The Story of The Mail on Sunday

Text size:

By John Wellington

The Mail on Sunday first hit the nation's doormats on May 2, 1982, splashing on the news of the RAF's bombing of Port Stanley airport in the Falklands. Its remit was simple - to be perfect Sunday offering, giving readers a fresh angle on the big stories of the previous week, with the exclusive interviews other newspapers could not get, the best pictures, the keenest criticism, the sharpest insight. It was also there to break the big stories which set the agenda for others to follow.

The target was a circulation of 1.25 million. But initially, the launch of The Mail on Sunday was not a success. By the sixth week, sales were just 700,000.

The then proprietor, the late Lord Rothermere, brought in Daily Mail editor David English, later Sir David, who, with a task force of his own top journalists, redesigned and re-launched The Mail on Sunday.

Its remit was simple - to be perfect Sunday offering, giving readers a fresh angle on the big stories of the previous week.

For three-and-a-half months, Sir David would sleep on a camp bed in his office, working from 9 a.m. until 1 a.m. the next day, spending half his time on the Daily Mail and half on the Mail on Sunday.

Over that period, Sir David managed to halt the decline and circulation increased to 840,000.

There were to be three new sections, first, a sponsored partwork, the intitial one to be a cookery book; then a colour comic supplement, an innovation in the British Sunday newspaper market, and lastly, a magazine - You magaziine.

The struggle of the Mail on Sunday for survival was notable for the camaraderie of the staff as they fought to make the newspaper live. From the first days, the involvement was intense, so much so that the families of the staff members became vicariously involved. When it appeared at the outset that the newspaper would fold, it was like a family sorrow. Then, as the newspaper began to rally, it turned into a family triumph.

Further supplements have since been added: Night & Day, incorporating Choice, our seven-day TV listings guide, Review - the 40-page arts and features pull-out and the award-winning Financial Mail on Sunday. Circulation is now around 2.3 million.

You magazine has set trends. Now, under the editorship of Sue Peart, it is designed to appeal mainly to our women readers, with horoscopes by Sally Brompton, problem page from Zelda West-Meads, Barbara Toner's Home Life column plus regular fashion, food, health, shopping and beauty features as well as general articles. It is the only national newspaper to offer readers a high-quality woman's magazine every week.

Night & Day was launched in 1993 to provide a platform for incisive, quality journalism. Containing a high-quality, 30-page TV listings section Choice, the magazine is led by celebrity interviews and high-quality in-depth features.

Financial Mail on Sunday was first published as a separate section in 1994 in the belief that money shouldn't be about boring men in suits. The Financial Mail on Sunday's philosophy is to write about business and finance is a way which will allow the majority of people to understand - and profit. With share tips and personal finance columns, it offers simple and impartial advice.