BBC Entertainment and Arts

Lee Child has had the kind of success most authors can only fantasise about.

Image source, Getty Images

The Coventry-born author has written 23 thrillers featuring American hero Jack Reacher - with total sales of at least 100 million copies worldwide.

He's just been named author of the year at the British Book Awards.

And if he hadn't lost his job in TV none of it would have happened.

BBC News has been looking at how he lost his job and found global success

The Feathers Hotel in Ludlow will reopen this week after a major refurbishment.

Crest Hotels has spent £1m on the building, including new plumbing, after buying the building last year.

Image source, Google

It has been closed after an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease under its previous owners led to the death of a guest in 2017.

Today, invited guests are being shown the new tea room before it opens to the public tomorrow.

Jurors will continue deliberating in the trial of a man accused of soliciting the murder of his first wife and killing his second wife.

Image source, Helen Tipper

The jury of seven women and three men were sent home on Wednesday in the trial of Gurpreet Singh.

The 43-year-old is accused of killing his second wife Sarbjit Kaur with an "unknown accomplice" in Wolverhampton, in February last year.

Mr Singh denies both charges.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Live headlines:

• Gangs clash in street fight as teens beat up kids with metal poles, external
• Major investigation launched as forensic tents go up on Kingswinford street, external
• Dozens attend protest against new order to tackle begging, external

BBC News Travel

There's six miles of queuing traffic after a multi-vehicle crash on the M6 northbound.

Two lanes are closed from J5 to J6, for Spaghetti Junction close to Star City in Birmingham.

BBC Business News

The boss of HS2 has urged policymakers "not to lose sight" of the benefits the project will bring to the UK economy.

Image source, HS2

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Mark Thurston said the business case for the high-speed rail network was "clear".

He added that "the real prize for the country is to complete the second phase", linking Birmingham with Manchester and Leeds.

Last week, a House of Lords committee called for a rethink of HS2, arguing that it did not offer value for money.

"Connecting the three major cities of the Midlands and the North, a metropolitan area of about 10 million people, and being able to get between those cities in about 45-50 minutes will transform the economy," he said.

Religious leaders will hold a prayer vigil by the Knife Angel sculpture in Birmingham this morning.

The sculpture, which is dedicated to victims of knife crime, was made in Shropshire from knives confiscated by or handed in to police.

The vigil is being supported by churches who work on tackling knife crime in their local communities.

BBC Business News

US activist investment group ValueAct is urging Merlin Entertainments - owner of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, and Warwick Castle - to seek a buyer to take it private.

Image source, Merlin Entertainment

That's according to the Financial Times , externalwhich says the investment group has sent an open letter to Sir John Sunderland, chair of Merlin, to say it believed “there is significant private capital interest in partnering with the company” and that it could attract a bid of about £4 a share.

Shares in Merlin are trading at about 332p.

Merlin was floated on the stock market in 2013 at 315p and in 2017 traded above 500p.

Work on building the HS2 high speed railway between Birmingham and London through Warwickshire is now supporting 9,000 jobs, according to figures released by the company.

Image source, HS2

More than 2,000 companies are working at 250 sites across the country to prepare for the start of construction of the line.

Eventually 30,000 people will work on the first phase of the £56bn railway, which is due to open in December 2026, HS2 Ltd said.

Work is continuing to construct the new Curzon Street station in the centre of Birmingham, which will be linked to the tram network as well as rail networks to the wider West Midlands.

Polling stations have opened for the European Parliament elections.

Image source, PA

Seventy-three members, known as MEPs, will be elected in nine constituencies in England, with seven elected in the West Midlands.

MEPs are elected by proportional representation, in order as listed by their party.

The number of MEPs each party gets is calculated using a formula called d'Hondt, except in Northern Ireland, where the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system is used.

Results will not be announced until all EU nations have voted over the next three days - with the voting process completed by 22:00 on Sunday 26 May.

Polling stations in the UK are open until 22:00.

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

It will be a dry, fine day with sunny periods and highs of 19C (66F).

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

Concerns are raised over guards' "reluctance" to record their use of force and response to disorder.

No party has overall control of Cheshire East Council after the Conservatives lost 19 seats in local elections.

Michaela Simkins said the silver keepsake contained a photo of her late son and a lock of his hair.

Andy Giddings
BBC News

We'll be back with the news, sport, travel and weather from 07:00 tomorrow.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A head teacher at a primary school giving lessons on LGBT equality has shared letters of support including what she says is a plea from children at the school to protesters saying 'don't disturb us'.

There have been seven weeks of protests outside Anderton Park Primary School in Birmingham with opponents to the teachings claiming they've undermining family values.

This week, police said they were investigating threatening emails and phone calls sent to the school's head Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson.

Today, Ms Hewitt-Clarkson, who has branded the protests aggressive, tweeted the letters backing her,, external including the one she said was a plea from two of their children.

Sarah Robertson
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

The TV programme The Great Pottery Throw Down is going to return and will again be filmed in Stoke-on-Trent, it's been confirmed.

But production firm Love Productions' said it won't be back on the BBC but will move to Channel 4.

The BBC cancelled the show after two series recorded in Stoke-on-Trent, with the second one finishing in 2017.

Producers haven't confirmed when it will air but have opened applications for the new series and said it will be filmed at Middleport Pottery., external

BBC Weather Watchers

It's been a beautiful day today, and the BBC Weather Watchers have been sharing some stunning sunny photos.

These ones were taken in Sutton Coldfield, Shelsey Beauchamp, Stoke Edith.

Image source, Suttonwalker

Image source, Whitefoot Photo

Image source, Sunshine Seeker

Birmingham MP Roger Godsiff waded into the LGBT lessons row saying they were not "age appropriate".