The 7 O'Clock News was the main news programme, broadcast each weekday at 7:00pm, on British digital television channel BBC Three between 9 February 2003 to 2 December 2005. Originally called The News Show from the launch of BBC Three in 9 February 2003, it was rebranded later in the year, though retaining the same presentation team.

Compared to the rest of the BBC News output, The 7 O'Clock News had a completely different image and style of presentation, with a turquoise colour scheme in contrast to the standard red and black. Presenters began bulletins standing but ended seated, reviewing the newspapers towards the end of the programme.

On 21 October 2005, the BBC announced that it was ending The 7 O'Clock News, but continuing with the 60 Seconds bulletins, opting to fill the slot, which is immediately after BBC Three comes on air, with "high quality factual programming". Although the show was a cornerstone of the bid to start BBC Three, a report into the BBC's digital output claimed that the show "achieves nothing and attracts tiny audiences", and so the controller of the channel, Stuart Murphy took the step of terminating the show.

"7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" is the twelfth and final track on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, a 1966 album by Simon and Garfunkel. The track consists of an overdubbing of two contrasting recordings: a simple arrangement of the Christmas carol "Silent Night", and a simulated "7 O'Clock News" bulletin of the actual events of 3 August 1966.

The "Silent Night" track consists of Simon and Garfunkel singing the first verse twice over, accompanied by Garfunkel on piano. The voice of the newscaster is that of Charlie O'Donnell, then a radio disc jockey. As the track progresses, the song becomes fainter and the news report louder. Matthew Greenwald calls the effect "positively chilling". Bruce Eder describes the track as "a grim and ironic (and prophetic) comment on the state of the United States in 1966".

The following events are reported in the order given:

Simon & Garfunkel were an American music duo consisting of singer-songwriters Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the hit single "The Sound of Silence". Their music was featured in the landmark film The Graduate (1967), propelling them further into the public consciousness.

They are well known for their vocal close harmonies and were among the most popular recording artists of the 1960s. Their biggest hits – including "The Sound of Silence" (1964), "I Am a Rock" (1965), "Homeward Bound" (1965), "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" (1966), "A Hazy Shade of Winter" (1966), "Mrs. Robinson" (1968), "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1969), "The Boxer" (1969), and "Cecilia" (1969) – peaked at number one in several charts. They have received several Grammys and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.