Sometimes I wonder if the head honchos at The Guardian have their own little in-jokes and like playing tricks on their readership.
How else to explain their current bizarre promotion of celeb-designed wrapping paper. So far the likes of Johnny Depp, Jonathan Ross, Paul Smith, David Bailey and Sophie Dahl have leant their considerable talents to the idea.
Seriously, is anyone going to buy the newspaper purely because of this? I mean, it’s basically a large piece of newspaper with a slightly different design on it.
How delighted would you be if you got a present wrapped up in a Johnny Depp-designed piece of newspaper? Would you even notice, more’s the point?
OK, so I know they’re raising money for their Katine appeal and readers are being encouraged to bid for the original version of the design, but it’s all a bit shit that apart, isn’t it?
Wallcharts with birds on are good. Mini-booklets about card games are great. Celeb wrapping paper? Not worth the paper it comes in!
I hate it when slebs are asked to design anything – there’s a godawful range of charity mugs and plates you can get with Hollywood A-listers self-portraits on them, and if anyone bought me one, I’d smash it over their head. And I hate the idea that slebs can do anything for charidee and it’s immediately great, from designing crap paper to taking their clothes off. Why not just write a bleeding big cheque?