Cover Stories: Piers Morgan; John Peel; Jacqueline Wilson

Former Mirror editor Piers Morgan will be spending the Christmas holiday checking the proofs of his forthcoming memoir, The Insider, in advance of its Ebury Press publication in March.

Former Mirror editor Piers Morgan will be spending the Christmas holiday checking the proofs of his forthcoming memoir, The Insider, in advance of its Ebury Press publication in March. We can expect lots about Tony Blair (the two had "a very good relationship for a long time"), as well as Gordon Brown and David Blunkett, with each of whom he had some 50 one-to-one meetings. "None of my friends or people I like doing business with have anything to fear at all," he continues. "But if you don't fall into that category, I have no compunction in settling old scores." All's fair in love, war and memoirs.

* The Peel family is, as we reported earlier this week, upset by two cash-in biographies of John, one published by Orion and the other by O'Mara. This week, Transworld, who paid about £1.5m for Peel's memoirs, has confirmed that it will publish his autobiography next autumn. It seems Peel had already written some 50,000 words, to which his widow Sheila and their children will add personal reminiscences. The family said: "We decided it would have been a terrible waste to have let all of his work so far go unpublished and feel he would have wished us to complete it." A collection of Peel's music journalism is also likely.

* Today, children's first choice Jacqueline Wilson will receive a special BT Childline Award in recognition of the way her writing has given millions of children an insight into challenging subjects. The author was nominated by a panel of young judges, and Childline founder Esther Rantzen noted that Wilson is "truly a hero to so many children". The award will be presented by the Countess of Wessex at a ceremony at London's BT Tower.