Dominic Mohan, The Sun’s showbiz editor, was asked for his opinion of the girls He said: “They’re a national joke They’re quite nice girls but they’re not proper journalists. I’ve interviewed Madonna and Sting and Elton John and Paul McCartney … Why aren’t you doing a story about me?”Perhaps also in the market for a Vanity Fair profile is Peter McKay of the Daily Mail, who is quoted as saying: “They’re liggers. They troll around these parties hoping to be thrown out so they can write something rude.”Jessica Callan said: “The celebrities fear us …

When they’re at parties and they’re not surrounded by agents and PR people and they confront people like us something clicks. They’re usually drunk or on drugs or whatever and they lose it, and it’s brilliant.”Mr Morgan said: “I’ve created the monsters They’re my little James Bonds. They create mayhem and have fun and bring something really fresh to the showbiz reporting scene. I treat them as stars.”But they are stars in need of sympathy, according to Mr McKay.

“It’s a new chauvinism whereby laddish editors like Piers Morgan set up young women to see what they do in lavatories, these B- and C-list stars. It’s a Charlie’s Angels fantasy, a man sitting behind his desk as his ‘angels’ go and avenge him against celebrities and publicists In an odd way, the 3am Girls are victims.”. The BBC is to press ahead with nearly 15 hours of television chronicling the lying-in-state and funeral of the Queen Mother, despite more than 1,500 calls objecting to the scale of the coverage. Sir Jimmy Young will include news on the events in his Radio 2 shows on Friday and Tuesday.Calls are continuing to pour into the BBC from viewers objecting to the disruption to the schedules caused by extended news bulletins and tributes.Yet there are businesses which manifestly agree with the BBC on the event’s significance. The John Lewis partnership yesterday became the first major retailer to announce that stores will remain shut on Tuesday morning. Staff at its 26 department stores and 136 Waitrose supermarkets will be asked to come in as normal but will be allowed to watch the funeral on television if they wish.ITN will not confirm details of its coverage of Tuesday’s funeral until today.