Obsession with celebrity has harmed journalism – thank god for hard-nosed reporters exposing Britain’s wrongs
Victoria Adams and the Manchester United player David Beckham. The Posh & Becks phenomenon coincided with other pivotal millennium-era moments in popular culture; the launch of Big Brother, spawning the reality TV genre; the debut of Pop Idol and the advent of interactive talent shows; the emergence of a new magazine sector led by Heat, OK! and Closer; and the editing of the Daily Mirror by a self-styled friend of the stars, Piers Morgan, who introduced a new model of gossipy celebrity journalism – the 3am Girls.