Bob Geldof says he doesn't care about criticism of the new Band Aid track and insists it's actually a good thing.

He made the comments as the CD single was released in shops.
The song, which is 2014's fastest-selling single with more than 312,000 downloads in its first week, is raising money for the ongoing Ebola crisis in west Africa.
"Where Band Aid is effective is that it creates all this noise," Bob Geldof told Newsbeat.
"It creates this argument, it creates this debate. People find it very hard to understand that I love the level of criticism. I personally enjoy it."
Various artists have criticised Band Aid 30 since it was recorded and released digitally last month.
Afrobeats star Fuse ODG pulled out of recording the Band Aid 30 charity single, saying he felt it was a quick fix to a bigger problem.
Emeli Sande said "a whole new" song was needed and that she wasn't fully satisfied by the lyrical changes made for this year's remake.
Several African artists also claim the song reinforces negative stereotypes of Africa.
Bob Geldof told Newsbeat that he doesn't feel the need to defend the song's lyrics but says everyone has the right to be offended.
"It's a pop song, it's not a doctoral thesis," he said.
"You have lots of newspapers taken up by analysing it.
"And then you have people that deem themselves to be cultural experts going on about it.
"It's a point of view and that's fine. It gives these people a platform where they would never have had a platform before.
"That's an unforeseen benefit of Band Aid.
"What it mainly does is it gets the conversation out into the cafes and the kitchens and the pubs, and once that happens you have great politics happening and we can steer that in a political direction.
"You forget I came in 1976. I was a punk. I still like disruption."
There has also been some concern about how fast money raised through Band Aid 30 will go towards helping communities in west Africa affected by Ebola.
Geldof says the cash isn't too far away.
"We've asked the record companies to advance us what the known sales are so we can have that money almost instantly," he said.
"Because there's almost a cut-off point with this, Christmas, then in January we more or less know how many have been sold so we can ask for the advance.
"Once that's happened, then it's almost instant and we get the money out straight away."
According to World Health Organization figures, more than 6,000 people have died after contracting Ebola in west Africa.
Bob Geldof says poverty is at the heart of the epidemic and any money raised will help people on the ground in countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
"We've been doing [this] for 30 years," he said. "We've distributed more than $250m (Â£160m), so you can go online and see all that.
"The aid agencies on the ground apply for funding and it goes through a very rapid process.
"Obviously we can't fund everyone, so we select the ones that seem to have the furthest impact or the biggest reach.
"The bigger agencies are funded by government or through the Disasters Emergency Committee, but the smaller ones like Mary's Meals who are embedded in the community, they interest us very much.
"If we can help them do their work, then we tend towards that."
Bob Geldof finished the interview by saying he probably wouldn't do another Band Aid track and says it's embarrassing having to call people up every time asking them to take part.
"People are probably fed up with the song," he admitted.
"It's been 30 years. It's been sung at every Nativity play at school."
Extras on the CD single of Do They Know It's Christmas? include the 1984 version of the track, the 1989 song including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, plus Band Aid 20 from 2004.
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Safety barriers are to be installed along The Kingsway in Swansea following the death of a police officer.

Sgt Louise Lucas, 41, was off duty when she was hit by a bus on the road on 31 March.
She was airlifted to hospital but later died. Her daughter Olivia, eight, was also injured in the incident.
The 1.2m-high barriers will be erected on Sunday morning, with the work expected to take up to six hours to complete.
The move follows a call for "urgent action" from a coroner investigating the death of Daniel Foss, 37, who died after he too was hit by a bus on the road in 2013.
Swansea's acting senior coroner Colin Phillips said the road had a "serious design issue", which "must be addressed" by Swansea council.


Police have identified a man whose body was pulled from the River Ouse near York on New Year's Day.

North Yorkshire Police said a member of the public spotted the body in the river near Holly Terrace in Acaster Malbis at about 13:30 GMT on Sunday.
He has now been identified by officers as 42-year-old Craig Batters who lived in York.
Anyone who had contact with Mr Batters between Friday and Sunday has been urged to contact police.
Mr Batters' body was recovered with the help of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
There have been concerns about the number of deaths in the Rivers Ouse and Foss in the York area in recent years.
Three people died in 2011, including 21-year-old Richard Horrocks, who jumped from a balcony to celebrate his last shift at a bar.
York student Megan Roberts, 20, soldier Tyler Pearson, 18 and Ben Clarkson, 22, all died in 2014.
Soldier Stephen Fry, 20, died in 2015 and student Christian Palmer, 20, died in July 2016.


Jorge Teixeira scored a 94th-minute winner as struggling Charlton Athletic came from behind to seal a vital win against Birmingham City.

The visitors took the lead when Paul Caddis' cross took a deflection and reached Jon Toral who turned it home.
Charlton equalised six minutes later through Johann Berg Gudmundsson whose shot bounced off Paul Robinson and in.
The hosts sealed all three points in added time when Teixeira rose to meet Ademola Lookman's corner.
Teixeira's goal was his second in his last three matches for Charlton, who remain next to bottom of the Championship table and six points from safety despite the victory.
Birmingham's outside hopes of making a late charge into the play-off places looks unlikely as they stay ninth in the table, eight points below sixth-placed Derby County.
The match was delayed by four minutes when Charlton fans threw hundreds of small sponge footballs on to the pitch seconds into the match and chanted against owner Roland Duchatelet.
Addicks supporters carried out a similar protest at their 2-0 win against Middlesbrough on 13 March when a number of beach balls were thrown onto the playing surface.
Charlton head coach Jose Riga:
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"I know that there are two stories from today's game and I want only to be involved in the sporting one, but we really felt that the fans were pushing us today for the whole 90 minutes.
"When you show your passion sweating for the club and fighting for the club, English fans will be behind you.
"We cannot master the other results and we can't expect help from the other teams, but today I just want to share my happiness with the players and the crowd.
"We knew from Birmingham's results that all of their games are very close, but at the end I think we deserved the win today."
Birmingham manager Gary Rowett:
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"It was a hugely frustrating afternoon to lose right at the end, but that was the state of the game.
"Both teams were doing everything they could to try and get a winner. They had breakaways, we had lots of breakaways in the second half and really should have made more of them.
"I would rather concede a counter-attack than from a corner when everyone is back and two or three players were stood watching while their player heads it in. That was particularly galling but a point wouldn't have been a lot of good for us either.
"We've got a hell of a lot to do to make the play-offs now, but I have a really honest bunch of players here so I can't be too disappointed with them."


A Polish couple living in York who had gone to Manchester Arena to pick up their daughters have been killed in the terror attack.

Angelika and Marcin Klis had not been seen since the explosion at the Ariana Grande concert on Monday night.
The couple's daughter Alex Klis, 20, a student at York College, had posted an appeal on Facebook for information about their whereabouts.
The Polish foreign ministry confirmed two Polish nationals had been killed.
It is understood Mr Marcin, 42, worked at York Cars Taxi Service, a cab company in York.
Mr Marcin and his wife, aged 39, had taken a picture of themselves together in Manchester shortly before going to the concert to collect their daughters.
This was shared on social media by their daughter on Tuesday.
She wrote: "Anyone who is in any safe place or hospital in Manchester, if anyone comes across my parents please please let me know as they've been missing ever since the attack, this is a picture taken tonight so this is exactly what they were wearing."
In a statement, the Polish foreign ministry said: "We share the pain of the family and the loved ones of the victims and express our most sincere condolences.
"Consuls have offered assistance to the family of the victims."
The Polish Foreign Minister, Witold Waszczykowski, told a radio station: "The parents came after the concert to collect their daughters and unfortunately we have information that they are dead. The children are safe."
Dr Alison Birkinshaw, principal at York College, described the deaths as "devastating news for Alex and her family, the whole college and the wider community".
She said: "We are in touch with Alex and will do whatever we can to support her and her family."
A JustGiving page has been set up to raise money for Ms Klis and her sister Patrycia and has so far raised more than Â£4,000.


University researchers in Swansea have trained computers to detect cancer cells using artificial intelligence algorithms.

Using similar technology to face and fingerprint recognition software, the computers have been taught to recognise cells and pinpoint them.
It means cancer cells can be identified quicker, speeding up diagnosis times.
The project is in collaboration with specialists in the US, Germany, London and Newcastle.
Prof Paul Rees, from the university's college of engineering, said in the past, finding cancer cells had been like "looking for a needle in a haystack" and the new method was a "world-leading development".
"The researchers train the algorithm to recognise the specific cell of interest by giving examples of the cell to be identified," he said.
"After learning what the cells look like, the computer algorithms can then identify the target cells in a population of previously unseen cells."
As well as making the cells easier to find, the new method can also determine a cell's age, which Prof Rees said was important because most treatments act on cells at a certain point within their lifecycle.
Researchers at Harvard University in the US, Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen in Munich, Germany, The Francis Crick Institute in London and Newcastle Upon Tyne University have also been involved in the project.
"These institutes are working at the cutting edge of the fight against cancer and they are very eager to have these types of tools," Prof Rees said.
"This development is very important for Wales - it shows that we are a player on the international stage."
Prof Dr Fabian Theis, of the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, added the team's work could "open up a whole new perspective that could also be used for entirely different research questions, not only for cell analysis".


Offers to repair vans and replace tools that were targeted by thieves during TV show DIY SOS have been "streaming in", volunteers say.

Builders helping the BBC programme transform a home in West Bromwich were hit over the past week, the show said.
Bricklayer Karl Wildman said he was "devastated" his tools were stolen.
Presenter Nick Knowles tweeted he would not let "a few nasties" cloud his judgement of the area as people had been "amazing" in helping out.
Three vans were hit in the past week as the team extended the home of Sandra Chambers, who has looked after her two grandchildren since the death of their mother Crystal in October 2015.
More updates on this story
A Peugeot and a Ford were broken into on Wednesday morning and tools taken. On Thursday a Mercedes Sprinter was then also broken into, but nothing was stolen.
Mr Wildman, 37, said he wanted to help out after hearing about the tragic story. He spent seven days helping the programme and put the damage and thefts at Â£4,000.
"I went back on Wednesday for the final push and I parked about 400 yards away from the house and took some tools in with me," he said.
"I came back out and saw my doors [to his Peugeot] were all smashed and the lock broken. Another van had been done as well.
"We just can't believe how low people can go. We are all here helping a family and these people have stooped so low to do this."
He said a Peugeot dealership had helped him by donating a van to use in the interim and he would be borrowing tools until he could replace them all.
Another volunteer Jardell Miller said: "We were volunteering in the house all day and despite this, everyone managed to stay so positive and motivated to do the best for the families.
"This isn't West Brom - this is some scum who have no morals. Shame on them.
"Offers to repair the van, and replace the tools have been streaming in thick and fast too, shows how amazing the community can be."
West Midlands Police is investigating the incidents.


The police have appealed for help in tracing a woman who has absconded after being charged with fraud.

Julia Holmes, who is in her 60s and is known to use false identities, was charged with two counts of fraud by misrepresentation totalling Â£18,000.
She was on court bail but failed to return to court in January 2011. A warrant was issued for her arrest.
Police believe she was most recently in the Galway area of the Republic of Ireland.
However, they have said she could be in any one of a number of places.
She is about 5ft 5ins tall with blue eyes. She has been known to change hair colour and style.
Anyone who has been in contact with her, or thinks they may know where she is, is asked to contact CID at Bangor PSNI Station on 0845 600 8000, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111


A legal case concerning the sale of video-streaming set-top boxes that can access subscription content for free began on Tuesday.

So-called "fully-loaded Kodi boxes" have gained popularity, but the legality of their sale is in question.
Middlesbrough trader Brian Thompson appeared in court, accused of selling equipment that "facilitated the circumvention" of copyright protection measures.
He pleaded not guilty to three charges.
The trial has been described as a landmark case by industry watchers.
Mr Thompson will next appear  at Teesside Crown Court on 27 October.
Kodi is free software designed to bring videos, music, games and photographs together in one easy-to-use application.
It began life as a program called Xbox Media Centre (XBMC) that added a feature-rich media player to the original Xbox games console.
The open-source project was developed by volunteers and can now be installed on a variety of devices including smartphones and computers.
It can also be loaded on to television-connected devices such as the Amazon Fire stick or Apple TV box, although it is not supported by those manufacturers.
Some shops sell ready-to-use set-top boxes or television sticks preloaded with the Kodi software.
They are also known as Android boxes, because many of the devices run Android as their primary operating system.
The developers behind Kodi say their software does not contain any content of its own and is designed to play legally owned media or content "freely available" on the internet.
However, the software can be modified with third-party add-ons that provide access to pirated copies of films and TV series, or provide free access to subscription television channels.
Some traders sell Kodi boxes preloaded with such third-party add-ons that can access pirated content. It is the sale of these "fully-loaded" boxes that is the subject of a legal case.
The developers behind Kodi have said they do not support "piracy add-ons" and have criticised those who advertise "fully-loaded" set-top boxes for sale.
The group said it would maintain a "neutral stance on what users do with their own software", but would battle those using the Kodi trademark to sell a "fully-loaded Kodi box".
Discussions about "pirated content" and add-ons that provide access are removed from its message board.


South Africa have named an unchanged starting line-up for Saturday's World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.

Lock Lood de Jager and hooker Bismarck du Plessis have both recovered from injuries sustained in the 23-19 quarter-final win against Wales.
In the only change to the squad, lock Victor Matfield is on the bench after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Matfield, 38, will hope to win his 126th Test cap after being preferred to Pieter-Steph du Toit on the bench.
The influential De Jager is fit to start despite suffering a foot injury last weekend, while Du Plessis will play with the hand wound he suffered in the quarter-finals strapped up.
It is the first time since 2007 that the Springboks have not changed their starting XV between successive World Cup matches.
South Africa's starting line-up have a collective 701 Test caps between them and eight squad members were involved in the 2007 semi-final.
JP Pietersen, Bryan Habana, Fourie du Preez, Matfield and Schalk Burger all started that semi-final against Argentina eight years ago, which the Springboks won before going on to claim the title, while Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis and Ruan Pienaar came on as replacements.
The All Blacks have won 10 of the last 12 Tests against the Springboks, and will be favourites after their sensational 62-13 demolition of France in the quarter-finals.
But two-time champions South Africa, who have found form after their shock opening defeat by Japan, have beaten the defending champions in two of their three previous World Cup matches.
South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer: "This New Zealand side is probably the best team that's ever played the game. If you look at their run after the World Cup, they've just got better after the previous World Cup and that doesn't happen in world rugby. It will need our best performance probably ever to beat them."
Springbok wing Bryan Habana: "To beat the number one side in the world you have to be better than your best in every facet of your play.
"Your discipline has to be unbelievably good. Your defence has to be as sound as it's ever been before, your physicality and intensity has got to go 10 notches up and you know you have to be in for a massive 85 to 90-minute game."
South Africa: Willie le Roux; JP Pietersen, Jesse Kriel, Damian De Allende, Bryan Habana; Handre Pollard, Fourie du Preez (captain); Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger, Francois Louw; Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth; Frans Malherbe, Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane, Jannie du Plessis, Victor Matfield, Willem Alberts, Ruan Pienaar, Pat Lambie, Jan Serfontein.


Four men have been arrested in connection with the death of a teenager who was in a car which crashed after it was attacked.

Officers were called to reports of a fight in St Norbert Road, Brockley, south-east London, on Saturday afternoon.
The 17-year-old was in the car which had hit a lamp-post, but he died later in hospital.
Police believe group of people threw missiles at the vehicle as it sped off.
A post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be multiple injuries, consistent with being in a road traffic collision.
The four arrested men, aged 19, 20, 21 and 23, have been released on police bail.
Two other men who were in the crashed car suffered minor cuts to their hands.


An iceberg expected to be one of the 10 largest ever recorded is ready to break away from Antarctica, scientists say.

A long-running rift in the Larsen C ice shelf grew suddenly in December and now just 20km of ice is keeping the 5,000 sq km piece from floating away.
Larsen C is the most northern major ice shelf in Antarctica.
Researchers based in Swansea say the loss of a piece a quarter of the size of Wales will leave the whole shelf vulnerable to future break-up.
Larsen C is about 350m thick and floats on the seas at the edge of West Antarctica, holding back the flow of glaciers that feed into it.
Researchers have been tracking the rift in Larsen C for many years, watching it with some trepidation after the collapse of Larsen A ice shelf in 1995 and the sudden break-up of the Larsen B shelf in 2002.
Last year, researchers from the UK's Project Midas reported that the Larsen C rift was growing fast.
But in December the speed of the rift went into overdrive, growing by a further 18km in just a couple of weeks. What will become a massive iceberg now hangs on to the shelf by a thread just 20km long.
"If it doesn't go in the next few months, I'll be amazed," project leader Prof Adrian Luckman, from Swansea University, told BBC News.
"There hasn't been enough cloud-free Landsat images but we've managed to combine a pair of Esa Sentinel-1 radar images to notice this extension, and it's so close to calving that I think it's inevitable."
Prof Luckman says the area that will break off will be about 5,000 sq km, a size he says that would put the iceberg among the top 10 biggest that have been recorded.
The researchers say that this is a geographical and not a climate event. The rift has been present for decades, they say, but it has punched through at this particular time.
It is believed that climate warming has brought forward the likely separation of the iceberg but the scientists say they have no direct evidence to support this.
However, they are concerned about how any break-off will impact the rest of the ice shelf, given that its neighbour, Larsen B, disintegrated spectacularly in 2002 following a similar large calving event.
"We are convinced, although others are not, that the remaining ice shelf will be less stable than the present one," said Prof Luckman.
"We would expect in the ensuing months to years further calving events, and maybe an eventual collapse - but it's a very hard thing to predict, and our models say it will be less stable; not that it will immediately collapse or anything like that."
As it floats on the sea, the resulting iceberg from the shelf will not raise sea levels. But if the shelf breaks up even more, it could result in glaciers that flow off the land behind it to speed up their passage towards the ocean. This non-floating ice would have an impact on sea levels.
According to estimates, if all the ice that the Larsen C shelf currently holds back entered the sea, global waters would rise by 10cm.
All that is very much in the future. There are few certainties right now apart from an imminent change to the outline of Antarctica's icy coast.
"The eventual consequences might be the ice shelf collapsing in years to decades," said Prof Luckman,
"Even the sea level contribution of this area is not on anybody's radar; it's just a big geographical event that will change the landscape there."
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National League Maidstone United have re-signed defender Magnus Okuonghae.

The 31-year-old joined the Stones in February on a deal until the end of the season after his release by Dagenham & Redbridge and made five appearances.
"For me it was a no-brainer and I am delighted to be back next season," he told the club website.
"At this time in my career, I've found a club that's ambitious and heading in the right direction and one that's close to home."
The club have not disclosed the length of the deal.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Accountancy firm Campbell Dallas is set to open a new, larger office in Perth as part of an expansion drive.

The company said it was investing more than Â£1m in the move, following a "robust" financial year which saw turnover rise from Â£11.2m to Â£12m.
The new office will accommodate the 40 staff and partners who are already based in the city.
Campbell Dallas said it planned to increase staffing in Perth to about 50 over the next two years.
Overall staff numbers have risen to more than 200.
The firm cited a programme of continued investment as key to a successful year.
Chairman Ian Williams said: "2016 was a solid year for us and we are continuing to win increasing amounts of work across the business this year, with healthcare, rural and family business sectors performing particularly well."
Major transactions during the year included advising brewer Innis & Gunn on its acquisition of Inveralmond Distillery and providing acquisition support to building services firm Morris and Spottiswood in the purchase of Lled Construction.
It also acquired established Kilmarnock-based accountancy firm W White & Co, in order to further develop business in the Ayrshire market.
Mr Williams added that the firm would continue its strategy of investing for the future.


Striker Lewis Grabban has experience to pass onto the developing forwards at Sunderland following his loan move from Bournemouth, says boss Simon Grayson.

The 29-year-old, who has scored 92 goals in 356 career games, completed a season-long switch to the Championship club on Wednesday.
Grabban joins James Vaughan, also 29, on Wearside, as well as teenage strikers Josh Maja and Joel Asoro.
"He's experienced and knows the division," Grayson told BBC Newcastle.
"He could have stayed at Bournemouth but swapped places from one end of the country to the other. That shows a real willingness and attitude to get back playing.
"His experience will be vital because we're quite a young group at top of the pitch. He's got goals in him too and that's why we've signed him.
Joining Grabban in confirming a move to Sunderland on Wednesday was Blackburn goalkeeper Jason Steele.
Newton Aycliffe-born Steele began his career at Middlesbrough and has joined Sunderland from Rovers, for whom he made 105 appearances.
Grayson had been seeking a replacement for the departed Jordan Pickford and Vito Mannone, who joined Everton and Reading respectively.
"It's no secret we needed a goalkeeper," he added. "Jason has a wealth of experience in the Championship and he used to the routine of fixtures every Saturday-Tuesday."


Ed Sheeran and Radiohead just found out who they'll be sharing a campsite with in June - after Glastonbury revealed 88 of the acts playing this year's event.

Pop star Katy Perry will make her debut at the festival, following a clutch of politically-charged performances at this year's Grammys and Brit Awards.
Grime will feature prominently, with Stormzy, Kano and Wiley all playing.
And Barry Gibb follows in the footsteps of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers by taking Sunday evening's "legend slot".
The Bee Gees star appeared at the festival last year, duetting with Chris Martin on Stayin' Alive and To Love Somebody during Coldplay's headline set.
Tickets for the festival, which takes place from 21 - 25 June in Somerset, have already sold out.
It will be the last Glastonbury until 2019, with the festival taking a fallow year to allow Worthy Farm's cows (and Glastonbury's villagers) some time off.
Among the acts announced today are:
Krautrock pioneers The Can Project - featuring original Can members Irmin Schmidt and Malcolm Mooney, alongside Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and other guests - have also been added to the line-up.
Organiser Emily Eavis said "even more" bands would be announced soon.
The headliners had already been announced, with Radiohead leading the charge on the Pyramid Stage on Friday, 23 June.
Foo Fighters take the Saturday night slot, making up for 2015 - when they were forced to cancel after Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off a stage in Sweden. Ed Sheeran will close the festival on Sunday, just six years after his first appearance, on the BBC Introducing stage, in 2011.
Prior to today, country legend Kris Kristofferson was the only other performer confirmed - although Laura Marling, Wiley and The Avalanches all let the cat out of the bag.
Organisers say "twice as many" bands will play the festival this year; alongside the usual complement of film, comedy and performance art.
The BBC will feature 120 acts across six stages exclusively live on the BBC Glastonbury website. And you can see live pictures from the farm 365 days of the year on the Glastonbury webcam.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Defiant Sussex captain Ben Brown held up Worcestershire, who set out to force the visitors to follow on at New Road.

Replying to Worcestershire's total of 491, the visitors limped to 116-5 in search of the follow-on target of 342.
But stand-in skipper Brown (49 not out) and Matt Machan (36) put on a stand of 56 to help their team close on 192-6, still 299 behind.
Ross Whiteley (71) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (51) had earlier completed half centuries for the hosts.
Their 120-run fifth-wicket stand lower down the order, further bolstered by Ben Cox (30) and Joe Leach (26), helped Worcestershire post their highest total in 156 first-class meetings with Sussex.
Leach then took two of the six Sussex wickets, while in-form converted opener Brett D'Oliveira captured his first wicket of the season with his off spin.
Brown is captaining Sussex in this game in the absence of the injured Luke Wright.
Worcs assistant coach Matt Mason told BBC Hereford & Worcester:
"It was a terrific effort by the bowlers on that wicket because it is a good pitch. We applied ourselves very well.
"We hung in there after they initially got away from us with the new ball. They scored freely for a little bit there.
"But Jack Shantry and Ed Barnard pegged the scoring back and created the opportunities we took later in the day."
Sussex head coach Mark Davis:
"It was a good morning for us. We said we must come out and try to win the first session.
"We got six wickets and I felt we bowled better, then we fought our corner with the bat.
"It's getting more difficult out there. Full marks to the guys. They are committed."


The award-winning writer of Constellations, which explored quantum physics, is returning to the subject of science for his next play.

Nick Payne's Elegy will have its world premiere at London's Donmar Warehouse in April 2016.
His latest play imagines a near future in which advances in medical science have made it possible to extend life.
Payne's previous work at the Donmar, The Same Deep Water As Me, delved into the world of dodgy insurance claims.
The Donmar's artistic director Josie Rourke described Elegy as "a beautiful and moving story about three women... having to make the choice between love and survival".
She told the Evening Standard that she and Payne had discussed the story with doctors and scientists - and also former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
"[The play] raised questions about faith and how religions think about consciousness and science, so I got in touch with Rowan Williams and asked him to read it.
"He had written something for a project that I did at the Bush Theatre and is master of a Cambridge college now, so we went to see him and he was very helpful."
Payne's 2012 Royal Court hit Constellations, starring Rafe Spall and Sally Hawkins, won best new play at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and transferred to the West End and Broadway.
Joining Elegy in the Donmar's Spring season are Welcome Home, Captain Fox!, a new version of Jean Anouilh's Le Voyageur Sans Bagage by Anthony Weigh.
Directed by Blanche McIntyre and opening in March, the cast includes Francesca Annis, Michelle Asante, Barnaby Kay, Rory Keenan, Katherine Kingsley, Trevor Laird and Fenella Woolgar.
In June, Stephen Dillane and Gina McKee will star in a revival of the late Brian Friel's Faith Healer, directed by Lyndsey Turner.


A yacht sailing from New Zealand to Australia has gone missing, prompting fears for the seven on board.

The crew, six US citizens and one Briton, have not been heard from for over three weeks.
They had been journeying from Opua in the Bay of Islands to Newcastle, Australia, aboard Nina, a historic American schooner built in 1928.
New Zealand's Rescue Co-ordination Centre said it held "grave concerns" for the crew but remained "hopeful".
The Nina set sail on 29 May from northern New Zealand.
Three US men aged 17, 28 and 58, three US women aged 18, 60 and 73, and a British man aged 35 were on board.
The ship last made contact on 4 June, when it was about 370 nautical miles (685km) west of New Zealand, maritime authorities said in a statement.
"Our records show that conditions at the last known position for the vessel... were very rough, with winds of 80km/h (50 mph), gusting to 110km/h (70 mph), and swells of 8m (26ft)," Kevin Banaghan, rescue mission co-ordinator, said.
The New Zealand air force had completed two extensive searches, but "no sign of the vessel has been found", he added.
The Nina is made of wood and equipped with a new engine and an emergency beacon which authorities say has not been activated.
Mr Banaghan said that Nina's crew had hoped to arrive in Australia by mid-June but weather conditions meant that a more realistic arrival date would have been about 25 June.
He said there were three possibilities as to the fate of the vessel: it had lost communications and drifted off course, the crew had taken to lifeboats or there had been a catastrophic failure and the boat had sunk before anybody had time to react.


Greater access to cheap vitamin D supplements would improve the health of at-risk groups, experts say.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) says up to 25% of UK children are vitamin D deficient, leading to a rise in rickets cases.
In the BBC's Scrubbing Up column, the college's Prof Mitch Blair called for concerted action to tackle the problem.
The government said those with the greatest need already received free supplements.
The RCPCH said other options to increase vitamin D levels, such as fortifying a wider range of foods, should be considered.
Half of the UK's white population, and up to 90% of the black and Asian people in the country are thought to be affected by vitamin D deficiency.
The first signs of deficiency include muscle and bone pain as well as swelling around the wrists and ribs.
A lack of the nutrient is linked to a higher incidence of diabetes, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis as well as rickets - a disease that causes bones to become soft and deformed.
The number of cases of rickets has been rising, from 183 in 1996 to 762 in 2011.
In January this year, the chief medical officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, recommended all pregnant and breastfeeding women, children aged six months to five-years-old and the over-65s should take vitamin D supplements.
Writing in Scrubbing Up, Prof Blair said: "Vitamin D can be found in some foods such as oily fish, eggs and mushrooms - but only 10% of a person's recommended daily amount is found naturally in food.
"Put bluntly, eating more fish and getting out in the sun a bit more won't make much of a difference to your vitamin D levels."
The RCPCH is also calling for a public awareness campaign to raise awareness of the warning signs of vitamin D deficiency and how to prevent it, and more research into the link between vitamin D deficiency and bone disease.
It says this is needed to help investigations into bone injuries in children.
Vitamin D does not have a recommended daily intake in the same way as other vitamins and minerals as it is primarily made by the body rather than consumed in food.
If you look at the concentration of the vitamin in the blood then levels below 25 nanomoles per litre are a sign of deficiency.
There is still controversy over the optimal level for health. Around 50 nanomoles per litre is argued for good bones, while some experts champion 75 nanomoles per litre for other conditions such as MS and diabetes, although this remains a source of debate.
Diet is a poor source of the vitamin, although it is in fatty fish, eggs and fortified foods. However, 10 to 20 minutes of sunlight for light-skinned people, or more than half an hour for those with darker skins, should be enough for a week's worth of the vitamin.
The government advises pregnant or breast feeding women and the over-65s to take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D. Babies and the under fives should have daily vitamin D drops, unless they are taking formula milk.
Prof Blair added: "The government's Healthy Start programme provides vitamins free to low income families and 'at risk' groups.
"But these vitamins appear to be in short supply and uptake is low.  Ensuring people are aware they're available is crucial."
The college is to produce leaflets in a bid to raise awareness of vitamin D deficiency among the profession.
In addition, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is looking into proposals for further fortification of food and drink, as happens in countries including the US, Canada and Finland.
Prof Nicholas Clarke, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Southampton General Hospital, said who has been warning of the dangers of vitamin D deficiency since 2010, said: "I strongly support the use of supplements and widespread fortification of foods."
Dame Sally said doctors and other health professionals were "best placed" to give advice on vitamin D.
She added: "The Department of Health has also made sure vitamin D supplements are available free to pregnant women and young children from low income families through our Healthy Start scheme.
"Local NHS organisations must make sure those eligible for Healthy Start get the supplements they're entitled to, and the department continues to work closely with the NHS on this."


Holders Arsenal Ladies will travel to fellow top-flight side Reading in the first round of the Women's Continental Cup, which has a new knockout format.

The cup - won by Arsenal for the fourth time in its five-year history in 2015 - involves all 19 sides from Women's Super League One and Two.
The six lowest-ranked sides from 2015 were drawn into a preliminary round.
All eight of last season's WSL 1 sides move straight to the first round, and were deliberately drawn away from home.
Manchester City, the 2014 winners, are away to WSL 2 outfit Aston Villa in the first round, while Everton will host Liverpool in a Merseyside derby.
Sheffield v Durham
Oxford United v Millwall Lionesses
Watford v London Bees
Doncaster Rovers Belles v Sunderland
Yeovil Town v Notts County
Oxford United or Millwall Lionesses v Birmingham City
Everton v Liverpool
Aston Villa v Manchester City
Reading v Arsenal
Watford or London Bees v Chelsea
Sheffield or Durham v Bristol City
The preliminary round will take place over the weekend of Saturday 7 May and the first round is scheduled for Saturday 2 July and Sunday 3 July.


Police have recovered drugs including cocaine, diamorphine and cannabis after raids in the north of Edinburgh.

Three people were arrested after officers searched four addresses on Friday.
Two of those arrested - a 28-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman - are expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.
A report on the third person, a 31-year-old man, is being prepared for the procurator fiscal.
Ch Insp Jimmy Jones said: "We've been listening to residents and recognise the profound impact drugs have on our communities.
"As a result we've carried out this latest action to disrupt the drug local network and remove these harmful substances from our streets.
"We will continue to work alongside our communities in order to address the crimes and issues that have the greatest impact on people."


About 100 flights have been cancelled at London's Heathrow Airport for a second day because of fog.

There has been one cancellation at Gatwick, while Southampton, Stansted and Edinburgh airports have told passengers to check for delays.
Drivers have been urged to take care and Wightlink Ferries have been suspended between Lymington, Hampshire, and Yarmouth, in the Isle of Wight.
A fog and ice warning covers Wales, the Midlands and southern England.
The Met Office yellow "be aware" warning is in force until Wednesday morning.
On Monday, Heathrow, London City, Gatwick and Southampton airport had cancellations.
Bournemouth Airport
Bristol Airport
Cardiff Airport
Gatwick Airport
Heathrow Airport
Luton Airport
London City Airport
Southampton Airport
Southend Airport
Stansted Airport
A Heathrow spokesman said "persistent freezing fog" had reduced visibility at the airport and said Tuesday's cancellations, made out of about 1,300 scheduled flights, were to allow for delays.
"With Heathrow operating at more than 99% capacity, there are no gaps in the schedule that can be used for delayed flights and as a result, some passengers may experience disruption to their journeys today," the spokesman said.
"As always, Heathrow's top priority is the safety of passengers and we apologise to those whose travel has been affected by today's weather."
A Gatwick spokeswoman said: "Air traffic control restrictions imposed due to fog across the South East and Europe may cause some delays to flights."
Road users have also been warned of difficult driving conditions after Dorset Police reported 31 collisions on Monday morning - six times more than would occur at that time on an average weekday.
The force has urged motorists to take extra care on Tuesday, while the Met Office warned journeys were likely to take longer than usual because of the adverse conditions.
Meanwhile, ferries running to and from the Isle of Wight between Lymington and Yarmouth have been suspended until mid-morning on Tuesday due to dense fog, Wightlink Ferries said.
It has advised customers booked on that route to re-book via Portsmouth and Fishbourne, and coaches will be provided for foot passengers hoping to travel on the alternative service.
Motoring organisation the AA advises:
BBC Travel
BBC Weather
Highways England


It's the issue that seems to have dominated the Conservative conference - but have party members in Birmingham finally had their fill of Brexit?

"There is some level of Brexit fatigue," says 19-year-old Greg Woodbridge, a student from South Northamptonshire, "but it's still the main topic".
"Certainly up until March (Theresa May's deadline to trigger Brexit) and beyond it's going to be a talking point for years to come."
His fellow student and Leave voter Jack Tudor adds: "Obviously it's the main story in the news, to an extent there's that fatigue but there's such endless speculation about what's going to happen next."
Sheila Randall, of Rutland and Melton branch, a Tory member for 66 years, voted to Remain while her husband backed Leave. "I think we've got to move on," she says. "It was Out, we've got to accept it."
But she has a word of warning though. Brexiteers, she believes, "want it happening immediately"  and "we can't rush".
"You hear a lot about Brexit from some of the speakers," says Robert Lawton, the chairman of Bournemouth East Conservatives, who voted Leave.
"But when you speak to other people it's not really the topic of general conversation. This time last year in Manchester it would have been the main topic - now it's gone."
His fellow Bournemouth councillor, Malcolm Davies, backed Remain. He says the media are "trying to drive" the Brexit story but thinks Tory members are "quite relaxed about it".
Paul Barrett, from Ribble Valley, says Theresa May has "taken the fear away" from Brexit, but thinks it is still the main topic.
"There's been an element of calm" compared with what came before, he says.
Councillor Denise Gee, from Darwen in Lancashire, voted Leave.
"It did become quite a nasty battle this time last year, but I think every party member that we have spoken to over the conference has accepted that's what the British people wanted."
"I think people want to move on," says student governor Isaac Barnett. "People have had enough of the topic and want to talk about something else."
"Theresa May discussed it on Sunday to almost get it out the way," says David Brierley from London, who voted Remain. "Brexit is huge, but it's not everything."
"Before the referendum it was totally the only thing people were talking about," says 22-year-old Exeter University student Charlie Beaty.
"There have been a lot of fringe events about it, I'm surprised Brexit is such a huge conversation now."


Jozef Wesolowski, a former archbishop and Vatican envoy to the Dominican Republic, has died before he could be tried for child sex offences.

Wesolowski, 66, was found dead in his rooms in Vatican City in front of the television, officials said.
He had been taken ill just before the start of his Vatican trial in July.
He was accused of paying for sex with children in the Dominican Republic and would have been the first senior church official tried on paedophile charges.
Wesolowski was recalled to Rome and defrocked by Church authorities in 2013 after he was filmed by local television apparently seeking child prostitutes in Santo Domingo.
The case was seen as a test of the Vatican's pledge to stamp out abuse.
Last year, the Pope compared the actions of those who commit such crimes to a "satanic mass".
Vatican spokesman Father Ciro Benedettini said first checks indicated that the former archbishop had died of natural causes, but an autopsy was being carried out.
Wesolowski was charged with abusing children in the Dominican Republican between 2008-2013 and also charged with possession of child pornography, dating from his return to Rome in 2013.
He was due to have been tried under a new court system, set up by Pope Francis, to try clerics and employees of the Church who have been accused of exploiting minors.
If convicted, he could have faced between six and 10 years in jail.
Wesolowski had already been found guilty of abuse by a church tribunal and defrocked. He was placed under house arrest last September following the decision to pursue criminal charges against him.
The BBC's David Willey in Rome says Pope Francis has promised to show zero tolerance towards clergy who molest children, but he has been criticised by victims' groups for doing too little too late.
Barbara Dorris, of the abuse survivors' network Snap, said the Vatican should have handed over Wesolowski to "secular authorities".
Had they done so, she said, "he might have already been tried, convicted and imprisoned. And more truth about wrongdoers in his case might have surfaced."


An MP has described how he waited for police behind a locked door during a constituency surgery after he was threatened by a group of men.

Mike Freer said it happened at North Finchley mosque in north London as he met constituents on Friday afternoon.
Mr Freer said about 12 people forced their way inside, with one of them calling him a "Jewish homosexual pig".
The trouble began after messages on the Muslims Against Crusades website urged supporters to target him, he said.
Mr Freer said a message posted ahead of the incident on the group's website made reference to Labour MP Stephen Timms, who was stabbed while holding a surgery in east London last year.
It warned the attack on Mr Timms should serve as a "piercing reminder" to politicians that "their presence is no longer welcome in any Muslim area".
The Finchley and Golders Green MP, a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel, said there was a vocal demonstration outside the mosque as he began his surgery, but then a second group of people arrived and forced their way inside.
"One of them sat at a table where I was dealing with a constituent and was abusive," he said.
The MP said he was then escorted by staff at the mosque to a locked part of the building until assistance arrived.
Mr Freer said he only realised the potential danger he had been in when he was made aware of the website's reference to the attack on East Ham MP Mr Timms.
The message also stated that "as a member of the Conservative Party", Mr Freer had "the blood of thousands of Muslims on his hands".
"Had I seen the website beforehand, I suspect it might have been a bit more worrying," the MP said.
Mr Freer, who played a prominent role in the campaign against Palestinian activist Sheikh Raed Salah's visit to the UK earlier in the year, said he would "continue to condemn all forms of religious intolerance".
He added that he wanted Home Secretary Theresa May to monitor closely the actions of Muslims Against Crusades.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Officers attended North Finchley Mosque at 4.10pm on Friday after a disturbance by protesters inside the building.
"There were no arrests."


Former heptathlete Kelly Sotherton has been reunited with her Commonwealth Games gold medal, stolen during a burglary.

The medal, stolen from her home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, in February was found by postman Martyn Siviter earlier this month.
Sotherton's medal was returned to her by West Midlands Police on Friday.
More medals stolen during the burglary are still missing. Anyone with information should contact police.
Sotherton had appealed on Twitter for help to find her missing medals and an appeal also featured on the BBC's Crimewatch programme.
Also found with the Commonwealth gold in a postbox in Sutton Coldfield was Sotherton's English Schools "AA" medal.
Sotherton said she was "really thankful" the medals had been found.
The medal, won at Melbourne in 2006, was the only major championship gold of her career.
She won bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the World Championships in Osaka in 2007.


Police are to reopen the investigation into an attempted rape, following the acquittal of a man who served nearly 17 years in prison.

West Mercia Police said a review into the Redditch attack had highlighted areas, including forensic results, where reinvestigation was necessary.
Victor Nealon, who was living in the town at the time, was jailed for life over the attack on the woman, which happened in 1996.
His conviction was quashed in December.
The Court of Appeal made the ruling after hearing fresh DNA evidence cast doubt on the 1997 verdict.
Police carried out a case review and found forensic results relating to the victim's clothing needed further investigating.
A spokesman said the inquires might take "a considerable amount of time" and that police were liaising with the victim.
Mark Newby, Mr Nealon's solicitor, said his client was pleased police were reinvestigating.


Darren Stevens' unbeaten 107 gave Kent the upper hand on day two of their game against Division Two champions Essex.

After no play was possible on the first day, Stevens led Kent to 389-7 after Essex's decision to bowl first.
They had slipped to 208-6 with Essex seamer Matt Dixon taking two wickets in two balls with figures of 4-89.
But Stevens shared a partnership of 108 with James Tredwell (39) and completed his 31st first-class ton in the final over of the day at Canterbury.
It was an unflappable display from the 40-year-old, who was patient at first but then showed all his attacking prowess, at one point adding 26 in the space of nine balls faced.
When Tredwell was lbw to Dixon, Stevens added an unbroken 73 with Matt Coles, giving Kent four bonus points and leaving them only two short of guaranteeing second place.
The score at stumps was probably a fair reflection on the way Essex bowled - a one-paced attack short of a front-line spinner.
Joe Denly (74) and Sam Northeast (56) shared 109 for the third wicket, taking advantage as Essex often over-pitched.
Dixon, on his return to the first team, was the pick of the attack as he swung the ball at decent pace, removing Denly and Will Gidman in successive deliveries after Ravi Bopara trapped Sam Billings lbw.
The mini-collapse from 204-3 to 208-6 had Essex in the game, only for Stevens to take it away from them. But what is now a three-day match will be difficult for either side to win.


Visit any castle, stately home or battlefield this summer and you may find a host of characters, from Romans to the Red Army, via Robin Hood, waiting to welcome you.

In bringing the past to life, these historical re-enactors need the right kit for the job, but just where do you buy a nice new corset or a cannon?
Fortunately, whether you are after axes or dried apricots, there are 1,000 years' worth of products for sale if you know where to look.
A thriving industry of fairs showcase a kaleidoscope of items you may have thought lost in the mists of time. Among their stalls you will find steampunk USB sticks and pirate cami-knickers. But why is there such a demand for this stuff - and who makes it?
The International Living History Fair is an Aladdin's cave of often strange-looking merchandise spanning 10 centuries.
It is one of three major fairs in Leicestershire and Warwickshire which, along with dozens of smaller events, supply re-enactors (and interested members of the public) ahead of the summer display season.
On offer at the leisure centre-sized hall at Bruntingthorpe aerodrome in Leicestershire are items which it scarcely seems credible are still made, cheerfully for sale alongside cups of tea and sausage rolls.
Some are beautiful, some bizarre and many - especially the vast array of axes, maces, knives and muskets on offer - slightly terrifying.
Several stalls drip with terrifying sharp and heavy ironwork designed to make short work of even the best-armoured foe.
Arguably the most extraordinary is the longbow, a weapon of devastating potential.
"So why is it not illegal?" asks archer Tom Mareschall, his eyes glittering with passion for his girder-like bow.
"Skill," he explains. "Not many people can draw a longbow and no-one else" - he taps his chest - "can draw at 180lbs."
The variety of goods is dazzling. As well as skull-smashing weaponry, there are clogs, earthenware pots, jewellery themed to Henry VIII's wives, 2ft-wide (60cm) wooden bowls, quills, medieval floor tiles, dried foodstuffs (for that expedition to the New World) and enough leatherwork to account for a small herd of cows.
Dave Allan, the event's organiser, says: "It's got two main purposes. One is for people to come along and buy things, and the traders to sell them.
"The other is educational: for people, from children up, to learn about history, to see it and touch it and really get enthusiastic.
"It's funny but loads of people here hated history at school but they have discovered a new side to it through making it come alive."
Enthusiasm is not in short supply but few can have the dedication of longbow disciple Mr Mareschall.
"I started aged seven. My left shoulder never formed properly because of the strain. I have six herniated discs in my back," he says.
"But when people say 'No one could draw a bow that powerful', I can prove it's possible".
And he is also handy should you want to know what damage an Agincourt-style longbow - which needs that crushing 180lbs (82kg) of "pull" - can do.
"A good archer could get off 15 shots a minute," he explains.
"That's a rate of fire not matched until the outbreak of the First World War.
"At 100yds the arrows have the force of a .44 Magnum bullet. At 50yds they will go through modern soldiers' body armour."
On the question of legality, mercifully the axes and swords are blunt and the the bows are impractical to use for crime. But the watchword is common sense - the police would take a dim view of any being carried into a busy nightclub, for instance.
Muskets capable of firing a projectile require a shotgun licence as well as special permits for storing the black powder they use.
As well as the core business of supplying re-enactors, many craftspeople have worked with TV and film productions. Wolf Hall is mentioned several times, as is the upcoming Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Della Rebours, who can knock you up clothing and uniforms from the past three centuries, has a particular claim to fame.
"I met Roland Rat, " she says with a smile. "Because I had to make a new Kevin the Gerbil. The old one got pinched.
"A friend of mine who works in TV rang up in in such a state and asked me to get sewing!"
Although there is a sad lack of 80s children's TV characters on offer, there are plenty of other curiosities.
Along with armour stands and the mysterious Battle Spoon (exact purpose unknown), wood specialists Club Axe Ltd offer folding medieval furniture and historical "glamping".
Owner Richard Cooper says: "Behind the scenes we have cars, not a horse and cart. So if re-enactors want to get their bed from show to show, it really helps if you can get it down to an manageable size.
"And we decided to move into the glamping as we had all the bits for medieval tents, so why not offer it to everyone as something a bit different."
And if that's not immersive enough, Italian group Sestiere Castellare offers castle-based medieval holidays (proudly boasting "medieval board games, brothel and torture instruments") in the Dolomite mountains.
While that sounds pricey, there is something for every budget, from £2.50 for an authentically-preserved packet of ginger to roughly £15,000 for a suit of armour.
Graham Ashford, an armourer from Greenleaf Workshop, is pushing the megabudget concept. He is involved in a project recreating the gilded armour of medieval poster boy (and son of 14th Century warmonger king Edward III) The Black Prince.
"At the moment we have no firm idea of how much it will cost, but we recently tracked down some hand woven silk and were quoted £3,000 a metre," he says.
"Clearly some people will wonder what on earth we are doing but it keeps these skills - very practical, very traditional skills - alive".
Wonder or bewilderment is a natural reaction at the fair.
Stefan Pokorny, from Czech company Kasto Armouries, stands behind rows of helmets and breastplates, swords and axes.
"Why do people want this? I don't know. They like history. How many axes should someone have? I don't know. But they keep coming; they are happy to see and have them."
Made from a single piece of wood, traditionally yew, the longbow became famous on the battlefields of Europe in the 14th and 15th Centuries.
It was most effective when used en masse to deliver volleys of thousands of arrows at ranges of up to 300m (330yds), overwhelming contemporary crossbows.
It was key to English victories at Crécy (1346), Poitiers (1356), and Agincourt (1415) where the hail of missiles tore into massed French knights.
The key to success was the training of archers from boyhood to handle the immense strain the bows put on the human body.
Gradually superseded by changing tactics and the arrival of gunpowder, hundreds of longbows were nonetheless discovered ready for action on Henry VIII's ill-fated ship Mary Rose, which sank in 1545.


Bracing the cold weather on a boat in December doesn't seem like the best idea, however, that's exactly what hundreds of people in Portaferry and Strangford did over the weekend.

They were on the Strangford Ferry, which sails between Portaferry and Strangford, but something was different about it.
For one weekend only, it was transformed from its normal ferry service into the carol ship of lights.
Instead of the usual quiet crossing, passengers were treated to 15 minutes of bright lights and carol singers to get them into the festive spirit.
It's the third year that the event has taken place, and its organiser, Alison Murphy from the Portaferry and Strangford Trust, explained where the idea had come from.
"I lived in Vancouver for a while, and I remembered that they do the carol ship parade of lights, which started 50 years ago with one boat - and it's now 50 boats - the whole big festival lasts for weeks," she said.
"I thought, we've got a boat at the bottom of the street - so we thought, could we use the ferry; could we put different choirs on it?
"It's just going from strength to strength because it actually brings two communities together - Strangford and Portaferry - which are 59 miles apart by road, but only half a mile by sea."
Each ferry crossing took about 30 minutes in total, and with each journey came a different choir, with jazz groups, the Ards Peninsula choir and a number of schools from the area all getting involved.
Teachers Shauneen Reid and Joanne McCauley, of St Mary's Kircubbin Primary School, said their children really enjoyed being part of the singing ship.
"It's good experience for them to get out into the community and see what they do," said Ms McCauley.
"They really love performing."
Ms Reid added: "It's just something totally different. We're lucky that we have a ferry, there aren't too many schools can say that."
Eleanor Brown, a founding member of the Portaferry and Strangford Trust, said she hoped the carol ship of lights would shine a spotlight on an area of Northern Ireland that sometimes gets overlooked.
"Portaferry and Strangford have had a few bad years with the recession, we really need people to come and see what's going on here," she said.
"This event helps to re-energise local communities that are out in the sticks, quite a distance from Belfast.
"It's the first time my mum has come down from Carrick, it's just a really feel-good event."
As the ferry's journey across Strangford Lough was nearing an end, there was time for just one more song, but the organisers hope this new tradition in Strangford will end up lasting as long as that of its Canadian predecessor.


Police in Kenya have arrested a regional governor in connection with a series of gun attacks in the coastal town of Mpeketoni earlier this month that killed at least 60 people.

Issa Timamy, governor of Lamu County where the town is located, is due to appear in court on Thursday.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has blamed "local political networks" for the violence.
But the Somali Islamist group, al-Shabab, said it was behind the attacks.
President Kenyatta has dismissed al-Shabab's claims because members of one ethnic group were targeted in the attacks.
Most of the dead were ethnic Kikuyus, like the president. Non-Muslims were singled out to be killed.
Mr Timamy belongs to the United Democratic Front (UDF), an affiliate of Mr Kenyatta's governing Jubilee coalition.
Opposition parties have ridiculed Mr Kenyatta's claim and opposition leader Raila Odinga has called for dialogue with the government to address the security failings.
The authorities also announced on Wednesday that they had arrested 13 alleged separatists accused of planning more attacks on the coast.
In a statement, the interior ministry said those arrested were suspected of plotting "ethnic cleansing" attacks and were members of the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), a coastal separatist group.
On Tuesday, five people were killed in attack by an armed gang on the village of Witu, about 15km (nine miles) from the town of Mpeketoni.
Last week's attacks in Mpeketoni started on the evening of 15 June as locals were watching a football World Cup match on television.
Gunmen went on to carry out further assaults in villages nearby the next day.
The Kenyan government has since issued advice urging people to watch World Cup matches at home rather than gathering in bars or others public places.


A former associate of a Russian businessman who died suddenly near his home is calling for police to reopen the investigation into his death.

Alexander Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died in the road in Weybridge, Surrey on 10 November 2012.
A pre-inquest hearing last week was told he may have been poisoned.
Hedge fund boss Bill Browder said it was possible a "murderer may be running around".  Surrey Police said it would co-operate with the coroner.
The hearing into Mr Perepilichnyy's death was told new toxicology information showed a potential marker for a rare poison called Gelsemium elegans in his body.
A full inquest is due to take place in Woking on 21 September.
Mr Browder, CEO of London-based Hermitage Capital Management, said Mr Perepilichnyy gave information to his organisation about the Sergei Magnitsky affair.
Magnitsky, a lawyer for Hermitage, died on remand in a Moscow prison in 2009 after uncovering an alleged $230m (Â£150m) tax fraud involving Russian government officials.
Surrey Police said in 2013 Mr Perepilichnyy's death was not suspicious and he was believed to have been running before he collapsed.
"He was co-operating against dangerous people," said Mr Browder.
"He thought there was a contract out on his life and now they have found poison in his stomach.
"They absolutely should reopen the investigation and if they don't it seems to me you have a murderer running around having got away with murder."
Surrey Police said the case was handed over to HM Coroner in June 2013.
"Following the hearing, the coroner asked for some additional work to be carried out to seek clarification on some areas.
"Surrey Police will continue to co-operate fully with the coroner.
"The Surrey Police investigation is not on-going at this stage. We would only act further if directed to do so."


With the death toll rising and the disease still spreading, the race is on to find a treatment for Ebola.

Experts already know lots about the virus and how it attacks, but fighting it with a drug is newer territory.
Since Ebola was first identified, in 1976, every outbreak has been contained with strict hygiene - isolation of patients and suspected patients, ensuring staff wore suitable protective clothing and carried out proper cleaning and disposal of clinical waste.
There have been no drugs to do the job because developing them is extremely expensive, and, until now, the major pharmaceutical companies have not seen enough of a market. That's changing.
The virus can enter the body via infected droplets (blood, vomit, faeces) through broken skin or mucous membranes such as the eyes, the lining of the nose or the mouth.
Once inside, it rapidly multiplies in the blood, taking over and attacking cells.
The disease is not airborne like flu. Very close direct contact with an infected person is required for the virus to be passed to another person. Infection may also occur through direct contact with contaminated bedding, clothing and surfaces.
All of this has been known for nearly 40 years, but only now is the world really gearing up to the threat.
Scientists are focusing their efforts on two approaches:
There are lots of different experimental vaccines and drug treatments for Ebola under development, but they have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness.
Experimental drugs such as ZMapp have already been given to patients in the current outbreak, but they have not saved all patients. Two US aid workers and a Briton recovered after taking it, but a Liberian doctor and a Spanish priest died.
The medicine has only previously been tested on animals, and experts say it is still unclear whether the drug boosts chances of recovery.
Stocks have been extremely limited, and the manufacturers of the drug say it will take months to increase production.
One of the first therapies to reach the frontline could be the blood of survivors.
They will have mounted an immune response capable of defeating the virus and antibodies that attack Ebola will still be loitering in their bloodstream.
Taking blood and emptying it of blood cells leaves behind an antibody-packed plasma which can be injected into patients.
In theory this should help the patient fight the virus. However, this has been tried only a handful of times before and it is unclear how effective it would be.
Also this is not some perfectly manufactured drug or vaccine. The effectiveness of the serum could vary from survivor to survivor.
The US, UK and Canada are testing different kinds of vaccine in controlled clinical trials.
The aim is to have 20,000 doses that could be used in West Africa by early next year.
Normally it would take years of human trials before a completely new vaccine was approved for use.
But such is the urgency of the Ebola outbreak that experimental vaccines are being fast-tracked at an astonishing rate.
Russia recently announced it is also developing three vaccines, with one being ready for clinical trials within three months.
David Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "There's been a lot of international attention to making sure that clinical trials of new vaccines and medicines are done.
"And my feeling is that if the resources continue those studies could possibly be begun and already provide some initial answers before Christmas."
It is hoped these vaccines will offer protection by delivering a harmless agent that will teach the body how to mount an immune response against Ebola.
If the person then came into contact with the real virus, their body should already know how to fight it.
Tests are ongoing, but there is no certainty how well they will work.
Dr Ben Neuman, an expert in virus and from the University of Reading, said: "Trials in monkeys have been promising. But they get a very different type of Ebola to humans.
"In a person it's a different kind of disease and we don't know for sure if the same treatments will work.
"Plus we need to scale up the doses. People are a big, walking test tube essentially."
Given the size of the outbreak, it's also unlikely that there will be enough vaccine or medicine to go round - at least initially.
Until these medicines to fight Ebola are ready, the focus has to be on disease control.
It was basic techniques that beat previous outbreaks. The hope is they will do the same now.


Trams have returned to Birmingham for the first time in more than 60 years.

The first tram passengers in the city centre since 1953 went from Snow Hill station to a new stop in Bull Street.
The Midland Metro service is the first step in the opening of a Â£128m project.
Transport authority Centro is working on a 0.7 mile (1.2km) extension which will include trams running along Corporation Street to New Street station.
The work has been scaled back to minimise disruption up to Christmas but the trams are expected to be seen running along the route during testing in December.
John McNicholas, chair of the ITA's Transport Delivery Committee which oversees Centro, said it was a historic day.
"It's good news for Birmingham but also the wider West Midlands as this extension is expected to create more than 1,300 sustainable new jobs and boost the regional economy by more than Â£50 million a year," he said.
Once complete, the Metro extension will see trams from Wolverhampton continue in to Birmingham through Bull Street and Stephenson Street, terminating at New Street station.
Mr McNicholas said the extension was the start of a major expansion of the Metro over the next few years following the regional devolution deal struck with the government.
"We will see Â£1.2 billion invested in public transport over the next 10 years," he said.


Police are concerned for the safety of a 22-year-old woman who went missing after leaving a Swindon nightclub in the early hours of Saturday.

Sian O'Callaghan, who is from the town, was last seen leaving the Suju club. Nobody has heard from her since.
She is 5ft 3in tall and was last seen wearing a grey dress.
Officers have carried out searches of a forest near Marlborough, after it was thought a call was made from Ms O'Callaghan's mobile phone from there.
Police stayed in Savernake Forest, which stretches to 4,500 acres and lies between Marlborough and Hungerford, until nightfall.
Ch Insp Mike Jones said: "This behaviour is out-of-character for Sian and her family is understandably very concerned for her welfare."
He said: "For Sian not to return home after a night out and not make any contact with family or friends is not only unusual for her but is something that she has never done before.
"Sian doesn't appear to have any reason in her personal life that would indicate that she might want to leave the area and she is normally an avid Facebook user but has not used her account since earlier in the day on Friday.
"Sian's family are extremely worried about her and we are offering them our full support."
Ch Insp Jones said people in Swindon would notice an increased police presence in the town as officers conduct their inquiries and specialist teams carry out searches.
"I'd like to reassure the public that we are conducting a thorough investigation into Sian's disappearance and that we have a team of highly-trained officers working on the inquiry," he said.
"It is very important that anyone who knows of Sian's whereabouts, or of any reason for her to stay away, contacts us immediately.
"I would also like to take this opportunity to appeal directly to Sian and ask her to make contact with her family or police to let us know that she is okay."
Miss O'Callaghan has brown asymmetrical hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing a black bolero-style jacket over her dress, and flat boots.
She was also carrying a dark handbag which had a beige flower attached.
Wiltshire Police confirmed Miss O'Callaghan had been assaulted in the toilets of the Suju club in October 2008, when another woman punched and hit her.
A spokeswoman said: "We are aware of a previous assault, but we are very much focusing on the here and now. It is not a focus of the investigation at the moment."
Friends have set up Facebook groups and appealed for help in finding Miss O'Callaghan on Twitter.


German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called US President Barack Obama after receiving information that the US may have spied on her mobile phone.

A spokesman for Mrs Merkel said the German leader "views such practices... as completely unacceptable".
Mrs Merkel called on US officials to clarify the extent of their surveillance in Germany.
The White House said President Obama had told Chancellor Merkel the US was not snooping on her communications.
"The United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of the chancellor," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Wednesday.
The US has been on the receiving end of anger from allies over spying allegations based on material said to originate from fugitive American leaker Edward Snowden.
By Nick BryantBBC News, Washington
The language in the White House statement responding to allegations that the NSA monitored Angela Merkel's private mobile phone is deliberately precise. "The president assured the chancellor that the United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of Chancellor Merkel." It did not deny possible past surveillance on her phone.
Clearly, Angela Merkel believes these allegations are plausible enough to confront directly Barack Obama, in what must have been an awkward conversation.
Tonight at the White House there was supposed to be a state dinner for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. But she cancelled the visit last month following allegations that the NSA snooped on her personal communications.
Only on Monday, President Obama had to reassure his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, over allegations published in Le Monde of electronic eavesdropping on French political figures and business leaders on a vast scale.
The diplomatic backlash is getting fiercer by the day.
Mr Carney told reporters that Washington was examining concerns from Germany as well as France and other American allies over US intelligence practices.
But the spokesman did not address whether Mrs Merkel's phone had been monitored in the past.
Berlin demanded "an immediate and comprehensive explanation" from Washington about what it said "would be a serious breach of trust".
In a statement it said: "Among close friends and partners, as the Federal Republic of Germany and the US have been for decades, there should be no such monitoring of the communications of a head of government."
The statement also said that Mrs Merkel had told Mr Obama: "Such practices must be prevented immediately."
The BBC's Steve Evans in Berlin says because the statement was issued after the phone call, there were indications that Mrs Merkel had not been reassured.
He says the issue of state monitoring of phone calls is a real one in Germany - Angela Merkel grew up in East Germany, where phone tapping was pervasive.
President Obama had assured Chancellor Merkel when he visited in June that German citizens were not being spied upon and our correspondent says she was criticised then by political opponents for not being more sceptical.
The German government would not elaborate on how it received the tip about the alleged US spying.
But news magazine Der Spiegel, which has published stories based on material from Edward Snowden, said the information had come from its investigations.
Leaks timeline
Mrs Merkel's call comes a day after US intelligence chief James Clapper denied reports that American spies had recorded data from 70 million phone calls in France in a single 30-day period.
He said a report in Le Monde newspaper had contained "misleading information".
A number of US allies have expressed anger over the Snowden-based spying allegations.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff cancelled a visit to the US this month in protest at alleged electronic espionage by the NSA against her country, including of communications at her office.
In a speech at the United Nations, she rejected arguments put forward by the US that the interception of information was aimed at protecting nations against terrorism, drugs trafficking and other organised crime.
The Mexican government has called the alleged spying on the emails of two presidents, Enrique Pena Nieto - the incumbent - and Felipe Calderon, as "unacceptable".
US officials have begun a review of American intelligence gathering amid the international outcry.


Durham coach Jon Lewis says all-rounder John Hastings will be difficult to replace, with shoulder surgery set to rule him out for the 2016 campaign.

The Australian, 30, will go under the knife once his stint in the Indian Premier League finishes in May.
Hastings took 76 wickets in all competitions for Durham last season.
"He's going to need surgery followed by some period of rehab which is going to take him out of all if not most of our season," Lewis told BBC Newcastle.
"He's a difficult guy to fill. It comes down to a lot of things, finding the right person, finding the right calibre of player, finding the person who can fulfil the roles he did for us in terms of the overs that he bowled," he added.
"In the white ball stuff he's one of the leading bowlers."
The 2013 County Champions have already enquired about signing South African paceman Kagiso Rabada as a replacement.
But Lewis also wants the club's younger pace bowlers to step up.
"We need to make sure that we develop our own players from within so whether that provides some more opportunities for our locals, that needs to be looked at," he added.
"Last year I was concerned with overworking young seamers but they are now a year older and maybe we can look to get more out of them."


Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have revealed they have celebrated Star Wars Day by screening one of the sci-fi movies.

"Just watching @starwars. In space. No big deal," Nasa tweeted from one of its official accounts, adding the hashtag #Maythe4thBeWithYou.
It is not the only recent tie-in. Members of a forthcoming expedition to the ISS posed as Jedi knights for their official photo earlier this year.
The choice of film surprised some.
"You picked the wrong one!" tweeted Angel Dominguez, referring to the fact that a photo sent from the satellite shows Mace Windu's battle with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in the prequel Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, rather a scene from the original trilogy.
The ISS was recently fitted with a high-definition projector, which the astronauts also use for video conferences and displaying computer software.
Commander Scott Kelly revealed last month that the team on board had also used it to watch the space disaster movie.
The latest movie showing was timed to coincide with the date, which references the series' most quoted line: "May the force be with you."
"We can't say for sure if this was the first time a Star Wars film has been screened in space as crew members throughout the history of the International Space Station have had access to movies and TV shows of their choosing to watch during their off-duty time,"  Daniel Huot, a spokesman for Nasa, told the BBC.
The ISS was previously linked to the space opera in 2007, when character Luke Skywalker's lightsaber prop was flown to the orbiting structure and back to mark 30 years of the franchise.
Such stunts only add to the series' value by keeping it in the public eye. Disney is set to be the beneficiary of the latest publicity, having bought the rights to Star Wars from its creator George Lucas in 2012, along with other movie rights, for $4bn (Â£2.6bn).
Analysts are expecting that the first in a new series of films, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will set a new box office record when it is released in December.
One expert quoted by The Hollywood Reporter has forecast it could make more than $500m in its first three days in cinemas.
However, efforts to further extend the franchise have faced a setback with news that the director of a planned spin-off is no longer involved.
"I've put a tremendous amount of thought into this, and I know deep down in my heart that I want to pursue some original creative opportunities," Josh Tank said in a statement published on the official Star Wars site last week.


Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson and Hamilton chairman Les Gray have joined the board of the Scottish Professional Football League.

They replace Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell and Partick Thistle managing director Ian Maxwell, who move to the SFA's professional game board.
The changes were implemented at the SPFL's annual general meeting.
Robertson and Gray join Hearts' Ann Budge as the top-flight clubs' board representatives.
They will serve alongside SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster, new chairman Murdoch MacLennan and independent non-executive Karyn McCluskey, along with Falkirk's Martin Ritchie and Morton's Warren Hawke serving the Championship clubs and Stranraer's Iain Dougan representing the League One and Two clubs.


Rolls-Royce has agreed to pay £671m to settle bribery and corruption cases with UK and US authorities.

The aerospace firm is set to pay £497m plus costs to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which started investigating claims in 2012 of wrongdoing overseas.
At the time, the SFO asked the firm for information about possible bribery in China, Indonesia and other markets.
Rolls-Royce said it had also agreed to pay $170m (£141m) to the US Department of Justice.
A further settlement would see it pay $26m (£21.5m) to Brazilian regulators, it added.
Rolls-Royce, one of the UK's biggest manufacturing exporters, makes engines for military and civil planes, as well as for trains, ships, nuclear submarines and power stations.
"These are voluntary agreements which result in the suspension of a prosecution provided that the company fulfils certain requirements, including the payment of a financial penalty," the firm said.
It added that concerns about bribery and corruption were passed by the firm to the SFO in 2012, but it did not give further information on which countries were involved.
Some of the allegations dated back more than 10 years.
They involved Rolls-Royce's "intermediaries", which are local companies that handle sales, distribution, repair and maintenance in countries where the British firm does not have enough people on the ground.
The SFO confirmed it had reached a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with Rolls-Royce, which would be subject to approval by a court on Tuesday.
It is only the third such agreement that the SFO has struck since they were first introduced into UK law in 2014.
They allow organisations to pay huge penalties, but avoid prosecution, if they freely confess to economic crimes such as fraud or bribery.


The boss of Nissan has warned that Brexit uncertainty and possible tariffs could damage investment in the UK's biggest car factory.

Chief executive Carlos Ghosn said the firm would need "compensation" for tax barriers that might result from Britain leaving the European Union.
Nissan's plant in Sunderland produces about a third of the UK's car output.
The comments come amid warnings from the UK car industry about the risk of EU tariffs from Brexit.
"If I need to make an investment in the next few months and I can't wait until the end of Brexit, then I have to make a deal with the UK government," Mr Ghosn, who also runs France's Renault, said at the Paris Motor Show.
"You can have commitments of compensation in case you have something negative," he said.
Nissan is due to decide early next year on where to build its next Qashqai sport utility vehicle.
The plant at Sunderland is Nissan's biggest factory in Europe, employs 6,700 people and has the capacity to produce around 500,000 cars per year.
"We would like to stay. We're happy, we have a good plant, which is productive but we cannot stay if the conditions do not justify that we stay," he added.
Mr Ghosn told the BBC that the Sunderland plant would "lose competitiveness" if Brexit meant the UK had to pay 10% tariffs to import into the EU.
The International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, said on Thursday it was in other countries' interests to avoid tariffs which he said would "harm the people of Europe".
In 2015, around 1.59 million cars were manufactured in Britain with 80% of them for exports - mostly to European countries. The industry employs around 800,000 people.
In a separate call for action on Brexit, Japanese carmaker Honda on Thursday urged the British government to take "a fast decision".
"Then what we need is free trade," Jean Marc Streng, Honda's general  manager for Europe, told the BBC.
"The sooner we have a clear statement on Brexit the better it is for us," he said.


Bahrain has executed three Shia men who were convicted of killing three police officers in a bomb attack in March 2014, the authorities say.

They were killed by a firing squad on Sunday, state news agency BNA reports.
Human rights officials say there are serious concerns that evidence may have been obtained under torture.
But the Bahraini government, which rarely carries out executions, has said the decision was taken "in accordance with international law".
The executions of the three men, who Bahraini officials say were part of the listed terrorist group Saraya al-Ashtar, are the first since a 2011 uprising, led by the Shia majority, calling for greater political rights.
The Sunni-ruled kingdom has escalated a crackdown on its Shia critics over the past year, including revoking the citizenship of the country's most prominent Shia Muslim cleric.
What lies behind Bahrain's crackdown?
The UN's special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, Agnes Callamard, condemned the executions in a tweet saying: "Torture, unfair trial + flimsy evidence: these are extrajudicial killings."
Maya Foa, head of the UK-based human rights group Reprieve, said: "It is nothing short of an outrage - and a disgraceful breach of international law - that Bahrain has gone ahead with these executions."
The death sentences handed to the three men, she added, "were based on 'confessions' extracted through torture, and the trial an utter sham".
But a statement from the government said evidence "included in part fingerprints on the IEDs, phone records which confirmed the locations of the three men (e.g., at the time of the attacks) and wide-ranging witness statements".
The statement added that the decision to execute the men met "all nine of the United Nations Safeguards" - including "clear and convincing evidence" which left "no room for an alternative explanation of the facts".
Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima and Ali al-Singace were convicted of a bomb attack that killed three policemen, including one officer from the United Arab Emirates, nearly three years ago.
They were executed a week after their death sentences were upheld by a high court.
The executions are the first to be carried out in Bahrain in more than six years, according to Reprieve.
"This is a black day in Bahrain's history. It is the most heinous crime committed by the government of Bahrain and a shame upon its rulers... This act is a security threat to Bahrain and the entire region," Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy told Reuters news agency.
Protests erupted in several Shia villages over the news of the executions. When demonstrators blocked roads with burning tyres, police responded with tear gas.
A police officer was wounded when his patrol came under fire on Saturday in the Shia village of Bani Jamra, to the west of the capital Manama, the interior ministry said.


A survivors' group has said they have lost confidence in the Scottish government's child abuse inquiry

It follows the resignation of chairwomen Susan O'Brien, who stepped down after the deputy first minister began formal proceedings to sack her.
The In Care Survivors group said the handling of the inquiry and accusations of government interference had been "traumatising" for abuse victims.
John Swinney denied interfering and said due process was being followed.
Mr Swinney had begun formal proceedings to sack Susan O'Brien QC over inappropriate comments she reportedly made at a training event in February.
He said that Ms O'Brien had "revealed views" which child abuse trauma experts had judged to "indicate a belief system that is incompatible with the post of chair of such an inquiry".
However, when she stepped down on Monday, Ms O'Brien claimed the Scottish government was interfering in the inquiry, a claim also made by Prof Michael Lamb, who resigned last week from the panel.
Helen Holland, a spokeswoman for In Care Survivors, told the Good Morning Scotland programme: "I think it's been awful, and the people who are most affected by this are the survivors themselves - the very people who should be protected."
She added: "There was a lot of talk about re-traumatisation for survivors. This whole event has been traumatising for survivors. Last week I spent just two nights constantly on the phone to survivors, phoning with concerns that they had about the whole thing."
Ms Holland said survivors were most alarmed by accusations of interference in the inquiry by ministers.
She said: "We need answers. We need to know exactly what happened, exactly what the interference is and at what level that interference has been there. At every step of the way, everybody who has been involved with this since 2007 has said there needs to be absolute independence from government."
"I would be lying if I sat here and said I had faith in the inquiry. As it stands at the moment, no. But it can be rectified if it's dealt with properly."
Mr Swinney, who is due to meet survivors on Thursday, denied undue interference and insisted government was trying to ensure costs associated with the inquiry were appropriate.
He said: "The government has an obligation to make sure that public money is used effectively and wisely.
"One of the issues that we were concerned to be persuaded about was, was it really necessary for counsel - members of the Faculty of Advocates - to do all of the taking of evidence from individuals? Couldn't that be done by other individuals who were professionally trained to do so, which would have been done at a lower cost?"
"The government has a proper responsibility in terms of the Inquiries Act 2005 - the law - the make sure that public money is being used appropriately for the inquiry and we have got an obligation to ensure that we manage the cost."
By BBC Scotland health correspondent Eleanor Bradford
Deputy First Minister John Swinney says the row is, in part, due to the fact the Scottish government has been trying to keep costs down by limiting the number who give evidence to the inquiry's lawyers, or whether someone else could take the evidence instead.
Expensive inquiries always draw public criticism, but placing limits on the way evidence is gathered also raises concerns.
The recent Penrose Inquiry into contaminated NHS blood supplies limited the amount of evidence submitted.
Out of hundreds of people who were infected, Lord Penrose allowed only six to give oral evidence to the inquiry.
That led to a widespread belief amongst survivors that it was biased from the start, and when the report was finally published they branded it a whitewash.
Yet it still cost the taxpayer Â£12m.
Mr Swinney also denied he had been slow to react over the allegations surrounding Susan O'Brien.
He said he was not made aware of her "unacceptable" remarks until May. He added: "I can well understand the concerns of survivors groups.
"Officials wrote to Ms O'Brien on 20 May indicating that I was considering terminating the appointment in respect of some remarks that had been reported to me."
He insisted: "I've gone through due process. I wanted to make sure that I acted properly and fully and in a transparent way in handling this matter."
Ms O'Brien's resignation leaves the inquiry, which concerns historical allegations of child abuse in Scotland, with only one panel member. It is scheduled to last four years.


Women priests could celebrate Mass better than men because they are "more familiar with the shedding of blood", an Irish parish priest has said.

Fr Roy Donovan said childbirth and menstruation meant women "were more used to sacrifice and suffering".
A woman saying "this is my body, this is my blood," during the sacrament of the Eucharist could give it more meaning, he said.
"Many females give up their bodies, just as Jesus did," he told the BBC.
Fr Donovan, parish priest of Caheronlish/Caherline in County Limerick, is an outspoken supporter of women priests.
He said he was trying to counteract the Catholic Church's argument that only a male could celebrate the Eucharist - a ritual service of thanksgiving to God which centres on the consecration of bread and wine and their distribution at Communion.
Roman Catholics believe the bread becomes the body of Jesus, and the wine his blood, in the process of their blessing by a priest, and that sharing it at Eucharist or Holy Communion commemorates the Last Supper shared by Jesus and his apostles, and Jesus' sacrificial death by crucifixion.
"The bottom line is that despite being equal to men by virtue of their baptism, women are excluded from all positions of authority, decision making and ministry," he said.
He first made the comments in an interview with the Irish Times, where he also expressed his objection to the introduction of a male-only permanent body of deacons in his archdiocese before completion of a report by the papal commission on women deacons.
Deacons are a clergy rank one below priest.
Currently all Catholic priests and deacons are male. Priests must be celibate, but deacons can be married men.
The BBC has contacted the Diocese of Limerick for comment.


US-led coalition air strikes have killed dozens of civilians in the Syrian city of Raqqa over the past 24 hours, activists and state media say.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 42 had died in attacks on areas held by so-called Islamic State.
Anti-IS group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said 32 were killed in one district alone.
There was no immediate comment from the coalition, which is supporting Kurdish-led fighters seeking to capture Raqqa.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance launched a ground assault in early June and is now believed to hold more than half of the city, which is the de facto capital of the "caliphate" proclaimed by IS in 2014.
The Syrian Observatory, a UK-based group that monitors the six-year-old civil war through a network of sources, said on Tuesday that 19 children and 12 women were among those killed in Monday's air raids on the Sukhani and Badu districts.
The figures took to 167 the number of civilians killed in coalition strikes since 14 August, it said.
"The tolls are high because the air strikes are hitting neighbourhoods in the city centre that are densely packed with civilians," Syrian Observatory director Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP news agency.
"There are buildings full of civilians that are trying to get away from the front lines."
The coalition has not yet responded to the report, but said it had conducted 20 air strikes in the Raqqa area on Monday, engaging 13 IS tactical units and destroying 24 fighting positions, a vehicle, a logistics node and communications infrastructure.
At the start of June, the coalition said its 22,983 air strikes in Syria and Iraq since 2014 had unintentionally killed at least 624 civilians. However, human rights groups believe the true figure is far higher.
Airwars, an organisation that tracks allegations of civilian deaths, said that as of 8 August, coalition air strikes were likely to have killed at least 4,487 civilians in three years.
On Monday, UN spokesman StÃ©phane Dujarric told reporters that it was deeply concerned for the safety of up to 25,000 civilians trapped inside Raqqa, many of them women and children.
Tens of thousands of people had fled the city, but those remaining faced severe restrictions of movement in and out of the city, which had dwindling food and water supplies, he said.
"The UN stresses again that all parties to the fighting are obligated to protect civilians under international humanitarian law, as well as the need for sustained and unhindered access to those who need help," Mr Dujarric added.