Four-month high as Sunday Mirror readers p-p-pick up penguin DVD

The Sunday Mirror enjoyed its biggest sale since last September with a combination of a Big Brother splash and a National Geographic DVD promotion.

The front page from 7 January was crticised by newspaper design guru Michael Crozier in last week’s Press Gazette as his least favourite of the week. But according to industry estimates, that week’s edition enjoyed a 205,000 copy uplift on the week before.

The front page story revealed news of a fling between Celebrity Big Brother housemate Donny and the lover of fellow contestant Leo Sayer. The page also carried a large promotion for a National Geographic DVD.

A Sunday Mirror spokesman said: ‘Part of the challenge for all tabloids, editorially and promotionally, is to be on the readers’ pulse, to reflect what’s happening out there, and catch the mood. Celebrity Big Brother, admittedly for the wrong reasons, has been perhaps the most talked about show ever. And the promotion, Totally Wild, was totally on the mark, drawing on the huge popularity of TV shows such as the recent Planet Earth series. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles have all been collecting the offer for their children, nieces and nephews. It has had an amazing response.’In last week’s ‘best and worst’comment feature, Crozier criticised the Sunday Mirror for the size of the promo and the choice of splash. He picked out the Independent on Sunday as his favourite front page of the week.

The story neglected to mention that Crozier has a long-term association with the Independent Group (most recently in 1998), although he has never worked for the Independent on Sunday.