Even monkeys need a little light relief…..!

Today I was confessing to one of my chief-subs at work that I still had not finished writing my testimonial for my Masters application. For anyone not in news, a chief-sub is the person responsible for writing or finessing the scripts that the main anchor reads into each report.

Everyone in the office is super bright, but this particular person is especially gifted. Over the years she’s glided through her education on various scholarships both here and abroad and is an alumni to a very prestigious university in the States. Yet despite her intelligence and interest in current and world affairs, I’m relieved to hear that she likes to watch trashy telly as a bit of light relief. As shocked as I was to hear what she’s become addicted too, America’s Next Top Model, it did make me chuckle. I hear Dame Helen Mirren is a fan too!

The programme is not going to teach her any life skills (it’s hardly Ray Mears) and even though she knows deep-down she should probably watch something more educational, it’s a habit she’s unlikely to kick.

Well it seems our near-relatives also need to unwind now and again despite the risks; and thankfully it has nothing to do with Tyra Banks or a make-over.

These mischievous macaques in Jaipur, India, were snapped tombstoning by a photographer, Andrew Forsyth. Even though the water was quite shallow, which could have caused injury or death on impact, the monkeys repeatedly threw themselves off a 3.5m (12ft) lamp-post into the trough of water.

Mr Forsyth said: “Each time they went higher and higher – despite barbed wire on the post – before jumping.

“They just did it for fun. It’s the closest I’ve ever seen to monkeys mimicking human behaviour.”