We could see where Philip Davies,  attack dog of the Tory right and scourge of all things BBC, was going with his enquiries, of course. Given that the Question Time audience were supposed to reflect the local community, how would political balance be ensured if the programme was airing in what he clearly saw as the left-wing People’s Republic of Bethnal Green and Bow? 

Performance of the day

The number of criminals sent to prison by magistrates in England and Wales varies dramatically depending on which court does the sentencing, research reveals today.

Bowler of the day

The Week in Books

Police have again appealed for help in finding a fraudster who pretended to be the brother of comedian Peter Kay.

Bowler of the day Steve Magoffin, the 33-year-old Australian seamer, feared his career was over when Western Australia dropped him from their roster two years ago. Rescued by Queensland, he accepted an offer to return to county cricket with Sussex last season, took 7 for 34 on debut against Lancashire and went on to claim 57 Championship wickets. Now he has helped to burst Yorkshire's early optimism by completing a five-wicket haul at Headingley to clinch an innings victory for Sussex. Magoffin wrapped it up with the wicket of Gary Ballance, the last line of some limp resistance by Yorkshire, whose first innings of 96 was labelled "unacceptable" by coach Jason Gillespie. It is their first Championship defeat for 20 months.

The attention heaped on the pace bowling partnership of Chris Wright and Keith Barker tended to overshadow the role played by Warwickshire’s opening batsmen in laying the foundations for the team’s First Division title success last year. In fact, it was considerable and not to be underestimated, as they reminded those spectators with the patience to wait for some action in the rain here yesterday.

Derbyshire 226 Warwickshire 14-0

TV pick of the week: The Village

Sir Paul McCartney has revealed how he had planned to get the musical pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme to make one of The Beatles' most famous songs, "Yesterday", into an early piece of electronica.

The start of a new turf season on the Flat should be a cheerful rite of spring, but Town Moor today is as likely to prove white as green. It is almost as though winter is raging against the coming of the light. With snow forecast this morning, and more overnight, inspections have duly been scheduled for both days of the meeting.

Chris Stevenson and Alex Christian on the woman who put the waa-oos into teatime

Britain's most senior police officer said today an apology for the use of dead children's identities would be “pretty false” as investigators do not yet know who is affected.