People have been emailing and phoning me about the tabloids. I've not set myself up particularly as the world's greatest expert on this subject, but I previously did what amounts to a blog on tabloids for BBC news online. It was called Amazing Tales from Planet Tabloid. You can see it at this link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1061181.stm

I used to plough through a great pile of newspapers and get these mad stories. I love this sort of stuff, which reminds me of 18th century journalism - something that Jonathan Swift might have written about, or generic Tall Tales From Ye Guienas and Ye New Worlde - mermaids, one-legged giants, cities paved with gold, ships wreck by gigantic squids, etc, etc.

An e-mailer ask whether I think tabloids are a 'good thing'. My answer is 'yes' and 'no'. Perhaps they are bad in good way; or good in a bad way. I'm not sure. Also my opnion, which is not really worth that much, on this subject changes from moment to moment.