Salut!

On the trail of collared beasts

Christelle, my elder daughter (pictured, with friends, on a recent visit to Abu Dhabi), gave fair warning that her ability to keep the promise to post to Salut! from her African wildlife expedition would depend on access to the internet.

She hopes to write a full account of her first week very soon, but has so far managed to send only a couple of text messages, via a companion's mobile phone.

Her first message was another of her frighten-the-parents classics , along the lines of: woke up to the sounds of monkeys, looked out and saw three lions walk by (even if it turned out to be someone else who saw them).

Stars of Salut!

There has always been a star culture in the media. In the past, the BBC had Alistair Cook, the Daily Mirror Cassandra. Today, tubthumping, harrumphing columnists such as Richard Littlejohn, and celebrity pundits like Piers Morgan, are household names, and filthy rich with it.

The modest Salut! empire has its own stars. Pete Sixsmith writes as well at Salut! Sunderland as do many Fleet Street sports journalists in their papers. Salut! Live's verbatim interviews reveal the brighter lights of folk music - Rachel Unthank, for example, and Karine Polwart - to be handy with words, too. And even Salut! North has the Girl at the Redworth Bus Stop.

Now step forward a new star of Salut!, who happens to be another C Randall (pictured above, on the right).