3 February 2015 Last updated at 16:28

Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'

To Kill a Mockingbird is among the most beloved novels in history

An unpublished novel by Harper Lee is to finally see the light of day, 60 years after the US author put it aside to write To Kill a Mockingbird.

Go Set a Watchman, which features the character of Scout Finch as an adult, will be released on 14 July.

Lee wrote it in the mid-1950s but put it aside on the advice of her editor.

"I thought it a pretty decent effort." said Lee in a statement. "I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years."

Set in the fictional southern town of Maycomb during the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman sees Scout return from New York to visit her father, the lawyer Atticus Finch.

According to the publisher's announcement: "She is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her father's attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood."

Lee's editor persuaded her to rework some of the story's flashback sequences as a novel in their own right, a book that became To Kill a Mockingbird.

"I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told," the author revealed.

The manuscript was discovered last autumn, attached to an original typescript of To Kill a Mockingbird.

"I hadn't realised it [the original book] had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it," Lee continued.

"After much thought and hesitation, I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication."

Harper Collins plans an initial print run of two million copies.

To Kill a Mockingbird was published in July 1960 and won a Pulitzer Prize. Two years later it was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Gregory Peck.

Lee has rarely spoken to the media since the 1960s and is unlikely to do any publicity for her "new" book.

In a statement, Harper Collins' Jonathan Burnham called Go Set a Watchman "a remarkable literary event" whose "discovery is an extraordinary gift to the many readers and fans of To Kill a Mockingbird.

"Reading in many ways like a sequel to Harper Lee's classic novel, it is a compelling and ultimately moving narrative about a father and a daughter's relationship, and the life of a small Alabama town living through the racial tensions of the 1950s."

Were you inspired by the original novel? How do you think the characters have developed in the sequel? You can email your thoughts to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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16:13: Goodbye 'til Wednesday Mark Savage Entertainment reporter

And on that Harper Lee bombshell, I'm afraid we have to leave you.

Come back tomorrow for more reaction to the Mockingbird sequel, as well as the announcement of the Broadcast Awards in London.

Thanks for joining us today and have a great night.
15:58: Harper Lee: Twitter explodes via Twitter

Almost instantly, Twitter has gone crazy for the news that Harper Lee is publishing a second novel. Here are a few of the best moments.

Empire magazine's Chris Hewitt writes: "Harper Lee to publish a second novel, 55 years after To Kill A Mockingbird. And I thought I was useless with deadlines."

Calum Marsh tweets: "This Harper Lee news is a real windfall for ninth grade English teachers."

Mark Harriss adds: "Another Harper Lee book ALREADY? Ugh, it's like she's James Patterson or something."

And Nick Pettigrew says: "Possible Harper Lee 2nd novel titles: The Mockingbird Strikes Back, To Kill Another Mockingbird, To Seriously Injure A Woodpecker."
15:40: Harper Lee returns

Harper Lee is to publish her second novel - 55 years after To Kill A Mockingbird.

Go Set a Watchman, a novel the Pulitzer Prize-winning author completed in the 1950s and put aside, will be released on 14 July, her publishers said.

It is essentially a sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird, featuring Scout Finch as an adult - although it was actually written first.

Lee's editor persuaded her to rework some of the story's flashback sequences as a novel in their own right. That book became Mockingbird.

"I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told," said the author in a statement. "I hadn't realised it [the original book] had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it.

"After much thought and hesitation, I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years."
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Read more on this story.
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11:13: Prince back in London

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Could there be more shows to come? Watch this space.
11:04: Ewan MacColl honoured: BBC Radio 2

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10:46: Bobbi Brown update

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10:37: Williams family dispute New York Times

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Read the full story.
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Hopefully, this means she can abandon her disastrous second career as a light fitter.
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Top row L-R: Reese Witherspoon and The Theory of Everything writer Anthony McCarten (asleep?); host Neil Patrick Harris; Oprah Winfrey; Julianne Moore; Steve Carell.

Bottom row L-R: Edward Norton; JK Simmons towering over Patricia Arquette; Michael Keaton; Aneta Kopacz and Emma Stone (not paying attention); Jason Blum; Laura Dern.
09:01: While you were asleep
A few updates from overnight.
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Emma Stone, a best supporting actress nominee for Birdman, was also there, alongside Reese Witherspoon, whose turn in Wild scored a best actress nomination.

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08:30: Oscar nominees gather

The 2015 Oscar nominees gathered yesterday for a bit of Hollywood backslapping.

Those of you with eagle vision will be able to spot the likes of Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Patricia Arquette, Bradley Cooper and Clint Eastwood.

Sadly, Benedict Cumberbatch wasn't there to stage the best photobomb of all time.
08:28: Get involved

By the way - if you have any tips for stories, or anything you'd like to say about today's coverage, please get in touch.

Drop us a line on entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk or tweet @BBCNewsEnts.
08:27: Good morning! Mark Savage Entertainment reporter

Welcome to our rolling coverage of the day's entertainment news. We'll have the latest on the murder charges against rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight and the health of Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi.

On the lighter side of things, we have pictures from the Oscar nominees luncheon and a look at the line-up for Comic Relief at the Great British Bake-Off.