oh yes!), I feel this is a wise move. The sight of Craig emerging from the sea with rippling pecs and clingfilm-pants was not exactly what Ian Fleming had in mind methinks. Plus, speaking as a man of average build (ok,ok, puny), it'll be a relief to see Craig adopting a slightly less "I've worked out everyday for the last 6 months" type physique in favour of something slightly more 'real'.

He said, "I'm probably not going to bulk up as much as I did last time. That was an exercise that worked and I'm very happy I did it because I wanted to know if I could do it, but I've got to do stuff which will be closer to what I'm doing on screen, like running and jumping. I've got to do some of that." Not exactly a concrete plan of action, but it'll do. Just stay off the dumbbells Dan!

Kylie Statement

This is a statement from Parlophone regarding today's rumours that Kylie Minogue has cancelled her forthcoming tour:

"We would like to make it clear that the report in today’s ‘Daily Mail’ that Kylie has cancelled a forthcoming tour on doctor’s orders is completely false.

When asked, Kylie has said on numerous occasions that she loves touring and that she might tour again in the near future. There were and are no dates currently confirmed. If and when dates are confirmed they will be announced in the normal manner.

Thus, reports in the ‘Daily Mail’ that Kylie has cancelled a tour are not true for the simple reason that no tour had been booked.

Kylie has not been told by her doctors that touring “could seriously harm her health”. She did not give the quotes reported in the Mail today. And touring is something that she is still considering for the future. Her health remains excellent and she is in the middle of promoting her new single and album."

Apparently her representatives have asked the Mail to print a prominent apology for today’s highly damaging story.

Activists End Their 1,000 Mile Cut The Carbon March In London

A group of Christian Aid activists arrive in the capital this weekend at the end of a 1,000 mile Cut the Carbon march from Northern Ireland to London that has brought the issue of climate change to the doorsteps of local people and to businesses and MPs across the country.

A core team of 18 marchers from the UK and the developing world left Bangor in Northern Ireland on 14 July. The march arrives in central London this Monday and will be welcomed to the capital by senior Bishops and then the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, who will join the march along the Thames outside City Hall.

A delegation from the marchers will go to Downing Street with shoelaces collected from along the route from members of the public who had swapped them for Christian Aid Cut the Carbon shoelaces to demonstrate their support for the issue.

On Tuesday, hundreds of supporters are to join the marchers for their final mile from Tooley Street near Tower Bridge past the London Stock Exchange to St Paul’s Cathedral, where there will be a rally at 1.00pm and then a service at 2.00pm. Supporters and members of the public are welcome to come along.

Tim Jones, 26, a walker and World Development Movement activist from Herne Hill, London, said: “We’ve reached out to thousands of people to inspire them to campaign to tackle climate change and have delivered a powerful message to the government that it must act justly by reducing our emissions.”

The oldest UK walker is 68 year-old Hereford grandmother, Merryn Hellier, while other marchers include a businessman and South African Bishop, who has walked in his cassock.

Along the route, marchers have lobbied MPs to strengthen the government climate change bill; they have also met with businesses across the country, urging companies such as the Royal Bank of Scotland and Tesco, to cut their carbon emissions.

The marchers are calling on the UK government to commit to a UK cut of at least 80 per cent in carbon emission by the year 2050 in the climate change bill. They want business to publish their emissions annually and reduce their emissions by five per cent year on year.

Celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio (pictured), Lemar, Terra Naomi and Greta Scacchi have publicised their support for the march, sung at rallies in key British cities including Edinburgh, Leeds, Birmingham and Cardiff, or walked with the marchers, urging government and businesses to Cut the Carbon.

Marchers have lobbied at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth and gone to church with the Prime Minister. Two international marchers – Mohammed Adow, 28, from Kenya and Rosalia Soley, 22, from El Salvador, met Gordon Brown.

Rosalia said she chose to go on the march because of the effects of extreme climate on the poor in her country. ‘The climate in El Salvador has gone completely mad. Some years there isn’t enough rain and people lose their harvest because of drought, other years there’s too much and the crops are washed away. It never used to be like this.’

Cassia Bechara from Brazil said of the march: ‘We have started a process in British society of broadening the debate about climate change and its causes and consequences. But this is just a beginning. We believe this process will turn into a mass movement, where people will take collective actions to tackle climate change.’

For further information on how to get involved in the Christian Aid climate campaign visit www.christianaid.org.uk or local Christian Aid office.