By John Mair, senior lecturer in journalism at Coventry University
The television world may be all agog at the defection of Ramsay Street from Channel One to Channel Five but the media world and the world's media are still enthralled by another soap - Kate and Gerry McCann and the saga of their missing daughter Madeleine.
There are only three facts in this story.
Madeleine disappeared from the McCann holiday apartment in the Portugese resort of Praia da Luz on the evening of May 3rd 2007.
She has not been found.
Parents Kate and Gerry are now 'arguidos' or official suspects. So too is local expat Robert Murat.
Millions of words have been written worldwide mindful of, and ignoring, those three facts.
Each day literally scores of stories appear all over the world and in all languages (Nearly 2,000 in a Google news search on Tuesday February 12 alone, for example).
On the front page of the Daily Express 'Missing Maddy' vies daily with the death of Princess Diana for space.
Former Sun Editor Kelvin Mckenzie calls it 'the most significant story of my lifetime'. At least two respected British current affairs strands - 'Panorama' and 'Dispatches' have had a bite at the McCann cherry.
BBC Radio Four has too, Oprah Winfrey is said to want the McCanns exclusively to speak for a large sum and the feature documentary makers like John Smithson are circling for the big one.
Just what is the appeal of the McCann story?
The obvious elements are there - the sheer horror of the crime if it is that. Abducting a beautiful three-year-old from her bed.
Her parents, Kate, and Gerry too, play their part in the 'soap' in that they are upper middle class and attractive.
The McCanns are the first private individuals (or suspects according to your view) to have their own 'spin doctor' figure to sell their story.
He is Clarence Mitchell, a former BBC Royal Correspondent has worked nearly full time for them for nine months. He resigned a well paid UK Government post to do so. His job he says is to 'help' them and be a 'buffer' to the media for them. It is a highly controversial role.
In the last three months, I have produced two public events with Clarence. They were packed out - more than 200 at each. There was much heat and some light generated at them, much of it about his role. Clarence held his own. Usually.
The McCann story is a morality tale for our times.
Some have taken against Kate and Gerry simply because they feel they 'abandoned' their daughter (and her siblings) for a night of fun with friends. Others simply dislike them because of their class. Others for manipulating the media in their favour through Clarence and cleverness.
The McCanns and Clarence have proved masters at turning the story when needs arise.
'The McCanns; Guilty or Innocent?' is a 'debate' fanned by the internet. One squeak in Praya de Luz becomes a shout in London in minutes.
'Stories' in Portugal' become 'fact' in Britain then go back to Portugal to be embellished even more The printed media have proved adept at recyling.
As Mitchell bitterly puts it "If there were green awards for recycling it should go to the British and Portuguese press".
It's not just the professionals. Everybody has a view on the McCanns. Blogs following the Media Society Clarence event at the LSE last month attracted hundreds of postings - most of them lacking in any rhyme or reason. If you want to see raw bile look up the3arguidos.net. It does not make for pleasant reading.
This particular soap opera will have an end in tragedy or in triumph. Then it will be ripe for the historical documentaries to be made and for the media - print and broadcast - to audit itself. That should be fascinating.
Forget 'Neighbours' and Channel Five tune into "The McCanns - an everyday story of not so ordinary Leicestershire folk. Playing on a screen or a newspaper very near you".
John Mair produced 'The McCanns and the Media' for the Media Society at the LSE on January 30.
