A place in the sun - home and away

Fancy bowling up to a top exec at this year's MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival for a chat, but short of a conversation opener? Well you could always ask them about their holidays. Monkey hears that Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan went searching for a place in the sun in the States, while ITV's director of television Peter Fincham has followed Gordon Brown's lead and spent most of his break in Suffolk, practising his MacTaggart speech, no doubt. BBC director general Mark Thompson holidayed in June with his family but last week sportingly spent a few days at the Olympics. However, Channel Five's director of programmes, Ben Gale, takes the biscuit for bravery. Monkey hears he headed off to France with a tent. Expect a Rough Guide to Camping soon on Five.