More than 80% of the world's population lives under light-polluted skies, a study suggests.

Scientists explain in Science Advances how ground measurements and satellite data were used to create an atlas of a world brightened by artificial lights.
It reveals that the population of Singapore, Kuwait and Qatar experience the brightest night skies.
Conversely, people living in Chad, Central African Republic and Madagascar are least affected by light pollution.
Dr Christopher Kyba, from the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, said:  "The artificial light in our environment is coming from a lot of different things.
"Street lights are a really important component, but we also have lights from our windows in our homes and businesses, from the headlights of our cars and illuminated billboards."
The brightness map reveals that 83% of the world's population, and 99% of Europeans and people in the US, live under skies nearly 10% brighter than their natural starry state.
For some though the artificial glow was even greater, said Dr Kyba.
"About 14% of the world's population don't even use their night-time vision," he explained.
"The night is so bright that they use their colour daytime vision to look up at the sky."
In Singapore, the entire population lives under this extreme level of artificial night-time brightness, and it is a problem affecting many other parts of the world.
"Twenty percent of the people in Europe and 37% of the people in the US don't use their night vision," said Dr Kyba. "It's really an enormous number."
He added: "In the UK, 26% of people are using colour vision and not night vision."
The researchers warn that nights that never get darker than twilight are affecting nocturnal animals, while in humans, the trend has been linked to sleep disorders and disease.
Dr Kyba said that while lighting was important for development and safety, technology needed to improve.
"There are a lot of street lights that are not particularly well designed," he explained.
"They shine light into areas that are not useful - so up into the sky, for example, isn't really useful for anybody.
"There's a big difference between having a well-lit street, which means everybody can get around really easily and safely, and a brightly lit street, which could mean there's too much light and it's not helping anyone."
The paper suggests that lights that are shielded, or can dim or turn off while not being used, could help to reduce light pollution as well as save energy.
The researchers add that light pollution is hindering astronomy: a third of the world now cannot see the Milky Way.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter: @BBCMorelle


Gareth Davies will start at scrum-half for Wales in Saturday's key World Cup match against England at Twickenham.

Lloyd Williams is on the bench, meaning Mike Phillips is not in the match 23.
Tomas Francis starts at tight-head prop, Scott Baldwin at hooker with Gethin Jenkins at loose-head, while Samson Lee is named on the bench.
Full-back Liam Williams has recovered from his thigh knock, with George North and Hallam Amos - preferred to Alex Cuthbert - on the wings.
Captain Sam Warburton packs down at open-side flanker in a tried and tested breakaway trio of Dan Lydiate and Taulupe Faletau, so Justin Tipuric provides back-row cover on the bench.
Alun Wyn Jones and Bradley Davies are the lock pairing, while Jamie Roberts and Scott Williams line up in the centre to take on England rivals Sam Burgess and Brad Barritt.
Scarlets tight-head Lee was an injury doubt but is fit enough to be named among the replacements, although there is no Paul James, who is suffering from a calf strain.
Instead, Aaron Jarvis and hooker Ken Owens are the other front-row reserves, while lock Luke Charteris, fly-half Rhys Priestland and Cuthbert are the other bench members.
British and Irish Lion Phillips was called into Wales' World Cup squad just over a fortnight ago when Rhys Webb suffered a tournament-ending foot injury, but will have to wait to win his 100th Test cap.
Instead Scarlets number nine Davies - the Pro12's top try scorer in the 2013/14 season - will make only his second start for Wales.
News of Newport Gwent Dragon Amos' selection came on his 21st birthday.
The winners of the Group A game will take a massive stride towards qualifying for the quarter-finals, with the losers realistically needing to beat Australia to avoid an early exit from the tournament.
"Saturday is a huge occasion for both teams and for the tournament and we are really looking forward to it," said Wales head coach Warren Gatland.
"Both sides kicked their tournament off with a bonus-point win but we know we will need to step up at Twickenham on Saturday."
Wales began their campaign on Sunday in Cardiff with a 54-9 win over Uruguay, while hosts England started two days earlier with a 35-11 victory over Fiji at Twickenham.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Liam Williams; George North, Scott Williams, Jamie Roberts, Hallam Amos; Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Gethin Jenkins, Scott Baldwin, Tomas Francis, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (capt), Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Ken Owens, Aaron Jarvis, Samson Lee, Luke Charteris, Justin Tipuric, Lloyd Williams, Rhys Priestland, Alex Cuthbert.


Shigeaki Hinohara, one of Japan's most famous doctors, has died at the age of 105.

Dr Hinohara continued seeing patients until months before his death and frequently offered advice on how to live well.
Described by his colleagues as Japan's national treasure, he headed five foundations in addition to being the president of St Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo.
Here are some highlights from his remarkable life.
Dr Hinohara began his working life as a doctor at St Luke's in the 1940s.
During the war he helped to treat victims of the firebombing that destroyed large parts of the Japanese capital.
In 1970 Dr Hinohara was a passenger on a Japan Airlines plane hijacked by the communist militant group, the Japanese Red Army.
The hijackers, who were armed with swords and pipe bombs, took 129 hostages on the flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka, later releasing them at Fukuoka and the South Korea capital Seoul before flying on to North Korea where they were offered political asylum.
In a 2008 interview with the Japan Times, Dr Hinohara said the hijackers had explosives strapped to them "and we were terrorised, wondering whether the negotiations might break down".
A great music lover, Dr Hinohara, at the age of 88, wrote a script for a Japanese musical entitled The Fall of Freddie the Leaf.
The show was first performed in 2000 and Dr Hinohara also acted in the production, dancing with children, the Japan Times reported.
Dr Hinohara frequently appeared on Japanese television, urging audiences to have more fun in their lives and to ward off illness by always giving themselves something to look forward to.
On TV and through a best-selling anthology of essays called How to Live Well, he encouraged others to do away with strict rules on when to eat and sleep. One of his last pieces of advice was; always take the stairs and keep up your strength by carrying your own bags.
"We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep," he once said.
"I believe we can keep that attitude as adults - it is best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime."
In 1954 Dr Hinohara introduced Japan's system of comprehensive annual medical check-ups - called "human dry-dock" - which have been credited with greatly contributing to the country's longevity.
He was also a strong advocate of maintaining an active social life into old age.
Dr Hinohara became director of St Luke's in the early 1990s and, according to the Japan Times, had oxygen tubes installed  throughout the building in 1994 to prepare for mass casualties if an earthquake struck the capital.
The next year, a sarin gas attack on Tokyo's metro by members of a cult killed at least 12 and injured thousands but the hospital was able to cope with the number of patients because of Dr Hinohara's preparations, the Times says.
Many tributes have been paid to Dr Hinohara, including by the Japan Times journalist Judit Kawaguchi, who knew him well.
She told the BBC that he had amazing energy and drive.
"I met him when he was already in his 90s and I would say he drastically changed my mind about ageing because even then he was working 18 hours, seven days a week, and he was the most energetic person I've ever met," she said.
"He believed that life is all about contribution, so he had this incredible drive to help people, to wake up early in the morning and do something wonderful for other people. This is what was driving him and what kept him living."
She added: "He always had today's goals, tomorrow's and the next five years. I feel very sad that he died because his dream was to attend the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. That was his next big goal and he couldn't make it.
"But he was just an amazing, amazing person and everybody who met him was transformed because of him."


One of the most insular countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has emerged from being an underdeveloped desert kingdom to become one of the wealthiest nations in the region thanks to vast oil resources.

But its rulers face the delicate task of responding to pressure for reform while combating extremist violence.
Named after the ruling Al Saud family, which came to power in the 18th century, the country includes the Hijaz region - the birthplace of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad and the cradle of Islam. This fact, combined with the Al Sauds' espousal of a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism, has led it to develop a strongly religious self-identity.
The harsh punishments in the Wahhabi interpretation of Islamic law include public beheadings for a range of crimes, and these continue to attract criticism from international rights organisations.
Saudi Arabia was established in 1932 by King Abd-al-Aziz - known as the Lion of Najd - who seized Hejaz from the Hashemite family and united the country under his family's rule. Since his death in 1953 he has been succeeded by various sons.
The Al Saud dynasty's monopoly of power meant that during the 20th century successive kings were able to concentrate on economic modernisation and on developing the country's role as a regional power.
It has always been in the ruling family's interests to preserve stability in the region and to clamp down on extremist elements. To this end, it welcomed the stationing of US troops in the country after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
Saudi Arabia profile - home
Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring
But the leadership's refusal to tolerate any kind of opposition may have encouraged the growth of dissident groups such as Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda, which benefited from popular resentment against the role of the US in the Middle East.  Members of the large Shia minority, who form a majority in oil-rich Eastern Province, have become increasingly vocal in their demands for civil rights.
After the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington of 11 September 2001 - carried out mainly by Saudi nationals - the Saudi authorities were further torn between their natural instincts to step up internal security and pressure to allow a greater degree of democracy.
In 2003 suicide bombers suspected of links with al-Qaeda killed 35 people - including a number of foreigners - in the capital Riyadh. The targets of other attacks have included foreign workers and, since the rise of the Sunni extremist group Islamic State, the Shias of Eastern Province.
Demands for political reform have increased. Municipal elections in 2005 were a first, limited exercise in democracy. But political parties are banned - the opposition is organised from outside the country - and activists who publicly broach the subject of reform risk being jailed.
Calls for social change are on the rise, too. Activists for women's rights have become more vocal, focusing on practical campaigns such as the right to drive. Social media users are also testing the limits of freedom of expression.
Saudi Arabia sits on more than 25% of the world's known oil reserves. It is capable of producing more than 10 million barrels per day; that figure is set to rise.


Mauro Vilhete and John Akinde's second-half strikes ended Barnet's six-game winless run and lifted them out of the League Two relegation zone with a 2-0 victory at Wycombe.

Vilhete tucked home in the 65th minute of a dour clash at Adams Park and, after Myles Weston saw red on his home debut, Akinde rubber-stamped the victory in injury time.
The hosts went into the clash with the third best home record in the division and could feel aggrieved not to lead at the break after Adebayo Akinfenwa's header was disallowed after referee Graham Horwood failed to play advantage.
Their best chance came early in the second half when Anthony Stewart unleashed a half-volley straight at Josh Vickers following a corner.
But it was the Bees who struck soon after as strong hold-up play by Akinde released Vilhete and the Portuguese 23-year-old's low shot crept under goalkeeper Jamal Blackman.
The hosts pushed for a leveller but lost Weston for two bookings in stoppage time, and Akinde then rounded the keeper to slot home and secure the Bees a vital win.
Reports supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Wycombe Wanderers 0, Barnet 2.
Second Half ends, Wycombe Wanderers 0, Barnet 2.
Substitution, Barnet. Nana Kyei replaces John Akinde.
Attempt missed. Michael Harriman (Wycombe Wanderers) left footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
Goal!  Wycombe Wanderers 0, Barnet 2. John Akinde (Barnet) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Tom Champion.
Mauro Vilhete (Barnet) is shown the yellow card.
Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro (Barnet) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Aaron Pierre (Wycombe Wanderers).
Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro (Barnet).
Foul by Adebayo Akinfenwa (Wycombe Wanderers).
Alie Sesay (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Second yellow card to Myles Weston (Wycombe Wanderers) for a bad foul.
Foul by Myles Weston (Wycombe Wanderers).
Mauro Vilhete (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro (Barnet) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is close, but misses to the left.
Dan Rowe (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Harry Taylor (Barnet).
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Matt Bloomfield replaces Dominic Gape.
Myles Weston (Wycombe Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Myles Weston (Wycombe Wanderers).
John Akinde (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Sam Muggleton.
Substitution, Barnet. Harry Taylor replaces Curtis Weston.
Anthony Stewart (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by John Akinde (Barnet).
Foul by Dominic Gape (Wycombe Wanderers).
Alie Sesay (Barnet) wins a free kick on the right wing.
John Akinde (Barnet) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
(Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by John Akinde (Barnet).
Foul by Aaron Pierre (Wycombe Wanderers).
John Akinde (Barnet) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Gavin Hoyte.
Attempt missed. Dominic Gape (Wycombe Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Scott Kashket replaces Garry Thompson.
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Myles Weston replaces Nick Freeman.
Anthony Stewart (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by John Akinde (Barnet).
Goal!  Wycombe Wanderers 0, Barnet 1. Mauro Vilhete (Barnet) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro with a cross.


John Menzies has walked away from a proposed £40m deal to sell its distribution arm to parcel delivery and logistics firm DX Group.

The move follows a trading update on 14 July in which DX cautioned over "challenging" trading conditions.
The companies had been in talks for several months over a possible merger.
But on Monday Menzies said that, after further due diligence on DX Group, it "became apparent" any deal would require revised terms.
In a stock market announcement, it said that despite further discussions with DX following its July trading update, the board "does not believe it is currently possible to agree a revised set of terms with DX for the combination which would be in the interests of John Menzies shareholders".
It added: "John Menzies has therefore terminated discussions with DX."
The Edinburgh-based company said it continued to believe there was "strategic merit" in separating its aviation and distribution divisions into two independent businesses at the "appropriate time".
In June, the two companies agreed revised terms following opposition from an activist investor to the original deal struck in March.
DX shareholder Gatemore Capital Management had threatened to block the merger unless terms were "markedly improved".
In its trading update last month, DX announced an overhaul of its business, including a number of board changes, following a "wide-ranging review" of its operations.
On Monday, it stated: "The board of DX announces that, after due consideration, discussions with John Menzies plc regarding the potential combination of DX and John Menzies' distribution division have been terminated.
"While the respective boards believed that the proposed combination had strong strategic logic for all stakeholders, the DX Board has been unable to agree suitable terms.
"As a result, it believes it to be in the best interests of DX shareholders to proceed with business transformation on a stand-alone basis.
"This approach has the support of both DX's major shareholder and its bankers, with discussions on new financing options for DX already under way."


A Dutch retailer has been forced to apologise after it unwittingly sold a colour-by-numbers book featuring Adolf Hitler.

The dictator was pictured making a Nazi salute and wearing a Swastika armband.
Kruidvat, the Dutch drugstore chain stocking it, said they "deeply regretted the incident" and immediately withdrew the product.
The book was produced in India and it is remains unclear why Hitler was included.
"My suspicion is that the man who created the colouring book got a book of famous people out of the closet and selected a pair, which unfortunately included Adolf Hitler. Maybe he did not recognize him," a spokesperson for the Belgian publisher Trifora told local media.
The publisher explained the book, Kleuren op Code, included significant historical figures such as Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein and Abraham Lincoln.
India Hitler shop to change name
"It is a nasty combination of circumstances. We check the book on translations, but do not check all the colouring pictures," the spokesperson said.
The Dutch retailer was only alerted after the book had gone on sale and shocked parents began posting comments on social media.
One parent posted an image of the page with the caption: "Nice, your colouring book!"
Another customer called it a "disgrace" on the company's Facebook page.
Kruidvat said it was only on sale for half a day and was immediately removed from shelves when the problem came to light.
The company said it was investigating how the image ended up in the book and was offering full refunds to customers who bought copies.


Pub owners have removed foie gras from the menu after their family, friends and guests received abuse.

David and Samantha McHattie, who run The Bridge Inn in Derbyshire, said since March they have been "bullied" by animal activists online and four protests were held outside the pub against the legal ingredient.
At first they refused to remove it and hit back at abuse.
Foie gras is produced from livers of force-fed ducks or geese.
Mrs McHattie, 35, said it started as "online bulling" and protests followed.
"The emotional toll was just too much. My sister has been abused, my mother, my 80-year-old father, and one of our customers has been called horrendous names and had photographs of her children posted on an animal activist website," she said.
Mr McHattie, 51, said: "The levels of intimidation were getting closer and closer to the line. It is a tough decision because they have not been harming the business."
About 40 protesters gathered outside the pub, in Calver, on Easter Sunday, while on the May bank holidays and last Sunday, 20 to 25 people protested.
Mr McHattie said an elderly customer walked in "visibly shaking" on Sunday, and that night they removed foie gras from the menu.
He said during the protests, abuse was shouted and messages were written on the floor, and while his brother was trying to remove chalk from the floor, water was poured over his head.
"We are not having my family and guests abused," Mr McHattie added.
The McHatties also received abusive phone calls and removed their Facebook page after it was "bombarded with fake reviews and hateful messages".
Nottingham Animal Rights, one of protest organisers, posted: "After a long campaign with the pub... activists have managed to get another establishment to see sense and remove the item.
"We do not see this as a victory for us, but a victory for the poor defenceless animal involved."


Last week, the UK Statistics Authority, the watchdog that oversees the publication of official data, said it could no longer approve crime figures based on information recorded by the police in England and Wales.

The report said that there was accumulating evidence that the figures may not be reliable - and they needed to be thoroughly overhauled.
The decision to "de-designate" police statistics does not affect the reliability of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which is the other official measure. But it is damaging all the same, given that the police should be fairly well-placed to tell us what is happening on the streets.
Sir Andrew Dilnot, the head of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), has now confirmed to MPs that the problems look so bad that the effort to fix police failings will probably lead to a rise in the number of recorded crimes.
Speaking to the the Public Administration Select Committee on Tuesday, he said: "It is quite conceivable, indeed I think quite likely, that if there is proper auditing introduced, the recording of crime is improved, that we will see recorded crime increase."
There's no dispute that crime has been steadily falling since the mid-1990s across the UK - as it has been in many other industrialised nations.
But about seven years ago, incidents recorded by the police began to fall faster than those uncovered in the extensive face-to-face interviews conducted by the rolling national survey.
What emerged from Tuesday's evidence was that the two measures of counting crime began to diverge in 2006-07. That coincides with the period when the Audit Commission lost its role in overseeing the police's collection and presentation of the data.
Experts at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) appear to have long suspected that the two events were linked - but they only began their own analysis when responsibility for crime data passed from the Home Office in April 2012.
After nine months of number-crunching, the ONS concluded in a technical report that there could be a real problem with police practices.
Within the pages of neutrally-presented evidence, the ONS said some police forces might be guilty of a "gradual erosion of compliance" with the national rules on counting crime. The report made headlines at the time because it begged a question: are police figures exaggerating falls in crime?
The ONS warned UKSA that the matter needed investigating - ultimately leading a year later to the decision to downgrade the police figures.
Those suspicions are now supported by evidence. While statisticians think some under-counting comes from human error, they say some mistakes could be caused by specific factors. These include a lack of training, failing to record offences which are dealt with informally at a neighbourhood level and even confusion among some officers over whether an offence even occurred when a suspect has gone free.
More seriously, the figures in some categories may have been massaged down to hit local performance targets. This could include defining a partially-reported offence as "no crime" or a "crime-related incident" - neither of which make it into national figures.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has separately reported on major problems with figures from Kent. It is now preparing a national review of all forces and the inspectorate's chief, Tom Winsor, has warned that he expects his forthcoming report will uncover "fiddling".
All of that chimes with controversial evidence to MPs from police officers who explained how figures have been manipulated down the years - including allegations that the true level of sexual offences has been masked.
During his appearance before MPs, Sir Andrew Dilnot conceded that, with hindsight, the watchdog could have acted a little more quickly - and that's a lesson learnt.
But he stressed that the real question is how to best audit the police stats to ensure the figures can be trusted.
So we can expect to see audit and oversight teams walking into police headquarters - and that will ultimately lead to more crimes being recorded.
The paperwork will ultimately show a rise in the total numbers of crimes in England and Wales - and that will worry some people, even if, in reality, the actual crime rate hasn't changed at all.
Assuming those police stats go up, while the Crime Survey continues to show falls, it could be very, very confusing in the run-up to the 2015 General Election.
But in the long-term, we may get a clearer and more trustworthy set of figures that explain the real impact that crime has on society.


Rocky Horror Show creator Richard O'Brien is rejoining the hit musical for a series of special shows playing the narrator, his first UK performances in the role for more than 20 years.

He will appear at London's Playhouse Theatre between 11-19 September.
A celebrity gala show will also be broadcast live in cinemas.
"I'm looking forward to it," O'Brien told the BBC. "I love the laughter of the show. I love the noise of approval and laughter, it's just so joyous."
The rock and roll musical, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2013, first debuted at London's Royal Court Theatre. O'Brien, who originally played Riff Raff, later adapted it into the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show with director Jim Sharman.
It starred Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as sweethearts Janet and Brad, who get caught up in a storm and end up at the home of mad transvestite scientist Frank N Furter (played by Tim Curry) and his new creation Rocky Horror.
The new West End performances come ahead of a nationwide tour kicking off in Brighton in December, with the live gala show on 17 September.
O'Brien spoke to the BBC from his home in New Zealand about The Rocky Horror Show's enduring appeal - and the crowdfunding campaign to bring back his '90s game show, The Crystal Maze.
Why do you think Rocky Horror is still so popular?
It's very inclusive, it's very easy to watch. It's not rocket science as far as narrative is concerned - Brad and Janet are a couple that we kind of recognise as Adam and Eve or Romeo and Juliet, like a stereotypical couple - we can all relate to them. It is a fairytale - we even like the nasty characters, we love the Cruella De Vil kind of character, Frank N Furter.
Do you have a favourite character or part of the show?
I would have loved to have played Rocky, that would have been cool, wouldn't it? But one thing is essential, you have to be rather handsome and you know, muscular, and that ain't going to work. I could have played Janet. They're all so stupidly wonderful these characters, they're iconographic.
The story is already a film, but are you excited about the gala screening being broadcast in cinemas?
The live show has an energy that the movie doesn't have - it wasn't intentional, but the film was very slow. Once some fans came up to me and said, "did you leave the gaps between the lines so that we the audience could say our lines?". I said, "Well, ok yes". But no we didn't. The movie is a very surreal, almost dreamlike journey, the live show is far more rock and roll.
What advice do you have for any Rocky Horror 'virgins'?
None - just come with an open heart and a good will or not at all. I always worry that maybe the fans might steal the evening. I don't ever want the show to be just a few people having fun and the rest of the audience thinking that they've arrived at a party that they weren't invited to, so that's important.
You've got a new cast starting in Brighton in December - Diana Vickers, Ben Freeman and Paul Cattermole from S Club 7 - how do you think they'll do?
I'm out of touch with young British actors - I'm very old anyway - I'm out of touch with young musicians. Music up to the late '80s I'm ok with, but you know '90s and recent music, I'm pretty stuck. Delegation - allowing people the due respect to do their jobs is essential. You have to learn to step away.
Fox recently announced a live TV production of Rocky Horror, with High School Musical's Kenny Ortega overseeing it all - are you involved?
I don't understand any of that. I get nothing out of the movie, I don't want to bang on about it - never complain, never explain, is very good advice. There's no incentive for me to be excited or interested. I know it works for Fox and it works for one particular producer, but the rest of it doesn't work at all, it's not nice.
We seem to be having more open conversations about gender these days with people like Caitlyn Jenner shining a light on the issue - The Rocky Horror Show was ahead of its time in terms of attitudes to gender wasn't it?
Yes, it wasn't something that we ever thought about, but the fact that it made the climate warmer for people who feel marginalised and lost in their journey as far as gender is concerned, it is kind of wonderful Rocky helped people in that way.
I got an email the other day from a little girl who lived across the road from me here in New Zealand - she was about 13 when I met her, she's now 22 - and she said: "I'm so grateful because you've allowed me to come to terms with my own gender identity by living life the way you did and being the way you were." Rocky's done that.
Are you working on anything new at the moment ?
I'm writing some songs for a little musical with Richard Hartley, my musical compadre. It's about a girl that goes to the land of the dead and she's still alive - it's called Alive on Arrival. No idea whether it's got any legs on it, but I'm enjoying fiddling around with some words. The truth of the matter is I write songs and I put them in the drawer - it's kind of cathartic just writing it in the first place.
There's recently been a huge crowdfunding campaign to bring The Crystal Maze back as an immersive theatre experience in London. It hit 185% of its target - were you surprised by the love for that show?
It does sound rather wonderful - it almost sounds unbelievably wonderful. I think I'm going to be virtual Rick - they're going to film me saying "welcome here", "do that" and "oh, that's not very good".
I really did enjoy doing that show, I did that for four years. I was supposed to do [another quiz show] Fort Boyard, off the coast of La Rochelle in France - we did a pilot for it and the French people said, "ah but yes, the fort will not be ready". So they went into a room together for a couple of days and came up with The Crystal Maze, which was the better show - the other was a stodgy kind of cake as they'd spent so much time over it.
There were four zones - Aztec, Futuristic, Medieval and Industrial  - did you have a favourite?
I loved Aztec Zone - I always wanted to be in the Aztec Zone. We shot it in the middle of winter in an aircraft hanger which was unheated and freezing, bitterly cold. So every time I got to Aztec I kind of liked it because the lights came on and I thought, "oh well at least it looks warm." It wasn't.


Neighbours and firefighters rescued two men from a fire in a first-floor flat during an early morning blaze.

Residents of Northfield Farm Road, in Edinburgh, used a ladder to rescue one man and firefighters brought another man to safety at about 03:30.
One man was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment. The other was treated at the scene, along with a woman, for smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation
Station Manager Alex Hume said: "We sent three appliance from Marionville and McDonald Road.
"On arrival an adult male had been rescued from the rear, assisted by neighbours utilising a ladder.
"Fire crews utilised six breathing apparatus and a high-pressure hose reel to enter the building and extinguish the fire and check the surrounding properties in the stair.
"Two other residents also received medical treatment and oxygen for smoke inhalation, and one adult male was removed to Edinburgh Royal for further treatment."


England batsman Alastair Cook says he has found new motivation to carry on playing Test cricket.

Cook gave up the captaincy in February after a record 59 Tests in charge, but opted to continue playing.
He told BBC Sport that matches such as England's third Test victory over South Africa on Monday have offered him a new perspective on playing.
"There have been moments where you question yourself and your motivation," the 32-year-old said.
"But then you get weeks like last week, and days like Monday, where you're winning and you're so involved in it."
By last week, Cook means the third Test at The Oval - a Test which saw a hat-trick, a dream debut and a mix of entertaining and gritty batting as England registered an emphatic 239-run win.
He was at the other end when his Essex team-mate Tom Westley, who has known Cook since he was 14, made his international debut in London, and it is those moments that have convinced Cook to carry on.
"Watching him go through the trials and tribulations of becoming a professional cricketer, to realise his dream, and then we come through at the other end as really good mates and seeing his whole family come down to The Oval - it makes you realise that is why you want to carry on playing," Cook said.
"To have special moments like that makes you see that that 'yes, I do want to carry on' and I am very motivated to do it. If it does end tomorrow, I'll be sad but I'll be proud of what I've achieved."
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As captain, Cook saw series victories in South Africa and India, as well as two Ashes wins on home soil, with Cook himself becoming the first Englishman to reach 10,000 Test runs in this period.
However, there were difficult times. A 5-0 series whitewash in Australia, the ongoing Kevin Pietersen saga and a perception of Cook himself as being a dour captain meant he was often under pressure.
"It's definitely different without the captaincy and I do feel less under pressure in the field," he said.
"On Monday, when South Africa were chasing - if I was captain on that Sunday night, I would definitely have had a broken sleep. I would have been worried and a lot more nervous.
"As it was, I turned up on Monday thinking 'we can win this quite easy'. But if I was captain, I would have been thinking 'what if this goes badly wrong; what if this happens, what if that happens'.
"You start to think a lot more negatively of the what ifs. As a player, you don't have that type of pressure. Maybe because, as captain, you are ultimately responsible for everything that goes on on the field and you feel it more. It's only when you win games that you feel what's changed."
When Cook first took over from Andrew Strauss in 2012, his first full series in charge saw England beat India on the sub-continent, in conditions England have historically struggled in.
Cook scored runs, breaking the record for most Test centuries for England along the way, but by the time his side had sunk in the Ashes 18 months later, Cook was no longer the golden boy.
"I think it's very hard to shake what people first think of you straightaway. When I first came into the side as captain, I was accused of being quite conservative, quite negative, and just doing what Andrew Strauss did," he continued.
"Maybe I did for the first little bit. I was new to it and as you grow into the role, you feel more comfortable doing it. You can change and hopefully I did improve as captain.
"If it's going well, it's brilliant, if it's not, you're the worst captain ever. What I can say is, we won some great series. If someone had offered me that at the start, I would have snapped your hand off. The stuff in between was just part and parcel."
Cook has avoided social media when his team-mates have embraced it, and he thinks it now puts more pressure on new players.
"I do think it builds the pressure the guys are under - not in terms of the cricket and playing, and what you're trying to achieve, but certainly in terms of the scrutiny, even since the day I started, because it is more instant.
"I made my debut in 2006 and absolutely, there was the pressure of the cricket, but there was no social media. There was no direct feedback to your phone. If you wanted to, you could avoid it.
"Now, from the moment you're out, if you're on social media, someone can be sitting at home, and if you've played a bad shot or bowled a bad spell, they can almost directly get in contact with you. Every ball is there for someone to see."
Perceptions of England, and of Cook the batsman, have changed in recent years. Despite winning the Ashes in the summer of 2013, Cook's team received a mixed reaction from fans. While appreciative of their success, some fans seemed to find it difficult to warm to individuals in the team.
"I remember sitting with Matt Prior when he was really struggling with his Achilles injury and his hand injury and he was going to take a break from the game, and we were sitting at Lord's talking about it," Cook said.
"If you'd read the things that were said five minutes before he announced the break, certainly on social media - 'we've got to get rid of Matt Prior,' all that sort of thing - and then as soon as he announced he was going to take a break, which unfortunately he never came back from, it was 'oh we're going to miss Matt Prior, what a great servant, what a great player, how are we going to replace him?' and it was an amazing thing, to see that difference.
"It shows what sport does, really. You're never as good as people say you are and you're never as bad as people say you are. You're always in the middle at some stage."


A man found dead in his Edinburgh home may have lain undiscovered since Christmas.

Officers were called to the property in the Slateford area on Tuesday after concern for the man, understood to be 42-year-old Kenny Tytler.
It is understood his body may have been in the house since December.
A police spokesman said: "Police in Edinburgh were called to an address in Hutchison Avenue on Tuesday following a report of concern for a man."
He added: "Sadly, a 42-year-old man was found dead within the property.
"Inquiries are ongoing but the death is not believed to be suspicious."


James Murdoch's reputation and (probably) his ability to remain as chair of British Sky Broadcasting hinge to a great extent on whether MPs on the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee choose to believe him when he says that he did not know that phone hacking was widespread at the News of the World in 2008.

His plea of ignorance took a knock today when his own company's Management and Standards Committee provided that committee with an email stream, sent in June 2008, at the bottom of which there's an unambiguous allegation that phone hacking was "rife throughout the organisation".
It also contains an indirect reference to the notorious "For Neville" email, which is widely seen as prima facie evidence that phone hacking was more prevalent than News International, owner of the News of the World, admitted at the time.
Mr Murdoch says he received the email stream on a Saturday. He says: "I am confident that I did not review the full email chain".
That's plausible - especially since the email stream shows him firing off his contribution to the 2008 email exchange three minutes after receiving an email from Colin Myler, who was editor of the News of the World at the time.
The problem for Mr Murdoch is that Mr Myler's email is short and very blunt about the importance of the email at the bottom of the chain, which is written by Julian Pike, a solicitor at Farrar & Co.
Mr Myler, in his email to Mr Murdoch on Saturday 7 June, says: "Unfortunately it is as bad as we feared. The note from Julian Pike of Farrer's (sic) is extremely telling regarding Taylor's vindictiveness".
So Mr Myler gives an incentive to Mr Murdoch to read Mr Pyke's email - which is  dated 6 June 2008 and is an account of a case being brought against the News of the World by Gordon Taylor, the chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, whose phone had been hacked by the News of the World.
Mr Pike says: "He [Gordon Taylor] wants to demonstrate that what happened to him is/was rife throughout the organisation. He wants to correct the paper telling parliamentary enquiries that this was not happening when it was".
Mr Pike also says Mr Taylor wants a staggering Â£1.2m to settle.
Now if Mr Murdoch had read all that, he might well have been motivated also to read the email above that one, which is to Mr Myler from Tom Crone, the former legal affairs manager of News International.
Mr Crone's email contains this explosive line:
"There is a further nightmare scenario in this, which is that several of those voicemails on the Ross Hindley email were taken from Joanne Armstrong's phone [Joanne Armstrong was the PFA's in-house lawyer]".
So here we have a News International lawyer referring to a "nightmare". And said horror is yet another email - now widely known as the "For Neville email" - that is regarded as prima facie evidence of phone hacking being more widespread than News International had said at the time.
I know this is all very confusing. But what does it all mean?
Well, it shows that Mr Murdoch was given the ability in June 2008 to get a grip on the phone-hacking scandal, via this email stream.
Had he read the email stream, Mr Murdoch would surely have gleaned that the News of the World faced the serious allegation that it had misled MPs about the full extent of phone hacking at the News of the World.
However he says he didn't read the email stream.
The defence of his probity - his claim that he knew nothing of the extent of phone hacking till about a year ago - rests on his admitting that he made a management mistake by ignoring evidence of a serious problem that was put under his nose.
It is for MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee to decide whether that management error is forgiveable and understandable.


Young people must register to vote in the EU referendum as a low turnout could lead to Brexit "by default", ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock has warned.

Lord Kinnock said he hoped young voters would back the UK staying in the EU.
His message at a London rally came as he and five fellow former Labour leaders tried to persuade the party's supporters to vote to remain in Europe.
Leading Brexit campaigners have said leaving the EU could allow millions more to be spent on the NHS.
Justice Secretary Michael Gove has called on the government to pledge an extra £100m a week, saying it could come from the UK's EU budget.
Prime Minister David Cameron has said there would be less money available, not more, if the UK shocked the economy by deciding to quit the EU.
About six million residents have yet to register to vote on 23 June, more than a million of them are under the age of 25.
Lord Kinnock said the outcome of the referendum was "vital to the future of British people of all ages" but "the longest and strongest effects will be felt by you - the young generations".
"The risk is, if we get a low turnout, regardless of what people's background politics is, that by default Leave could win."
He said: "Don't leave your destiny to others. Don't dodge your duty to yourself. Make sure that you are registered to vote by next Tuesday, 7 June. Then use your vote.
"Vote to remain - and ask your grandparents and those who care about your future to do the same."
The former Labour leader and European Commissioner said young voters should ignore claims made by Brexit supporters, dismissing their promises as "pure fantasy" and "pants", adding that "none of the figures add up".
Lord Kinnock said claims that money would be freed up for the NHS and cuts in VAT, while the same level of support was kept for agriculture, science and small businesses, were "bogus".
"The reason, above all, why those promises are empty is because of the people who are making them," he said. "Look at those who lead for Leave - Boris Johnson, Gove, Grayling, Duncan Smith, Fox and Farage.
"Have they ever in their political lives advocated policies that would give priority to spending on the community and its needs, have they ever given priority to public spending on services and investment, have they ever been the friends of working people defending their employment conditions, have they ever wanted to commit a priority to combating poverty and disadvantage?"
In a reference to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's comments on the EU, he concluded: "If I may coin a phrase - no, no, no."
Lord Kinnock, along with Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and ex-acting leaders Harriet Harman and Margaret Beckett, have issued a statement saying: "If Labour stays at home, Britain leaves."
They warned of a "bonfire of workers' rights" if the UK voted to leave and of a "double threat" to Labour-supporting communities of a recession and a "Tory government with an emboldened right wing".
They pointed to UK membership of the EU single market and said jobs would be lost if Britain withdrew, adding: "Only Labour can save Britain from Brexit."
Those Labour MPs backing an exit say workers' rights are the result of action by the UK, not the EU.
The former leaders' statement comes amid a drive from both sides to persuade people to register to vote ahead of the 7 June deadline.
There has been concern in the Remain camp that Labour is failing to energise its supporters.
Party leader Jeremy Corbyn - who has previously expressed Eurosceptic views - has been accused of being "half-hearted" in his backing for Labour's position to campaign to stay in the EU.
This week he said there was an "overwhelming case" to remain in, citing issues ranging from mobile phone charges to clean beaches and protecting bees - but also called for sweeping reforms.
The Leave campaign's NHS funding claim came in a statement from Mr Gove, Conservative MP Boris Johnson and Labour's Gisela Stuart, who chairs the Leave campaign.
They said: "As our population grows, and as we all live for longer, so the pressures on the NHS are set to grow.
"One of the best ways to protect, and to strengthen, the NHS for the people of this country is to use some money we currently spend on EU membership to invest in improving healthcare."
If the country votes to leave, they said: "The government should use some of the billions saved from leaving the EU to give at least a £100m per week cash transfusion to the NHS."
Leave campaigners said that money would be over and above the prime minister's election commitment to an £8bn real terms increase in spending.
Another Leave campaigner, former Defence Secretary Liam Fox said it was not xenophobic to believe that if you increase the population by three million every 10 years public services would be affected.
"It becomes very difficult for local authorities to plan how many school places are going to be required and it's very difficult for the NHS to know how many doctors and nurses will be required," he said.
But Mr Cameron said: "Nine out of 10 economists say there'll be a profound shock if we leave the EU. That means there will be less money - not more.
"It's also why so many doctors and nurses support remaining in the EU."


A couple have appeared before Londonderry Magistrates' Court charged with possessing ecstasy with intent to supply and other drugs offences.

Declan Wade, from High Park in the city, and his partner Paula Marie Gillespie, from St Cecelia's Walk, Derry, were given suspended sentences.
The drugs were found during a search of Gillespie's home on 24 May last year.
The judge said the couple intended to supply the drugs to a group of their friends who were attending a concert.
He said both had different roles to play in supplying the ecstasy.
The court hear mobile phones belonging to the couple were seized and analysed and were found to contain numerous incoming and outgoing messages referring to several illegal drugs.
In addition to the ecstasy charge, 29-year-old Wade was also charged with possessing cocaine, cannabis and diazepam tablets.
The pair pleaded guilty to the charges and were both given a nine-month sentence, suspended for three years.
The judge said that he accepted the defendants were drugs-free and that, based on reports from the probation and social services, it would not be in the public interest to send the couple to jail.
He told them if they had been convicted of the charges following a contested trail, they would have been jailed for 12 months.


Three women who alleged they were subjected to pregnancy or maternity discrimination in the workplace have received settlements totalling £15,500.

After a job interview, one of the women was told her "personal arrangements with the new baby will make it impossible to carry out this role".
Another of the cases was settled by the Irish Football Association (IFA).
All three women were helped to pursue their separate claims by The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
Sarah Shilliday, Cherie White and Kelly McAtamney accepted financial settlements before their cases reached an industrial tribunal.
Ms Shilliday said her "childcare responsibilities" were discussed when she was interviewed for a management job with RJN Chemicals.
She later received an email from the firm that commented favourably on her suitability for the post, but added: "sadly I'm afraid your personal arrangements with the new baby will make it impossible to carry out this role".
"I was really upset when I received this email as it clearly indicated that the fact I had a child had influenced the decision not to appoint me," she said.
"I could have accepted not getting the job if that was because I wasn't the best candidate, but to have the opportunity denied because I am a mother is not acceptable."
Ms Shilliday's case was settled for £3,000.
The second case was brought against Medi Cosmetics by its former beauty therapist by Kelly McAtamney, who was pregnant and at risk of miscarriage.
She alleged the company would not adjust her duties to accommodate her doctor's advice that she needed to "stay off her feet" as much as possible.
"They would not allow me to sit down to perform my duties and when, failing that, a request for a period of maternity suspension was also refused, I had no option but to continue on sick leave," said Ms McAtamney.
"Subsequently I felt I had to resign."
She received a £4,500 settlement with no admission of liability.
The Irish Football Association (IFA) settled a complaint from Cherie White for £8,000, without admission of liability.
Ms White alleged a number of temporary positions, including posts which had arisen while she was on maternity leave, had been made permanent.
"I'd worked for the IFA for a number of years on temporary contracts and I believed that, but for my maternity leave, I would have been in a position to be considered for one of the permanent posts," she said.
Eileen Lavery, who leads the Equality Commission's advice service, said pregnancy discrimination was a "persistent problem" and the most "common cause of complaint on the grounds of gender" the watchdog receives.


Football fans from rival Bristol clubs have arrived at Wembley, after walking over 100 miles (160 km) from Bristol.

The sponsored walk by Bristol City and Rovers supporters was to raise money for six-year-old Oskar Pycroft, from Whitchurch, who has cerebral palsy.
It is hoped surgery, unavailable on the NHS and costing around Â£50,000, could help the young City fan to walk.
Oskar is due to lead City out at Wembley for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final against Walsall later.
Scott Wright, who organised the walk, said it had been a "tough four-and-a-half days".
"There's been a lot of tears, a lot of low points but knowing Oskar would be at the other end meeting us is what's got us through," he said.
"He even rang us on Friday, at probably our lowest point, and gave us a bit of a pep talk - ending with, 'man up and get on with it'. He's pretty blunt sometimes but you've got to love him for it."
With more than 70,000 tickets sold, Bristol City's clash with Walsall in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final will be one of the best-attended games in the UK this weekend.


Two statues found during a Cumbrian house clearance have baffled experts.

The 19th Century life-size carvings are modelled in the style of Spanish Conquistadors - bare-chested, wearing animal skins and carrying a club.
They are estimated sell for up to £5,000 at 1818 Auctioneers on 5 June.
Valuations expert David Brookes said he had never seen anything like them in a 35-year career and would love to know where they were made and how they ended up in the modern house near Ulverston.
He described the carvings, which were possibly made in the Black Forest region of Germany, as detailed and skilfully done.
"Beyond that, they are a complete mystery and one that we could do with solving", he said.
"We know the Victorians loved their busts and statues; everything from knights in armour, angels and lions to athletes wrestling serpents.
"They were collected by the wealthy and the middle classes to decorate their homes and, in the case of these two soldiers, to make a grand statement possibly either side of a doorway of the foot of a staircase.
"I have asked colleagues and antique buyers for their opinions but nothing has come of it other than a bit of excitement and further speculation.
"I would love to know where they were made, and by whom, and how they came to find their home in a modern house near Ulverston. Unfortunately that story has been lost with the owner."


A Guernsey Labrador has taken a newborn lamb under its paw after it was abandoned by its mother.

7 April 2016 Last updated at 14:12 BST
Tia and Rocky, a Shropshire breed, are residents of a cider farm on the island, where sheep are used to keep the grass short around the apple trees.
Owner James Meller said he had brought Rocky into the house after he was abandoned and he believes that led to Tia treating the lamb as a companion.
"Having the animal around the house, Tia saw it as a companion and took a shine to it," he said.


A woman's terminal cancer was not diagnosed because of delays, missed opportunities and poor continuity of care, an NHS report has found.

Julia Rogers, from Newton Abbot in Devon, made about 20 visits to GPs and hospitals with stomach and back pain.
She was only diagnosed with advanced and inoperable cancer of the pancreas after paying for a private scan.
An NHS England report said "better continuity of care" needed to be ensured.
NHS England launched a review of the case when Mrs Rogers' concerns were investigated by BBC Spotlight in July 2014.
The report, published by NHS England, details how:
Dr Graham Lockerbie, medical director for NHS England covering Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "All the organisations involved recognise the need to think deeply about cases like this, where different actions or tighter systems might have led to the earlier diagnosis of such a serious condition.
"We are only too aware that such hindsight is of limited use to Mrs Rogers, but we hope the changes that result will reduce the chances of similar occurrences in the future."
The report made a number of recommendations including a new protocol to ensure the pancreas is seen in ultrasound examinations.
Mrs Rogers is now having regular chemotherapy. She said she was aware of the very low survival rate for patients with cancer of the pancreas.
"It's an awful lot of suffering on this journey so if I can help any other person - if they can be prevented from suffering like I have - then it's something worthwhile," she said.
The Kingskerswell and Ipplepen Medical Practice said it would be introducing a named GP for every patient.


Three police forces in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have failed to adequately investigate crime and protect vulnerable people, a report said.

The Humberside, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire forces have been told to improve by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
It comes after a review of effective policing levels in England and Wales.
The forces have said they will make improvements.
HMIC inspector Zoe Billingham said the constabularies were good at tackling serious and organised crime, but they each got a "requires improvement" rating overall.
All three forces were marked down for failing to protect vulnerable people, manage offenders and investigate crime effectively.
Humberside Police was also told to improve the way it prevents crime and anti-social behaviour. This comes after it was rated "inadequate" at keeping people safe and reducing crime, by the HMIC in October.
The force said "significant progress" had been made to tackle some of the issues raised.
Deputy Chief Constable Garry Forsyth said: "We now answer calls from the public faster, deal with their issues better, have improved the way we investigate crime and put resources where, and when, they are most needed.
"We are on the right track, heading in the right direction and will continue to make every effort to improve."
The report said South Yorkshire Police has developed a training and awareness programme to help protect vulnerable people but said its effectiveness needed evaluating.
Deputy Chief Constable Dawn Copley said: "Some aspects of our response to vulnerable people need further work, but HMIC found [the force] has an effective response to victims of child sexual exploitation, repeat vulnerable victims and missing children."
Lincolnshire Police said areas needing improvement would be "addressed and acted upon."
Forces in West and North Yorkshire were rated "good" by the HMIC.


What adjective would you use to describe England batsman Kevin Pietersen?

Brash? Arrogant? Ostentatious, perhaps? Hold on a minute, did someone say introverted?
"I've got this reputation of being confident, yet I go and do all these psychology tests and I'm an introvert," Pietersen tells his former team-mate Andrew Flintoff in an interview to be aired on BBC Radio 5 live on Tuesday at 20:30 BST.
Source: ESPN Cricinfo
"I'm very much an introverted person. I like my own company, my own family. I don't really go out much.
"I think the confidence has grown from what I've achieved on the cricket field but I'm not as confident as anybody thinks."
The disarming revelation is one of many in Pietersen's fascinating chat with Flintoff, a player with whom he occasionally clashed during the years they shared an England dressing room.
In it, Pietersen talks about growing up in South Africa unaware of what the Ashes were, his see-saw relationship with Shane Warne, his ill-fated spell as captain and his regret over the silly shots that have left him looking "a complete mug" at times.
He opens up about England captains past and present, relives the anguish of injuries and loss of form and reaffirms his ambition to clock up 10,000 Test runs.
Like many top sportsmen, Pietersen is public property, someone we think we know much better than we actually do.
This interview goes behind the bling and the bravado to reveal an insecurity over his image, a recognition of his faults, a light-heartedness - he calls Flintoff "chubby" at one point - and perhaps less surprisingly, an absolute obsession with his performance on the field of play.
After leaving South Africa in protest against the racial quota system - which insisted on a certain number of non-white players in every team - and qualifying to play for England through the Kolpak rule, Pietersen announced himself with three one-day centuries against the country of his birth in early 2005.
He went on to play a decisive role in England's historic Ashes victory over Australia later that year, making back-to-back fifties on his Test debut at Lord's and sealing the series with a breathtaking 158 at The Oval.
The sheer audacity with which Pietersen took on the team that had dominated the game for more than a decade was jaw-dropping, but as he reveals to Flintoff, his close relationship with Australian talisman Warne - they were team-mates at Hampshire - was one of the major reasons why he settled so quickly into Ashes cricket.
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"Having the great Shane Warne as my mate, walking onto the field and not having him hammer me from first slip, but just laugh and have a joke helped a lot," says Pietersen.
"I think I could have been fearful playing Australia but because this huge figure was a mate of mine, it calmed things down."
There was nothing calm about the celebrations that followed England's Ashes win as the players famously partied the night away before arriving at a Downing Street reception the next morning somewhat the worse for wear.
One photograph shows a sozzled-looking Flintoff and Pietersen arm in arm outside Number 10, the former with eyelids sagging over reddened pupils and the latter looking bedraggled with a loose tie, sunglasses and a haircut which he jokingly refers to as "the skunk".
As they reminisce over the mayhem, Pietersen is less certain than Flintoff that he would do the same again.
"The reason I don't enjoy [looking back] is that I can't remember it," he says.
"We probably deserved it because we had just beaten Australia and I think winning series like that need to be enjoyed but I also remember beating Australia in Australia and winning the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean and thinking 'do you know what, just enjoy it, just walk around and take it in'.
July
10-14 1st Test, Trent Bridge (11:00 BST)
18-22 2nd Test, Lord's (11:00 BST)
August
1-5 3rd Test, Old Trafford (11:00 BST)
9-13 4th Test, Chester-le-Street (11:00 BST)
21-25 5th Test, The Oval (11:00 BST)
29 1st Twenty20 international, Southampton (18:30 BST)
31 2nd Twenty20 international, Chester-le-Street (14:30 BST)
September
6 1st ODI, Headingley (10:15 BST)
8 2nd ODI, Old Trafford (10:15 BST)
11 3rd ODI, Edgbaston (14:00 BST)
14 4th ODI, Cardiff (10:15 BST)
16 5th ODI, Southampton (14:00 BST)
NB Fixtures and start times are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made
"I will never forget Barbados, and I will never forget Sydney. In 2005 the emotions took over and we ended up all over the place that evening, but I haven't done it that way since."
After the boozing came the backlash, and the painful memory for both players of the 5-0 whitewash by Australia in the return Ashes series down under. With Warne now very much foe not friend, and Flintoff struggling with the demands of captaincy, England were blown away.
"When Australia were looking at what had gone wrong in 2005 one of the things they put it down to was Warne's relationship with me and they said that had to change," says Pietersen, 33.
"He threw the ball twice at me in Brisbane and our discussions got really, really personal in the middle. Off the field he called me Kevin, not KP or PK. It had totally changed."
Despite the provocation from Warne, Pietersen enjoyed a prolific series with the bat, averaging more than 54. His reaction to the defeat, however, hinted at the friction with his team-mates that flared up so spectacularly last year.
"I was extremely disappointed - I didn't deal with it the right way," he admits.
"I don't think I related to it in Australia - because I got 500 runs and I was thinking 'why did we get smashed?' I don't think that went down well with some people."
In one of the most introspective sections of the interview, Pietersen explains that he learnt to deal with the failings of his team-mates when he was going through a bad patch of his own in 2010.
"Until you go through the depths of despair as a sportsman you don't understand the good stuff or the bad stuff," he says.
"The hardest time was on a Bangladesh tour in 2010. I didn't know which end of the bat to hold. I just couldn't hit the ball and I ended up sitting on a bus and thinking 'where is my career going to go?'"
Fortunately for England, a spell in South Africa with his mentor Graham Ford soon put things right and set Pietersen up for one of the most prolific periods of his career.
There was a double-hundred in Adelaide in England's 3-1 Ashes triumph in 2010-11, another at Lord's in the 4-0 whitewash of India in 2011, and four more hundreds before a knee injury sidelined him in March.
They included the defiant 149 against South Africa at Headingley last year, before the discovery of his "provocative" text messages to the opposition dressing room saw him dropped for the final Test at Lord's, and the brilliant 186 against India in Mumbai that confirmed his "reintegration" into the England side.
That century was Pietersen's 22nd in Tests, briefly taking him alongside Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey, Geoffrey Boycott and current captain Alastair Cook at the top of England's all-time list.
Pietersen describes the less extravagant but more consistent Cook - who has since taken his own tally of tons to 25 - as "such a nice guy" who will go down as "one of the greatest cricketers in terms of statistics to have ever played the game".
As for his own legacy, in a closing passage to the interview tinged with regret, he concedes that his tendency towards showmanship may leave him short of his ultimate ambitions.
"I've always said I just want to get the best out of my talent and when I've finished my career I just want to say I've done the best that I possibly could," he explains.
"But I know that because of the way I play I'm not going to have done the best I could because I get myself out for 20, 40, 60 or 70 all the time. That will be the man on the shoulder that says I think you've done OK, but…"
KP, in his own words. Introverted? No chance. Interesting? Certainly.
Flintoff's Ashes Legends: Kevin Pietersen is on BBC Radio 5 live on Tuesday, 2 July at 20:30 BST.


The Sunday Herald was the only Scottish-based newspaper to see a boost to its print sales last year, according to new figures.

It was the only Scottish newspaper that backed independence in the run-up to the referendum in September.
It saw its print sales rise by 35% in the July to December period, compared with figures for the end of 2013.
The Glasgow-based newspaper reached 32,200 average weekly sales and pulled ahead of its rival, Scotland on Sunday.
The Edinburgh-based title reported print sales fall by 16% to 27,500.
That is the first time the Sunday Herald has been ahead in the 16 years since it launched.
The sales figures were released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC).
The Sunday Herald's stablemate, The Herald, which recommended a No vote to its readers in the September referendum, saw average sales down 5% to 37,000.
Herald and Times Group managing director Tim Blott said: "Our news brand reach is growing overall with an increasing digital audience across our main titles and improving print circulation figures for The Sunday Herald.
"We're outperforming the market and our rivals because we understand our readers and provide news and content which is relevant, informative, insightful and entertaining".
The Scotsman, partner to Scotland on Sunday, was down 11% to 26,000.
However, both these daily titles reported daily online users were strongly up: the Herald by 39% to 96,400 and the Scotsman by 34% to 182,500.
In September, the month of the referendum, the Scotsman's online figure rose to 240,000. Few other Scottish publishers report online readership.
The new entrant to the daily market, The National, was launched by the Herald stable in November. It takes a campaigning approach in favour of independence, and enjoyed an initial surge in sales.
Although not audited, managers say that sales figures have fallen below 20,000, but remain ahead of expectations.
DC Thomson-owned regional daily titles The Press and Journal and The Courier both saw print sales fall, by 5% and 7% respectively, between July and December.


The most disadvantaged communities in England are facing the biggest local government cuts, Labour has claimed.

Between 2010/11 and 2015/16, it says, the percentage cut in spending will be 10 times greater in the most deprived areas than in those least deprived.
But the government says the most-deprived councils still have Â£1,000 more per household to spend than those where deprivation is lowest.
Shadow communities minister Hilary Benn said the figures were "shocking".
He added: "They show the impact of David Cameron and Eric Pickles's unfair policies."
The Labour Party says its research combines analysis from Newcastle City Council on the amount which councils across England have to spend on services with the government's own figures for "multiple deprivation".
Most deprived
Least deprived
Labour has published this information in a graph which it says shows the "clear link between cuts in spending power and deprivation".
As deprivation increases, the "cumulative cut" between 2010/11 and 2015/16 also appears to rise.
The 10 most deprived areas, which include Liverpool, Hackney, Manchester and Middlesbrough, face an average reduction in spending power of 25.3%, according to Labour.
The party says the 10 least deprived areas, which include St Albans, Elmbridge, Waverley and Wokingham, are dealing with an average cut of just 2.54%.
Deprivation is measured using indices previously published by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The measure includes income, employment and health deprivation, as well as disability, crime, education and barriers to housing and services.
It's not the first time the government has faced accusations of unfairness in council funding, and ministers have swiftly rebutted Labour's figures.
The local government minister, Brandon Lewis, said: "The coalition government has delivered a fair settlement to every part of the country, north and south, rural and urban, metropolitan and shire.
"Councils facing the highest demand for services continue to receive substantially more funding... This shows that the government understands the pressures faced by deprived authorities."
The difficulty with assessing the validity of the competing arguments about the funding squeeze is that councils are raising money in different ways.
Those areas of high deprivation tend to be the ones that are very reliant on grants from central government.
In places such as Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham, large money transfers from government departments are used to pay for many services.
The least deprived, which include parts of Surrey and Sussex, tend to fund their services mainly through council tax and charges for things such as parking.
Cuts in central government grants, by their nature, tend to hit those areas most dependent on government support.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has argued that action was taken to dampen the effect, by making sure that those areas most dependent on government grants had lower reductions in central government funding.
Ministers also believe that councils should in the longer term become more efficient and less reliant on central government handouts.
They have repeatedly expressed a desire to end the "begging bowl" culture of councils totting up their "needs" and then sending the bill to central government.
Local authorities are encouraged to find ways of developing their own income, for example by keeping a share of the proceeds when the amount raised by business rates increases.
Ministers say councils are also being rewarded for building more homes and generating jobs.
But closing the gap between the most deprived and least deprived areas will take a long time, if indeed it is happening at all.
Labour says, in the meantime, local government cuts are hitting those most in need.


Ospreys were given "a let-off" in their dramatic 27-26 win in Boxing Day's Pro12 Welsh derby at Scarlets, says the visitors' captain Alun Wyn Jones.

Scarlets fly-half Steven Shingler missed a last-minute penalty that could have given the league leaders the win.
Despite holding on for victory, Jones told BBC Wales Sport: "It was a bit frustrating from us, to be honest."
Scarlets skipper Ken Owens felt his side gave their rivals too many opportunities in their own 22.
"It is hugely frustrating. We gave some silly penalties away which they capitalised on," said Owens.
"It was a great derby and a good display of rugby but they were slightly more clinical in taking their chances and probably deserved the win in the end.
"We created plenty of chances and didn't convert enough, and they did."
After a good start for Scarlets, Jones' converted try sent Ospreys in level at the break 20-20, but the Wales lock felt they could have played much better in the first 40 minutes.
"We've been trying to play with a bit more width but you can't do that if you keep losing the ball and unfortunately we were losing the ball in the first half," Jones added.
"Credit to them, they were pressuring us at the breakdown.
"We feel probably we were let off in the end."
For the visitors, Boxing Day's victory was only their fifth in the Pro12 so far this season.
"The boys showed real character," Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy said. "If we'd lost that would have been pretty disappointing.
"It goes back to our discipline and we've got to smarten up a little bit.
"When we had the ball we looked decent, but we didn't keep it for long enough.
"But to come to a place where not many people win is really a positive for us."


Child and baby units at Scottish health boards have repeatedly been forced to close to new admissions due to staff shortages, a new report has found.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health carried out a census about services in the year to October 2015.
It found that a quarter of paediatric inpatient units and 41.7% of neonatal units had to close to new admissions due to shortages of doctors or nurses.
The Scottish government said NHS staff levels had increased to a record high.
The workforce report, which was based on a survey of child health services from September 2015 to summer 2016, warned that there was "a shortfall in the paediatric workforce in Scotland".
Scotland's child health facilities include 14 paediatric inpatient units, 15 neonatal units, 17 paediatric outpatient services, 12 short-stay paediatric assessment units, and four hospitals with dedicated paediatric emergency rooms.
Of the 12 paediatric inpatient units which responded to the survey, three had to temporarily close their doors to new admissions due to shortages of nurses and/or doctors during the year before the census date. This total of 25% was less than the UK-wide figure, which was 31.3%.
Of the 12 neonatal units which responded, five had to close their doors to new patients due to staff shortages - the total of 41.7% being similar to the UK-wide figure of 41.1%.
This included one unit which reported having to close to new admissions 39 times in a year - contributing to Scottish units closing on average 5.3 times each, higher than the UK-wide average of 3.8 closures each.
The The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) called on the Scottish government to fund an increase in the number of paediatric trainee places, aiming for an expansion in the consultant-level workforce of 84 to 110 doctors.
The report said: "Workforce planning in Scotland must take into account the changing demographics and working patterns of paediatricians by recruiting the right number of trainees to allow for less than full-time working, parental leave and experience in research, education, leadership or overseas medicine."
Prof Steve Turner, RCPCH officer for Scotland, said recruitment was the main workforce pressure facing units - a problem facing health boards across the UK.
He said: "Time and again we see rota gaps in paediatric services causing significant strain on the system, and these figures show that staffing shortages are leading to service closures all too often. This can only be resolved by increasing the numbers coming into paediatrics.
"The number of consultants is increasing in Scotland, and between 2013 and 2015 we saw the paediatric consultant workforce grow by more than 13%. The target for consultants in Scotland though is for a further 27-35%, so there's obviously still a long way to go."
The Scottish government pointed out that paediatric trainee positions have been almost fully subscribed in recent years, but the RCPCH said there were "significant gaps in junior and mid-level paediatric trainee rotas" across Scotland.
They said there had been a failure to take into account higher instances of part-time working patters in the paediatric workforce, which needed to be "urgently addressed".
The group also highlighted the issue of maintaining the current workforce. With almost 25% of paediatricians having completed their training outside the UK, the RCPCH called on the UK government to guarantee the migrant status of EU nationals working the NHS.
Scottish Labour said the report showed "the scale of staffing problems in our health service after a decade of SNP mismanagement".
Health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: "This is the reality of the SNP's chronic underinvestment in our NHS staff - patients turned away because hospital units simply don't have the levels of staff required to be able to cope with the demand."
The report comes after Audit Scotland urged the government and health boards to plan ahead better to "urgently address workforce issues".
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "Over the last decade this government has helped deliver record numbers of doctors, nurses and other staff across the NHS in Scotland.
"We work closely with boards to support their efforts in staff recruitment. Since 2014 the paediatrics trainee establishment has increased by 8% and fill rates for paediatrics are close to  100%.
"Through our National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan we will continue to strengthen workforce planning practice to ensure a safe and high quality service."


CBBC wants everybody to say Bye Bye to Bullying - and Newsround has made a special programme about how to be a great friend.

20 November 2014 Last updated at 18:12 GMT
During anti-bullying week you told us that one of the best ways to help with bullying is to be a better friend.
We spoke to the world's top experts in childhood friendship at the University of London - and to kids all around the UK.
We've used this advice to bring you a story about an alien that comes to Earth in search of a best friend.
This programme was first shown on 20 November 2014 at 5.55pm on CBBC.


Floyd Mayweather says there is a "90% chance" he will take on Conor McGregor if he returns to the ring as it is "the only fight that makes sense".

Former five-weight world champion Mayweather retired unbeaten in September 2015 after 49 bouts.
Ireland's UFC lightweight champion McGregor, 28, claims he has signed his half of the deal to fight the American.
"I think the fight will happen" said 40-year-old Mayweather. "We have to give the people what they want to see."
Mayweather, who was speaking after his fighter Gervonta Davis beat Liam Walsh in London, said he would speak to his advisor Al Haymon and establish their next move.
"There's no rush," he added. "The only fight that makes sense to me is the McGregor fight. I guess I have one more obstacle that I have to get over.
"When we make a move it's going to be huge. When Floyd Mayweather fights it's history."
Get all the latest boxing news sent straight to your device with notifications in the BBC Sport app. Find out more here.


BT Sport has extended its TV rights for the Champions League and Europa League until 2021 in a deal worth £1.2bn.

The company has been broadcasting Europe's elite club competitions since 2015 under the terms of an £897m deal agreed in 2013.
BT Sport, owned by Britain's biggest broadband and mobile operator BT, is a paid subscription service.
But it said it would make clips, weekly highlights, and both finals available to watch for free on social media.
The new deal gives BT Sport exclusivity across all live games and highlights for the first time - meaning there will be no weekly highlights shown on free-to-air broadcaster ITV.
Europe's top four domestic leagues are to be guaranteed four places each in the group stages of the Champions League from the 2018-19 season.
Other changes to the competition will see 'double-header' nights in the group stage, with matches kicking off at both 18:00 and 20:00 UK time.
The current top four leagues according to European governing body Uefa's rankings are Spain, Germany, England and Italy.
Under the present system, England, Germany and Spain have three places each while their fourth-placed teams must win a play-off to qualify.
BBC sports editor Dan Roan
After recent falls in viewing figures and concerns over the threat of illegal streaming, there was mounting expectancy that the relentless inflation in football rights over the last two decades may finally be coming to an end. So much for that. BT have paid 35% more for Uefa's rights that they did last time, a reminder of the importance communications companies attach to live football as a means of attracting customers to a range of services.
Despite concerns by sponsors over reduced exposure with the loss of free to air live coverage, Uefa has now gone even further, handing BT the highlights rights too. For Uefa, this will help appease the clubs and national football associations, who will get yet more money, but has clearly dismayed many fans.
However, in a reflection of the way viewing habits are changing, especially among younger audiences, BT has agreed to make some content available for free via social media, a tactic that many rights holders could now look to copy.


1500 - Bito dynasties of Buganda, Bunyoro and Ankole founded by Nilotic-speaking immigrants from present-day southeastern Sudan.
1700 - Buganda begins to expand at the expense of Bunyoro.
1800 - Buganda controls territory bordering Lake Victoria from the Victoria Nile to the Kagera river.
1840s - Muslim traders from the Indian Ocean coast exchange firearms, cloth and beads for the ivory and slaves of Buganda.
1862 - British explorer John Hanning Speke becomes the first European to visit Buganda.
1875 - Bugandan King Mutesa I allows Christian missionaries to enter his realm.
1877 - Members of the British Missionary Society arrive in Buganda.
1879 - Members of the French Roman Catholic White Fathers arrive.
1890 - Britain and Germany sign treaty giving Britain rights to what was to become Uganda.
1892 - Imperial British East Africa Company agent Frederick Lugard extends the company's control to southern Uganda and helps the Protestant missionaries to prevail over their Catholic counterparts in Buganda.
1894 - Uganda becomes a British protectorate.
1900 - Britain signs agreement with Buganda giving it autonomy and turning it into a constitutional monarchy controlled mainly by Protestant chiefs.
1902 - The Eastern province of Uganda transferred to the Kenya.
1904 - Commercial cultivation of cotton begins.
1921 - Uganda given a legislative council, but its first African member not admitted till 1945.
1958 - Uganda given internal self-government.
1962 - Uganda becomes independent with Milton Obote as prime minister and with Buganda enjoying considerable autonomy.
1963 - Uganda becomes a republic with Buganda's King Mutesa as president.
1966 - Milton Obote ends Buganda's autonomy and promotes himself to the presidency.
1967 - New constitution vests considerable power in the president.
1971 - Milton Obote toppled in coup led by Army chief Idi Amin.
1972 - Amin orders Asians who were not Ugandan citizens - around 60,000 people - to leave the country.
1972-73 - Uganda engages in border clashes with Tanzania.
1976 - Idi Amin declares himself president for life and claims parts of Kenya.
1978 - Uganda invades Tanzania with a view to annexing Kagera region.
1979 - Tanzania invades Uganda, unifying the various anti-Amin forces under the Uganda National Liberation Front and forcing Amin to flee the country; Yusufu Lule installed as president, but is quickly replaced by Godfrey Binaisa.
1980 - Binaisa overthrown by the army.
Milton Obote becomes president after elections.
1985 - Obote deposed in military coup and is replaced by Tito Okello.
1986 - National Resistance Army rebels take Kampala and install Yoweri Museveni as president.
1993 - Museveni restores the traditional kings, including the king of Buganda, but without political power.
1995 - New constitution legalises political parties but maintains the ban on political activity.
1996 - Museveni returned to office in Uganda's first direct presidential election.
1997 - Ugandan troops help depose Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, who is replaced by Laurent Kabila.
1998 - Ugandan troops intervene in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the side of rebels seeking to overthrow Kabila.
2000 - Ugandans vote to reject multi-party politics in favour of continuing Museveni's "no-party" system.
2001 January - East African Community (EAC) inaugurated in Arusha, Tanzania, laying groundwork for common East African passport, flag, economic and monetary integration. Members are Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
2001 March - Uganda classifies Rwanda, its former ally in the civil war in DR Congo, as a hostile nation because of fighting in 2000 between the two countries' armies in DR Congo.
Museveni wins another term in office, beating his rival Kizza Besigye by 69% to 28%.
2002 March - Sudan, Uganda sign agreement aimed at containing Ugandan rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), active along common border.
2002 October - Army evacuates more than 400,000 civilians caught up in fight against cult-like LRA which continues its brutal attacks on villages.
2002 December - Peace deal signed with Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF) rebels after more than five years of negotiations.
2003 May - Uganda pulls out last of its troops from eastern DR Congo. Tens of thousands of DR Congo civilians seek asylum in Uganda.
2004 February - LRA rebels slaughter more than 200 people at a camp for displaced people in the north.
2004 December - Government and LRA rebels hold their first face-to-face talks, but there is no breakthrough in ending the insurgency.
2005 April - Uganda rejects accusations made by DR Congo at the International Court in The Hague. DR Congo says Uganda invaded its territory in 1999, killing citizens and looting.
2005 July - Parliament approves a constitutional amendment which scraps presidential term limits.
Voters in a referendum overwhelmingly back a return to multi-party politics.
2005 October - International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for five LRA commanders, including leader Joseph Kony.
2005 November - Main opposition leader Kizza Besigye is imprisoned shortly after returning from exile after a trial in a military court on various charges including treason and  illegal possession of firearms. Supporters say the trial was politically motivated, and take to the streets. Mr Besigye is released on bail in January 2006, just ahead of presidential elections.
2005 December - International Court in The Hague rules that Uganda must compensate DR Congo for rights abuses and the plundering of resources in the five years leading to 2003.
2006 February - President Museveni wins multi-party elections, taking 59% of the vote against the 37% share of his rival, Kizza Besigye. EU observers highlight intimidation of Mr Besigye and official media bias as problems.
2006 August - The government and the LRA sign a truce aimed at ending their long-running conflict. Subsequent peace talks are marred by regular walk-outs.
2006 November - Government rejects a United Nations report accusing the army of using indiscriminate and excessive force in its campaign to disarm tribal warriors in the lawless northeastern region of Karamoja.
2007 March - Ugandan peacekeepers deploy in Somalia as part of an African Union mission to help stabilise the country.
The UN World Food Programme says it will have to halve food handouts to more than 1 million people displaced by war in the north.
2007 April - Protests over a rain forest explode into racial violence in Kampala, forcing police to protect Asian businesses and a Hindu temple. An Asian man and two other people are killed.
2007 July - Lord's Resistance Army says lack of funds for foreign travel and to reach commanders in remote hideouts will delay peace talks.
2007 August - Uganda and DRCongo agree to try defuse a border dispute.
2007 September - State of emergency imposed after severe floods cause widespread devastation.
2008 February - Government and the Lord's Resistance Army sign what is meant to be a permanent ceasefire at talks in Juba, Sudan.
2008 November - The leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, Joseph Kony, again fails to turn up for the signing of a peace agreement. Ugandan, South Sudanese and DR Congo armies launch offensive against LRA bases.
2009 January - Lord's Resistance Army appeals for ceasefire in face of continuing offensive by regional countries.
The UK oil explorer Heritage Oil says it has made a major oil find in Uganda.
2009 March - Ugandan army begins to withdraw from DR Congo, where it had pursued Lord's Resistance Army rebels.
2009 October - Somali Islamists threaten to target Uganda and Burundi after action by African peacekeepers in Somalia kills several civilians.
2009 December - Parliament votes to ban female circumcision. Anyone convicted of the practice will face 10 years in jail or a life sentence if a victim dies.
2010 January - President Museveni distances himself from the anti-homosexuality Bill, saying the ruling party MP who proposed the bill did so as an individual. The European Union and United States had condemned the bill.
The Ugandan army says it killed Bok Abudema, a senior commander of the Lord's Resistance Army armed group, in the Central African Republic.
2010 February - Heritage Oil sells its assets in Uganda to the UK firm Tullow Oil after Italian energy company Eni dropped out of the bidding.
2010 June - Public prosecutor opens corruption investigation against Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya, Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa and several other ministers and officials over the alleged theft of $25m.
2010 June-August - Operation Rwenzori against ADF-NALU rebels striving for an Islamic state in Uganda prompts 90,000 to flee in North Kivu province of neighbouring DR Congo.
2010 July - Two bomb attacks on people watching World Cup final at a restaurant and a rugby club in Kampala kill at least 74 people. The Somali Islamist group Al-Shabab says it was behind the blasts.
2010 August - National Resistance Movement primary elections for parliamentary and local candidates suspended amid irregularities, violence.
2010 October - UN report into killing of Hutus in DR Congo between 1993 and 2003 says they may constitute "crimes of genocide". It implicates Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Zimbabwe and Angola.
2010 October - Constitutional Court quashes treason charges against opposition leader Kizza Besigye.
2011 February - Museveni wins his fourth presidential election. Challenger Kizza Besigye alleges vote-rigging and dismisses the result as a sham.
2011 April - Kizza Besigye arrested several times over ''walk-to-work'' protests against rising prices.
2011 July - US deploys special forces personnel to help Uganda combat LRA rebels.
2011 September - Court orders release of LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo, saying he should be given the amnesty on offer from the government.
2012 May - Ugandan Army captures senior LRA commander Caesar Achellam in a clash in the Central African Republic, one of the nearby states in which the remaining band of LRA troops operates. Uganda says this is a major breakthrough, billing Achellam as a top LRA strategist.
Tens of thousands of refugees cross into Uganda, fleeing fighting in DR Congo.
2012 July - UN accuses Uganda of sending troops into DR Congo to fight alongside the M23 rebel movement, a charge Uganda denies.
2012 November - Uganda announces its intention to withdraw from UN-backed international peacekeeping missions in response to UN accusations that Uganda is arming Congolese rebels.
Britain and other European countries halt aid channelled through the Ugandan government amid a scandal involving the alleged theft of donor funds.
2013 February - Eleven countries, including Uganda, sign a UN-mediated agreement pledging not to interfere in DR Congo.
2013 March - Uganda is grouped among the worst offenders in the illegal ivory trade at a meeting of CITES, the body regulating wildlife trade.
2013 May - Government temporarily shuts two newspapers after they published a letter suggesting President Museveni was grooming his son for power.
2013 November - Kampala Council ousts opposition Democratic Party Mayor Erias Lukwago over allegations of incompetence and abuse of office. The Democratic Party accuses the government of engineering the ouster of the opposition's most prominent elected representative.
2013 December - Parliament passes controversial anti-gay bill that increases the punishment for homosexual acts to include life imprisonment.
2014 February - President Museveni signs tough new anti-gay bill into law, drawing criticism from around the world.
The World Bank postpones a $90m (Â£54m) loan to Uganda over the move, and the US imposes sanctions.
2014 July - Nearly 100 people die in clashes involving rival communities and the army in the western Rwenzori region.
2014 September - President Museveni sacks Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi.
2014 December - Renegade General David Sejusa, who fell out with President Museveni, unexpectedly returns from exile.
More than 1000 former fighters of the DRCongo rebel group M23 seek asylum in Uganda after government tries to repatriate them.
Two Muslim clerics killed by men on motorbikes. Police suspect the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces killed the two for discouraging people from joining the rebels.
2015 January - Dominic Ongwen becomes the first member of the Lord's Resistance Army to appear before the International Criminal Court.
2015 October - The head of Ugandan force in South Sudan says his troops will start withdrawing to make way for a regional force.
2016 February - President Museveni wins re-election against veteran candidate Kizza Besigye, amid opposition, Commonwealth, US and European Union concern about fairness and transparency.
2016 May - US delegation walks out of President Museveni's inauguration in protest at his disparaging comments about the International Criminal Court.
2016 July - Opposition leader Besigye is bailed after being held on treason charges for allegedly declaring himself president after elections.


A cat called Smog caused a house blaze by switching on the kitchen hob in the middle of the night as its owners slept.

Fire crews were called to Foxwood Avenue, Sheffield at 04:30 GMT after the family were woken by a smoke alarm.
They believe the cat walked across the top of the halogen cooker, accidentally switching it on and setting fire to a plastic toolbox on top of the hob.
The fire service said the family and Smog managed to leave safely.
Elements of the story mirror the similarly named Mog the cat's unfortunate escapades in the children's book Mog's Christmas Calamity.
Mog is the star of the Sainsbury's Christmas TV advert, accidentally turning on an oven and destroying a Christmas tree.
Spencer Rowland, station manager, said: "Smog the cat is doing fine after some checks at the vets.
"Unfortunately this isn't the first time we have had pets starting fires, so it just goes to show they can start when we least expect them."


A 24-year-old man has been charged with assaulting Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson following the club's defeat by city rivals Dundee.

The alleged incident took place immediately after the two clubs met in the Betfred Cup match at Dens Park on Wednesday.
It is understood Mr Thompson, 51, was allegedly pushed to the ground during the incident, but was not injured.
Dundee won the game 2-1 and will meet Celtic in the quarter-final.
A Dundee United spokesman said: "We can confirm there was an alleged assault on chairman Stephen Thompson immediately after the final whistle at Dens last night.
"While shocked and upset at the incident, the chairman did not require any medical treatment.
"He remains deeply disappointed that his wife and son had to witness the incident."


A decision to reduce the number of IVF cycles available on the NHS in part of Merseyside has been described by campaigners as "cruel".

Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is cutting some non-urgent treatments to tackle its Â£12m deficit.
Dr Paula Cowan said: "We need to do what's best for our 300,000 patients and not just a small group."
Fertility campaigners said cutting IVF cycles from three to two was "shattering" for any couples affected.
Catherine Hill, from Fertility Fairness, said: "Access to three full cycles of IVF offers them the best possible chance of success of having a baby and that's why it's the nationally recommended treatment."
"Denying them access to the nationally recommended treatment because of where they live is cruel, it's unethical."
As well as reducing the number of IVF treatments for eligible couples, the CCG is also introducing IVF restrictions based on the BMI and smoking status of both partners.
Barring medical exemptions, the CCG also decided to stop routine funding of some other procedures, including:-
Despite concerns from arthritis groups, the CCG has agreed to continue funding knee replacement surgery.


A man reported missing after crashing his car in Fife has been found safe and well, police have confirmed.

Amar Sharif, 43, disappeared after his Hyundai saloon left the A92 near the Five Roads roundabout in north-east Fife on Sunday.
Police Scotland had issued a missing person alert after Mr Sharif was spotted walking north towards the town of Wormit at about 03:30 on Sunday.
Police Scotland said no other car was involved in the accident.