In brief: John Peel’s train honour

The BBC radio disc-jockey John Peel (pictured), who died four years ago this month, is to have a train in Merseyside named after him. His widow, Sheila Ravenscroft, will attend the naming ceremony on Thursday and be aboard the train's first journey into Liverpool ............ A spoof single put out by comedian Peter Kay to compete with one made by the winner of ITV's the X Factor has reached number two in the charts. The X Factor effort, by Leon Jackson, has only made the number three spot.............. Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark broke down in tears while filming a documentary retracing the steps of an ancestor who fought at the Battle of the Somme. It happened when she travelled to France to film My Family At War, and was shown a letter written by her great uncle before he went 'over the top' during the offensive, which claimed more than a million lives………….Hugh Grant has apparently pulled out of his latest romcom, Lost For Words, in which he plays a womanising movie star, after a dispute over the screenplay, dismaying executive producer Richard Curtis, the man behind previous hit movies Notting Hill and Love Actually. A source says large chunks of the new film have had to be rewritten, and “most concern Hugh's character"......... The Bishop of Croydon, Rt Rev Nick Baines, has urged churches to use songs by the likes of U2 and the Beatles in their services. Pop music writers can convey deep theological concepts in a way that is more accessible to young people, he says......... Gordon Ramsay has fallen foul of New York health officials. His restaurant The London racked up 25 points in a recent inspection, just three short of a fail.......... Prince Charles will receive 60 presents from his wife Camilla as part of his upcoming 60th birthday celebrations. The gifts include a 1948 Armagnac, a personalised fishing rod and a DVD of The Goon Show.......... Prince Michael of Kent has been warned by "surprised friends" about Heather Mills's "interesting history" after the pair apparently struck up a friendship when they met at a party.......... German tabloid Bild says Austrian right-wing politician Jorg Haider, who died in a car crash last weekend, went to Stadtkramer, a local gay bar before the accident......... Jamie Oliver has opened up a seemingly unassailable lead in the Christmas cookbook sales race, outselling rival TV chef Nigella Lawson by four-to-one. It is thought Heston Blumenthal's £100 tome will struggle to compete......