Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Aussie actress Kiruna Stamell is set to appear in a major new Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One drama called All The Small Things. In the six part series, she stars in an ensemble cast alongside Sarah Lancashire and Neil Pearson as one of the members of a community choir in which the arrival of a new member causes a rift in the group.

... and before you ask, the title has nothing to do with her short stature, it's a reference to a Blink 182 song, sung by the choir.

The producers have promised "rousing choruses, joyous harmonies and booming basslines". Kiruna assures me there are a good few laughs as well.

This is the second time she's been on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ in a week, following her recent turn as a special needs teacher in EastEnders.

You can catch her debut on the show tonight at 9.00pm on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One, or afterwards on iPlayer. Plus, if you can't get enough of Kiruna, she is also presenting April's Ouch! Talk Show - download it from this Thursday.

We've had guide dogs, guide ponies, hearing dogs and even helping hand monkeys, but could disabled people riding 'seeing-eye horses' along the high street be the next big thing when it comes to employing assistance animals?

If Tabitha Darling of Fort Worth in Texas gets her way, they might be. Tabitha is legally blind, but also has a bone condition that can make walking painful. So instead of a guide dog or a wheelchair, she rides Trixie, a guide horse. The only problem is that she's riding her everywhere, including .

The Americans with Disabilities Act says that stores cannot refuse enry to a service animal, but Tabitha's horsing around (sorry) in the aisles, weaving between the pickles and the sliced white loaves, is causing controversy in the local community - including amongst other disabled people. One Fort Worth resident who is also blind and physically disabled, but uses a more conventional combination of a seeing-eye dog and a wheelchair, says that Tabitha "doesn't need to be riding around like Lady Godiva in a store".

Well, I've checked the photos on the article, and from what I can see she's not naked like the infamous Godiva, but we'll leave that criticism to one side and focus on the horsey business. I guess their 'business' is part of the problem too, since horses aren't noted for nipping off to the nearest public toilet when they need to relieve themselves, if you catch my drift.

So what do you think? Is it a case of anything goes when it comes to assistance animals, and we should have the right to use any creature we want in any location we might find ourselves in, or should there be some level of practicality about it?

Here's the disability photo story of the week: as he and other big name England players meet service personnel who were injured while fighting in Afghanistan.

In the pics we see Britain's most famous footballer holding a prosthetic arm after a soldier has removed it, then shaking hands with the same serviceman once he's got his arm back on (with Becks presumably saying to himself, "Look! It doesn't come off if I pull on it! Amazing!"). There are also shots of him and England captain John Terry autographing more legs and arms than, well, I've seen on my regular visits to the prosthetic limb clinic.

It's given me an idea, too. If I could get David Beckham to sign my prosthetic leg, how much could I get it for on eBay? Erm, not that I would ever sell it, of course ...

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's security correspondent , who became disabled after being involved in a gun attack in Saudi Arabia in 2004, has gone from the heat of the studio lights of the newsroom to the chill of the ski slopes.

He recently joined Operation Snow Warrior, a military winter training exercise with a difference. All the servicemen and women taking part are disabled and, like Frank, have returned to winter sports as part of their rehab, using equipment such as 'sit-skis'. This morning (Wednesday), Radio 4 broadcast a programme called Battling Back, and you can join Frank and the soldiers on the slopes by listening to the programme for the next seven days on the iPlayer. There's also an accompanying on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News website.

• Ouch! previously sent Emma Bowler to try out some accessible skiing too. Read her article here.

Remember Beyond Boundaries? Over three series between 2005 and 2008, groups of disabled people embarked on the adventure of a lifetime - crossing Nicaragua, Africa and the Andes respectively. They pushed themselves to the limits of endurance as they trekked, climbed mountains, cut through jungles, kayaked down rivers, and then got home and were completely unable to get on the local inaccessible bus and go shopping for their tea. Okay, not the last bit - that would be ridiculous.

And now they're back! Older and wiser, perhaps carrying a few more wrinkles. Have they changed? What did the experience teach them? Did it whet their appetite for travelling round the world, or did they vow never to leave their home comforts again?

Well, you can find out in a new two-part series called Beyond Boundaries: Where Are They Now? which starts this coming Sunday on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two, as expedition leader and ex-SAS Major Ken Hames catches up with the team members. The first show concentrates on the crew from series one, while programme two meets the participants from series two and three.

Beyond Boundaries: Where Are They Now? can be seen this Sunday 22 March at 11.00pm on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two (or in Scotland the following Tuesday 24 March, also at 11.00pm. The second programme follows two weeks later on Sunday 5 April at 10.50pm (with the time and date of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland showing yet to be confirmed).

I'll be watching it with my feet up, eating cheese sandwiches and possibly drinking a cocktail. After all, this expedition business can be really exhausting ...

Children's TV presenter Cerrie Burnell presented a short film on disability prejudice in the media on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ1 last night.

Cerrie, 29, who was born with one hand missing, with her non-symmetrical look when she turned up on the popular pre-schoolers channel CBeebies recently

As a result of the headlines, and the revealing debate behind them, early evening magazine programme The One Show asked her to investigate the wider story.

"Fear often comes from ignorance, so I believe the only way for society to accept disability ... is surely for there to be better representation on screen." says Cerrie.

Visit The One Show blog and watch her film now: Cerrie Burnell investigates disability prejudice in the media.

• The One Show is on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One, Monday-Friday at 7.00pm.

• Find out more about Cerrie Burnell on the CBeebies website ... and sing along with her Sunset Song.

You might have read on our news page about Otto Baxter, he's a 21 year old with Down's Syndrome who is searching for love and looking to lose his virginity. Nothing unusual in that you might say, but he has the full support of his mother, who has helped him set up profiles on social networking sites and is reported to be willing to pay for a prostitute if necessary to help him in his quest.

The story has already provoked fierce discussion on the our Messageboard, now you can judge for yourself as Otto is one of the people featured on this week's episode of Natalie Cassidy's Real Britain on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Three on Thursday night at 8pm, or watch again on iPlayer. Let us know what you thought about the programme in the comments.

Here's one we can surely claim as a disabled animal story. An extraordinary Shetland Pony named Mayflower has been given the nickname 'Sausage Pony' because of its short legs and long body.

The plot thickens as that passers by in Hampshire have been calling the police worried that she appears from a distance to be trapped or 'stuck in the mud.'

Now her owner is considering erecting signs to inform worried folk, presumably saying that no, in fact she just looks like that and is not in need of immediate emergency assistance.

I'm sure we could all do with those sometimes...

You can see a picture of Mayflower and read the full story on the .

Tuesday's edition of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ2's daily business show Working Lunch saw reporter Rob Pittam visit an office of Remploy, an agency that specialises in getting disabled people back into work. Not long ago they were a name synonymous with running sheltered factories which employed disabled people but as these have declined their focus has shifted to matching clients with employers in offices like this one.

In the report, Rob speaks to job-seekers, some of whom were worried about the effect of disclosing their disabilities to potential employers, others concerned there simply aren't jobs out there for them in the current climate.

It isn't all gloom though as he discovers how the agency matches disabled people's skills with the needs of employers and offers some top tips for anyone who finds themselves out of work. on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News website, or for a subtitled version catch Tuesday's Working Lunch on iPlayer, the report starts at 8:00 minutes.

Actress and comedienne Kitty Mcgeever, who became blind at age 32, has landed a role in ITV prime-time soap opera Emmerdale. She is set to arrive in April playing Lizzie Lakely an old friend of Lisa Dingle. It seems the show's producers have been listening to demands from disabled audiences for more rounded, dramatic roles as along with her cane, Lizzie is set to bring "remorseless bad behaviour and mischievous antics" to the village.

She is the latest disabled actress to be cast in a soap, following Hollyoaks' Kelly Marie-Stewart who we interviewed on our March podcast.

With more disabled characters now popping up on our screens, the real question seems to be which soap will be next to take the plunge and cast one in a major role. At a recent Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ staff event, drama execs keenly discussed ideas for getting more disabled characters on EastEnders. So it's worth keeping an eye on Walford for any developments...