Speculation has started again about whether Bert and Ernie, two of Sesame Street's most beloved characters, are a gay couple.

Mark Saltzman, one of the show's writers, has claimed in an interview that, in his mind, they were indeed a couple.

He says he based his writing for the characters on his own real-life relationship with film editor Arnold Glassman.

However, the organisation behind Sesame Street has denied that Bert and Ernie are gay, saying they are just puppets who "do not have a sexual orientation. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves."

Esther O'Moore Donoghue and Ed Smith discussed this and some of the week's other TV news.

To catch the full chat press the play button on the image on the top of the screen