Dawkins to Host Controversial Chlidren's Programme

Committed Atheist Richard Dawkins is no stranger to controversy. Following on from being the recognisable face of the “There is no God” bus campaign, the 67 year old author is set to launch a new series on the BBC digital channel “CBeebies” entitled “Santa Clause and Other Lies”.

The programme, aimed at pre-schoolers will explain via a variety of songs and dances that childish principles of myths insufficiently backed up by scientific proof will result in a life littered with unhappiness.

Co hosting with Dawkins will be Darwin, an animated monkey who can quote the complete work of Dawkins, and Hugh Manist a 7 foot tall inflatable dinosaur with a 4 octave singing voice.

“Children, especially those aged between 0 and 4, are force fed lie upon lie everyday about the world and I feel it is time I redressed the balance” Dawkins said

“Having single handily convinced the adult world that there is no God with my books and busses, I feel it unfair that children should miss out on my enlightened thoughts on atheism.”

The series has provoked an angry response from Evangelical groups over its use of antagonist characters such as “Adolf the Christian”, a devilish German cat voiced by Jeremy Irons who verbally bullies Dawkins, Darwin and Hugh whilst on screen. They are planning to once again boycott the BBC in protest.

Lead protestor Tony De Collins believes that Dawkins and the BBC have gone too far.

“We’ve discussed our options with God, and he has instructed us to boycott this blasphemous organisation while he thinks about what to do”

“All I can say at this point is that he is absolutely furious about these developments, and is currently seeking legal advice over what punishments he is lawfully allowed to bestow” he said

Dawkins appeared relaxed when presented with these forewarnings of doom however

“I guess my busses were too intellectual for them! Perhaps they should watch ‘Santa and Other Lies’ that should deliver the message in a language they can understand. C*nts” remarked the academic in an unusual display of uncouth attitude.

“If God does deliver a terrible punishment upon us all, I will be the first to admit that there is egg on my face. Until then however, I shall be released amongst the children and there is nothing they can do about it” he added.

CBeebies will air the first of six episodes of ‘Santa Clause and Other Lies’ on Tuesday 5th May.

Egg and Spoon Race Champion Stripped of Title

After the previous week’s prolonged celebrations, the St Russell’s Primary School Egg and Spoon race champion Simon Mcswithern was yesterday ordered to hand back his title due to shocking revelations that he is not a student of the Margate comprehensive.

Mcswithern, 37, stormed to victory in the 50 metre dash, where contestants are required to balance a hen’s egg on a 2" by 4" tablespoon, beating 8 year old Nicholas Lyndhurst in second place by nearly 2 seconds. The schoolboy was hailed as a sporting revelation by the national press in the week that followed, and considered to be a hot prospect for the next “Fun Olympics” held in 2011.

However, it has since become apparent that Mcswithern was not a pupil at St Russell’s at the time of winning, having in fact left the school nearly 30 years earlier. He was ordered to hand back his prize, with Lyndhurst given the title in his place. When asked to explain his actions, the boy claimed that he had merely forgotten to inform the school of his change in age and circumstance before taking part in the event.

“I am saddened to be stripped of my title of Egg and Spoon race champion 08/09, but would like to stress that my actions were in no way deliberate; it was never my intention to deceive all of those at the sports day” Mcswithern said

“I was not aware of the restrictions of which I was violating and hope that I will not be looked upon as a cheat as it was simply a misunderstanding of the rules”.

St Russell’s Head teacher Moira Thomas said that she was reluctant to take away the prize from the schoolboy, but felt that the rules of the race should be honoured

“It is a shame, as Simon was delighted to win last week and his victory was joy to watch. But the rules clearly state that any contestant must be a current pupil of the school, and Simon unfortunately it seems left us a considerable time ago”

Former school governor Sylvan Distin has blasted the organisers of the event – saying that they should have checked each contestant more rigorously before allowing them to compete.

“This is an embarrassment for all those involved in this prestigious sports day. This shouldn’t have been allowed to happen and hope from now on checks will be put in place to ensure that 6ft men in their thirties do not compete in these games in the future”

Mcswithern’s crown will now be awarded to runner up Lyndhurst, who although pleased to hold the title, feels his victory is tarnished.

“Of course its great to be a winner, but to be a winner by default leaves a bitter taste. Despite the irregularities, I believe that Simon was the clear victor and any advantages he may have had by not being a student here are inconsequential” the 8 year old said

“It is a shame that red tape has undermined what was in my opinion a terrific sporting achievement” the schoolboy graciously added.

Further Details over Goodwin Pension Fiasco

The government were faced with further scrutiny this week as it was revealed that Sir Fred Goodwin, recently retired CEO of RBS has been given the honour of having the country named after him. It is said that the United Kingdom will be renamed “Fredland” by late 2010.

The details of Goodwin’s early retirement agreement pension have already been subject to heavy criticism due to the 50 year CEO’s entitlement to a yearly pension of £693,000. It is expected therefore that further details emerging about rebranding of the nation to honour the 50 year old banker will be met with a similar lever of condemnation.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown insisted he knew nothing about the latest controversy, telling Sky News he only became aware of the agreement a few days ago.

“I am quite shocked about these new developments and will do everything I can to stop them taking place” he said before boarding a plane to Obamaland “The inconvenience of renaming the entire country to Fredland would be monstrous and would be an insult to our heritage and all those who have died to defend it”

However Sir Fred has no plans to reverse the contractual agreement and has promised full legal action to make sure it is honoured
"I am told that you indicated that you were aware of my entitlement and that no further gestures would be required," Sir Fred wrote in an open letter to the treasury. “I can think of no one more deserving of this prestigious honour than myself and will fight tooth and nail to ensure that we are all inhabitants of Fredland by next year

Shadow chancellor George Osbourne said that the situation regarding Goodwin’s pension agreement was “getting more and more ridiculous every day”

“This highlights once again the current government’s severe incompetence. Anyone can see that I am far more deserving of having the country named after me. I am deeply hurt by this” he said in an interview with Ian Wright

It is understood that borders between Wales and Scotland are to be scrapped, with all three nations to be united under Fred. The contract also reportedly gives Goodwin the right to ban any reference of cultural heritage from all three nations after the name change, with Sir Fred expressing in his aforementioned open letter that he intends to do just that.

“Seeing that Scotland and Wales have achieved nothing of note in their entire history, I have no problem in eliminating them along with England when my time comes. We shall all be Fredlish, and only I will be allowed money” he wrote in one of the more frightening passages of his letter.

Although the specifics of the agreement are still unclear, it remains unlikely that Goodwin will have the power to actually run the country of his name.