News at Ten at 50: Ten of the best And Finallys

It is 50 years since News at Ten first aired on ITV.

The programme broke the mould with in-depth news reports, and quickly became one of the most-watched programmes on television.

One of its most famous features over the years is the 'And Finally' report.

Here we take a look back at some of the more memorable items used to close the programme.

  • The hamster with a bus pass

When 11-year-old Wayne Bass from Birmingham hopped on board a bus with his school's pet hamster in a cage under his arm in 1995, the mean driver charged him 36p - and another 45p for the hamster.

Wayne was taking Sweep the hamster back to his school having looked after him for the weekend, but when bus company chiefs heard about the potential PR disaster, they moved quickly.

Not only was Wayne given a free travel card, but Sweep was issued with his own bus pass as well.

  • The sherry-drinking mice

When one of Spain's top sherry exporters found mice were gnawing through the barrels of their precious produce in 1986, they hit upon a novel way of solving the problem.

Workers noticed the mice were no longer a threat once they got drunk, so they set up glasses next to tiny ladders so the mice could help themselves.

The bizarre sight even became a tourist attraction.

  • The woman who lived in Sainsbury's

Gloucestershire pensioner Eileen Halliday lived in the cottage she was born in.

Her grandfather had bought it a century earlier, and having already fought off attempts to build a bypass over it she wasn't moving for anyone.

So when Sainsbury's decided to put a supermarket next door in 1997, they had to build the car park around her.

Neighbours sold up, but despite huge offers, she stayed put, befriending the builders and getting Sainsbury's to repair her chimney and put in double glazing. She even opened the store once it was built.

  • Sefton the horse retires

In 1982 an IRA bomb attack in Hyde Park killed four members of the Household Cavalry, along with seven horses.

Among those injured was a horse named Sefton. He was named Horse of the Year in 1983, and the following year, News At Ten covered his retirement from active duty to a rest home.

  • The couple who couldn't decide what to call their baby

In 1961, News at Ten featured a couple who just couldn't decide what to call their baby daughter.

Within a few days of the birth, the couple decided to give the tot every single name they liked - all 139 of them. But it could have been worse, their original list stretched to 217.

  • Astronaut drops his tools in Space

Astronauts working on the International Space Station lost a tool bag when American astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper watched helplessly as the kit drifted away from her.

She was working on servicing the solar array system on the orbiting platform.

  • The new tallest man in the world?

In 2009, ITV News Correspondent John Ray reported on the story of a former basketball player who looked set to inch his way into the record books.

Chinese doctors claimed at the time that at 8 foot 1 inch, Zhao Liang is the tallest man on earth.

Incredibly, both of his parents are of normal height.

  • Prince Charles turns 60

Eleven years ago, News at Ten presenter Mark Austin reported on a very special birthday party for Prince Charles.

A glittering dinner was held at Buckingham Palace - and a host of comedians put on a special performance for the heir to the throne.

  • Tsunami dog rescued after three weeks at sea

The rescue of a dog off the coast of Japan after apparently surviving three weeks on a floating house roof at sea was one moment of comfort amidst so much loss and destruction.

'Ban' was discovered drifting on the house roof 1.8 kilometers from the coastal town of Kesennuma.

The dog then reunited with its amazed owner.

  • Landfill search for the £4 million computer hard drive

In 2013 an IT worker was left hunting for a £4 million-plus digital fortune he mistakenly threw out with the rubbish.

James Howells, 28, would have turned be a bitcoin multimillionaire.

But the digital cash went missing in a mountainous landfill site in Newport, south Wales where bin men took it after it was accidentally thrown away during a clear-out.