There are also more subtle differences at play.

Cost - Ft is £2.50 ($4) I think which impact casual buying. Times is good value at £1.

Supplements / sport - regular supplements tend to drive sales, eg some have more football coverage on a Monday, Guardian has media features on Monday, Times has a big property supplement on Friday

Size - wide range of formats now, the fully broadsheet Telegraph does seem too big now in the age of Berliner Guardians and tabloid Times's and it is tricky to read on transport etc.

Of the serious papers, the Times is a decent allrounder, the Guardian is good but you need to share aits political leanings, the Independent has no budget and it shows - hard to justify the cover price. Telegraph always makes me feel that I should be 60 plus to enjoy it.

The best newspaper in the UK is actually the Weekend FT.

In terms of a business model, the Daily Express is something of a miracle. Quite a lot of people still pay for it. However, it carries no real news and has no journalistic staff beyond a token number. Almost all the content comes from agencies, with whole sections, eg Tv, business, supplied by third parties. Massively profitable. My brother buys it for reasons I can't imagine.

The Mail may be a shocking piece of work, morally, but you have to admire the way it does it.