Absent friends

Monkey can't wait to see what goodies ITV has in store this winter at its launch next week. Wouldn't it be a shame if the event was over-shadowed by the Deloitte phone-in scandal? Monkey is sure director of television Simon Shaps will handle any questions on the matter with aplomb. Hang on a minute - what's this? It says on the invitation that Simon will "outline" the season's highlights and preview the screening. It then goes on to add: "After the presentation, ITV press officers and controllers will be on hand to answer any questions you might have." And Simon, surely? Otherwise the questions will consist mostly of "Why isn't Simon taking questions?".