Talk of the Town: He's not spooked by assault course

HE'S better acquainted with spooking unsuspecting tourists from nooks and crannies on Capital ghost tours, but the spectre of a shot in the limelight proved to alluring for one professional Edinburgh "ghost".

Joseph Smith, of Witchery Tours, is appearing on BBC1's Total Wipeout on Saturday.

The 20-year-old travelled to the assault course in Argentina back in August, but is remaining tight-lipped about the final outcome.

The Bruntsfield resident said: "I suppose my job helped me. I'm always running about Edinburgh in the rain and hail so I'm used to slippery conditions."

Hearts heroes put on a United front for challenge

THEY may be more used to battling it out on the pitch, but now two rival football teams will be using their brains to gain the upper hand.

Players from the Hearts Legends team - Alan McLaren, John Robertson, Jimmy Sandison and Jose Quitongo - are taking on Dundee United players Dave Bowman, Ray McKinnon, Davie Hannah and Grant Johnson in this Friday's episode of Postcode Challenge.

Hearts Legends captain Jimmy Sandison said: "We had some good banter with the Dundee United guys, but once the game kicked off it was each team for themselves."

Some friendly advice

IN the eyes of many, Facebook has always been little more than a popularity contest.

But a new study shows that more web friends doesn't necessarily mean a better lifestyle.

Research from Edinburgh Napier University suggests that the more buddies on your Facebook tally, the more likely you are to feel stressed out by social surfing.

Psychologists quizzed around 200 students on their use of the site, concluding that for a significant number of users the negative effects of Facebook outweighed the benefits of staying in touch with friends and family.

Going on the record

AS the mastermind behind John Rebus, known for his love of rock 'n' roll and prog rock, you could be forgiven for thinking that Ian Rankin might have a slightly more varied soundtrack when he sits down to pen his acclaimed novels.

Although he shares much of Rebus' favourites, Rankin is not adverse to listening to Glasgow rockers Mogwai for ten hours on end, much to his wife's dismay.

Rankin reveals: "I just found the four-track (Mogwai] EP. It drives my wife nuts because I just put it on repeat."