I'm very much looking forward to tonight - there are gorillas (avec baby gorilla) and cartoon characters. I'm easily pleased as you know - and these stories are really doing it for me today. Al's off at a meeting, he says he'll be back soon, but I fear he's deserted me...
Meanwhile, Ben's gone off the jump into the gorilla's enclosure at Chessington - I'm not going to be mean to Ben (although I'm finding it very hard not to make some sort of cheeky comment...) I'll focus on the cuteness of the bubba gorilla and the cheeky side of the story. We covered it a while back - the boy gorilla needed a girl gorilla to play with - one was supplied via a bit of matchmaking on the internet - obviously! The zoo keepers were worried they wouldn't get on - but lo and behold they more than got on - they got it on pronto, and have delivered their first little 'un. Faye was wondering how long the gestation period was for a gorilla - I googled - it's 8 and a half months. We thought it must have been less as it seems like only yesterday they were introduced. Later we'll introduce you to their baby...
Before that we've got a bit of deja vu. Remember the taxi driver John Worboys - he drugged and attacked women in the back of his black cab - but the cops didn't link the cases of more than a dozen women. They now think he may have assaulted hundreds of women before he was eventually stopped 13 years too late.
Well, another serial sex offender's finally been brought to justice, but again the cops didn't put all the clues together and Kirk Reid was allowed to get away with it for 7 years. He's been convicted of attacking more than 20 women in South London - but police have had to apologise 'cos they think he attacked more than 70, and they missed so many opportunities to arrest him. Emma Walden's got all the details for you.
Then we're looking at those G20 protests again. As the day gets closer - the cops are getting worried - they've sent divers out today... The bankers are getting worried - their bosses have told them to ditch the pin-striped suits for the day... And the protesters are getting ready to make their point, warning it could get ugly. Simon Harris is the man with the plans - he's going to fill us in on what the police, banks and protesters all have in store for the day the world's leaders come to town.
Next we've got the councils who banked on the wrong banks to make our tax bucks go further. They've been told off for investing in Iceland (the banks not the supermarket) - when we were all told that was a v v bad idea. The councils say they received the warnings too late...Phil Bayles is checking that one out.
Then, there's Gwyneth Paltrow. She's been talking to Lucy about some film she's in - Lucy says it's weird... I think they talk about more than the movie though - so I'm sure we can look forward to chat about juggling the school run, with a Hollywood career and a rock star husband... Don't worry, I won't be feeling sorry for her either!
We've also got Wallace and Grommit - well, their house and their creator anyway... They've mocked up a massive version of their home for kids to play in at the Science Museum - and Liz Wickham's the lucky girl who's gone along.
See that and the rest at 6.
Alex & Alastair.
