When staff at the Gravesend Messenger faced an editorial dilemma, they came up with an unusual solution…

The world was transfixed as rescuers staged a dramatic mission to save the stranded bottle-nosed whale in the river Thames.

Thousands of people lined the banks, with entire families crowding into Gravesend to catch a glimpse of the tragic animal.

On most weeks it would have been the obvious contender for the front page splash.

But the following day, the town’s landmark former cinema was ravaged by fire. What was once a proud monument became a burnt-out shell.

As staff considered which would make the better splash they came up with a novel approach – make both stories the front page lead.

The weekly newspaper, with a small but loyal circulation, created front-and-back page ‘specials’.

Fire edition

Whale edition

The cinema special was first on the Kent Messenger’s Larkfield presses. This was then stopped and replaced by the whale special.

Both were then put on sale, with the public able to buy either the cinema or whale versions across the borough.

Community editor Denise Eaton said: “With much of the public’s attention at the time on Celebrity Big Brother, we had our own Celebrity Big Blubber and an inferno raging – so we also left it for the public to decide!”