a police car chase, before the sports star turned actor was tried for murder. millions watched it in real time. he was acquitted in the subsequent courtroom drama — dubbed the trial of the century. we'll be looking at his life and his place in us popular culture. also tonight, russia steps up attacks on ukraine's power plants — we're live in kharkiv. the email from a former post office boss, congratulating the team who secured the wrongful conviction of a sub—postmistress — she was pregnant at the time. a war on gangs — we're on patrol with police in ecuador, trying to bring down the surging murder rate. we'll have the revelations of a former prime minister's affair, with a woman no—one expected. and the big business of british gaming — and it's baldur�*s gate 3 which sweeps the board. oj simpson — national hero or hate

figure after a real—life drama that gripped america? we join with the helicopter pilot who filmed the car chase, a lawyer who was in oj's dream team and a journalist who was in court every day. newsnight — 10.30. good evening. oj simpson — whose career as an american football star and actor were spectacularly overshadowed by events surrounding a brutal double murder — has died of cancer at the age of 76. in 1995, he was controversially acquitted of the murder of his ex—wife nicole brown and herfriend ron goldman. the acquittal came after a slow speed car chase by police, when oj simpson fled on the day he was due to turn himself in. both the car chase and the murder trial were watched by tens of millions around the world, at a time when rolling news was in its infancy. our los angeles correspondent

emma vardy reports. this is one of those scenes that would only happen honestly here in southern california. tonight, oj simpson is a fugitive. watched by millions, oj simpson famously led police on a car chase through los angeles, after becoming the main suspect in the murder of his ex—wife and her friend. around the world, viewers watched the unfolding drama as people came onto the street cheering him on. we see oj. police attempted to apprehend him live on tv. he was eventually taken into custody at his california home. he was clearly the best running back of the 705. oj simpson had had a remarkable life. from an impoverished childhood, he had gone on to become one of the greatest american football players in history, setting records in the sport still unbroken today. a boat?

that's right, a boat. his celebrity status didn't end on the football field. he later became a hollywood actor. drugs. hey, nurse, give this man some drugs, quick. but oj simpson will be forever remembered for this nine—month televised trial, for the double murder that transfixed america. he was accused of killing his former wife and a friend in a jealous rage. nicole brown simpson had been murdered in a brutal knife attack outside a home in a fashionable los angeles neighbourhood. known as the trial of the century, people tuned in from all over the world. at one point, oj simpson was shown struggling to try on a pair of gloves found at the crime scene, leading to his attorney's famous line. if it doesn't fit, you must acquit. we the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant, orenthaljames simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder... the jury took just three hours to deliver their verdict.

the oj simpson trial sparked deep public emotion in america, seen by some as a case of a white police force trying to frame the star, he was acquitted by a mainly blackjury. but to this day, many people believe he simply got away with domestic violence and murder. oj simpson later did go to jail, having been charged with armed robbery after a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in las vegas. he was released in 2017 after nine years behind bars. in a seemingly twisted take on reality, he published a book called if i did it: confessions of the killer. hey, let me take a moment to say thank you to all the people who reached out to me... seen little in public life in recent years, he'll be remembered for his rags to riches story and fall from grace, which left the unresolved question in popular culture ever since about whether justice was ever truly served. emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles.

oj simpson was a divisive figure, but by the end of the last century, he was also one of the most famous american faces in the world. our north america correspondent john sudworth has been looking at the cultural impact of oj simpson. oj simpson once personified the american dream, a black sporting starfrom the humblest american dream, a black sporting star from the humblest of routes at the pinnacle of wealth and celebrity. but as that car chase came to an end, his arrest and trial held up a mirror to a different reality. i held up a mirror to a different reali . , ., ., , ., held up a mirror to a different reali. , ., , ., _ reality. i see no weapons drawn by the lapd. reality. i see no weapons drawn by the lapd- eight — reality. i see no weapons drawn by the lapd. eight country _ reality. i see no weapons drawn by the lapd. eight country in - reality. i see no weapons drawn by the lapd. eight country in which . the lapd. eight country in which racial divisions _ the lapd. eight country in which racial divisions and _ the lapd. eight country in which racial divisions and deep-rooted| racial divisions and deep—rooted police discrimination were never far from the surface. it took place in the shadow of the rodney king case, the shadow of the rodney king case, the acquittal of four white los angeles police officers for the beating of a black man. questions of racism in that same police force became a highly effective part of oj

simpson's defence. almost three decades later, reacting to news of his death, one of his lawyers are still questions the fairness of his eventual sentencing for robbery. the sentence eventual sentencing for robbery. tie: sentence that he received in that case was a payback for the acquittal that we obtained in los angeles. popular dramas have kept the story alive for a whole new generation of viewers, highlighting not only the issue of race but of domestic violence too. the star continued to receive lucrative media contracts despite the allegations and a conviction for the assault of his wife in the years before her murder, but perhaps the biggest legacy of the simpson trial is on the justice system itself, ushering in the era of the television trial.— of the television trial. because it was televised _ of the television trial. because it was televised it _ of the television trial. because it was televised it became - of the television trial. because it was televised it became a - of the television trial. because it i was televised it became a national obsession. everybody watched it. i mean, i met a obsession. everybody watched it. i mean, i meta guy obsession. everybody watched it. i mean, i met a guy in hawaii who told

mean, i met a guy in hawaii who told me he changed his whole work schedule so he could get up in the middle of the night hawaii time to watch the show was quite the boundary between entertainment and the law was blurring and it could be exploited by those with access to the highest paid lawyers, sometimes regardless of the evidence. john sudworth, _ regardless of the evidence. john sudworth, bbc _ regardless of the evidence. john sudworth, bbc news, new york. more than 80 missiles and drones targeted sites across ukraine in the early hours of this morning. many targeted energy infrastructure. a ukrainian energy company says a major power plant south of the capital kyiv was destroyed, and another close to the city of kharkiv has been struck. let's talk to sarah rainsford, who is in kharkiv. sarah, are these attacks being stepped up? sarah, are these attacks being stepped up?— sarah, are these attacks being stepped up? yeah, this is now a deliberate _ stepped up? yeah, this is now a deliberate and _ stepped up? yeah, this is now a deliberate and a _ stepped up? yeah, this is now a deliberate and a sustained - stepped up? yeah, this is now a l deliberate and a sustained assault on ukraine because my energy system and it's really serious and it started in fact back in march. there

were two massive attacks on the energy system and here in kharkiv that pretty much knocked out the entirety of the power generation here, so all the power stations, we've had rolling blackouts in the city ever since and there are a lot of generators on the streets. then came another massive attack over night last night into this morning, there were dozens of missiles and drones that were launched by russia and ukraine's air defences were simply overwhelmed, theyjust couldn't cope. that is why in kyiv a major power cut there was utterly destroyed. i spoke to the boss of that power plant and he said in theory if they get the parts from allies in the west they could repair the power plant and get it up and running but questioned the value of that if they can't protect it. the problem is their defences and that's why president zelensky has pleaded tonight for more air defences, more help from ukraine because my allies. there is a sense of frustration of aid that's been promised and not delivered and that's important because there is every sign that russia is going to continue with these attacks, they are becoming

more accurate, more devastating and ukraine are struggling to cope. tqm. ukraine are struggling to cope. 0k, thank ou, ukraine are struggling to cope. 0k, thank you, sarah. a former post office boss has apologised for celebrating the conviction of a sub—postmistress in 2010. he called it "brilliant news" when seema misra, who was pregnant, was given a 15—month sentence. her conviction was quashed 11 years later. tonight, she tells us why she won't accept his apology. our business editor simonjack reports. david smith only ran the post office from april to october in 2010, but he was in charge when seema misra was convicted of false accounting and sent to prison, based on records from the post office's horizon computer system. at the time, this is the e—mail he sent to post office lawyers. today, he had this to say. looking at it through their eyes rather than through mine, you can see that it may have caused substantial... ..upset, and i really do apologise for that.

seema was a mother and pregnant when jailed. she didn't accept today's apology. they need to apologise to my ten—year—old. you know, they took his mum away on his birthday. i was eight weeks pregnant. so, you know, they need to apologise to my younger son. it's terrible. i haven't accepted the apologies. you had to go to jail. should other people responsible for this scandal have to go to jail? post office, royal mail, forjust each and every single person responsible for the scandal, we need to put them behind bars. i was sent to prison without any facts and evidence. now we have a whole list of people with lots of evidence. what are we waiting for? david smith insists his "brilliant news" e—mail was because he thought it was evidence that horizon was not the problem, but lawyers for the postmasters say it's evidence that there was a circular and cynical logic that court convictions proved that horizon could be trusted even when they knew it could not. you were deliberately closing your eyes to problems with the integrity of horizon data, weren't you? no.

and you were encouraging your staff to pursue a trial as another method of shoring up a problem system which you knew had serious question marks over it. mr smith, what do you say to the misra family? - david smith exited the stage today. up tomorrow, adam crozier, former chairman of royal mail, which owned the post office at the time of the scandal. simonjack, bbc news, at the post office inquiry. a man has appeared in court charged with the murder of his wife, 27—year—old kulsuma akter, who died from stab wounds in bradford at the weekend. ms akter was stabbed several times as she pushed her baby in a pram. 25—year old habibur masum, from burnley, was charged after a three—day manhunt ended in his arrest on tuesday. it's emerged that taxpayers paid more than £34,000 to settle a libel claim brought against the cabinet

minister michelle donelan. the government had already confirmed it had paid damages of £15,000 to an academic whom she had falsely accused of extremism. but extra costs have more than doubled the final bill. damian grammaticas is in westminster. damian, remind us of the background to this. reeta, this is michelle donelan, the secretary of state for science, who last year took to social media and expressed highly critical comments about two scientists. she said she was disgusted and outraged, she suggested that one of those scientists had expressed support for hamas, she suggested that that scientist's position on an advisory body at a research outfit should be questioned. they faced months of investigation will stop the problem was, michelle donelan was wrong about that. the scientist had commented publicly on a newspaper

article but not in any way expressed support for hamas, so she was sued, she had to retract and apologise, and her government department picked up and her government department picked up the cost. now, we now know that amounts to as you say £15,000 for the scientist, £34,000 in all. the government says a minister in their line of work gets legal costs paid and they acted to stop the legal bill ballooning. the opposition parties say she did it on her personal twitter x account and taxpayers should not be picking up the bill. damian grammaticas, thank you. the foreign secretary david cameron has said tonight that iran "must not draw the middle east into a wider conflict". fears are growing that iran could launch reprisals for an attack that killed senior iranians in syria last week. the us presidentjoe biden says america's support for israel is "ironclad . from jerusalem, here's lucy williamson. the target was precise — a carefully calibrated strike. but the fallout from this attack may

be much harder to control. iran's supreme leader has said israel must be punished for the strike on its damascus consulate that killed a top military general and six other people. israel has promised direct retaliation for any attack on its soil. it's worried enough to cancel leave for all combat units and call up its air—force reserves. translation: we have - established a simple principle. whoever harms us, we will harm them. we are prepared to meet all the security needs of the state of israel, both defensively and offensively. a warning for iran that's also being heard at home. we're always aware about something in the corner that maybe would come and surprise us, like in october. we've prepared a shelter, and a transistor and a tv, so we can see what's the condition outside, what's happening.

and we wish everything would be ok. israel has been fighting iran—backed groups like hezbollah for years, but a direct confrontation with tehran could bring the conflict right into the centre of israel. leaders both here and in the united states are watching to see what iran does next — and what iran does next will determine whether this becomes a much bigger war. neither side is seen as wanting all—out war right now, but the stakes of any miscalculation are high. when israel will be attacked, if it is attacked by iran, and depending on where that attack comes from and how and what the target is, that will dictate for israel how it responds and retaliates. so a miscalculation, even when both sides want to keep this contained, can very quickly and easily lead to a larger and wider regional war. tonight, iran's foreign minister said his country did not seek to expand the conflict but that,

without international condemnation of the attack on its consulate, it was necessary to contain israel's aggression. israel, fighting on two of its borders and under attack from groups in syria, yemen and iraq, faces a dangerous moment in what is already a regional war. lucy williamson, bbc news, tel aviv. the government has missed key nhs targets that were set out a year ago. waiting in lists in england are higher than they were when the prime minister pledged to bring them down. but rishi sunak says waiting lists have got a little smaller in the last five months. our health editor, hugh pym, reports. louise, who's a teacher, needs a knee replacement, but she's been waiting nearly two years since first being referred by a gp. she's now taken early retirement. my mobility was so poor that i didn't feel comfortable

or safe in the classroom. i couldn't move around, i couldn't react to situations, i couldn't interact with the young people, i couldn't do my duties. the prime minister wants to see the process speeded up, with new diagnostic centres like this providing scans and tests. a key target is ending all waits of more than 65 weeks, but that's been missed. what do you say to patients who've waited longer than 65 weeks, which is a very long time, often in pain, very frustrated, and you haven't ended those waits? yes, of course, it's... none of this is acceptable, and i'm doing absolutely everything i can to bring the waiting lists down. i was very clear with the country, it was one of my five priorities. because of our record investment, the record amount of doctors and nurses working in the nhs and the new reforms we're putting in like surgical hubs, all these innovations, the nhs is now treating more people than it's ever treated before. the waiting list in england was rising even before covid and health strikes. it's at 7.54 million.

the target is eliminating long waits, but there were 75,000 on that list in february. the a&e target for march was 76% treated or assessed in four hours. the actual figure was 74.2. the prime minister has failed in the promise he made to the country to cut waiting lists. they're higher than they were when he became prime minister. we see the nhs still in the grips of the worst crisis in its history, people waiting far too long foran ambulance, and we can't go on like this. we've uncovered that over 150,000 people last year waited more than 24 hours at a&e. if the prime minister and the conservatives think this is a good record, they're just not on this planet. as for louise, she simply feels let down by the system. i feel like just a lost statistic. i feel sometimes like just nobody cares any more, and there must be so many people like me. hugh pym, bbc news.

ecuador was once known as an island of peace in a troubled region, but it's been sliding into chaos as violent drug gangs battle each other and the authorities. gang murderfigures went from 1,000 in 2018 to more than 8,000 last year. the storming of a tv studio during a live news bulletin three months ago was the final straw for the government who declared war on the gangs. the bbc�*s ana maria roura returned to her home country to speak to people on both sides of the crisis. ecuador�*s government has, in effect, declared war on its gangs. for three months, soldiers have been carrying out daily patrols. it's incredible to see quito, a city that used to be very quiet and very touristic, like this, with this amount of military forces on the street.

the takeover of a live tv news programme in january showed the world how gang violence has gripped ecuador. since then, the army has been deployed to keep the peace. even the officer here is wary of the gangs and hides his identity. translation: we are here. to make sure people have no weapons or drugs on them. they have everything. they assault people on the street. they extort money from people threatening them with violence. it's a delicate subject, but if we feel our lives are in danger, we shoot them. a member of one of the biggest and most violent gangs in ecuador has agreed to speak to us. tensions are really high here in guayaquil, so he always has to be on the move. paul — not his real name — started dealing drugs for his local gang aged 15.

but as ecuador�*s drug business began to boom, he moved into trafficking large quantities of cocaine. translation: everyone wants territory for selling the drugs, l for trafficking, just to have the territory. ever since foreign cartels started contacting the gangs here to get them to traffic drugs. after i press him about his new role, paul admits he has killed people. things are dangerous right now. that can come at you from anywhere. i feel remorse for taking people's life. who am i to take anyone's life? the government says it's winning this war, but there is a growing unease. how long can they keep troops on the streets? ana maria roura, bbc news, ecuador. the former labour prime minister harold wilson had an affair with his deputy press secretary during his time in downing street in the 1970s, two of his former advisers have revealed.

the woman was janet hewlett—davies. both she and harold wilson were married at the time. the two advisers have kept quiet about the affair for decades. archive: have you got a big enough working majority now, mr wilson? . the public face of a happy family man, harold wilson with his wife, mary. but the then prime minister was to go on and have an affair with a member of staff in downing street, a secret which has lasted 50 years. she was janet hewlett—davies, who worked in the number ten press office. she was 22 years younger than harold wilson. joe haines, wilson's press secretary, seen here on the left, and bernard donoughue, head of policy, both knew, but kept the secret until now. he raised it with her and she confirmed it, and he then told me and we agreed we would never tell anybody, and for 50 years we haven't. we kept it secret because we thought

it would be used damagingly against him at that time. the family man image was on display again, on holiday in his beloved scilly isles, but he did have to contend with rumours of an affair with his secretary, marcia williams, later baroness falkender — rumours he always denied. harold wilson died in 1995 but janet hewlett—davies died only a few months ago. this revelation now puts the record straight, of a hidden affair at one of the most scrutinised addresses in the land. this was a little sunshine at sunset. she obviously made him finally happy, which i had never seen him happy. britain's booming gaming industry gathered for the 20th bafta games awards in

central london this evening. super mario brothers wonder won best family game, but it was baldur�*s gate 3 — based on dungeons & dragons — that triumphed, with five wins including best game. marc cieslak was there. this is what it's all about, a bafta golden mask. now�*s winners will be taking on slightly smaller versions, but these are water proof that the industry is more than an economic force,, and the uk has always played a giant role in games development. in a recent bafta poll, lara croft, made famous by the tomb raider games, was voted most iconic video games, was voted most iconic video game character of all time. i caught up game character of all time. i caught up with the co—founder of the company behind her, to talk about her legacy in the state of the

industry. qt her legacy in the state of the indust . . ., , her legacy in the state of the indust . .., , .,, industry. of course, it was developed _ industry. of course, it was developed in _ industry. of course, it was developed in derby - industry. of course, it was developed in derby in - industry. of course, it was developed in derby in the | industry. of course, it was . developed in derby in the mid industry. of course, it was - developed in derby in the mid 1990s and it became a phenomenon, and it has survived the test of time, and lara croft is significant today as she ever was, and long may she continue. i think a lot of people think games are developed in the uk not as much as in the united states orjapan or china, but the uk is at the forefront of all great game development.— the forefront of all great game development. the forefront of all great game develoment. ,, . ~ development. sticking with the uk theme, the winner _ development. sticking with the uk theme, the winner of _ development. sticking with the uk theme, the winner of the - development. sticking with the uk theme, the winner of the best - theme, the winner of the best british game was independent puzzler viewfinder from sleepy our studios, who also took on the award for new intellectual property. titers; who also took on the award for new intellectual property.— intellectual property. very happy and very grateful— intellectual property. very happy and very grateful and _ intellectual property. very happy and very grateful and chuffed, i and very grateful and chuffed, emotional! we and very grateful and chuffed, emotional!— and very grateful and chuffed, emotional! ~ ., , ., ,, . ., emotional! we really appreciate beinu emotional! we really appreciate being recognised _ emotional! we really appreciate being recognised by _ emotional! we really appreciate being recognised by our- emotional! we really appreciate being recognised by our peers l emotional! we really appreciate| being recognised by our peers in emotional! we really appreciate - being recognised by our peers in the industry _ being recognised by our peers in the indust . 1, �*, being recognised by our peers in the indust . �*, ,': being recognised by our peers in the industry.— but the | industry. baldur's gate 3... but the bi rize industry. baldur's gate 3... but the his prize of — industry. baldur's gate 3... but the his prize of the _ industry. baldur's gate 3... but the big prize of the night, _ industry. baldur's gate 3... but the big prize of the night, best - industry. baldur's gate 3... but the big prize of the night, best game, i big prize of the night, best game, went to baldur's gate 3, based on the dungeons & dragons table top role—playing games, it cleaned up,

racking up five awards in total. the games industry has been rocked by recentjob losses, but tonight games industry has been rocked by recent job losses, but tonight the developers and performers in this room are focused on celebrating an industry that is far from meeting its end of level boss. the ancient roman city of pompeii, which was buried in a volcanic eruption almost 2,000 years ago, has revealed more of its treasures. stunning artworks depicting mythical greek figures have been uncovered in what was a banqueting hall. it's thought shimmering candlelight would once have brought the paintings to life. our science editor, rebecca morelle, has been to pompeii to see them. so this is the black room. it's the salone nero... hidden from the world for 2,000 years, a new part of pompeii comes to light. this is the most beautiful one i've ever seen. small, intricate paintings of greek mythical scenes stand out against the stark backdrop. this is a banqueting room,

where the wealthy owner once entertained important guests. there's an almost complete white mosaic floor. why were the walls black? this room probably was used after sunset. the smoke from the lamps would deposit on the walls, so you would like to have them black so you wouldn't see this immediately. and then you have the light, the shimmering light of the lamps, and the paintings almost coming to life. the excavation, the biggest in a generation, has been followed for a bbc documentary series. a second room with rare full—height frescoes appears from beneath the volcanic debris. whoever lived here had high status. and it's notjust the walls that were lavishly painted. so they were on the ceiling? very high. this is plasterwork from an upper floor with exquisite detail. you can see all that

remains of an ancient life. not only some fragments, but their houses, their objects. for this reason, pompeii is unique. but the grand residence is part of a bigger complex with a laundry, a bakery and a darker side to roman life. a bakery would have been one of the worst places to have been a slave. the intense heat from the oven, there'd have been flour everywhere, making it difficult to breathe. now, in here, they would have been squeezed in with animals, donkeys, turning these big millstones to grind the ancient wheat. the team has also discovered their living quarters in the back, and they say there were bars on the windows and on a skylight above. it would have been impossible to escape — like a prison, really. the buildings seem to be owned by the same person, and there are clues about who this might be.

we're standing next to probably our greatest clue of all. it's a red painted inscription on the wall. and we know who arv is, and we know him to be aulus rustius verus. and we know he's a politician. and maybe he's funding the bakery, but he's not going to be living here. this is far too a sort of impoverished little place for a grand politician. so we then hopefully maybe have the idea that he was living in this big, grand house behind us. the excavation is far from finished, and new discoveries are emerging here every day. rebecca morelle, bbc news, pompeii. time for a look at the weather, here's darren bett. this programme continues on bbc one.